Boxset Binge the Bible

Severn Vineyard
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Boxset Binge the Bible

The Bible is an amazing, potentially life changing, collection of literature. It’s been inspirational for thousands of years - and some say you can hear God through it. In this podcast, we’re going to share our experiences of listening through the Bible at a boxset binge pace. We’re going to engage with it and let it move us. The journey will take us through time and space with some of history’s most remarkable characters and world-shaping ideas. Who knows how differently we’ll see life along the way? Find out more and join the journey with us at https://severnvineyard.org/bible

  1. 2 DAYS AGO

    Week 45 - beginning of Ezekiel

    Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about the first 21 chapters of the book of Ezekiel. The vivid visions in this book are other-worldly and dreamlike, and as Ezekiel had been in Babylon, in exile from his home country for a few years, it might not be surprising to see visions of heavenly power which looked similar to the way his captors saw this. But God seems to have added surprising twists, including his authority and radiant presence over all of the dark powers feared by people. Israel’s God was not defeated in the way people may have expected from his people’s fate, but had a purpose and plan which was yet to be seen and understood. It’s easy to read these passages in isolation and form a dim, dark view of God, especially as the suffering described through Ezekiel’s words, pictures and actions would be brutal and shocking. As with other prophets, there is hope to come later, but in the early parts of Ezekiel, there are also signs of what God wants the most and looks to restore - relationships in which people can share God’s vision and values, put love into practice, and work for justice and against everything which devalues life. There are also signs that life in relationship with God may involve ongoing movement and developing understanding. Ezekiel’s words include fresh insight into some scripture people may have regarded differently, including “the sin of Sodom”, and we can also spot pictures which get developed later by Jesus, like the usefulness of a vine. Jesus moved people’s understanding along - should we expect to experience this too? God’s presence was also on the move, tragically out of the temple of Jerusalem, but thankfully close to people wherever they were in exile. In the next part of our boxset, we continue through Ezekiel and find God’s power doing some incredible things. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

    35 min

  2. 1 NOV

    Week 44 - end of Jeremiah and some Psalms

    Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about chapter 44 to the end of Jeremiah and “Book 4” of the Psalms, 90 to 106. It’s worth considering where the main point, or climax, is the book of Jeremiah. Hollywood stories have this near the end to keep our attention, but ancient stories often cover the main point nearer the middle. If the point of this book is at the end, it’s destruction and judgment. But there are reasons to think that God’s heart for restoration is the real heart of the story of Jeremiah. One reason is that events towards the end are not told in chronological order - the order has been chosen for other reasons. Promoted and put closer to the centre than earlier events was God’s command to abandon slavery among Hebrews. Judah’s last king agreed but did not put this into practice. Could this have been featured as part of the book’s core message, that God was going to act to restore and empower people to live a new way of life, with his word and values on their hearts? The central nature of this message, as well as the way it’s also followed up by Jesus, seems to elevate its importance, both to Jeremiah’s original listeners and to us. Psalms 90 to 106 also give us insight into how people were inspired to connect with God and express pain and suffering, as well as praise and hope, during their exile from Jerusalem. At the heart of this collection, the encouragement to “sing a new song” and expect joy to be shouted from “all the earth” also suggests a hope for a future of restoration, not just of Israel but of everyone and everything. In the next part of our boxset, we turn to the prophet Ezekiel whose prophecy was around the same time as Jeremiah, but whose style was very different. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

    42 min

  3. 25 OCT

    Week 43 - middle of Jeremiah

    Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about chapters 23 to 43 of the biggest book in the Bible, Jeremiah. What started as relentless sounding doom and gloom turns a corner here as hope is revealed, albeit at a traumatic time for God’s people. One of the most popular prophecies for sharing and encouraging today comes from this part of the book of Jeremiah - God does know the plans he has to bring people hope and a future. But we need to understand what these were for the original listeners before we can grasp the power of this encouragement.  The warned destruction and forced exile came true, and while one false prophet offered encouragement that it would be very short, Jeremiah delivered a different word - that it would last beyond the listeners’ lifetimes, but they could find new life and look forward to their descendants finding more. God’s plans were not to deliver instant relief, but to love, strengthen, reconnect and restore people over time, sometimes in new and surprising ways.  God’s ultimate aim is revealed here, for people to have his ways in their own hearts and minds, not just laws to follow but shared desires to love, strengthen, reconnect and restore where we are. This is easy to like as an idea, but hard to live in practice. Can we do it in our own strength, or do we need to let God work this out through us? In the next part of our boxset, we complete Jeremiah and also listen to Psalms 90 to 106. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

    44 min

  4. 18 OCT

    Week 42 - beginning of Jeremiah

    Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about chapters 1 to 22 of the biggest book in the Bible, Jeremiah. It starts at a time of change and uncertainty for God’s remaining people in the southern kingdom of Judah. The Assyrian empire to the north lost their last great leader, and with recent religious reforms under King Josiah, the Jews may have had good reasons to feel comfortable, justified and protected by God. Jeremiah’s messages about how unhappy God was with their unfaithfulness to him and their covenant might then have come as a surprise, or just sounded wrong. But the words God gave to Jeremiah included lots of examples of how their worship, life and society had become corrupt and toxic. Nobody wanted to hear, let alone agree with or follow, Jeremiah’s call to repentance. The ruin of Jerusalem had been warned about, but people were unwilling to believe it or reconnect with God to deal with it. We can know and agree that God wants relationship more than religion for us, but repentance, ongoing learning and change are still hard. Bern and Owen reflect on examples from their lives, and discuss how we can know the directions God wants us to take. In the next part of our boxset, we continue with Jeremiah and find, in the middle of tragedy for Judah, that God still has good plans and offers life-changing hope for the future. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

