BibleWorm

Dr. Amy Robertson and Dr. Robert Williamson discuss the story of Jesus's birth as told in Luke 2:1-20. They discuss God's revolution of peace taking place in the mundane realities of life, the imperial backdrop for the good news of the Gospel, and the mysteries of faith that are revealed and confirmed only in community. Also they sing a little.

Dr. Amy Robertson and Dr. Robert Williamson discuss the birth of John the Baptist in Luke 1. They discuss its orientation toward the future and its theme of preparedness, the notion of the Gospel taking root in the wilderness, and the significance of the angel Gabriel telling Zechariah to talk to the hand.

Dr. Amy Robertson and Dr. Robert Williamson discuss Ezra 1 and 3. The people are released from Exile to return to Jerusalem, where they find the Temple in ruins and the altar torn down. They discuss the importance of ritual in connecting the people with God and with each other, the mingling of joy and sorrow that attends to new beginnings, and the urgency of pressing ahead even when the situation seems overwhelming.

Dr. Amy Robertson and Dr. Robert Williamson discuss Isaiah 40, a vision of comfort for the people at the end of the exile. They discuss who is supposed to comfort whom, why Isaiah refers to the Persian king Cyrus as "my messiah," and how recovery from trauma requires a community. Also, there are robot voices.

Dr. Amy Robertson and Dr. Robert Williamson discuss Jeremiah 33:1-18, Jeremiah's vision of a restored community. They discuss the audacity of hopefulness in the midst of despair, the ambiguous promise of a Davidic king, and what (if anything) this text has to do with the Christian season of Advent.

Dr. Amy Robertson and Dr. Robert Williamson discuss the story of King Josiah's reform in 2 Kings 22-23. They grapple with God's insistence that people are responsible for keeping Torah even when it's been lost, our responsibility to establish justice for future generations, and the possibility that some people might do what is right even without the threat of punishment.  

Dr. Amy Robertson and Dr. Robert Williamson discuss Isaiah chapters 5 and 11, the Song of the Vineyard and the vision of an ideal king. They discuss Isaiah's poetic strategy for persuading the people of their unrighteous ways, the measure of an ideal king being justice and equity for the poor, and whether you can reasonably sue your garden for producing bad lettuce.

Dr. Amy Robertson and Dr. Robert Williamson discuss the prophecy of Hosea 11. Topics include the metaphor of God's love for the community as a parent's love for a child, God's compassion that overrides anger, and whether God would bring you pants when it's 30 degrees outside.

Dr. Amy Robertson and Dr. Robert Williamson discuss Elijah's contest with the prophets of Baal. We discuss the difficulty of belief in the face of more reasonable alternatives, competition among gods in our own day, and what to do if your false god needs to poop.

Dr. Amy Robertson and Dr. Robert Williamson discuss the division of the kingdom of Israel in 1 Kings 12. Topics include the exercise of power at the expense of covenantal community, the importance of understanding tradition, and the unending masculine obsession with loin size.