Ponder Anew Podcast: Recent Episodes
Robert Myallis
Nothing to do with Hell, the demonic and the forces of evil is ever easy. Including translating words that have to do with "hell"! We look at γεεννα, a word that can be translated, well, as hell, but also a lot of other things too! (Mark 9:42-48 is where this word is found, among other places in Scripture)
This might be the easiest word of all to translate this fall. It means "child". But what "child" meant than and what "child" means today are very different things.Note: I intended this to be a mini-podcast. But then the word got interesting.
For fall 2024, we will do a shorter podcast, focusing on one Greek word per week. This word will come from the week's Gospel reading (in the Revised Common Lectionary).This week we start off with Χριστός, a word found in Peter's confession of faith (found in Mark, Matthew and Luke!)
Is freedom a good thing?We wrap up the book of Judges with a story that seems a punishing indictment of freedom, especially freedom that has descended into lawlessness (Judges 20-21)/First, we look at how the book of Judges frames the final stories. It is clear that the book of Judges is making an argument about human freedom, government and God.Second, we reflect on how the underlying tension between order and freedom plays itself out in our modern politics. (Or: how the major political forces in our country relate to the main thesis of the book of Judges.)
One of my childhood heroes -- Samson! (middle chapters of Judges)Alas, the story doesn't read well for me as an adult. A reflection on the malformed character of Samson and what me might do to avoid this happening to us.
How do you measure the spiritual health of a nation? Of a person? As we look at Judges 6, we see how the book's writers subtly argue that spiritual malaise leads to political collapse leads to economic downturn leads to environmental destruction. Do we still think this way 3,000 years later? Likely more so than we think.
Deborah (Judges 4-5) was just too cool for one episode; there is more in her leadership to explore and learn from. But this isn't just Deborah part II, we also include an another strong (?!) woman, Jael.
Finally we get a break from the tough stories of the book of Judges. We get Deborah! What an amazing woman. She is bold and wise. You can read about her in Judges 4 and 5.After a reflecting on how she might actually have written part of THE book, I ponder about the book she could have written on leadership, specifically on listening.
The story for this week's podcast is not exactly Sunday School material: deceit, murder and poop! (Judges 3, Ehud's story)Have fun! (If I could do the podcast over, I might have mentioned how I think part of this story is simply the story teller having fun around the camp fire!)
We continue with episode 2 of looking at the book of Judges, this week moving ahead to chapter 2. The core issue in chapter 2 is the challenge the Israelites face in passing on their faith to the next generation, who grow up with different experiences than they had. 3,000 years later we wrestle with the same issues. What can we learn? (What have we learned!)
For Summer 2024, we look at...the book of Judges. That's right, that Old Testament book that is SO, well, Old Testamentish. One might argue it is the worst book in the Bible.This week we start off with chapter 1, which is highly problematic for most modern (Western) readers. Can we glean anything from this passage? Ponder Anew thinks we can!
"It is finished" (John 19:30) With this word from the cross, we finish our series on the last words of Jesus.To get at the significance of what Jesus says, we consider the words of other famous people, especially religious luminaries.
Jesus in the cross cries out in existential suffering: "My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?" Does God suffer? Can you love someone and not suffer? Does God suffer with you on the cross?The podcast begins with a reflection on the marriage metaphor in Scripture (and in Luther's thinking); then delves into a history of how Christians have answered the question "Does God suffer?" Likely people born in the 20th or 21st century would say "yes" but this was not the historical answer of the church. Our current approach to seeing God as one who suffers gains and loses something against the historical understanding of the church.
"Into your hands I commend my Spirit." Jesus was a spiritual person. A spiritual guru.What does it mean for us as humans to be spiritual? A reflection on what we've lost in terms of spirituality over time and what we can recover.
"Woman, behold your son; behold your mother."America has many crises; one of them is loneliness. A reflection on why we are a lonely people and what Christ (and Christ alone!) is doing about it.
"Today you will be with my in paradise" With these words, we interrupt this Lenten series on the cross to talk about paradise and heaven! Turns out the Bible describes heaven as paradise, but a "whole" lot more beautiful and mind-blowing than we can imagine.
