Artisan Church Podcast

Abraham’s descendants find themselves in Egypt, where they are eventually enslaved, setting the stage for God’s dramatic rescue and the subsequent wandering in the wilderness. Speaker: Pastor Scott Austin Part of the series “ Flannelgraph: The Old Testament story, in felt ”

We take a break from our Flannelgraph series to welcome our friends from Baber AME Church for a joint worship service. Rev. James C. Simmons will deliver a powerful message about how Jesus always sees the best in us, even when everyone else sees the worst. Speaker: Rev. James C. Simmons Part of the series “ Flannelgraph: The Old Testament story, in felt ”

The Bible’s creation stories, the Tower of Babel, Noah and the flood, and the call of Abraham: what could these fantastic stories possibly have to say to us? We will seek an answer—told in felt, of course! Speaker: Pastor Scott Austin Part of the series “ Flannelgraph: The Old Testament story, in felt ”

How do we as a church respond to violence and institutionalized racism as seen in Ferguson, Missouri? In this special message, Scott shares about how we are called to be ambassadors of reconciliation, and then shares reflections written by African-American Christians in the wake of current events. Speaker: Pastor Scott Austin

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world… Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” Speaker: Pastor Scott Austin Part of the series “ Signs of Faith, Part Six: Experiencing John’s Gospel ”

In one of the most famous stories in all of John’s Gospel, Jesus is asked to cast judgment on a woman caught in the act of adultery. This sermon is the first from Artisan’s “college of preachers”, a yearlong effort to give laypeople a voice in preaching. Speaker: Wade Reed (Artisan "College of Preachers") Part of the series “ Signs of Faith, Part Six: Experiencing John’s Gospel ”

Starting with the case study about women in ministry in The Blue Parakeet, we looked at how to understand difficult passages in the Bible and what obstacles keep us from engaging fully with scripture. Speaker: Pastor Jessie Brajcki Part of the series “ Artisan Summer Read: The Blue Parakeet ”

Listening to God speak through the Story of the Bible is not as simple as it sounds. In order to be shaped by the words of scripture, we must learn and apply the skill of discerning what God is saying through the Bible in our time. Speaker: Pastor Scott Austin Part of the series “ Artisan Summer Read: The Blue Parakeet ”

When we read the Bible as a Story, we learn to listen to and for God in the Bible as we read it, we absorb what God says so that it floods our inner being, and we act on what we have heard from God. This is what it means to be “ shaped by the words ” of scripture. Speaker: Pastor Scott Austin Part of the series “ Artisan Summer Read: The Blue Parakeet ”

Our first task in rethinking how we read the Bible is to understand that scripture tells a story: one single Story with a plot, characters, and many authors. “Until we learn to read the Bible as Story, we will not know how to get anything out of the Bible for daily living.” Speaker: Pastor Scott Austin Part of the series “ Artisan Summer Read: The Blue Parakeet ”

Speaker: Pastor Scott Austin Part of the series “ Signs of Faith, Part Five: Experiencing John’s Gospel ”

Jesus teaches at a Jewish festival, causing confusion among his hearers. And in the course of his teaching, he offers an insightful definition of legalism. Speaker: Pastor Scott Austin Part of the series “ Signs of Faith, Part Five: Experiencing John’s Gospel ”

A new Artisan tradition: Pentecost readings from the Bible in many languages, plus devotional reflections from several different Artisan members!

In his last words on earth, Jesus told his disciples, “You will be my witnesses”. But what does it mean to be a witness? How can we fulfill this calling in our present day context? Speaker: Pastor Scott Austin Part of the series “ Proclaim: Reimagining Evangelism ”

For the weekend of Memorial Day, we’re reviving an old Artisan tradition: a “BBQ&A”. What’s a BBQ&A? Well, it’s exactly what you think: It’s a BBQ and a Q&A. We’ll have a great question and answer session during the service, and afterwards we’ll celebrate the unofficial start of summer with a fantastic cookout! Bring a dessert, side, or drink—we’ll provide the burgers and dogs. Part of...

We take a brief break from the topic of evangelism to hear from Dr. Kristina LaCelle-Peterson, professor of religion at Houghton College, give a wonderful sermon about our need to live mindfully of God’s involvement in our lives but also to our responsibility to pay attention to what’s happening in the world. Speaker: Dr. Kristina LaCelle-Peterson Part of the series “ Proclaim: Reimagining Evangel...

One of the most striking accounts of gospel-sharing is the story of Paul preaching to the Athenians. In order to explain Christ to them, he refers to one of their idols and quotes pagan poetry! This example might be especially helpful to those who feel called to reach their “spiritual but not religious” friends. Speaker: Pastor Scott Austin Part of the series “ Proclaim: Reimagining Evangelism ”

The early apostles began their quest to spread the gospel in the synagogues: the places where devout people were already gathered. Only later did they evangelize in the secular “marketplace”. What would it look like to practice evangelism in the church ? Speaker: Pastor Scott Austin Part of the series “ Proclaim: Reimagining Evangelism ”

The earliest forms of evangelism occur in the Gospels, before people even fully knew who Jesus was! These early accounts are inspiring, especially for those who share their stories from a place of uncertainty. Speaker: Pastor Scott Austin Part of the series “ Proclaim: Reimagining Evangelism ”

Speaker: Pastor Scott Austin

Speaker: Pastor Scott Austin Part of the series “ Lent 2014: The Problem Lies With Me ”

Ezekiel’s vision in the valley of dry bones is bizarre and striking, and the lesson it may contain for us is equally bizarre and striking: God wants to breathe life into us if we are “spiritual zombies”. Speaker: Pastor Scott Austin Part of the series “ Lent 2014: The Problem Lies With Me ”

The stories of the anointing of King David and Jesus’ healing of a man born blind show us that God looks at our hearts, not our outward appearances. This can be reassuring, but it’s also unsettling to think that God sees through our own phoniness. This demands a serious call to repentance. Speaker: Pastor Scott Austin Part of the series “ Lent 2014: The Problem Lies With Me ”

A guided Ignatian reading of Exodus 17 (the story of the Israelites wandering and thirsty) and John 4 (the story of Jesus offering “living water” to a Samaritan woman). Speaker: Pastor Scott Austin Part of the series “ Lent 2014: The Problem Lies With Me ”

Three members of the Artisan community share brief reflections on the Lectionary passages for the week. Speaker: Jesse Peers, Chris Sullivan, and Brian Grossman Part of the series “ Lent 2014: The Problem Lies With Me ”