New preachers’ podcast invites listeners to unpack lectionary By the Well

A new weekly podcast aimed at preachers looks set to help explore and unpack the Revised Common Lectionary.

Hosted by Rev. Dr Robyn Whitaker and Rev. Fran Barber, By the Well is the first Australian podcast of its kind.

According to Rev. Barber, “post-Christendom is a challenging and ripe time to be a preacher.”

“More than ever, communities (and the wider world!) need to be reminded to whom they belong and what it means to be made in the image of God. In a world of quick sound bites and flippant opinion, preaching is strange, but in its strangeness – pointing to the one who embraces the world but rejects the world’s limits and categorisations – has the power to transform and make us anew.”

Rev. Dr Whitaker lectures in New Testament Studies at Melbourne’s Pilgrim Theological College. She was the keynote speaker at School of Discipleship 2019.

The podcast’s guests include a number of prominent theologians, including Rev. Dr Bill Loader, Pilgrim Theological College’s Sean Winter, Rev. Kylie Crabbe, Rev. Dr Geoff Thompson, and Dorothy Lee.

“We hope to inspire deep conversations about preaching and teaching the biblical text in the context of contemporary Australia,” Rev. Dr Whitaker said.

“We have so many fabulous scholars…whose research is not known by the wider church. This is one attempt to address that by highlighting our colleagues’ work.” At the time of writing, four podcast episodes are currently available. The early episodes largely focus on the Old Testament. The hosts say that they want to explore some of the neglected texts in scripture.

By the Well is available now on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play, and Spotify.

For more information, visit the podcast’s official website, follow them on twitter @bythewellpod, orjoin the Facebook group.

Jonathan Foye is Insights’ Editor