Afleveringen
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Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about 1 Samuel chapter 21 through to 2 Samuel chapter 10.
The rise of King David is inspiring, like a hero story, although with some tragic twists to come. Davidās initial struggles donāt just show his character as he hopes and trusts in God, but he meets creatively with God and ends up expressing all kinds of relatable conflict through the poetry and songs of the Psalms.
This made Bern and Owen reflect on their chances to be creative, what attracted them to Vineyard as a church movement, and how creativity with God is working out for them. Itās not all about music and creative arts, but the creativity needed to build relationships and be parents. Can we learn about doing this well through Davidās vulnerability and honesty, as well as his creative expressions of joy, hope, pain and longing in life?
David was blessed by God with success and, at the peak of his achievements, he offered to build God a house. In one of the Bibleās most significant twists, God then offered to build David a house - not a temple, but a family line which would be the backbone of the Jewish nation, but also lead to a saviour and fulfilment of Godās promise to make his people a light to the world.
The next part of our boxset will look at the rest of 2 Samuel as well as Psalms 42 to 51. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.
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Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about the first book of Samuel, chapters 1 to 20.
What sort of kingdom did God want to build, and how was this shown when it worked well, and not so well?
The rules had been set about who was meant to do what, but Samuel was a surprising addition to the line of priests who would mediate between people and God. Born of faith and dedicated in faithfulness, Samuel listened and was responsive to God, so under his leadership, people could know what Godās leadership was like.
In contrast, Israelās next leader was a strong man, loved for his appearance and for getting things done, but more likely to do things his own way than Godās way.
What can we learn from these people? Who do we really want to be our leaders, and how do we want to live in Godās kingdom ourselves?
The next part of our boxset will look at the rest of 1 Samuel as well as 2 Samuel chapters 1 to 10. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about the books of Ruth and Esther, as well as Proverbs chapters 10 to 18.
What does it mean to be Jewish, or part of any meaningful group? The stories of Ruth and Esther are perspectives on this, both celebrated for what they can show us about faith, courage, loss and redemption, but differing in emphasis and perhaps what people might conclude from them.
Estherās story was shared when Jewish people were scattered across the ancient world and needed reminding and encouraging about their shared identity and specialness. Others posed threats to their existence, but they could still prevail and thrive as a people, and remember this in the annual celebration of Purim.
Ruthās story has a different perspective on the role of outsiders, demonstrating how a foreigner who shared the Jewish values of loyalty and love could find themselves grafted into the family tree. What happened with Ruth would lead to descendants King David, who would show what closeness to God looked like in worship, and Jesus, who would bring Godās kingdom close enough for everyone to grasp.
Can engaging with these stories, along with the Proverbs, highlight where we might be struggling with fear, loss or division between people, and encourage us to seek Godās perspective?
The next part of our boxset will look at the book 1 Samuel, chapters 1 to 20. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.
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Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about the book of Judges.
There are lots of gory stories which arenāt suitable for Sunday School (Bern shares an embarrassing Dad momentā¦) and itās hard to find good role models, but perhaps Gideon comes close in the way he consults and responds to God, ready to do surprising things with humility when asked.
In contrast, Samson looks like the kind of āstrong manā leader who makes the most of their God-given blessings and look like theyāre good at getting things done, but turn out to be fatally flawed. Does he remind us of anyone?
It can be tragic when we have God in our culture but not in our hearts. How much more can we expect from ourselves, each other and our leaders if we can really be guided by God and not misuse his culture, name, power, and the opportunities heās given us?
The next part of our boxset will look at the books of Ruth and Esther, as well as Proverbs chapters 10 to 18. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.
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Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about the book of Joshua.
At face value, this story of the establishment of Israel in its promised land is a combination of glory and horror - there is new life for Godās people, but a lot of death for almost everyone else.
Itās important to consider how people at the time would have heard and understood these stories, which donāt fit together in a way which allows anyone to take them too literally. Scholars differ in their interpretations, but there is a strong case for finding the truth in the meaning of what is shared through symbols and hyperbole.
