Episode 873
Exploring the Interplay of Faith and Doubt
The "Daily Bible Refresh" is presented each day by Rev. Dr. Brad Miller who has a goal of speaking a bit of the bible into two million ears (one million people) in three years (2025-2028).
He is the author of "The A, B, C-1,2,3 Bible Study Guide" Free to you by clicking HERE.
Brad served as a local church pastor for forty years and has a background in radio and podcasting. Moreover, he is a life-long student of The Bible.
He believes in the words of Jesus that “scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21)
The "Daily Bible Refresh" is available seven days a week by 6:00 am ET. The episodes are no longer than ten minutes long and are...
- Understandable: A reading from the New Testament (usually the Gospel) selected from the Revised Common Lectionary using "The Message" translation.
- Relatable: You will have a couple of "points to ponder" from the text which will relate to your life
- Applicable: Every episode includes a way you can take action based on the reading
- A recommended resource to help you go deeper in biblical study and spiritual direction.
- A prayer for your day.
A companion resource to the Voice of God Daily Podcast is the “ABC Bible Study Guide” available by clicking HERE.
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Remember… “All scripture is God-breathed and useful”(2 Timothy 3:16)
The exploration of embodied faith and sacred doubt unveils an intricate tapestry of human experience as articulated through the profound narrative of Luke 24:36-43. This particular passage presents a pivotal moment wherein the resurrected Jesus encounters His disciples, who are engulfed in fear and skepticism. The discourse reveals that their initial perception of Jesus was that of a ghost, eliciting terror rather than solace. Through His words, 'Peace be with you,' and physical gestures, such as inviting them to touch His wounds and partake of food, Jesus transcends mere theological abstraction, affirming the sacredness of physical existence. This encounter prompts a deeper inquiry into the nature of doubt within the faith journey, suggesting that doubt is not merely an obstacle to belief but an integral component of a mature faith, encouraging individuals to embrace their uncertainties as pathways to deeper understanding.
Takeaways:
- The episode emphasizes that doubt should not be viewed negatively, but rather as an integral aspect of a profound faith journey.
- In the exploration of Luke 24:36-43, we discover Jesus's physicality, which serves to affirm the importance of our embodied existence.
- The notion of peace presented by Jesus amidst uncertainty invites us to find stability in our community and relationships despite external chaos.
- We are encouraged to actively practice embodied spirituality, recognizing the divine in our physical experiences and interactions with others.
- This podcast episode articulates the idea that wrestling with uncertainty can lead to deeper understanding and is a sacred endeavor.
- The call to embrace both doubt and certainty as holy reminds us of the complexity inherent in our faith journeys.
Links referenced in this episode:
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- voiceofgoddaily.com
Transcript
Embodied faith and sacred doubt.
Speaker A: dive into the Gospel of Luke: Speaker A:Brad Miller.
Speaker A:Hello good people.
Speaker A:Welcome to Daily Bible Refresh.
Speaker A:My name is Dr.
Speaker A:Brad Miller.
Speaker A:So glad that you joined me.
Speaker A: on years, a million people by: Speaker A:We do so by daily reading from the Revised Common Lectionary.
Speaker A:That's the selected verse of scripture for this very day.
Speaker A:We're in year C of a three year cycle in the Easter tide season.
Speaker A:We made the reading of the Bible understandable.
Speaker A:We use the message version relatable.
Speaker A:We have some points to ponder applicable.
Speaker A:We have a question that gives you an action step.
Speaker A:We do have a prayer.
Speaker A:We do all in under 10 minutes or so.
Speaker A:We are brought to you by voiceofgoddaily.com that is the home of the ABC 1, 2, 3 Bible Study.
Speaker A:Let's get into our message.
Speaker A: reading for the day from Luke: Speaker A:They thought they were seeing a ghost and were scared half to death.
Speaker A:He continued with him.
Speaker A:Don't be upset.
Speaker A:Don't let all these doubting questions take over.
Speaker A:Look at my hands.
Speaker A:Look at my feet.
Speaker A:It's really me.
Speaker A:Touch me.
Speaker A:Look me over head to toe.
Speaker A:A ghost doesn't have muscle and bone like this.
Speaker A:And he said this.
Speaker A:He showed them his hands and his feet.
Speaker A:They still couldn't believe what they were seeing.
Speaker A:It was too much.
Speaker A:It seemed too good to be true.
Speaker A:He asked them, do you have any food here?
