Strange Recruits!

Strange Recruits!

Author: Cory Driver June 24, 2025 Duration: 10:23

1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21 & Luke 9:51-62: Do you ever wonder, "Why are THESE the folks who were chosen for that task?" Would it make more sense to maybe choose someone else for a specific job or role? This week, we have a few stories of God choosing some strange recruits.


For those who carry the responsibility of weekly preaching, the days are full-pastoral care, administration, and the quiet work of prayer can easily push sermon preparation to the margins. Moving Forward-Weekly Lectionary Podcast is designed to be a practical companion within that busy rhythm. Hosted by Cory Driver, this weekly audio resource arrives every Monday, offering roughly ten minutes of focused reflection on the upcoming Revised Common Lectionary readings. The idea is simple: to provide a thoughtful starting point early in your week, so you’re never truly beginning from a blank page, even if time forces you to start writing later. Driver shares his perspective to spark your own engagement with the texts, aiming to lighten the load of initial research. This isn't about delivering a finished sermon, but about offering a catalyst for your own creative and spiritual process. By integrating this short, consistent podcast into your routine, you gain a reliable touchpoint for the scriptural themes awaiting your congregation. It’s a tool for pastors and lay leaders alike who seek a structured yet flexible approach to connecting the ancient texts with contemporary life, helping you move forward with a bit more clarity and a little less pressure each week.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Moving Forward - Weekly Lectionary Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Getting Ready! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:52
Isaiah 2:1-5; Psalm 122; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:36-44 - It's Advent, Thank God! How do the lectionary passages this week help us know how God would like us to prepare?
Not that Kind of King [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:29
Jer 23:1-6; Col 1:11-20; Luke 23:33-43 - Bad shepherds and good shepherds. We can feel the difference, right? Those who harm some sheep, and divide the folk, might be kind to us, but we know, deep down, that they are not…
"That Day..." and This Day [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:16
Mal 4:1-2a & Luke 21:5-19 - All kinds of predictions and prophesies abound - and always have - about what will happen ON THAT DAY. Jesus and Malachi help us think about the future as a continuation of the present. What h…
Resurrection is the Power of God [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:55
Luke 20:27-38 - The Bodily Resurrection of the dead is one of the best pieces of Good News that we have! Jesus is willing to be drawn into an argument with argumentative agitators who were not his main audience in order…
Reversals [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:22
Isaiah 1:10-18 & Luke 19:1-10 - Ever been surprised at what happens in a worship setting? Me too! Actually, according to Isaiah, God finds what goes in in worship shocking! God cannot stand public worship practiced by pe…
Righteousness & Contempt [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:30
Luke 18:9-14 - When someone creates Jesus as a mascot for their evil, what are we supposed to do about it? What happens when someone collaborates with evil, and oppresses their neighbors? The Gospel this week ruffles som…
Don't Let Go! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:10
Genesis 32 & Luke 18 - Like a mountain climber nearing the summit, like a wrestler at the end of a long match, or like a marginalized person struggling for justice in a corrupt system - we are called to stay in the quest…
Welcoming the "Wrong" Worship [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:42
2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c; Luke 17:11-19 "But what if we don't believe the same things? How can we worship together? What if that person is hurting our community?" This is what I've been struggling with this week. What can th…
"Increase Our Faith[fulness]!" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:31
Hab 1:1-4, 2:1-4; Psa 37:1-9; Luke 17:5-10 In confusing, disorienting and sometimes scary times, what does God want from us? Probably the same thing that God wants from us in every other time - ordinary faithfulness to b…
Dangerous Wealth [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 5:27
Amos 6:1, 4-7; Psa 146; 1 Tim 6:6-19; Luke 16:19-31 "Get Rich or Die Trying"...? More likely, "get rich, and die [period]" The lectionary passages this week warn of the dangers of accumulating or even having wealth in a…