Cocktails with Beers

Matt and Merry wrap up their series, Exiles, by talking about God's promise of a new heaven and a new earth, and how this promise is as much about today as it is about tomorrow.   Along the way they chat about chocolate eggs, princess birthday parties, and Independence Day the movie.   

Matt and Merry continue their series, Exiles, by focusing on the experience of the ancient Israelites who lived under Roman Occupation.   We reflect on the ways the ancient people resisted Rome, and reflect on how the things we do today help or hurt our chances of emerging from our own exile moments in life.   Along the way, we chat about our first visit to a restaurant in over a year, having peop...

Sometimes life can be tough, and we find ourselves fighting with feelings of sadness and grief.   Our culture tends to devalue these feelings, and encourages us to push them away or push them deep down inside.   Matt and Merry take a look at some of the laments that appear in the Bible, chat about dealing with our negative emotions, and the importance of praying our laments as a spiritual practice...

Pr. Matt and Merry chat about the purpose of prayer.   Why do we pray?   What's the point?     They look at the story of the ancient Israelites escaping from Egypt by crossing the Red Sea.   How did they pray so many years ago, and what does that teach us about how we ought to pray today?   Along the way, they talk about forgetting what's on the calendar, bird songs, and the start of Pr. Matt's br...

Matt and Merry continue their series, Exiles.  This week, they talk about the Adam and Eve story, and how they managed to lose paradise.  But they weren't victims.  They chose to know the difference between right and wrong.  What are the consequences?  From their time to ours, when we choose to do the wrong thing, we lose a little bit more of paradise, and feel exiled from ourselves, each other, a...

Matt and Merry begin a new series called Exiles.   They will take a look at the exile experiences of the Ancient Israelites, where they found hope in it all, and what we can take from that today.   They start off by looking at an important road that made ancient Israel an important piece of land to control.   While that seems like good news for them, it was quite the opposite.   Year after year th...

Pr. Matt and Merry wrap up their spring series, Raised to Life, with some reflections on seemingly small events that changed the world.   They draw some parallels between these things and the small things we do today, and encourage us to trust that God is changing the world through us, even through the seemingly small things we do everyday.   Along the way, they share the fashion genius of their d...

Some say that good things come to those who wait.   But those good things are usually what's left behind by those who hustled.   Matt and Merry chat about this proverb, and what this has to do with the tradition that Jesus' resurrection happened exclusively in Jerusalem.   Along the way, they chat about yacht clubs, pirate cruises in the Chesapeake Bay, and classic rock cover bands.   

Pr. Matt and Merry chat about two resurrection traditions in the Bible.   One happens in Jerusalem, and the other in Galilee.   This week, they focus on Jesus's resurrection appearances around the Sea of Galilee.   Along the way, they talk about Mother's Day, popcorn poppers, and an unexpected and life changing event that happened in the drive-thru of a Chick-fil-A.   

Pr. Matt and Merry chat about what salvation is all about.   Why was Jesus' tomb empty?   Why did he appear to his followers?   Was it all for eternal life?   Or is something else going on here?   We look at the Gospel of John to help us understand God's emphasis on saving and transforming our lives and our world here and now on this wide of eternity.   Along the way, we chat about birthdays, the...

Pr. Matt and Merry look at Jesus' resurrection through Luke's gospel, and they ask where Jesus is alive for us today.   They look at a story called The Road to Emmaus, where Jesus is revealed to a couple people who share a meal together.   Turns out, that Jesus is still alive today through communities that share a meal together in his name—Indeed!—Jesus is alive through you.   Along the way, they...

Matt and Merry dive into the resurrection in Matthew's gospel account.  But, before they get there, they chat about softball teams, kickball leagues, and making real the dream of Living Water's new mascot, The Fightin' Crabs.  Then, they chat about Jesus appearing in Galilee to his followers.  Some of them trusted in Jesus' movement even after he had to leave them, but some doubted and hesitated....

Matt and Merry kickoff their series, Raised to Life.   This week, they talk about the Jesus' resurrection account from Mark.   Along the way, they chat about a few popular cliffhangers from books and movies, reading on planes, and they come up with a great mascot for members of Living Water.   

Matt and Merry chat about what worries them in life, and about people's ultimate concern.  They then ponder about what God worries about, and what God's ultimate concern is.  They talk about all of this through the lens of Jesus' resurrection, and the report of the empty tomb on Easter morning.   

We tell the story of Good Friday with musical meditation.

Matt and Merry sit down with long time colleague and friend, Rev. James Retallack.  Both Matt and Jamie have a few years under their belts being regular, Joe 6-pack, pastors at your local church.  So, they sit down to chat about what it means for the local congregation to remain relevant and continue to make an impact in the life of the average person and community, so that the good news we all ha...

Pr. Matt and Merry sit down with the Rev. Dr. Fred Lehr, author of the book Becoming a 21st Century Church .  We look at the reforms the church goes through every 500 years, and how we are due for one now.  We also chat about how congregations can better partner with the communities where they are situated, and finding ways to do something "with" others instead of "for" others.  Dr. Lehr also talk...

Pr. Matt takes to the airwaves solo for our final installment of our Lent 2021 series, Dark Night of the Soul.  This week, we focus on Jonah.  He's the guy who was eaten by a fish and survived!  His dark night is a wee-bit self imposed.  There's something about God he simply can't accept.  We look at the little bit of Jonah that is in all of us, and search for the hope and good news in his story f...

Pr. Matt and Merry sit down with Rev. David Shank, Assistant to the Bishop for Development in the DE-MD Synod of the ELCA, to chat about developing into a 21st century church.   Indeed, we talk about how the church is emerging in a new era, but we also chat about the nuts and bolts of it all.   What is the practical side of being a 21st century church?  

Pr. Matt and Merry continue our mid-week Lent 2021 reflections, Dark Night of the Soul, by focusing on the troubles experienced by both Noami and Ruth.  You can find their story in the book of Ruth in the Hebrew Bible.  A four chapter rom-com, yet it is quite serious in the hope that is found in the relationship between two friends who are loyal to each other even unto death.  What can Noami and R...

Pr. Matt and Merry sit down with Rev. Laura Sinche, campus pastor at Towson, UMBC, and Morgan St.  They chat about how young adults express their faith today, how they engage in faith based communities, what this teaches us about what the 21st century church is, and what this means for the congregation down the street from you.   

Pr. Matt and Merry reflect on Job's dark night.  He suffered tragidies and traumas one after the other.  Still, he stood tall and wrestled with God, and asked why bad things happen to good people.  He didn't remain silence, even in darkness.  But where is the hope in Job's story for us today?

Pr Matt and Merry sit down with Rev. Bill Gohl, Bishop of the Delaware-Maryland Synod of the ELCA.  We chat about what it means to be a 21st century church, the steps we can take to move in that direction, and some success stories of congregations engaging their community, adapting to their context, and even growing again.   

Matt and Merry reflect on the dark night experienced by Hagar.  A slave of Abraham and Sarah, she is forced to bear them a child.  To add insult to injury, they then kick her out of their home, and she is forced to wander through the wilderness.  Both she and the child, Ishmael, nearly die.  But God hears them just in time.  God resceus them.  God gives them the same promises God gave Abraham, Sar...

Matt and Merry introduce their new series, Being a 21st Century Church.  Is this important part of our culture and society dying or coming to life?  They go over some numbers that look grim for the institution.  But, they then go over numbers that help us better understand where people find hope for today and promise for tomorrow.  They conclude by saying that congregations should focus less on th...