Lectionary Mixtape

It's the end everybody. Year A is concluding and we're moving on to the wonders of Year B. This is also the last episode for Ben and Dan. We want to thank everyone for your support, prayers, and all that good stuff. We had a lot of fun working on this for a little over a year now. For our final episode we are talking a lot about feeding sheep with justice. Dan talks a lot about Prince... like eight times. Plus Jesus shows up in disguise like in the hit show, Undercover Boss. Mixtape tracks brought to you by whoever wrote the Charles in Charge Theme song and Chika. Plus we've got a capstone mixtape selection. These are brought to you by The Spinners and Prince.

Oh geez! The parable of the talents... just invest what God gave you and God want throw you into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Some story, huh? It just inspires joy, right? (That was sarcasm in case that wasn't clear) So what do we make of this "do it or else" parable? How does Zephaniah make use of his glory day in the hot lectionary sun? How does Paul get to talk out of both sides of his mouth and tell us that we need to keep awake while also telling us that we belong to God's light? Mixtape tracks brought to you by Pink Floyd and Lykke Li.

Got enough oil? We're talking about the parable of the wedding guests who didn't bring enough oil and some of them got locked out of a party that they were invited to. A nice, simple thing. Mixtape tracks brought to you by Aha and Regina Spektor.

FOR ALL THE SAINTS!!! All Saints feels strange this year when we know that 225,000 saints have died and left their pilgrimage on earth. Let's talk about that. And the connection between saints are on the other side of their pilgrimage and those who are still journeying. Mixtape tracks brought to you by Lianne La Havas and The Afters

This is the remix!!!! Hey. Reformation can get kind of weird, but Ben and Dan are talking about what makes a reformation and reformation. Jeremiah's got us asking about what needs to be torn down in our churches and our world for a reformation to take place. Jesus' got us asking about what we really need to be freed from for a reformation to take place. And we're asking how COVID-19 and the continued call for racial justice is reformation moment for our churches. Mixtape tracks brought to you by Weezer (but originally Toto) and Mexrissey (originally Morrissey).

Ben and Daniel need to confess something. We spend a lot of time talking about Cyrus of Persia... but we neither of us chose a Miley Cyrus track for the mixtape. Shame, shame, and more shame. Anyway, God does what God wants and that goes for saving actions too. Also, what's the deal with taxes? Is Jesus an anarchist or a civil servant? Woof. Good luck. Mixtape tracks brought to you by Sufjan Stevens and The Backstreet Boys.

Strange and troubling dinner parties! God is eating death itself and Jesus tells a parable about a dinner party where wearing the wrong kind of robe puts you in a very bad place. So it is pretty important to figure out what the robe symbolizes, huh? Mixtape tracks brought to you by Laura Marling and Third Eye Blind.

God sings the worst love song ever about rotten grapes and God is going to find a way to make a good thing grow! Mixtape tracks brought to you by LeAnn Rimes and LCD Soundsystem.

Do you wish you were a baller? Perhaps a little bit taller? Or that you had a rabbit in a hat with a bat? Maybe we should accept who we are rather than constantly strive for a "better" version of ourselves. God empowers us by allowing us to take responsibility for our own actions (and not simply inheriting the consequences of those who came before us). Jesus (and us by extension) are not really glass half-full or half-empty people... we're more glass all-empty people. Also we might confront the questions of whether or not we are really being the church or are we just saying we are and then never showing up. Mixtape tracks brought to you by Skee-Lo and Bonnie Tyler.

Happy (Biblical) Labor Day! Jesus teaches us that what is "fair" isn't necessarily what is good. Jonah is acting like a big baby and it is waaaay too relatable. Also in other news, all the earth is God's treasured possession- Ninevah, "wages," our lives, our enemies' lives, etc. So that changes some things ,right? Mixtape tracks brought to you by Beck and Styx.

Forgiveness. We've got a problem with it. Is it because we overcomplicate it or because we oversimplify it? It gets kind of funky when you start to throw in some considerations in power dynamics, repentance, and the like. Mixtape tracks brought to you by Jewel and The Postal Service

We're back you cool babies! And what a doozie to come back to. Jesus lays out the blueprint for excommunication! Fun! We're spending some time talking about the tough decisions when a "toxic" person in your life/your church refuses to make things right and the pain of having to cut them out. How do we draw lines when we have to and keep our selves and our communities safe? Mixtape tracks brought to you by Rio Diamond and FKA Twigs.

This is the one where the disciples are suddenly guests on Scooby Doo. What does God's voice sound like? How near is God? How to tell the difference between your Savior and a spooky spooky ghost. Mixtape tracks brought to you by Adam Lambert and Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong.

