Buzz King: Grace & Joy thru Scripture
Learning about God’s grace from Scripture & Passing that grace on to others.
Episodes
Saturday Apr 13, 2024
Purple snail snot
Saturday Apr 13, 2024
Saturday Apr 13, 2024
Tyrian purple dye, which was, in truth, purple snail snot, was extraordinarily valuable in the ancient world - worth three times its weight in gold, at a time when gold was extremely rare. We look at our possessions today, things we highly value, and we ask: will they be the purple snail snot of the future? And what about that other incredible valuable item, given to us by God...?
Saturday Apr 06, 2024
Grace within us
Saturday Apr 06, 2024
Saturday Apr 06, 2024
I once spoke with a woman who had been through at least three major medical journeys. She felt a constant pull between Grace and fear in her life. She desperately need Grace to win the battle within her. We look at one way that has been used to categorize Grace: Prevenient, Justifying, and Sanctifying Grace. Our goal isn't to memorize any particular way to structure the overall notion of Grace. We want to understand what Grace does within us and how it impacts our lives.
Saturday Mar 30, 2024
Easter: The symbolism and the truth of the resurrection
Saturday Mar 30, 2024
Saturday Mar 30, 2024
A common complaint against the Bible, in particular, the resurrection story, is that the intense symbolism and numerology of the Bible tells us that it is fictional, that it couldn't possibly represent reality. We look at the Easter story, at what is indeed a dramatic resurrection scene, and which introduces one of the most important phases of Jesus' ministry on Earth - and we look at God's story-writing.
Thursday Mar 28, 2024
Good Friday: The Skull
Thursday Mar 28, 2024
Thursday Mar 28, 2024
We look at Jesus as he approaches the cross and as he is crucified. He gives us two moral challenges, ones that for the world today, are incredibly important. We look at these challenges offered by a dying Messiah.
Saturday Mar 23, 2024
Palm Sunday: We are like palm trees
Saturday Mar 23, 2024
Saturday Mar 23, 2024
Matthew focuses on Jesus as the Messiah promised in many Old Testament prophesies - and thus seems to be writing for Jews. Luke focuses on Jesus as a prophet, seeming to address Gentiles. We look at my Scout Master, who was blind, and who inspired me (many, many years later) to look at the Gospel of Luke and consider Jesus as our Prophet. On Palm Sunday, we see just why this is so critical to do if we truly want to understand Jesus' special relationship to us as humans.
Saturday Mar 16, 2024
The road to palm branches
Saturday Mar 16, 2024
Saturday Mar 16, 2024
I once spoke with a young man whose father had been a corrupt Methodist Reverend - a man who treated young women in his congregations as prey. Before his father was exposed and arrested - when this young man was in high school - the Easter season had been his favorite time of year. We talked about the Gospel of Luke - and the long walk from Capernaum to Jerusalem. In this podcast, we look at that 106 mile long walk and what it meant for the destiny of Jesus - and to our destinies.
Saturday Mar 09, 2024
The incredible gift of Sanctification
Saturday Mar 09, 2024
Saturday Mar 09, 2024
We look at the sometimes confusing, and historically controversial, core Christian concept of the Trinity. We we look at how this notion of three Gods in one - but only One God - guides us toward an understanding of the three major gifts that we receive from our God. Importantly, we look at that incredible gift of Sanctification.
Saturday Mar 02, 2024
The secret Messiah
Saturday Mar 02, 2024
Saturday Mar 02, 2024
We take a broad look at the three "Synoptic" Gospels, Mark, Matthew, and Luke, and how they portray Jesus as a humble, even meek spiritual Messiah. We compare this to the sometimes outspoken and vocal Jesus in the Gospel of John who declares himself to the the Light of the World. Why is Jesus so secretive about who he is in the Synoptic Gospels? What do we learn from John about the power of the Holy Spirit living within us?
Saturday Feb 24, 2024
A vast world of Faith
Saturday Feb 24, 2024
Saturday Feb 24, 2024
We take a sweeping look at the world of Faith and the history of Faith in the one, loving, and trustworthy God. We look at the history of the manuscripts of the Bible, from ancient oral traditions to the Dead Sea Scrolls to the written story of Jesus. We see that an astonishing, true story is told: the two phase revelation of God, first to the Chosen People, the people of the Covenant of Moses, and then, second, to us, through the life of Jesus Christ. We learn what has changed during these two phases - and very importantly, we learn what has not changed.
Saturday Feb 17, 2024
That's why they call it Faith
Saturday Feb 17, 2024
Saturday Feb 17, 2024
We look at a ways in which people have tried to "prove" the Bible, using scientific and historical/archeological techniques, in particular, the Nazareth Inscription, a marble inscription that many say "proves" the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We consider, however, what faith truly is - and the losing battle of trying to defend our faith with science, history, and archeology. We consider just what it means to "believe" and the impact that it has on us.
Saturday Feb 10, 2024
Who is Sophia?
Saturday Feb 10, 2024
Saturday Feb 10, 2024
We look at a book from the Apocrypha: The Wisdom of Solomon. While some Christians consider it to be part of the Bible canon, most Protestants are unfamiliar with it. It was written during the "silent period" between Malachi and the birth of Jesus. It is beautiful, insightful, and argues that wisdom is critical for deep, true faith. We see that while faith demands wisdom, faith also leads us to greater wisdom.
Saturday Feb 03, 2024
The not so silent period
Saturday Feb 03, 2024
Saturday Feb 03, 2024
We look at the "silent period" between the words of the Prophet Malachi and the life of Jesus. In particular, we see that a few books that many Christians consider to be "apocryphal", the Maccabee books, give us tremendous insight into what was going on in Jerusalem and surrounding areas during the time of Jesus. We see Jews fighting Jews because some of them had abandoned their God and become Hellenized. We consider the New Covenant, with Jesus ordering us to love God and to love others and to no longer be violent - and how this has not come true. Christians have been very violent over the centuries since the life of Jesus. Why is this? How do we change this?
Saturday Jan 27, 2024
The Afterlife
Saturday Jan 27, 2024
Saturday Jan 27, 2024
We look at the Old Testament's description of the Afterlife. We find that it is somewhat different from what we read in the New Testament and from what modern Christians tend to believe. In particular, just what is Hell? We look the teachings of Jesus - and just what he says is the requirement for a joyous afterlife spent with God.
Saturday Jan 20, 2024
Through a tunnel of fire
Saturday Jan 20, 2024
Saturday Jan 20, 2024
As a teenager, I once drove through a tunnel of fire, a very brief one. We look at the use of natural phenomena, like fire, wind, water, and stars in the Bible, and how they are used to represent the power, pretense, and healing nature of God. We consider why the Bible is so rich in these metaphors - and why they are so valuable to us today, compared the ancient followers of God and Jesus.
Saturday Jan 13, 2024
Words of Sages
Saturday Jan 13, 2024
Saturday Jan 13, 2024
We look at the works of the Sages, the wise Israelite scholars who wrote for a very literate audience. But the Apostles were not educated people. At one point, Jesus realizes that since he is about to be gone, and the Apostles will be on their own to spread his Word, it is time to be straightforward and blunt with them. He conveys a message in simple terms that the Apostles must always remember - and that we must always remember.