The Irreverends: Recent Episodes
The Irreverends
The Rev. Becky Zartman is back as beloved guest co-host with Episode 112 of the Irreverends: Jesus Gets a Food Truck. We have a great conversation about the Isaiah passage, and we get to hear not only from 2024 Becky, but also from past-life Becky when we get to the Gospel lesson. It’s a great episode, and we hope you’ll like it!
Speaking of things we hope you like, the runner up title for this week’s episode was “Maybe Peter’s mom will make us breakfast…” It had LOTS of meme possibilities, but the AI-generated meme that Canva created for the Food Truck title was too hilarious to pass up. (I put in “Food truck called Holy Mackerel that serves bread and fish. Make the name Holy Mackerel visible.”) There were so many funny creations, I laughed until I cried. And I can’t help but include the runner up Meme as well. (See it below, and notice the delicious fish sandwich!)
Here are this week’s readings, and here is where you can rate us on Apple Podcasts! Note that there is a podcasts called The Irreverend, and it gets many more hits on Google and Apple. Help others find our podcast by leaving us a rating or referring us to a friend!
https://stjohnsgeorgetown.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Episode-112-Jesus-Gets-a-Food-Truck-.mp3
It is Episode 111 of The Irreverends, and we encounter a man with an unclean spirit in the Gospel of Mark. Erica Benson, St. John’s seminarian,* makes a very keen observation about him that will sound super familiar to Harry Potter fans. We also have a conversation about stick-shift cars, the very real struggle to know and do the right thing, and we make some interesting observations connecting the two readings for the day. Then listen to the end to hear Erica’s impassioned pitch about the Super Bowl. It’s a great episode – have a listen!
*Seminarian note: Did you know that The Irreverends co-host, The Very Rev. Timothy Watt was St. John’s, Georgetown’s seminarian many years ago? It’s how we got our start together!
Click here for the readings for this week, don’t forget to rate us on Apple Podcasts! It will help folks find us! And if you leave us a rating, we’ll thank you in the next episode!
https://stjohnsgeorgetown.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Episode-111-final.mp3
This week The Irreverends welcomes a new guest host, Erica Benson, seminarian at Virginia Theological Seminary and the Diocese of Michigan. Erica is originally from Texas and introduces us in this episode to “Sword Drills.” You’ll note that pretty much all of the deep insights in this week’s episode come from Erica. As did the (fabulous) title of today’s episode! If you don’t get it, here is a link to the iconic Taylor Swift song that inspired it!
You’ll recognize one of the main characters in today’s Old Testament reading from the story of him having been swallowed by a whale/fish. His name is Jonah, and his story is SO interesting. But once you read his story, and listen to our conversation, you’ll totally get the brilliance of Erica’s episode title.
Here is the link to the readings this week, and don’t forget to rate us on Apple Podcasts! It will help folks find us! And if you leave us a rating, we’ll thank you in the next episode!
https://stjohnsgeorgetown.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Episode-110-Its-me-Jonah.-Im-the-problem.-Its-me.mp3
Sometimes God just wants to talk in the middle of the night. Join Tim and Gini for an in-depth conversation about a very funny (almost slapstick) scene in the Old Testament when it would have been helpful if either Samuel had known the sound of God’s voice, or if Eli wasn’t so deaf. Then we hear Jesus tell a little joke, and all of it points to the truth that God is still with us, and while it may take practice, we can see and hear God at work! Stay tuned for the outtakes at the end, when Gini absolutely CANNOT read, and Tim makes it worse.
Thanks for listening! We love our listeners (and send blessings to Jay, one of our favorite long-time listeners, who has Covid!)
You can check out this week’s readings here. And
We hope you enjoy listening, and if you do, tell a friend!
Find us on Apple Podcasts and leave a rating so others can find us!
https://stjohnsgeorgetown.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Episode-109-Are-you-there-Samuel-Its-me-God.mp3
Gini and Tim are back from Christmas, illness, and family emergencies to bring you Jesus’ baptism in the wilderness! Not only do we bring you a brand new episode for a brand new year, but Tim has some fresh news to start the year off right! (Hint: it involves a cross-country move!)