We continue with our seven words, this week picking up with "I Thirst"With these words, Jesus reveals he is human. In this podcast, we consider Jesus humanity.A) What is the difference between gods and humans -- what would the divine lose by become human?B) What might the divine gain by becoming human? To get at that, we need to explore more deeply the difference in humans, animals and the divine...
We begin a new series for Lent 2024. We will focus on the 7 last words of Christ from the cross. This week we start with "Father, Forgive Them, they know not what they do."Two foci this podcast season
- The Words of the Cross as an invitation to prayer
- The Words of the Cross as reason for why, in spite of so much, we are still Christians.
We wrap up our pieces for peace series with the most unlikely piece of the nativity, Quirinius the Governor of Syria. Did he exist? When did he rule? When was Jesus born? Why does Luke include him?But first, what does it mean for Luke to understand himself as doing history?And lastly, what does this have to do with the peace of Christ?
What piece of the manger scene do you imagine is there...but probably isn't in most (store bought) nativity scenes.Who is the missing piece that is a part of your imagined nativity? An invitation to some holy pondering, including a reflection on the incarnation and inevitability of inculturation of the Gospel.
We continue with our Pieces for Peace theme this Advent, focusing on the angels. They appears lots in the first fear chapters of Luke. And they keep telling people "Do not be afraid." Why is this? What peace of Christ do they offer us?
This Advent we will focus on "Pieces for Peace" how the different pieces of the manger scene can invite us to come into the peace of Jesus. We start off with the animals in the manger. Of course we get to Jesus and the restoration of all things. Plus a coda on the question - are there dogs in heaven?
"Render unto Caesar the things of Caesar and to God the things of God." These are words of Jesus that have shaped the course of human history!In the first half of the podcast, we consider the story behind the quote, which focuses on money and idolatry. In this part of the podcast, we focus on the disconnect between Sunday and Monday around finances. In the second half of the podcast, we consider this quote, reflecting on why the year 1648 continues to shape our understanding of church and state. In short, we finally unpack where this gap between Sunday and Monday came from!
Episode 5: Talk about a Sunday-Monday gap. Last Saturday I watched as Israel was brutally attacked by Hamas. Last Sunday I heard about the peace that passes all understanding! A world at war is a world that Christ has not fully overcome. It is also a world that leaves us with many haunting questions
- What do we make of the human tendency toward violence?
- What do we do with Bible passages, like the parable in Matthew 22:1-14, that suggest that God ordains violence?
- How do we respond when we are hurt, breaking cycles of retribution?
Jesus throws down the gauntlet with the religious leaders of his day (Matthew 21:33-46). In so doing, he challenges us to consider our own lives and what we build our lives on - what is our cornerstone? Behind this lies the question, how do our Sunday commitments line up with our Monday actions? And over this question is a deep umbrella of grace, which I also being to explore but invite you to consider in your own life. In the second half of the podcast, I delve into the historical meaning of the parable and the reality that the history of church is a struggle between the institution and the prophetic!
For our third episode of this season, we focus on Jesus interaction in the Temple (Matthew 21:23-32), which culminates in Jesus telling a parable rich with both judgment and mercy.The focus of this episode is Jesus as teacher; the first half is more focused on what that looks like in our lives; the second half is a theological unpacking of how understanding Jesus as teacher does not weaken the role of Jesus as savior!
We continue looking at parables from Matthew's Gospel (Matthew 20:1-16), playing with the disconnect between the world and ethics of the Bible (peace, forgiveness, love, grace) and the world and ethics of the World (conflict, jealousy, anger). We are calling this the Sunday-Monday gap. In this story, the lord of the vineyard (God!) gives everybody the same amount regardless of how many hours they worked in the vineyard. Grace isn't always fair and that can drive us nuts!
