Reactions to Black Friday and Giving Tuesday range from enthusiasm to disgust. Many just feel conflicted with the commercialization of the holidays which is intended as a time for thanksgiving, spending time with loved ones, and extending acts of mercy and generosity as the Lord graciously offers His Son for the salvation of all.
How do business and nonprofit leaders who strive to serve the Lord respond to the pressure of these events? How do consumers and patrons respond in light of their baptism in Christ? Fr. Timothy Lowe turns to Matthew's Gospel which critiques our motivations surrounding Black Friday and Giving Tuesday in light of Christ's Sermon on the Mount. Read the full episode transcript here.
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How can the Apostle Paul call himself a "blasphemer" and the "chief of sinners" and then go on to lay out expectations for the bishops and the deacons to live above reproach?
In this episode, Andrea Bakas provides an in-depth word study which unveils powerful imagery stemming from episkopos and diakonos. We look to First Timothy to understand what is expected of bishops and deacons, functional leaders of the church who are reminded to manage their households well. Read the full episode transcript here. 
What motivates our questions? Do we seek security, favor, and position when we ask that which we already know? Or do we seek clarity and common reference in the Scripture so that we can get on with the business of doing?
The story of the Good Samaritan and the inverted question Jesus asks, "Who was neighbor to that man?" clarifies the question asked by the lawyer to tempt Jesus. The one who showed mercy clarified the work for the innkeeper to further extend mercy, and mercy abounds! "Do this and you will live," is the clear answer. Any questions? Read the full episode transcript here. 
What does judgment have to do with servant leadership? On the one hand, absolutely nothing. If judgment is the Lord's, the doulos, the servant or slave in the Lord's household, cannot stand in the place of judge. The Lord alone is Judge. On the other hand, our daily activities and responsibilities require us to exercise fairness and a certain level of judgment, right?
"We are called to do the Lord's will; no less and no more," says Richard Benton, PhD, author of Hosea: A Commentary and of Loving Language: Learning to Hear Your Neighbor. The temptation is to overstep with paybacks, applying strictness or neglect, as we see in the Book of Joel. The Lord used the other nations as an instrument of judgment against Israel, but they have overstepped. Incapable of payback, the Lord will requite their deeds upon their own heads. And that's how we know it's fair, when everyone in every nation stands under the same judgment and mercy of One Lord. Read the full episode transcript here. 
Jesus calls his followers to be exceptional. It's easy to feel exceptional when the whole room of people who look like you and behave like you express their love for you.
But Jesus isn't impressed by loving those who love you and saluting only your brethren. That's just basic human behavior. Jesus sets a higher bar in Matthew's Gospel with instruction to "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." How is this possible? How are we to respond with the call to "be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect?" Read the full episode transcript here. 
We hear early in Genesis that man is made in the image and likeness of God and given dominion over the earth. On the surface, this text might appeal to the baser side of the human ego that lusts for power and prestige. But a deeper look will acknowledge that dominion over anything, large or small, carries an important burden of responsibility.
Blaise Webster, co-host of Tell Me the Story podcast, examines the original Hebrew for "image and likeness" and its serious implications for exercising dominion over the earth. Rather than asserting possession over what God rightly owns, man is appointed like a manager entrusted with the company keys. Read the full episode transcript here. 
We all like a fresh start. New beginnings are filled with hope and promise. A new mission, a new ministry, a new ordination, a new role of service, a new life. How is it that we become derailed so quickly?
The stories told in 1 Samuel hearken of hopeful beginnings in the priestly line, the prophetic line, and the kingly line, but it doesn't take long for each to go awry when motivations for a dynastic line supplant the Lord's command. Driven by base appetites, the sons of Eli abused their priestly office and treated the offering of the Lord with contempt. We have only to read the biblical stories that provide a warning against the contempt and corruption that seep in against the Lord's righteous establishment. And we must not lose hope when we see the Lord intervening with a new beginning. Read the full episode transcript here. 
Servant leaders make good on their promises.
The story of Hannah in the opening of 1 Samuel demonstrates the gravity of remembrance, grace, and vows. Hannah, barren and distressed, pours out her soul to the Lord and trusts in the blessing of promise from Eli, the priest. The Lord remembers her, extending grace through the birth of a son. But the remembrance doesn't stop with the favor of the Lord. Hannah dedicates her young son, Samuel, to the Lord, in remembrance of her vow and the grace extended to her. Hannah exemplifies what we seek in our leaders - one who negotiates for the sake of all and makes good on her promises. Read the full episode transcript here. 
In what ways do our presumptions and expectations cloud our vision?
Fr. Seraphim Solof opens Luke 24 for the story of Jesus who appears to his disciples on the road to Emmaus. The disciples had just witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus; the very one they had expected to redeem Israel is now presumed dead. Unable at first to recognize the risen Jesus, their eyes were opened when the Scriptures were opened to them, culminating in the blessing and the breaking of bread. Fr. Seraphim describes, "The problem is, the God and the Jesus who we create and animate to do our bidding, whether that means instantly giving us everything we ask for in prayer, or perhaps smiting the people who don't see things the way we do, they are invariably a false god and a false messiah. They're idols of our own making, they're really just reflections of ourselves." Like the disciples, our only hope in recognizing the Lord is to open our eyes through the opening of Scripture which extends the invitation to table fellowship. Read the full episode transcript here. 
What are our motivations for serving and leading? Upon what is hope founded? Do we strive for a prize? Or is there something greater than our own efforts and personal reward?
After 40 years of leading God's people in the desert, it may seem harsh that Moses was not allowed to enter the Promised Land. The final scene in Deuteronomy makes it clear that glory does not belong to the one who serves, but to the One who provides. The Lord provides hope through His promise for the next generation that they would hear and be faithful to His Word which itself bears the fruit of promise. Read the full episode transcript here. |
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