People all over the world, join hands! It's God's big blowout sale! Everything must go! God has too much blessing, so it's all being given out without price... and there are leftovers too! Plus we've got a little bit of an antisemitism lesson. Children's sermon ideas inspired by Office Space and an imaginary dinner party. Mixtape tracks brought to you by The O Jays and Michael Jackson.

We've got (another) new format! Thank you for your patience. I think this one is here stay. Solomon's impostor syndrome! All the small things that God loves, values, and makes wonderful! Mixtape tracks brought to you by Gogol Bordello and Blink 182.

Hey! We are landing on a new format! Thanks for your patience while Ben and Daniel were working out what this show would look like. So here it is! Jazz Odyssey: We look at the texts as a whole. Talk about themes, textual notes, etc. Kidz Bop: Children's sermon ideas! Turn it to 11: Ben and Daniel share their strongest focus for the preaching moment. Mixtape: Same as it ever was. We make a musical offering related to the themes of the text.

Creation in birthing pangs! Weeds all mixed up in our nice wheat! God is God! What does it look like to possess a spirit of fear versus possessing a spirit of faith? Are you the wheat or the weeds? And why is that the wrong question to ask? Also, you just need to let some folks go sometime. We can all change, but sometimes it isn't our fight. Mixtape tracks brought to you by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and The Anabaptist Bestiary Project

Rain is pretty great huh? It makes things grow, which we can make into food, which keeps us alive. Isaiah reminds us that God's Word isn't something that we can control, but is a gift that does some pretty great life-making things. When faced with the tough decision of living in the "Spirit" or living in the "flesh" it is actually pretty easy. The decision was already made for us. You love it. I love it. The Parable of the Sower. God just throws around seed with a care in the world. God isn't stingy with who gets to experience the grace of God... that is as refreshing as a rainstorm on a hot day. Mixtape tracks brought to you by Pearl Jam and Emily Wells.

Ben and Dan are trying out a different format for the show this week. Rather than go through the texts one-by-one, we are talking about them together and more thematically. Let us know what you think of the format. Thank you for your patience. We're going to try a couple of different things to see what works best. This week we are exploring what being a "prisoner of hope" looks like and hope changes our lives and the world. We've got a double-dose of farm wisdom. And how dare Jesus! He spends a month of Gospel lections telling us how horrible being a disciple will be (family conflict, beatings, imprisonment, death, etc.) and now he has the audacity to say, "My yoke is easy, my burden is light." What's his deal? Mixtape tracks brought to you by Katy Perry and Prince.

Jeremiah's prophesy says that things are going to be difficult and frankly, not great. Hananiah says everything is going to be peachy keen in two shakes of a lamb's tail. How does this story relate to today's struggle for racial justice? Romans tells us that everyone is a tool... a tool for God's righteousness or a tool for sin's power. Try using "Everyone is a tool" for your sermon title! Matthew tells us that God blesses acts of kindness as small as offering a cup of water. This is the starting point, not the ending point of discipleship. Mixtape tracks are full of misters. Mixtape tracks brought to you by Electric Light Orchestra and Matt Costa.

This is a bit heavy. Sometimes doing the right thing for the sake of the Good News sucks. Speak truth to power and those in power just might not like it. Sometimes we are left with a choice between doing what's right and holding on to what we love the most. Hey preachers, we see what you are doing. It isn't easy, but it is good. We hope these readings preach to you even as you try to preach to others. Mixtape tracks brought to you by Neko Case and System of a Down.

We're talking treasured possessions. We're talking Christian stuffering. We're talking how wild it is to proclaim that "the Kingdom of Heaven has come near." Mixtape tracks brought to you by The New Pornographers and Florence and the Machine.

Be careful not to do a Modalism because it's Trinity Sunday! It is that festival day when we play "Where's Waldo?" to find the three persons of the Trinity hiding in Scripture. Is there more to preaching this day than avoiding heresy landmines? Come find out! We're talking God creating with a word. We're talking holy smooches and making up with the people you're stuck with. We're talking Jesus with us in the super-duper-ultra marathon of life. This week's mixtape tracks are brought to you by Madness and Al Green.

Happy Pentecost everyone! We can definitely do more than sing Happy Birthday to the church, yes? We're talking the miracle of understanding each other... for once. We're talking what the heck faith looks like anyway. We're talking retaining and letting go of the sins of others and ourselves. This week's mixtape tracks are brought to you by Christine & The Queens and Bon Jovi

Onward and upward, preachers! It's Ascension Day (if you transfer that festival from Thursday to Sunday... otherwise it is 7 Easter A)! We're talking Christ's above-it-all authority. We're talking praise and adoration for Jesus and his church. We're talking the footprint Jesus left on earth. This week's mixtape tracks are brought to you by The Call and My Brightest Diamond.