It is a new season on the podcast, looking at bridging the Sunday to Monday gap. To get at this gap, we will reflect together on the parables of Jesus in Matthew's Gospel.For our first parable, we look at Matthew 18:21-35 and the story of the forgiven yet unforgiven servant. This parable suggests, hauntingly enough, that the forgiveness of Sunday doesn't translate into gracious living on Monday
Is forgiveness the same as erasing of a debt? We wrap up our season on the first chapters of Paul’s letter to the Romans, focusing on Romans 4:16-25. Turns out that the God we’ve come to know in the cross of Jesus Christ is interested in something far more grand than simply canceling debts…
Why were the police called to our church cemetery? Good question! Listen to the podcast and find out. This week’s episode though is about neither cemeteries or police officers. Rather, in this week’s episode we examine the major social boundary in the early church – the boundary between Jews and Gentile converts. How Paul and […]
If you’ve ever been given a tract on the streets about Jesus, it like uses verses from Romans 3 to tell you a story that goes like this You are a bad person God is mad at you and wants to punish you God loves you though and so he sent his son Jesus to […]
Is God both merciful and just? As Paul continues to build his argument about who God is and what God has done for us, he leans heavily into the justice of God (Romans 2:3-16). Can we have a just and merciful God? How do we see justice and grace playing themselves out in this passage? […]
Summer means a few things: Fireflies, fireworks and fantastic photos of nature. Lovely, right!! In this podcast, we continue in Romans 1, considering the things of summer: creation and independence day. And oh yes, of course, God’s revealed glory and wrath too.
We start a new season of the podcast here, looking at Paul’s Letter to the Romans. Pastor Rob explains why he was reluctant to look at this book of the Bible…but why reading “A Man Called Ove” on a long plane ride convinced him he had no choice!
What’s the Buzz? Episode 4.For the month of May, the Ponder Anew Podcast features the children of St. Paul Lutheran in Lititz. If even if you are not a part of this congregation, you will find the perspective of the children fascinating and inspiring!For each episode, Deacon Emily Myallis leads the children in a conversation about how they experience different elements of worship. For this fourth episode, the aspect of worship is "Praying."The “What’s the Buzz” season title comes from the phrase that that Deacon Emily uses to focus the conversation: “May we BEE _____”; the phrase this week is “May we BEE filled."
What’s the Buzz? Episode 3.For the month of May, the Ponder Anew Podcast features the children of St. Paul Lutheran in Lititz. If even if you are not a part of this congregation, you will find the perspective of the children fascinating and inspiring!For each episode, Deacon Emily Myallis leads the children in a conversation about how they experience different elements of worship. For this third episode, the aspect of worship is "Sending."The “What’s the Buzz” season title comes from the phrase that that Deacon Emily uses to focus the conversation: “May we BEE _____”; the phrase this week is “May we BEE sent."
What’s the Buzz? Episode 2.For the month of May, the Ponder Anew Podcast features the children of St. Paul Lutheran in Lititz. If even if you are not a part of this congregation, you will find the perspective of the children fascinating and inspiring!For each episode, Deacon Emily Myallis leads the children in a conversation about how they experience different elements of worship. For this second episode, the aspect of worship is Holy Communion.The “What’s the Buzz” season title comes from the phrase that that Deacon Emily uses to focus the conversation: “May we BEE _____”; the phrase this week is “May we BEE united."
What's the Buzz? Episode 1. For the month of May, the Ponder Anew Podcast features the children of St. Paul Lutheran in Lititz. If even if you are not a part of this congregation, you will find the perspective of the children fascinating and inspiring!Deacon Emily Myallis leads them in a conversation about how they experience different elements of worship. The "What's the Buzz" season title comes from the phrase that that Deacon Emily uses to focus the conversation: "May we BEE _____"For this first episode, the phrase is "May we BEE fed" and the aspect of worship is Holy Communion.
Final episode of the season. We aim for nothing less than solving all of the theological questions presented by Judas as well as fixing all the heresies of American Christianity.
"Good Grief" It is easy for Charlie Brown to say; but it is harder in life to grieve. Pastor Rob looks at the encounter of Jesus with two of his disciples, Mary and Martha, as they grieve the death of their brother. It provides a window into how Jesus accompanies us in our grief as well as an opportunity to reflect on the ways in which our culture currently makes grieving difficult.
Three years ago our nation went into lockdown for the pandemic. Wow!We continue with encounters between Jesus and people, this week hearing from John chapter 9 about Jesus healing a man. Everyone except for Jesus wants to focus on sin and blame; Jesus wants to open everyone's eyes to God's works and glory. This remains a challenge for us as we continue to emerge from the pandemic -- focusing on God's goodness working its way in our world instead of fixating on sin and blame.
