The Good News From The Gardens Podcast

Because Jesus is cozying up to tax collectors and sinners (aghast!), he is compelled to tell his longest parable, The Prodigal Son, to grumbling Pharisees and scribes. There are so many points in this parable for us to consider. Which character do you identify with, and why? The younger son? The older son? In this message we explore the character of a God that moves and works through the muddiness...

God Moves…into the Desert | Luke 4:1-13 Jesus is in the wilderness being tested, or is it tempted, by the devil. Both are used in translations. But tested and tempted are not as interchangeable as you would think. “Tested” identifies with an individual’s ability to contend with something pushed upon them, wherein “tempted” identifies with an individual being pulled away and towards something. Jesu...

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 Click here to explore and support the ministry of Nativity.

Unlimited Love | Luke 6:27-38 In this second half of the sermon on the plain, aka “the level place”, Jesus provides real world examples of how His followers are to respond to the hurt and hate of the world that will be exacted upon them. In short, they are to always respond in kind, with forgiveness. Easier said than done, right?! In this message we ponder the life altering, and healing power of r...

Love Levels Life | Luke 6:17-26 Jesus has drawn a huge crowd to a large level place. They want to hear him, be healed by him, and ultimately, all want to touch him. They want what he possesses. They need what he possesses. In the midst of this scene Jesus looks up to his disciples and delivers hope-filled blessings alongside a few “woes”. The lesson: Followers of Jesus are not to be satisfied with...

Catching Grace | Luke 5:1-11 Jesus’ teaching of God’s word has begun to draw great crowds. For Simon, James, and John, Jesus’ teaching inspires hospitality, then obedience, and then risk. After Jesus’ creative power is revealed, fear and amazement leads these three fishermen to leave everything behind to become apostles. Listen to this message about God’s faith motivating grace through Jesus. Clic...

Being Bias: A Message on Seeking Partiality for Jesus Luke 4:21-30 Last week’s text ended with Luke 4:21, “Then he began to say to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’” This week’s reading begins with it. The world of God is the beginning and the end of our readings, and the beginning and the professed beginning and end of a Christian’s life. The thing is, there are com...

What’s In Me For This? Luke 4:14-21 You have heard it said, “What’s in this for me?” Someone wants to know what their gain will be in giving of themselves to something. What if instead we said, “What’s In Me For This?” What if our first inclination was to prayerfully assess our ability to be an asset to the person, the cause, the issue? Instead of questioning what we might be losing, consider what...

Unexpected and Urgent Grace John 2:1-11 Jesus and his disciples show up to a wedding late. They wine has run out. The celebration is in jeopardy of ending early and possibly in shame. Jesus takes charge and turns water into wine. Not just average wine, but great wine! Shame is not just averted, but the caliber of wine has people wondering why it is so good, and so why now? What about your life is...

Lighting The Way John 1:1-9 | Matthew 2:1-12 This Sunday we celebrate the Epiphany of Our Lord. Epiphany means “manifestation”. In the John text, we hear how God manifested God’s self through the Word that was the light of the world. In the Matthew text we hear how curiosity in the Word manifested itself with the magi/wisemen. God is actively lighting a will for your way through the Word that is J...

God's Mission to the World Began and Continues at the Margins Luke 2:1-20 From the margins of the universe, a peasant girl in 1st century Judea, reviled shepherds in the fields, on up to this very moment in time, the Creator of all that is, makes its way to YOU. Listen to this message for a message of hope and renewal.  Click here to explore and support the ministry of Nativity.

What Do You See? Luke 1:39-55 There is so much that we see without realizing it is an illusion. If God created this world, what then is God’s vision? Click here to explore and support the ministry of Nativity.

What Then Should We Do? Luke 3:7-18 In the gospel for this  week, John has made it clear that Abrahamic lineage is not a prerequisite to salvation, for God can raise up holy ancestry from stones! John says, “Bear fruits, worthy of repentance.” Meaning, if you repent of your sins, if you confess your sin, say you will turn to God, then there must be something to show for it. And the crowd ask, “Wha...