    34 min

  5. 11 OCT

    Week 41 - letters by James, Peter, John and Jude

    Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about a selection of letters in the New Testament from early church leaders. The first followers of Jesus were suffering as they spread the news of God’s coming kingdom. They were not being equipped for armed struggle but to develop and mature in Christ-like character while overflowing with his Spirit and love. From a distance, this sounds like something which can be calmly analysed to figure out how it works. But from the first Christians’ perspective, they were constantly learning from experience and having to work out what was happening, what was effective and helpful in their lives, and what to expect from God next. The way they were learning, as well as the change they wanted to see in the world, might explain why these writers emphasised putting faith into practice. Trying to turn their encouragements into laws, doctrines and rules might be harder to achieve than we think, however - some of the most prominent reforming theologians like Martin Luther and John Calvin made strenuous efforts, but were all their conclusions faithful to these writers’ intentions? If not, how can we know any better? And when we disagree among ourselves about things like this, is there any chance we can do this helpfully and lovingly? In the next part of our boxset, we begin hearing from Jeremiah, one of the major prophets who brought word of how unfaithful God’s people had been, but also hope for a better future. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

    41 min

  6. 4 OCT

    Week 40 - end of Chronicles

    Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about the second book of Chronicles from chapter 17 to the end. The big theme seems to be what makes a good leader for God’s people. The best ones seemed to make a point of seeking God and doing what he commanded, and they also tended to support or help restore the temple in Jerusalem so that all people could find it possible to find God when they sought him. But what does it really mean to seek God? While a religious system is at the heart of the social order being described, the stories in Chronicles might also point to a difference between following religious people or rules and finding the God we are seeking.  There is the amazing story of one king who heard from 400 prophets, but still had a sense that he had to keep seeking the truth from God. There is also a story of how religious rules broke down when another king called people to celebrate together. This prompts the question: is it God’s purpose for people to seek him to obey religious rules, or is the more the purpose of the rules to encourage people to seek God? If there is ever a clash, which does God prefer? Owen and Bern share their experiences of seeking God and sometimes needing to change direction, or learn a new way of doing things, as a result.  They also discuss what Chronicles shows about faith and faithfulness, topics which will come up again next week as we look at letters by James, Peter, John and Jude. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

    42 min

  7. 27 SEPT

    Week 39 - middle of Chronicles

    Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about Chronicles from book 1 chapter 22 to book 2 chapter 16. It’s become very noticeable that this account of Israel’s history has a different perspective and purpose from other versions of the same stories in the Bible. Some people like David and Solomon look like better versions of themselves, but why? Other books were probably written to warn Israel of the dangers of separating from God, but Chronicles seems written to encourage Israel about the benefits of getting back together. In particular, after the exile of God’s people, some felt the opportunity to regroup and rebuild in Jerusalem would bring about the restoration of the kingdom of God. So this account remembers past glory. Who wouldn’t want to regain it? Hadn’t God promised that if his people turn and seek him, he will heal their land? (Bern has views on how we pray this prayer today, though…) In the next part of our boxset, we finish Chronicles and look at what it says about some of the best and worst leaders. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

    29 min

  8. 20 SEPT

    Week 38 - beginning of Chronicles (and quite a few bonus thoughts about stuff God is doing today)

    Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about the opening chapters 1 to 21 of the first book of Chronicles. A bit like Deuteronomy, this book is a retelling of familiar stories from a different perspective, and this time the special purpose of the book might make it look like the Bible has contradictions within itself. What if it does? Bern shares discomfort about this idea, coming from being told as a young adult about how to deal with people who said “the Bible is full of contradictions” and didn’t want to put faith in God. Chronicles seems to show, however, that the people who agreed what should count as scripture were happy to bring together partisan and conflicting views which show how God moved different people at different times. What does this mean for us? Do we need to rethink how we engage with the Bible and take lessons from it or quote fragments in our prayers and worship? Can we also grasp what it means for us to be part of God’s movement of people through history, and be ready to keep moving? WARNING: inspired by ideas sparked in Chronicles, Owen and Bern’s discussion moves into other topics about how God engages with us, how we sometimes miss the point and try to adopt snapshots of someone else’s history as our own, and how we can experience God moving us into new life with a new perspective. In the next part of our boxset, we continue Chronicles with a look at how Israel was inspired to remember the goodness of worshiping God together. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

    39 min
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Trailer

About

The Bible is an amazing, potentially life changing, collection of literature. It’s been inspirational for thousands of years - and some say you can hear God through it. In this podcast, we’re going to share our experiences of listening through the Bible at a boxset binge pace. We’re going to engage with it and let it move us. The journey will take us through time and space with some of history’s most remarkable characters and world-shaping ideas. Who knows how differently we’ll see life along the way? Find out more and join the journey with us at https://severnvineyard.org/bible

Information

  • Creator
    Severn Vineyard
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2024
  • Episodes
    48
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2024 Severn Vineyard
  • Show Website
    Boxset Binge the Bible

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