Note: This podcast is a bit longer than normal. See below.For our 3rd podcast of this season, we reflect on the encounter of Jesus with an unnamed Samaritan woman. Jesus and this woman come from different "tribes"; as such, we see here what it is like for Jesus to interact with and find common ground with someone of a different background. In a world fraught with divisions and desperately in need of bridge building, there is much we can learn from here.This main teaching in this podcast is unpacking the seven steps Jesus takes to form a bridge with someone of a different culture.The Scripture reading (John 4) is longer and the podcast includes background on the Jewish-Samaritan conflict. If you feel comfortable with the story and that societal vision, you can forward to about the ten minute mark.
How do you talk to a Pharisee? In this episode, we look at John 3, in which Jesus encounters Nicodemus, a Pharisee. Through this encounter, we deconstruct what Jesus means when he says that to enter the kingdom of heaven, you must be born again, and we discover that to talk to a Pharisee, you have to walk with one, too.
We continue our season on Encountering Jesus in the Gospel of John. In this episode, we look at John 2, in which Jesus meets his mother, Mary. Through this encounter, we explore one of the most vulnerable relationships in life -- parent and child.
A new podcast season: Encountering Jesus (Looking at John 1-11)In this podcast, we introduce the season by looking at the haunting question of Nathaniel to Jesus: "How do you know me?" (John 1) Again and again, Jesus reveals how much he knows the person with whom he is speaking. He is quickly able to get to the core of who they are and then lead them to a new place. This podcast is a reflection on people's encounters with Jesus and within that an invitation to encounter Jesus ourselves.
A Christmas gift: a bonus episode! We look at What Child is This as well as Philippians 2, arguably the world's oldest Christmas hymn. From the beginning, Christmas and the cross have been connected.
Wrapping up (get it, for Christmas, wrapping...) the mini-Series here on Christmas and Advent songs, we turn to a lesser known carol, "Prepare the Royal Highway." A reflection on the Christmas' terrible love affair with paganism, the Gospel of Mark's haunting intro and Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a donkey.
This week we consider "Silent Night" -- It was, of course, as it is always is, requested. The making of this beloved hymn is in itself a "Hallmark Christmas" story. But was the real Christmas story quite so "Hallmarky"?
The people have spoken: They want to hear about O Holy Night. This beautiful hymn has quite a powerful history!
We kick off a new season of the podcast. For the next few weeks we will be looking at various Christmas (or Advent) hymns. For each one, we will look at the Scripture behind the song, using this as an avenue to ponder anew the story of Jesus’ birth. For the first week, we will […]
As we’ve been journeying with Joseph and his family this fall, the children in our congregation have been doing a podcast, led by Deacon Emily Myallis. In this final episode of “Whaddaya know Joe” the kids talk about forgiveness and God working things out for the best.
We wrap up the season on Joseph. It all ends well — peace in the family, peace in the heart of Joseph and peace in the world. A reflection on reconcilation.
We continue hosting the “Whaddaya Know Joe” podcast out of this channel. In Episode 4, the kids discuss candy, glasses…and what does it mean to change!
In this episode, we look at the transformation of Judah. What did it take for God to transform Judah? What does the transformed life look like?
In this episode, Deacon Emily invites the kids into some deeper reflection on the week’s theme: resilience. (This is a children’s podcast that is being launched through this podcast channel during this season of Joseph)
Finally, the story starts to go Joseph’s way!! The podcast ends with a reflection on overcoming challenges; but first, a lengthy aside on what we mean by “God saves.”
This episode is of a new podcast, “Whaddaya know Joe.” This podcast, made by Deacon Emily Myallis, gives kids space to share their thoughts and learn about the story of Joseph. While this podcast idea is in the pilot phase, it will be produced from Pastor Rob’s Ponder Anew Podcast.
We pick up this episode with Joseph in prison. Pastor Rob looks at the injustice in the situation and how Joseph becomes a model “sufferer.” A reflection on suffering wrong and helping others.
Pastor Rob introduces a new podcast, produced by his colleague and wife Deacon Emily Myallis. Deacon Emily serves as the children’s minister at St. Paul Lititz. She is piloting a podcast this season in which she discusses the bible story with children.