Peace is Present Where Preparation, and Proclamation Intersect  Malachi 3:1-4 | Luke 1:68-79| Luke 3:1-6 Zechariah believed his son John was born for a distinct purpose. John would come to be known as John the Baptist. In the midst of religious and political turmoil, John declared through a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins people could begin aligning their lives with the Word of G...

Living in the Meantime Luke 21:25-36 As faithful people living in the meantime, we are called to patience and hope. We don’t scramble and clamor for answers to fulfill our hearts desires. Before we reach our heavenly destination, the end, the day or days of redemption, there is the journey, what I like to call the meantime. But being patient and hopeful in the meantime is not for the faint of hear...

Gifts of Love: The Sky is NOT Falling! Mark 13:1-8 In this text…the disciples are distracted by big buildings, and Jesus dismisses the buildings grandeur and assures the disciples of their collapse. Rightfully so, they are concerned about this calamitous occasion. Jesus does not offer comfort, but ratchets up the mayhem, assuring them that there will be more chaos to come. However, in the last ver...

Gifts of Love: Peanut Butter Cups and a Mile High Meal with Mother Theresa Mark 12:38-44 Jesus reports to us from the temple. While there, he rails against the scribes' accumulation of wealth and opulence at the expense of widows, and their inauthentic giving. In contrast, he lifts up a widow. A victim of the broken and unjust system. Jesus points out that she places the equivalent of 1/64 of a da...

All Saints Sunday: Poll Your Emotions John 11:32-44 Through the story of the raising of Lazarus, we experience Jesus accompanying us in our sorrow, and we believe that in Christ the power of death will be defeated. In and around the death of Lazarus, Jesus managed to keep it together in a situation that questioned his ability and sincerity, was stressful, and grief-laden. Like Jesus, how might we...

The Upside-Down Kingdom: Where the Blind Can See Mark 10-46-52 His name is Bartimaeus. He is the son of Timaeus. He once could see, but is now blind. We don’t know why he is blind. He almost went unseen by Jesus while begging at the city gates. People tried to stifle his pleas for Jesus mercy. Jesus stopped what he was doing and called for him. Jesus asks, “What do you want me to do for you?” He r...

This Contemplative Prayer Service for Grace-filled Civic Engagement was prepared by the Just Love Team of the Florida Bahamas Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America for their 2024 Fall Conference on Ministry in September of 2024. It has been modified with permission for this podcast. You will hear 14 voices in this prayer service. Our ages are 10 to 96 years young! We are  U.S. citize...

The Upside Down Kingdom: Where the Least Are Greatest Mark 10:35-45 This week in Mark, Jesus receives a request from James and John. They wish to sit at the right and left of Jesus when in his glory. Jesus wastes no time and setting these two glory hounds straight. Glory is reserved for those who seek glory, exaltation, freedom, and life abundant for those whom it is evasive. In addressing his dis...

The Upside Down Kingdom: Hurricane Jesus Part 3 of 4 series from the 10th chapter of Mark  Mark 10:2-16 Jesus is questioned by a rich man about how he can go about inheriting eternal life. Jesus tells him to sell his possessions, give the proceeds to the poor, then he will have treasure in heaven. Then, he can follow Jesus. Jesus then doubles down on his disciples and tells them that riches in thi...

The Upside Down Kingdom: All Are Blessed Mark 10:2-16 The Gospel of Mark is a tough one this week. Biblical interpretation is at the center of Jesus being questioned by Pharisees. It is for us as well. In this Gospel passage there appears to be unsettling language from Jesus about marriage, divorce and a woman’s freedom in first century Holy Land. Using children as an example, Jesus flips the conv...

A Faith That Works: Powerful Prayer Part 5 of a 5 part series in book of James James 5:13-20 Mark 9:38-50   The conclusion of the Book of James gives advice to the early Christian community about the power of prayer and the necessity of confession of sins. In Mark, the disciples are concerned about a person who is casting out demons in Jesus names. Prayer and healing. Healing and prayer. They are...

A Faith That Works: The Good Life Part 4 of 5 part series in book of James James 3:13 Mark 8:27-38 Mary Winsor shares her year in Mexico City at a migrant shelter through the (YAGM) Young Adult in Global Mission program and a story of shared hope and joy. This followed by a message on a verse from James and a passage in Mark that zeros in on the human condition. James decries selfish ambition and...