Welcome to our guest, Pastor Axel Kaegler who serves as pastor of Saint John's Lutheran Church in Spinnerstown, PA. Axel is a cool dude who likes TTRPGs, Troll lore, and Greenlandic Prog Rock. @ATKaegler We're talking interfaith tensions and opportunities. We're talking good suffering and bad justification for suffering. We're talking tangled, knotty, Good News. This week's mixtape tracks are brought to you by Sume, Bomba Estereo, and Donna Lewis. The Lectionary Mixtape: Year A 2019-2020

We're talking echoes of the people we love. We're talking Peter's metaphor overload and being part of God's building. We're talking being under-equipped and faithful. This week's mixtape tracks are brought to you by The Rapture and Styx. The Lectionary Mixtape: Year A 2019-2020

Welcome to our guest host this week, Tim Ness! Tim serves as the pastor of Saint Mark Lutheran Church in Clifton Heights, PA. He used to play trombone in a ska band too. We're talking out of control idealism. We're talking a problematic text. We're talking receiving life abundant. This week's mixtape tracks are brought to you by Streetlight Manifesto, Louis Armstrong, and The Beatles. The Lectionary Mixtape: Year A 2019-2020

We're talking being shot through the heart when you're too late. We're talking why God isn't a gangster with a tommy gun. We're talking seeing Jesus with blessed hindsight. This week's mixtape tracks are brought to you by Bjork and Bon Jovi The Lectionary Mixtape: Year A 2019-2020

Happy Easter! Alleluia! Christ gets knocked down but gets up again! Our guest host this week is Pastor Joey Klinger. Joey serves at Redemption Lutheran Church in Philadelphia. We're talking the pain and hurt that resurrection answers. We're talking macro-level preaching with Peter and his resurrection hindsight. We're talking clinging to the resurrected feet of Jesus. Today's mixtape unfortunately is not brought to you by Chumbawumba. :( Today's mixtape brought to you by The Cast of the Lord of the Rings Musical (yes that was a real thing!), The Hold Steady, and the Evangelical Lutheran Worship Hymnal.

We're talking self-giving love even for jerks like Judas and Peter. We're talking Christ breaking the sin machine. This week's mixtape tracks are brought to you by The Talking Heads and Jesus Christ Superstar. The Lectionary Mixtape: Year A 2019-2020

We're talking parody parades. We're talking God emptied. We welcome our special guest host, Gary Woodruff. Gary serves as pastor of Atonement Lutheran Church in Asbury Park, NJ. This week's mixtape tracks are brought to you by Alanis Morissette, The Polyphonic Spree, and My Chemical Romance. The Lectionary Mixtape: Year A 2019-2020

We're talking believe more than you thought was possible and then some more on top of that. We're talking "Flesh and Spirit" and Resignation and Hope. We're talking about a dead man with a verb. This week's 80's-tastic mixtape tracks are brought to you by Oingo Boingo and Crowded House. The Lectionary Mixtape: Year A 2019-2020

Hi friends. Lots of churches have suspended worship services in response to the spread of COVID-19. Thank you for making the tough decisions to keep everyone safe. Many church leaders have been puzzling out how to still offer a worshipful experience and proclaimed word even when we can't physically be in the same space. Ben and Daniel and joined by Gary Woodruff to share what they are planning on doing to share the Good News at a distance. Gary Woodruff is the pastor of Atonement Lutheran in Asbury Park, NJ.

We're talking God's choice of under-seasoned and under-prepared leaders. We're talking exposing the bad deeds and sin of the world but not being a jerk about it. We're talking God calling us to treat people like people instead of object lessons. This week's mixtape tracks are brought to you by Amanda Palmer and 21 Pilots. The Lectionary Mixtape: Year A 2019-2020

A little bit of a warning. Daniel was a little under the weather so he sounds a little stuffy. He sounds weird and hopefully not too gross. Sorry! We're talking God's grace to understandable despair. We're talking God's presence and healing in the midst of suffering that produces endurance and eventually hope. We're talking the woman at the well and her encounter with Christ who listens. This week's mixtape tracks are brought to you by SIA and Laura Marling The Lectionary Mixtape: Year A 2019-2020

We're talking new journeys. We're talking dying and rising in baptism and in life. We're talking Nick at Nite. This week's mixtape tracks are brought to you by 30 Seconds to Mars and Idina Menzel. The Lectionary Mixtape: Year A 2019-2020