What does it mean that God was credited for bringing people across the river and acting decisively in battle? What difference does it make that this was not a kingdom being established by human effort but by God? And what difference would it make to us today if we recognised that what we thought was ours really belongs to God, and that we can trust him to guide us?
The next part of our boxset will look at the book of Judges. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.
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Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about the book of Job.
In lots of ways, this is a puzzling story that might seem not to fit well into the Bible - although that might depend on how we read the rest of the Bible. If we think it has given us explanations of why things work and rules we can follow with predictable results, we might be a bit like Jobās friends when we think someone needs our help or advice.
The challenge of Jobās story is that they are not as wise as they thought, and that we canāt always get answers to āwhyā questions or explain difficult situations.
But the encouragement seems to be that God offers a different path to life through being open to experiences that surpass our understanding, growing relationships and trust, and discovering that life-supporting wisdom is not always the same as life-explaining knowledge.
The next part of our boxset will look at the book of Joshua. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.
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Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about the gospel according to Mark.
Looking at the history leading up to the time of Jesus, they reflect on the significance of Jesus' life and what it meant to live in and look forward to the kingdom of God.
Where was, and is, the "battlefront" that establishes it? Between nations, between people, or between conflicting parts of ourselves?
Did the way Jesus presented himself as leader fit anyone's expectations? And if not, could the role of the gospels (and the rest of scripture) be less about pinning us to rules and routines, and more about getting us ready to have our minds changed by God, in ways that are still happening?
The next part of our boxset will look at the book of Job. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.
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In a bonus episode for Easter, Bern Leckie and Claire Lynch discuss the different views available in the Bible on the meaning and purpose of Jesus' death, as well as his resurrection and what these mean for us.
We could regard the whole business as mystery, or pick a clear and simple explanation. One which is widely shared is "penal substitutionary atonement", the idea that Jesus had to die to take the necessary punishment from God that our sins deserve.
There are Bible verses which seem to refer to this, but how should we interpret them? What view of God would they give us, and how would we see ourselves and other people, if this were the main reason for what happened to Jesus on the cross?
Bern and Claire also look at other ways that scholars through history have made sense of Jesus' death and resurrection, and how this may also have looked to people at the time of Jesus with little or no knowledge of Jewish theology, but who are still found responding to Jesus' death in the gospel accounts.
The meaning of Psalm 22 is also considered. It starts, "My God, my God, why have you foresaken me?" and Jesus is recorded as saying those words on the cross. Had God really turned away because of our sin? Or does the rest of Psalm 22 tell a different story? Bern and Claire suggest reading or listening and praying this through, not just to understand but also see where we might relate to it.
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Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about the end of the book of Numbers, chapters 17 to 36.
Whatās so important about giving glory to God, or credit where itās due to anyone? Bern shares his experiences of the difference that people sharing credit for their sources makes to workplaces. It took him a long time to make the connection that this might be a value received from God, but it now seems crucial to him for being able to remain healthy, responsive and able to grow into doing new things instead of becoming unhealthy, defensive and stuck in old ways.
Owen shares his highlights from Numbers of a talking donkey and its part in a story about Godās unconditional provision, protection and presence. Even when God seems distant or cannot be seen directly, can we be encouraged by the stories that God has worked in amazing ways with all kinds of people to bless and protect?
The next part of our boxset will look at the whole of Markās gospel. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.
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Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about the start of the book of Numbers, chapters 1 to 16, as well as Psalms 38 to 41.
Numbers can be a tricky book to make sense of, seeming like a patchwork of pictures shared for different purposes which might not fit together as neatly as we think they should.
But these purposes are important and reveal ways of life which could recognise the specialness of God and an ideal quality of life people would struggle to attain. There would be consequences for actions, but also ways to restore relationships. Godās people were ultimately a family, bound together by common history and heritage.
