BibleWorm

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.

This week BibleWorm continues our summer series on the Forgotten Books of the Bible with a look at Esther 1:1-22, the story of the Persian Queen Vashti and her refusal to appear before the king. We discuss the fragile egos of the king and his courtiers who fear the capacity of women to say no. We talk about the power of the patriarchy and the lengths it will go to to suppress voices of dissent. We admire Vashti’s courage to protect her own sense of dignity and the dignity of all women even though it costs her the crown. And we wonder about the ripple effects of such acts of courage, which make ruling ideologies tremble, if only for a moment.

This week BibleWorm explores Ruth chapters 1 and 3, trying to imagine Ruth’s own perspective and calling out some of the ways that the book portrays painful parts of the immigrant experience. We see how the scene at the threshing floor plays on the worst stereotypes of Moabite women, and how Ruth’s beautiful statement of loyalty to Naomi also carries with it an erasure of her own heritage. We try to recognize our own blind spots, and lean into the scholarship of others who can help shed new light.

This week BibleWorm continues our summer series on the Forgotten Books of the Bible, with a look at the book of Ruth 2:1-20 and 4:9-17. We look at the way the book of Ruth challenges anti-immigrant sentiment in the time of Ezra-Nehemiah and in our own day. We discuss how the book lifts up the foundational contributions of Ruth the Moabite, whose persistence saves the family line of King David, without whom ancient Israel would never have been great in the first place. We think about how the book tries to counter anti-immigrant sentiment by depicting Ruth as hardworking, culturally astute, and dedicated to her Israelite mother-in-law Naomi. We also wonder what damage such rhetoric might do to Ruth—but that’s a conversation for next week.

This week BibleWorm continues our summer series on the Forgotten Books of the Bible, turning our attention to Song of Songs 1:12-2:6 and 7:1-13. We wonder at the presence of erotic love poetry in the biblical canon and wrestle what it means for our understanding of bodies, sexuality, and God. We explore themes of sexual empowerment, invitation and consent, and the joy of sex. We think about how the Song invites us to admire and respect human bodies, challenging a culture that alternately shames and sexualizes bodies for profit. Mostly, we consider how this ancient text, set free in our churches and synagogues, might empower us to speak more authentically about human sexuality.