BibleWorm

This week BibleWorm looks at the story of Aaron and the Golden Calf in Exodus 32:1-14. We wonder about the unrealistic expectations that the people could wait in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights without getting anxious, and struggle with the decisions Aaron makes to keep the people from rebelling. We try to parse the difference between worshiping false gods and worshiping God falsely, and wonder whether there is really a difference. And we wrestle with what it means to worship a God who becomes angry but who also relents of anger when faced with a human interlocutor who insist on covenantal fidelity.

If you'd like to listen to the extended version of this episode, visit our Patreon at patreon.com/biblewormpodcast. 

This week BibleWorm discusses the original Passover ritual described in Exodus 12-13. We think about the mix of urgency and powerlessness that the Israelites may have felt, each in their own homes, just as we may feel today. We consider the ways in which ritual can form us and prepare us for what’s next, even when we can’t see around the pike. And we call out the losses and sorrows that accompany the struggle for liberation.

In this special extended episode, BibleWorm discusses the original Passover ritual described in Exodus 12-13. We think about the mix of urgency and powerlessness that the Israelites may have felt, each in their own homes, just as we may feel today. We consider the ways in which ritual can form us and prepare us for what’s next, even when we can’t see around the pike. And we call out the losses and sorrows that accompany the struggle for liberation.

On this special extended episode, BibleWorm turns to the Joseph story in Genesis chapters 37 and 50, exploring the complicated family dynamics of Jacob and his eleven sons. We discuss how a sense of scarcity, whether of grain or of a father’s love, can create divisions in families and among peoples who would otherwise get along. We discuss the idea that God can turn even evil plans toward good outcomes if only we can learn to trust divine promises. And we think about the relative value of love and justice, and how love unevenly applied can lead to disastrous outcomes.

This week BibleWorm turns to the Joseph story in Genesis chapters 37 and 50, exploring the complicated family dynamics of Jacob and his eleven sons. We discuss how a sense of scarcity, whether of grain or of a father’s love, can create divisions in families and among peoples who would otherwise get along. We discuss the idea that God can turn even evil plans toward good outcomes if only we can learn to trust divine promises. And we think about the relative value of love and justice, and how love unevenly applied can lead to disastrous outcomes.

This week, BibleWorm discusses Genesis 15:1-6 -- God’s covenant with Abraham. We talk about the honest, holy mess of it, the sussing each other out, and the early days in a relationship when everything feels fragile and trust goes an especially long way. We talk about waiting, and the anxiety of waiting when we don’t have access to the full plan. And we talk a surprising amount about the time-space continuum, and how Abraham, God, and even BibleWorm fit into it.

In this special extended episode, BibleWorm discusses Genesis 15:1-6 -- God’s covenant with Abraham. We talk about the honest, holy mess of it, the sussing each other out, and the early days in a relationship when everything feels fragile and trust goes an especially long way. We talk about waiting, and the anxiety of waiting when we don’t have access to the full plan. And we talk a surprising amount about the time-space continuum, and how Abraham, God, and even BibleWorm fit into it.

In this special extended episode, BibleWorm returns to our study of the Narrative Lectionary by going allll the way back to the creation story in Genesis 2 and 3. We discuss what it means that human beings are made of dust and breath and ponder our relationship to plants, animals, and the earth. We wrestle with the tree of knowledge of good and evil and why it is that such knowledge is so troubling for humankind. We wonder about the serpent in the garden and ask whether it was ever possible that Eden was going to work in the first place. And we think about humans hiding our true selves from God, embarrassed to be only what God created us to be.

This week BibleWorm returns to our study of the Narrative Lectionary by going allll the way back to the creation story in Genesis 2 and 3. We discuss what it means that human beings are made of dust and breath and ponder our relationship to plants, animals, and the earth. We wrestle with the tree of knowledge of good and evil and why it is that such knowledge is so troubling for humankind. We wonder about the serpent in the garden and ask whether it was ever possible that Eden was going to work in the first place. And we think about humans hiding our true selves from God, embarrassed to be only what God created us to be.

This week BibleWorm meets Queen Esther, winner of some biblical version of The Bachelor. We learn about the blood feud between the people of Haman and the people of Mordecai, and see the all too familiar trope that Jews - or anyone deemed an “outsider,” really - is a danger to the kingdom. We see loyalty without uniformity in action. And we see all kinds of different models for standing up to the artificial and dangerous power structures in the world.