Reading Numbers as a set of religious rules might make us overlook this, but hearing it as a reminder of relationships and why they are important can point us towards God and what he has been doing through history to rebuild relationships and restore people to good, love-driven life. This is something the author of Psalms 38 to 41 seems to need and want desperately.
The next part of our boxset will look at beginning of the end of Numbers, chapters 17 to 36. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.
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Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about the end of the book of Leviticus, chapters 16 to 27, and the start of Proverbs, chapters 1 to 9.
It can seem hard to make sense of some ancient laws, and even harder to know what to make of their relevance to us today.
Leviticus describes a covenant set out by a powerful Lord as conditions for his presence to remain with people. The overall purpose seems to be to establish a social order, giving Godās chosen people a distinct identity and maintaining the Lordās good reputation. But scholars have debated the meaning, purpose and application of specific parts of Leviticus throughout history.
Some contemporary scholars have started to view Leviticus as less like statute law and more similar to wisdom literature, like Proverbs.
Looking at Proverbs alongside Leviticus, it seems that wisdom is the key needed to understand and apply good judgement, as well as the source of good decision making. Could it be more important to grasp what āthe fear of the Lordā means than to try and master our understanding of ancient law?
The next part of our boxset will look at beginning of the book of Numbers, chapters 1 to 16, as well as Psalms 38 to 41. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.
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Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about the start of the book of Leviticus, chapters 1 to 15, and Psalms 29 to 37.
There is a lot to talk about here, including the role Leviticus played in the lives of its original audience. While many have understood it to be the source of statute law, both modern scholarship and the rest of the Bible suggest that judges may have been more used to building common law through their use of wisdom.
The purpose of Leviticus may be mainly to draw Israelās attention to their source of that wisdom, a powerful Lord who wanted to establish social order so that his presence would be recognised and his name respected.
A good source text on this is āThe Lost World of the Torahā by John H. Walton and J. Harvey Walton.
Looking at Leviticus like this should make us question the approach of trying to glean it for moral principles that are meant to apply today. Instead, we can appreciate its purpose to begin building a people with Godās presence who could be a light to the world.
The Psalms illustrate the power of faith in God and how trusting him to be present can help people overcome in a wide range of conflicts from personal to international.
The next part of our boxset will look at the end of Leviticus, chapters 16 to 27, as well as Proverbs chapters 1 to 9. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.
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Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about the end of the book of Exodus, chapters 23 to 40.
People see Moses go up a fearsome looking mountain into Godās presence, and there is a lot to discuss about what it means to be in the presence of God - how do we experience this today?
Two contrasting stories emerge in this part of Exodus about faithful and unfaithful response to God. The unfaithfulness seems odd, hard to explain and tragic. But the faithfulness results in people bringing themselves, their treasures and talents together, making something which glorifies God and celebrates the relationships his people can build with him at their centre.
The next part of our boxset will look at the beginning of Leviticus, chapters 1 to 15, as well as Psalms 29 to 37. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.
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Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about the beginning of the book of Exodus, chapters 1 to 22.
There is a lot of important story to process here, beginning with the loss of good relationship between Egypt and the family of Israel, but with changes coming thanks to what God does through Moses.
Itās the foundational story of Israel as a distinctive people, ultimately a nation, but it also seems to be a universally relevant story about the relationship between good and evil, life with potential and the forces that block its fulfilment.
These arenāt just abstract ideas or the reasons for international conflicts, but real battles we face in and between ourselves personally.
Is this also a story about how God is involved with more aspects of our life than we might sometimes credit? Ancient people thought of gods as part of what they couldnāt otherwise explain in the world, but what if this God of Israel wanted to be the foundation for the whole of life?
The next part of our boxset will look at the rest of Exodus, chapters 23 to 40. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.
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In this episode, Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about the end of the book of Genesis, chapters 45 to 50, and Psalms 1 to 28.