The plot thickens as the brothers betray Joseph (Genesis 37:15-36). A humbling tale of the temptations we face to take the easy road instead of the right path!
Pastor Rob kicks off a new podcast season, looking at the story of Joseph (starting with Genesis 37:1-11). A warm-up question: Have you ever had a dream that revealed something to you about real life? Also, after the trumpet send-off is a bit more information about how you can dig deeper into the conversation.
Getting a bit anxious as summer ends? Pastor Rob encourages you to read a rather short but moving book of the Bible, Paul’s letter to the Philippians.
Need some summer reading? Pastor Rob invites you to consider reading a book from the Bible, in this case, the Gospel of Mark. Who might like the Gospel of Mark? A) Anyone who likes stories that move B) Anyone who likes a mystery or C) Anyone who realizes they are not perfect.
We wrap up the middle section of the book of Acts with a look at Acts 12, the arrest of Peter. I reflect less on the cost of living as a disciple and simply the cost of living, the necessity to make choices and commit our lives to prayer. Hopefully this podcast provides a tying […]
We live in a society and world that still has racial prejudices. A reflection on how the early disciples overcame their prejudice — by the Spirit — and how God might be calling us forward.
We move with Paul (and Silas and Luke!) to Philippi. A look at the surprising way power works in God’s economy.
We continuing looking at the book of Acts (focusing on the middle part). In this episode, we turn our attention from Paul and Ananias to Peter and Cornelius. A look at why we can eat bacon as Christians…and more importantly, about the breadth of God’s love for this world.
We begin a new season here on the podcast, returning to the book of Acts. As we look at the stories from the middle part of the book of Acts, we reflect on what it means to have faith — to follow where God calls us. In this episode (Acts 9), we meet a man […]
We are just about wrapping up with Abraham, Sarah and Hagar. A story about hospitality and miracles. The art is Rublev’s icon of the Trinity, based on this Genesis story.
This week we meet a new person in the Bible: Hagar. An Egyptian slave-girl; ancestor to the Arabs; mother of Abraham’s first child. But also someone who is an abused outcast…and insightful outsider.
We continue with Abraham. Abraham reveals a deep faith here that allows him to ask hard questions. Not so much questions about the existence of God, but questions and even complaints about what God is doing in our lives.
Last week, everything was great for Abraham. He was called. He obeyed. The world was blessed. This week, we read how Abraham’s journey hits a road bump!
We move ahead in Genesis to the the call of Abram/Abraham (Chapter 12:1-8). Love discovering how a bronze age guy in the middle east…is strangely relatable! Join us on the (Lenten) Journey of Faith.
In this episode we meet a new character — Eve! A podcast on a biblical understanding of loneliness, fellowship and marriage.
In this episode 2, we look at the garden of Eden and address some big questions: How the Bible’s editors were smarter than you; How much dirt is in God’s fingernails; Whether humans have souls; and What paradise actually looks like.
We live in a world that ignores God’s command to honor the sabbath. We do so at a high cost. First, a look at the sabbath within Scripture; then a reflection on what it might mean for us to recover the gift of sabbath in our lives.
In Genesis 1, we are told that as humans we are made in the “image of God.” What does it mean to be made in the “Image of God”? Pastor Rob takes us on a tour of the past millennia of thinking on the matter.
A new season has begun. We will be working through the book of Genesis (at least part of it!) this season. This podcast includes a reading of Gen 1:1-25, the first five and half days of creation. This podcast also includes reflection on how these Genesis passages reveal truth.
We couldn’t end the fun just yet. A final bonus Christmas episode on the names of Jesus, brought to us by the three kings!
To wrap up our mini-season on the names of Jesus, we will focus on the name given to Jesus by the Heavenly Father: Beloved!
In this episode we take a look at the name of Jesus: “Emmanuel”, which means “God is with us.” I explore how Jesus embraces this name; it turns out that Jesus is God with us, not simply when life is good, but also in the most difficult of circumstances. Also, I get out of the […]
In this episode you get two words for the price of one! Listen to find out which name of Jesus is explained. Hint: It has to do with hope!