Speaker A:They gave him a piece of leftover fish they had cooked.
Speaker A:He took it and he ate it right before their eyes.
Speaker A:Well, my friends, my beloved friends, today we are exploring a really one of the most profound moments in the entire Bible, in our entire history, if you will.
Speaker A:The encounter that speaks to the doubts that the early disciples had and that we have to about faith and doubt and what it means to be fully human and to understand that Jesus was fully human and fully divine.
Speaker A:Let's talk about some points to ponder.
Speaker A:One is about the holiness of doubt.
Speaker A:The disciples doubt and skepticism is not condemned but treated as a natural part of faith.
Speaker A:Jesus met them in their uncertainty, offering evidence and patience.
Speaker A:This reminds us that doubt is not the opposite of faith, but a part of its journey.
Speaker A:Progressive faith embraces questioning as sacred work, recognizing that wrestling with uncertainty often leads to deeper understanding.
Speaker A:A second point is about embodied spirituality.
Speaker A:Jesus emphasizes his physical presence, showing the wounds on his body, inviting the disciples to touch him, eating fish.
Speaker A:This powerfully affirms the sacredness of bodies and of physical existence in a world that sometimes and often separates spiritual for physical.
Speaker A:This challenges us to embrace an embodied faith that honors the divine presence of our physical experiences, which include things like disability, gender identity and sexuality.
Speaker A:A third point is about peace amid disruption.
Speaker A:Jesus's first words were peace be with you.
Speaker A:Those words come in the midst of confusion and fear.
Speaker A:This peace isn't about maintaining comfortable certainty, but finding groundedness amid disruption and change.
Speaker A:As we face things like social and political upheaval, climate crisis, personal transitions, we're invited to discover peace not in unchanging circumstances, but in authentic presence with one another.
Speaker A:Here's your action step for the day.
Speaker A:Choose one way that we can practice embodied spirituality.
Speaker A:This might mean join some sort of a group that does prayer or meditation together or that somehow honors the body.
Speaker A:Maybe a yoga group or something like that.
Speaker A:Participating in a protest movement that puts your bodies on the line for justice are simply taking time each day to notice the divine presence in physical and the physicality that we have.
Speaker A:Pay special attention to places where doubt and certainty dance together.
Speaker A:Remember that both doubt and certainty are are holy.
Speaker A:We're going to pray in just a minute.
Speaker A:I always want to just lift up to you that we are here not only to give you the auto word of God in your life, but to give you a resource that you can do Bible study of your own accord.
Speaker A:You just go to our website, voiceofgoddaily.com and right there you'll find places to link onto and get our free resource which is called the ABC 1, 2, 3 Bible study method.
Speaker A:You need this.
Speaker A:You need to study the Bible in your own accord.
Speaker A:You know this.
Speaker A:Here's a tool that can help you do it.
Speaker A:Head over to voiceofgoddaily.com and pick it up.
Speaker A:Our resource the ABC 123 Bible Study Method.
Speaker A:Let's pray.
Speaker A:Oh God, you are the living Christ and you came to us not as a disembodied spirit, but as one who eats fish, shows wounds and invites touch.
Speaker A:Help us embrace our whole lives, our doubts and certainties, our bodies and spirits, our questions and convictions when we struggle to believe.
Speaker A:Remind us that you meet us in our uncertainty when we forget the sacredness of bodies.
Speaker A:Help us remember your embodied presence.
Speaker A:When peace seems impossible.
Speaker A:Show us how to ground ourselves in authentic community.
Speaker A:Thank you for meeting us exactly where we are.
Speaker A:Just as you met your first disciples in hope and in humanity.
Speaker A:We pray.
Speaker A:Amen.
Speaker A:It's always a joy to be with you.
Speaker A:Thank you for joining me here on the Daily Bible Refresh.
Speaker A:We hope that you'll join us again tomorrow morning.
Speaker A:We come here every single day.
Speaker A:We drop our episodes before 6am Eastern Time usually, but you can get us any time of the day on all the podcasts, apps.
Speaker A:We hope that you'll join us and bring a friend this time.
Speaker A:We have a goal, a mission.
Speaker A: a million people by the year: Speaker A:Join me tomorrow.
Speaker A:Dr.
Speaker A:Brad Miller, when we do just that again.
Speaker A:Until then, remember that God's loyal love doesn't run out.
Speaker A:His merciful love hasn't dried up, it's created new every morning.