For this week’s episode, we start WAY back at the beginning, as Gini reads some of her favorite passages in the Bible, and we hear about how these ancient words and ideas still matter – especially when we are almost literally drowning in bad news. Tim tells another super cool story about a visit to Tunisia, and this one may literally give you chills! There is a LOT that we have packed into this one episode – join us for a really great conversation!
Notwithstanding her deep desire to do so, Gini has not been able to properly re-release an old Irreverends episode, so here is a link to our previous episode on the Epiphany (the story of the Magi from the East visiting the Christ Child), in which Gini can’t get over the line in Isaiah that is supposed to be a blessing, but sure doesn’t sound like one. (I am sticking with my initial assessment; “a multitude of camels shall cover you…” CANNOT be a good thing!)
And here is a link to our Christmas Episode from December of 2018. “So much has changed in the 5 years since you recorded that episode!” you may be thinking. And you’d be right. But the timeless Good News of Christmas is as relevant as ever.
So here are the readings for this week’s episode on the Baptism of Our Lord, as it is called in the fancy church books.
And don’t forget to rate us on Apple Podcasts! It will help folks find us! And if you leave us a rating, we’ll thank you in the next episode!
https://stjohnsgeorgetown.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Episode-108-Jesus-Gets-Baptized-.mp3
It’s the Sunday before Christmas Eve – Advent 4 – oh wait, it’s also Christmas Eve! This is the year where Mary gets pregnant and has the baby all in the same day! But before we talk about Christmas itself, Gini and the Rev. Becky Zartman (Tim is traveling this week) talk about Mary and the Magnificat and having babies. It’s a pretty cool conversation, and this episode comes with BONUS features: ART and MUSIC! Here is a link to the beautiful artwork that Becky showed Gini by screen-sharing on Zoom (which actually took them forever to do, notwithstanding the fact that we’ve now been Zooming and screen sharing for years). It’s called “Mary Consoles Eve” by Sr. Grace Remington, OCSO. And here is a link to the classic King’s College Choir, Cambridge version of “Adam Lay Ybounden” (and no, I have no idea why it couldn’t just be “bounden”). And just for fun, here is “Hannah’s Song,” that Becky mentioned as being the prophetic song for which the Magnificat is something of a reprise.
Tim and Gini will be back to talk about Christmas – but until then, enjoy the remaining days of Advent and Merry Christmas!
Here are the readings for this Sunday (morning), which could also have entitled, “There’s Something About Mary!”
And don’t forget to rate us on Apple Podcasts! It will help folks find us! We’ll read your name
https://stjohnsgeorgetown.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Episode-107-Mary-Did-You-Know.mp3
Continuing with last week’s “Not Your Typical Advent” conversation, join Tim & Gini this week as our conversation moves from exile and the hard work of homecoming, to the lost practice of awe, wonder, and surprise. Along the way we touch on the poetry of Mary Oliver, and we land on lovable weirdos in the wilderness. Along the way, we think you’ll find a real hope that God is everywhere – even in the people and situations we think most unlikely. Thanks for listening, and we hope you enjoy the episode! We experienced some of the surprise of Advent ourselves!
Mary Oliver’s poetry is always an invitation to experience wonder and awe in the world around us. We have so many favorites, but here is a link to one of Mary Oliver’s most well-known poem: The Summer Day (with the famous ending Tim quoted). And a link to one of Gini’s most favorite Mary Oliver poems, which captures the darkness and hope of Advent – In Blackwater Woods.
Here are the readings for this week if you want to read along.
And don’t forget to rate us on Apple Podcasts! It will help folks find us! And if you leave us a rating, we’ll thank you in the next episode!
https://stjohnsgeorgetown.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Episode-106-Awe-Wonder-Weirdos-in-the-Wilderness.mp3
It’s the first Sunday of Advent, and we’re sure that just like our favorite co-host, as you light the Advent candles, that most iconic of songs pops into your head: “It’s the Most Apocalyptic Time of the Year...” Tim has had a cough and no voice this week, so Gini is joined by the brilliant and hilarious Rev. Becky Zartman, who thinks about apocalyptic literature all the time, and who brings such a gift to us as we dust off the Advent Wreath and wait for Jesus to come – as a baby, sure, but also, to come again at the end of time. How could this be Good News? You’ll have to listen to see… It’s a great episode, we hope you enjoy it!