The story of Joseph ends in a good place relationally, with reconciliation, forgiveness and restoration - itās a picture of hope. But itās also clear that there is more to come, both for Israelās family and the rest of the world.
Psalms contrast with the Bibleās stories as they seem to be personal expressions across a range of emotions and situations, but they are also inspired by God, connected with his heart and concerns, and relevant to how we process the biggest issues in life together as communities.
Both of these parts of the Bible make us think about relationships - could God be grabbing our attention about this?
The next part of our boxset will look at life for Godās people after some important relationships were forgotten, and Israelās family story takes a new direction in Exodus chapters 1 to 22. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.
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Weāre on a boxset binge through the Bible, and in this episode, Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about the middle of the book of Genesis, chapters 25 to 44.
This could be well described as a family story and, as with many families, it can get a bit messy. Far from being a set of neat moral tales, itās an account of people causing and dealing with difficulties. They are not perfect people, but they are loved and valued.
After much gets broken by peopleās weaknesses, what starts to get shown is how people can find redemption and restoration through relationship, which is the foundation of the Bibleās big story.
The next bit of our boxset will be Genesis chapters 45 to 50 and Psalms 1 to 28. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.
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Weāre on a boxset binge through the Bible, and in this episode, Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about the very beginning, Genesis chapters 1 to 24.
What is described at the start of the Bible has been the subject of much discussion over centuries. People take different views on interpreting it, but most agree that it is an awesome statement of the wonder of life and the way order can emerge from raw materials.
Bern and Owen look at the view of Bible scholar John H. Walton, author of The Lost World of Genesis One, that ancient people would have likened the Bibleās first story to the construction of a temple, a place where heaven meets earth. Remarkably, the image of God that is central to a temple is described as being in each of us.
What does this mean for our view of human potential? How does it lay the foundation for the rest of the Bibleās story about peopleās instincts and actions which conflict with our God-given value and purpose? And does the Bible describe the ultimate remedy for this as religious order for a few people, or is religion only pointing the way towards something better for everyone?
The next part of our boxset will be Genesis chapters 25 to 44. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.
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Weāre on a boxset binge through the Bible, and in this episode, Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about Acts of the Apostles, chapters 10 to 28.
Peter gets a mind-blowing revelation from God which ends up changing how believers in Jesus saw themselves, other people, and the whole purpose of religion and its laws. This story is told by Luke who, we learn, joined in the missionary journeys to spread news of God at work in the world, and would have shared the perspective of people having their minds changed as their relationships and practical experience of a Spirit-filled people grew.
Bern and Owen reflect on Lukeās purposes for writing, and how we might be intended to get ready for having our minds changed as we see and do things differently too.
The next bit of our boxset will be Genesis chapters 1 to 24. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.
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Weāre on a boxset binge through the Bible, and in this episode, Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about the Lukeās Gospel chapters 15 to 24 and its sequel, Acts of the Apostles, chapters 1 to 9.
Lukeās story about Jesus and the surprisingly inclusive Kingdom of God continues with demonstrations of the power God wants people to have, to overcome suffering, injustice, and even death. This power reconnects people with God in ways which can cause tremendous thankfulness and praise in those experiencing it.
Bern and Owen reflect on how this is moving them to see and do things differently, and look forward to the next episodes in the boxset: Acts of the Apostles chapters 10 to 28. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.
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We've started on a boxset binge through the Bible, and in this episode, Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about Luke's gospel chapters 1 to 14.
Luke is telling a story which is rooted in Jewish beliefs and customs, but turns out to be inclusive for everyone. In a difficult time, Jesus seems to challenge every authority and offer the love, power and hope that is desperately needed and sought for changing the world.
But the coming of God's kingdom, as Jesus demonstrates it, isn't about some powerful people having their way as much as it's about God changing the minds of everyone was comfortable or thought they were righteous.
Bern and Owen reflect on how this is shaping their lives today, and look forward to the next episodes in the boxset: Luke chapters 15 to 24 and Acts of the Apostles chapters 1 to 9. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.
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