At Home with the Lectionary

To paraphrase the premise outlined in the opening of each episode; Aaron Burt (an Anglican priest) and his wife Marissa work through the lectionary readings in an unscripted conversation. This will be less showy/produced compared to something like “Pulpit Fiction”; rather this aims (again, paraphrasing the hosts) to create a feel of sitting at the kitchen table and informally chatting about the Bible. It can trend fairly academic, but if you are enough a Bible nerd that you’re searching lectionary themed podcasts, this will probably scratch an itch for you. That said, it is not particularly highbrow; one word often employed by the hosts is “wonder” - to approach the Scriptures with a sense of imagination, a willingness to ask questions (even when answers are elusive), to be in awe of the grand sweep of the story we are privileged to now play our own small parts in. If you’re looking for something polished or purely devotional, this isn’t really it. If you’re attracted to more of a slow burn conversation that risks sending you away with more questions to ponder than you arrived with, pull up a seat.

My preaching is better because I regularly listen to this podcast. Aaron and Marissa are so warm and relational that they feel like friends. I look forward to hearing from them weekly.

It is too irritating to listen to, a feminine male voice trying to be corrected by a masculine voice female. These two moderators are as irritating is trying to listen to a modern Christian Radio Station, or each is throwing back-and-forth banter and questions and comments trying to prove they are clever and bright. This program would act value of just one over. The other of these two were speaking. But both together are impossible to listen to for more than 30 seconds.

I’ve looked through a ton of lectionary podcasts and this is my favorite for several reasons- Great blend of pastoral and lay voices, male and female, background on the lectionary and church calendar/seasons. Their conversation each week is so genuine and strikes the right balance between the theological and practical aspects of the texts. Plus you get the collect for that week as well. A little odd that they discuss the readings in reverse order that you would hear them on a Sunday. And sometimes the podcast is recorded and/or released a week or more before the Sunday it is intended for. But neither issue takes away from the many benefits this podcast has. Highly recommend!