We're talking original insecurity and shame. We're talking the blame game. We're talking tempting doubts. This week's mixtape tracks are brought to you by Linkin Park and Cohhed & Cambira. The Lectionary Mixtape: Year A 2019-2020

We're talking turning around... together. We're talking truth-telling. We're talking letting go of our shame. This week's mixtape tracks are brought to you by Bonnie Tyler and Arcade Fire. The Lectionary Mixtape: Year A 2019-2020

Happy Shiny Day everyone! We're talking mountaintop experiences that are good and bad. We're talking discernment that is holy. We're talking the words to which we need to listen. This week's mixtape tracks are brought to you by The Sweet and Sufjan Stevens. The Lectionary Mixtape: Year A 2019-2020

We're talking toasting to life! We're talking being the field of God. We're talking using the question "Does this give life?" to challenge our interpretations. This week's mixtape tracks are brought to you by The Fiddler on the Roof Cast and The Cranberries. The Lectionary Mixtape: Year A 2019-2020

Hey! We've got a guest this week filling in for Daniel while he was down in Ecuador. This week, we welcome Brad Siebert to the mic. We're talking true worship. We're talking the Spirit of God and the mind of Christ. We're talking being worth your salt because God says so. This week's mixtape tracks are brought to you by The Spice Girls and Eminem. The Lectionary Mixtape: Year A 2019-2020

We're talking not forgetting the point of worship. We're talking the foolishness that we think is wisdom and the wisdom that we think is foolishness. We're talking Jesus just saying outrageous blessed things without qualifiers. This week's mixtape tracks are brought to you by Justice and OneRepublic. The Lectionary Mixtape: Year A 2019-2020

We're talking being light and not taking it lightly. We're talking giving thanks and meaning it. We're talking telling what you've seen and heard. This week's mixtape tracks are brought to you by Justice and OneRepublic. The Lectionary Mixtape: Year A 2019-2020

Ben was out of town for this recording, so we have a special guest host... Emily Eisenberg! Emily is an horticulturalist, a cool lady, and the spouse of Daniel. We're talking being sent out to be Jesus and share justice. We're talking why God uses us to witness when could have done it alone. We're talking the Holy Spirit's wild presence in our Baptized lives. This week's mixtape tracks are brought to you by Rusted Root and TLC. The Lectionary Mixtape: Year A 2019-2020

In the beginning was the Word Up and the Word Up was with God and the Word Up was God... We're talking what makes a home a home. We're talking being marked with love and not being picked last for dodgeball. We're talking what to do when you receive more than your "fair share" of grace upon grace. This week's mixtape tracks are brought to you by Florence and the Machine and Cameo. The Lectionary Mixtape: Year A 2019-2020

These are tough texts. We are exploring themes of God's judgment and mercy. We're mourning the loss of life in all tragedies. We're holding fast to the promises that Christ is not ashamed to call us kin. This week's mixtape tracks are brought to you by 16 Horsepower and Skillet. The Lectionary Mixtape: Year A 2019-2020

Merry Christmas ya'll! Welcome to our special guest, Colleen Montgomery. We're talking burning away war and death. We're talking the manger meeting the cross. We're talking good news to you and ya'll. This week's mixtape tracks brought to you by Adele, Ella Fitzgerald, and Matt Redman. The Lectionary Mixtape: Year A 2019-2020

Names! Joseph's got one, you've got at least one, and Jesus has about 500. Get ready for the last week of Advent as we talk about God-with-us, hopes beyond what we can see, and the faithfulness of us to each other as a response to God's faithfulness to us. This week's mixtape tracks brought to you by Regina Spektor and The Ting Tings. The Lectionary Mixtape: Year A 2019-2020

We're talking joy-filled hope. We're talking farm wisdom about patience. We're talking needing encouragement when things are very disappointing. This week's mixtape tracks feature REO Speedwagon and Joy Electric. The Lectionary Mixtape: Year A 2019-2020

This week we welcome Marc Stutzel! Marc is the pastor of Christ Lutheran Church, Woodcliff Lake, NJ. You can follow him on Twitter @stynxno We're talking peaceable kingdoms. We're talking the joy of peace and reconciliation. We're talking repentance beyond a guilt trip. This week's mixtape tracks feature Soul Coughing, Parliament, and Elvis Costello. The Lectionary Mixtape: Year A 2019-2020 If you haven't already, feel free to share this with another preacher/teacher and leave a review! *we had a little technical difficulty and lost part of Marc's audio on the Gospel reading and the Mixtape section. Sorry! Thanks for your patience.