Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about the first book of Samuel, chapters 1 to 20.What sort of kingdom did God want to build, and how was this shown when it worked well, and not so well? The rules had been set about who was meant to do what, but Samuel was a surprising addition to the line of priests who would mediate between people and God. Born of faith and dedicated in faithfulness, Samuel listened and was responsive to God, so under his leadership, people could know what God’s leadership was like.In contrast, Israel’s next leader was a strong man, loved for his appearance and for getting things done, but more likely to do things his own way than God’s way.What can we learn from these people? Who do we really want to be our leaders, and how do we want to live in God’s kingdom ourselves?The next part of our boxset will look at the rest of 1 Samuel as well as 2 Samuel chapters 1 to 10. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

What is hell, and where have we got our ideas about this from? Claire Lynch looks at the stories and images in the Bible that relate to this, and how people in the Bible, including Jesus, communicated by referring to concepts that were meaningful and resonant with their audience. These included ideas drawn from Hebrew and neighbouring cultures, and were quite different from the imagery which became common to describe hell much later in western culture. Could the ideas of eternal, conscious torment and separation from God be based on misunderstandings or misapplications of the Bible? If so, what can we learn from the Bible, its prophecies, teachings and the words of Jesus to give us a better understanding of what God might do with us when we die?

Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about the books of Ruth and Esther, as well as Proverbs chapters 10 to 18.What does it mean to be Jewish, or part of any meaningful group? The stories of Ruth and Esther are perspectives on this, both celebrated for what they can show us about faith, courage, loss and redemption, but differing in emphasis and perhaps what people might conclude from them.Esther’s story was shared when Jewish people were scattered across the ancient world and needed reminding and encouraging about their shared identity and specialness. Others posed threats to their existence, but they could still prevail and thrive as a people, and remember this in the annual celebration of Purim.Ruth’s story has a different perspective on the role of outsiders, demonstrating how a foreigner who shared the Jewish values of loyalty and love could find themselves grafted into the family tree. What happened with Ruth would lead to descendants King David, who would show what closeness to God looked like in worship, and Jesus, who would bring God’s kingdom close enough for everyone to grasp.Can engaging with these stories, along with the Proverbs, highlight where we might be struggling with fear, loss or division between people, and encourage us to seek God’s perspective?The next part of our boxset will look at the book 1 Samuel, chapters 1 to 20. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about the book of Judges.There are lots of gory stories which aren’t suitable for Sunday School (Bern shares an embarrassing Dad moment…) and it’s hard to find good role models, but perhaps Gideon comes close in the way he consults and responds to God, ready to do surprising things with humility when asked.In contrast, Samson looks like the kind of “strong man” leader who makes the most of their God-given blessings and look like they’re good at getting things done, but turn out to be fatally flawed. Does he remind us of anyone?It can be tragic when we have God in our culture but not in our hearts. How much more can we expect from ourselves, each other and our leaders if we can really be guided by God and not misuse his culture, name, power, and the opportunities he’s given us?The next part of our boxset will look at the books of Ruth and Esther, as well as Proverbs chapters 10 to 18. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

How far would this revolution go? Owen Lynch looks at the way scattered believers in the early days of the church encountered new believers who looked like they would not fit in. While the law, as people understood it, seemed to put them on the margins or outside the boundaries of acceptability, an African eunuch had not only found status in a royal household, but also found scripture which pointed them to Jesus. Why was their baptism so remarkable? How could it revolutionise religious people’s understanding - and ours - of the Kingdom of God?

Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about the book of Joshua.At face value, this story of the establishment of Israel in its promised land is a combination of glory and horror - there is new life for God’s people, but a lot of death for almost everyone else.It’s important to consider how people at the time would have heard and understood these stories, which don’t fit together in a way which allows anyone to take them too literally. Scholars differ in their interpretations, but there is a strong case for finding the truth in the meaning of what is shared through symbols and hyperbole.What does it mean that God was credited for bringing people across the river and acting decisively in battle? What difference does it make that this was not a kingdom being established by human effort but by God? And what difference would it make to us today if we recognised that what we thought was ours really belongs to God, and that we can trust him to guide us?The next part of our boxset will look at the book of Judges. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

Do we get that there’s a massive movement building? Owen Lynch looks at the growing expectation among Jesus’ followers early in the book of Acts that their world would change. Believers were living in revolutionary ways which changed how they saw and handled possessions, hoped and worked for equality, and fought and dealt with corruption. There began to be deadly consequences, both for a couple whose corruption undermined the integrity of the movement, and for man inspired by God to share the movement’s story as part of the history of Israel. These stories might be familiar to us, but we might have read wrongly or applied them unhelpfully if we haven’t understood their context. What can we do to understand and learn from them better today?

Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about the book of Job.In lots of ways, this is a puzzling story that might seem not to fit well into the Bible - although that might depend on how we read the rest of the Bible. If we think it has given us explanations of why things work and rules we can follow with predictable results, we might be a bit like Job’s friends when we think someone needs our help or advice.The challenge of Job’s story is that they are not as wise as they thought, and that we can’t always get answers to “why” questions or explain difficult situations.But the encouragement seems to be that God offers a different path to life through being open to experiences that surpass our understanding, growing relationships and trust, and discovering that life-supporting wisdom is not always the same as life-explaining knowledge. The next part of our boxset will look at the book of Joshua. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

What does it mean to deny ourselves, and what difference can this make? Kyle Henderson-Begg looks at what Jesus showed and taught, and what his followers came to believe about this. What are the advantages of self-control, and where can we find more strength to benefit from this?

Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about the gospel according to Mark.Looking at the history leading up to the time of Jesus, they reflect on the significance of Jesus' life and what it meant to live in and look forward to the kingdom of God. Where was, and is, the "battlefront" that establishes it? Between nations, between people, or between conflicting parts of ourselves? Did the way Jesus presented himself as leader fit anyone's expectations? And if not, could the role of the gospels (and the rest of scripture) be less about pinning us to rules and routines, and more about getting us ready to have our minds changed by God, in ways that are still happening?The next part of our boxset will look at the book of Job. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

In a bonus episode for Easter, Bern Leckie and Claire Lynch discuss the different views available in the Bible on the meaning and purpose of Jesus' death, as well as his resurrection and what these mean for us.We could regard the whole business as mystery, or pick a clear and simple explanation. One which is widely shared is "penal substitutionary atonement", the idea that Jesus had to die to take the necessary punishment from God that our sins deserve.There are Bible verses which seem to refer to this, but how should we interpret them? What view of God would they give us, and how would we see ourselves and other people, if this were the main reason for what happened to Jesus on the cross?Bern and Claire also look at other ways that scholars through history have made sense of Jesus' death and resurrection, and how this may also have looked to people at the time of Jesus with little or no knowledge of Jewish theology, but who are still found responding to Jesus' death in the gospel accounts.The meaning of Psalm 22 is also considered. It starts, "My God, my God, why have you foresaken me?" and Jesus is recorded as saying those words on the cross. Had God really turned away because of our sin? Or does the rest of Psalm 22 tell a different story? Bern and Claire suggest reading or listening and praying this through, not just to understand but also see where we might relate to it.

Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about the end of the book of Numbers, chapters 17 to 36.What’s so important about giving glory to God, or credit where it’s due to anyone? Bern shares his experiences of the difference that people sharing credit for their sources makes to workplaces. It took him a long time to make the connection that this might be a value received from God, but it now seems crucial to him for being able to remain healthy, responsive and able to grow into doing new things instead of becoming unhealthy, defensive and stuck in old ways.Owen shares his highlights from Numbers of a talking donkey and its part in a story about God’s unconditional provision, protection and presence. Even when God seems distant or cannot be seen directly, can we be encouraged by the stories that God has worked in amazing ways with all kinds of people to bless and protect?The next part of our boxset will look at the whole of Mark’s gospel. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

Jesus died on the cross and rose again, but why? Can the way this makes a difference to people be summed up in one simple, shareable idea? Claire Lynch continues her talk about the different ways this is described in the Bible, and why focusing on only one of them can distort our views of God and each other. The ideas of sacrifice and covenant are rich in meaning and hard to grasp in full, but can growing our understanding of them help to grow our sense of God’s love for us and what God wants to do with us?

Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about the start of the book of Numbers, chapters 1 to 16, as well as Psalms 38 to 41.Numbers can be a tricky book to make sense of, seeming like a patchwork of pictures shared for different purposes which might not fit together as neatly as we think they should. But these purposes are important and reveal ways of life which could recognise the specialness of God and an ideal quality of life people would struggle to attain. There would be consequences for actions, but also ways to restore relationships. God’s people were ultimately a family, bound together by common history and heritage.Reading Numbers as a set of religious rules might make us overlook this, but hearing it as a reminder of relationships and why they are important can point us towards God and what he has been doing through history to rebuild relationships and restore people to good, love-driven life. This is something the author of Psalms 38 to 41 seems to need and want desperately.The next part of our boxset will look at beginning of the end of Numbers, chapters 17 to 36. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

Good news - Jesus’ life, death and resurrection helps us to restore good relationships with God - but how does this work? Claire Lynch looks at different ways of explaining this which emphasise different parts of the Bible and might serve as helpful pictures or analogies. But it’s also possible that too much stress or reliance on one picture will distort our view of God and his character. Can we gain something from these pictures while also keeping our eyes on Jesus to understand what God is really like?

Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about the end of the book of Leviticus, chapters 16 to 27, and the start of Proverbs, chapters 1 to 9.It can seem hard to make sense of some ancient laws, and even harder to know what to make of their relevance to us today. Leviticus describes a covenant set out by a powerful Lord as conditions for his presence to remain with people. The overall purpose seems to be to establish a social order, giving God’s chosen people a distinct identity and maintaining the Lord’s good reputation. But scholars have debated the meaning, purpose and application of specific parts of Leviticus throughout history.Some contemporary scholars have started to view Leviticus as less like statute law and more similar to wisdom literature, like Proverbs.Looking at Proverbs alongside Leviticus, it seems that wisdom is the key needed to understand and apply good judgement, as well as the source of good decision making. Could it be more important to grasp what “the fear of the Lord” means than to try and master our understanding of ancient law?The next part of our boxset will look at beginning of the book of Numbers, chapters 1 to 16, as well as Psalms 38 to 41. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

What if you expected a power struggle in your life? Owen Lynch looks at Jesus’ followers soon after his resurrection and ascension to heaven, and the giving of his Holy Spirit, which came with power. Peter and the other disciples expected a new Kingdom to come which would challenge the ruling authorities, political and religious. These authorities would not react well. But what did each party want and believe, and how would they handle their conflicts?

Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about the start of the book of Leviticus, chapters 1 to 15, and Psalms 29 to 37.There is a lot to talk about here, including the role Leviticus played in the lives of its original audience. While many have understood it to be the source of statute law, both modern scholarship and the rest of the Bible suggest that judges may have been more used to building common law through their use of wisdom. The purpose of Leviticus may be mainly to draw Israel’s attention to their source of that wisdom, a powerful Lord who wanted to establish social order so that his presence would be recognised and his name respected.A good source text on this is “The Lost World of the Torah” by John H. Walton and J. Harvey Walton.Looking at Leviticus like this should make us question the approach of trying to glean it for moral principles that are meant to apply today. Instead, we can appreciate its purpose to begin building a people with God’s presence who could be a light to the world.The Psalms illustrate the power of faith in God and how trusting him to be present can help people overcome in a wide range of conflicts from personal to international. The next part of our boxset will look at the end of Leviticus, chapters 16 to 27, as well as Proverbs chapters 1 to 9. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

What difference can it make to foster or adopt children? Anna Simmons describes her experience of becoming part of God’s family and, after having children, the decision they made to become a fostering family. Home For Good helps to find homes for the thousands of children that need them - find out more about them at homeforgood.org.uk

Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about the end of the book of Exodus, chapters 23 to 40.People see Moses go up a fearsome looking mountain into God’s presence, and there is a lot to discuss about what it means to be in the presence of God - how do we experience this today?Two contrasting stories emerge in this part of Exodus about faithful and unfaithful response to God. The unfaithfulness seems odd, hard to explain and tragic. But the faithfulness results in people bringing themselves, their treasures and talents together, making something which glorifies God and celebrates the relationships his people can build with him at their centre.The next part of our boxset will look at the beginning of Leviticus, chapters 1 to 15, as well as Psalms 29 to 37. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.