And if you do, share it with a friend!
Here are the readings for this Sunday.
And don’t forget to rate us on Apple Podcasts! It will help folks find us!
And if you just can’t help yourself, and haven’t heard it 100’s of time already since Thanksgiving, here is the Andy Williams original…
https://stjohnsgeorgetown.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Episode-105-Its-the-Most-Apocalyptic-Time-of-the-Year.mp3
Join Tim and Gini for a great deal on our Thanksgiving-Black Friday episode! This week is not JUST a fabulous episode, but it also happens to be Christ The King Sunday, which is the final Sunday of the church year! Good Riddance Year A! And even though it might not seem like it would have ANYTHING to do with Kingship, this week’s episode also takes us out into the countryside with animals, and we learn even more about sheep and goats. Of course, these stories are not just about sheep and goats, there are about us and about God. But Tim tells us something so cute about sheep, that you’ll want to listen ALL the way to the end.
You can check out this week’s readings here. And
We hope you enjoy listening, and if you do, tell a friend!
Find us on Apple Podcasts and leave a rating so others can find us!
Join Gini & Tim for another exciting episode of ~~Gini Gets Mad Because Someone is Treated Poorly!~~ The Irreverends! This week’s episode features an ancient ~~screed~~ Oracle from Zephaniah to God’s people who had become rich and complacent, like many of us modern people. It’s a doozy. And the Gospel lesson is an old favorite – the servant who buries money in the ground and gets in big trouble for it. There is a lot to think about this week, including a deep conversation about whether the God of the Old Testament is harsh, or if these scary texts are there because humans are just very difficult to deal with. If you listen to the end, you’ll hear Gini and Tim fess up to times they were particularly difficult to deal with. We think you’ll enjoy it (except for our siblings, who may still be a little angry…)
Here are the readings for this week.
And if you can, subscribe and rate us on Apple Podcasts so others can more easily find us!
Thanks for listening!
https://stjohnsgeorgetown.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Irreverends-Episode-103.mp3
Join Gini & Tim for this week’s episode that starts with one of the most MOVING scenes of love, forgiveness and redemption in the whole Bible. Seriously,… Read more "Forgiveness & Redemption – Then & Now – S2E27"
The Irreverends are BACK from a little break while Tim moved across the country and Gini, well, did other stuff. Join us this week for two GREAT… Read more "Walking on water and losing it – S2E26"
This week Gini welcomes guest host the Rev. Canon Becky Zartman for a look at the beginning of the love story of Isaac & Rebekah, and the… Read more "Young Adults & Infants – 2 Mom-Priests Weigh In – S2E25"
While Tim is busy moving to Rhode Island, Gini welcomes the Irreverends’ favorite guest-host, The Rev. Canon Becky Zartman, for this deep dive into one of the… Read more "Struggling with a Biblical Horror Story: S2E24"
Join Gini and Tim for a conversation about Hagar, the Bible’s first Shero! The Hebrew Bible story of Hagar, Abraham, and Sarah is an epic human tale… Read more "Hagar: The Bible’s First Shero – S2E23"
Friends, Black Lives Matter. Period. And this week’s events have shown us how important it is that people understand why we – as ordained clergy people –… Read more "Jesus Loves All Y’all – S2E22"
Join the Irreverends for a discussion about Pentecost, a super dramatic story (at least as it appears in the Book of Acts) with roaring wind and tongues… Read more "The disciples were lit, but in a good way – S2E21"
Join us for this Ascension Day, CoronaTide edition of the Irreverends, where we talk about the one church feast day that is what it sounds like! It’s… Read more "Ascension, Corona-Tide Edition – S3E20"
Here at the Irreverends, we know how hard it is to live with people 24/7, day in and day out. Abiding even with people you love takes… Read more "Sometimes Abiding is Bananas – S2E19"
Tim and Gini really jump right in to this week’s episode in which we hear the story of the first martyr, Stephen. (Tim calls him the “proto-martyr,”… Read more "Cloaks and daggers … er, stones – S2E18"