For Advent 2021 we are offering a short-season (4 weeks) on the names of Jesus. The podcasts are a bit shorter — they will also used within small groups at St. Paul. Even if you are not at St. Paul, hopefully these podcasts will open some avenues for prayer and faith these weeks leading up […]
We conclude season 2 with the story of Stephen’s Martyrdom (Acts 6, 7 and 8). He is the first to die for his faith in Jesus; but he is not the last. In fact, Christians around the world are persecuted to this day. For this podcast, I invited a friend of mine, Nick Todd, to […]
It turns out that humans, even those living in Christian communities, make mistakes, complain, withhold love, get jealous and let us down! What to do within a community when someone sins? Acts 5 and Acts 6 present two different ways of dealing with failures and sin within a community.
Season 2, Episode 6 Masks, vaccines, all sorts of COVID-protocols have triggered deep discussions in our society about freedom, including religious freedom. In this podcast, Pastor Rob offers a reflection on religious freedom from the book of Acts. In a nutshell: Our freedom isn’t just autonomy, but is a freedom to do God’s will in […]
In this episode, Pastor Rob reflects on how we measure the health of a community or organization, especially a church. Note: This episode may be a bit geekier than most. Also thanks to a number of church members as well as Rev. Robert Wallace for conversation on this topic.
In this episode, we consider the community which the Holy Spirit gave birth to: the community of Acts 2. This miraculous community challenges and inspires our ideas about what church and community mean.
Tongue of fire and tongues of language. There are a lot of miraculous things happening in Acts 2 aka Pentecost aka “The birthday of the church.” Pastor Rob reflects on what might be the less obvious but likely more significant miracles occurring in this passage.
Churchy people, in churchy places doing churchy things. The only thing missing is mission, a sense of the community beyond itself. Kind of sounds familiar! A look at Acts 1, the first “Lutheran Church of Jerusalem” and what must happen for a group of people to become a community in mission.
In this episode we focus on the final words of the “earthly” Jesus to his disciples. Why are these the final words? Moreover, why did he still need to say anything after the resurrection? A reflection on the community of witnesses over the centuries of which you are a part.
Welcome to Season 2: The joy of Community. Pastor Rob invites us into a season 2, in which we will ponder the joy of community as we read together the (first part of the) book of Acts. Why did Luke write it and why should we read it today?
We thought we were finished. But here is a true season finale on Rebuilding with Nehemiah! The focus is on how we tell our story.
Season finale!! 🙂 Pastor Rob reflects about the creation of the Old Testament (revealed in the book of Nehemiah!), the power of the word and yet our capacity to go terribly wrong in our interpretation.
What is happening in our world: I can’t find Cracklin’ Oat Bran at the store! We learn from Nehemiah how to rebuild once the crisis is over — when the question is no longer “how?” but “why?” and “so what?”
The long-term stress of rebuilding impacts Nehemiah and the community in both healthy and unhealthy ways. Pastor Rob reflects on the impact of this season’s long-term stress in our lives: Some times its like a heat that opens the most beautiful seeds. Other times, its a sword in our hands that prevents us from opening […]
Let’s face it, not all parts of the Bible are exciting. Some sections read ancient history textbooks that seem to have little import for our life. Pastor Rob looks at chapter 3 of Nehemiah (one such chapter!) and ponders how we can learn from such parts of Scripture.
Nehemiah demonstrates that faith and reason are not incompatible! Rebuilding means discerning — syncing up our hearts and heads.
Season 1, Episode 3: You have no claim here! In this episode, we finally get to Jerusalem. Along the way, Nehemiah is going to be assisted by someone from whom we least expect God’s aid…and is going to encounter his first haters. Pastor Rob reflects on how others can be instruments of God in our […]
We continue our first season, looking at Nehemiah. This week we reflect on the ways in which God is at work in small and unexpected ways in our lives, enabling us rebuild and serve in the Kingdom! Unlike Greek mythology, the gifts and tools God gives us are rarely flaming swords…
Season 1, Episode 1 Are you ready for rebuilding one or many facets of your life? Join us for our podcast as we reflect on rebuilding through the Biblical book of Nehemiah. We kick off the podcast with a look at the “pre-work” Nehemiah does as he prepares for the greatest rebuilding project of his […]