Pod Be With You

James has a lot to say this week about the power, for both good and for evil, of speech. In twelve short verses, he drills down to the bedrock of the matter, that the words we speak and how we speak them can create, and nurture, and inspire, or they can destroy, and poison, and defeat. He bases this in solid Creational theology, and calls upon Christians to speak words of life. Good stuff. Join us...

In a shocking turn of events, we're on the same scripture passage this week! (And we will be at least throughout September.) We're taking a deep dive into the Book of James, notably Martin Luther's least favorite book of the entire Bible. We will be talking, faith, works, salvation, the Kingdom of God vs. the Kingdom of this World, and salty epistle authors. Fun! Join us!

The Whole Armor of God, and the blazing courage of the woman with a hemorrhage, are our topics today...and there is a lot of overlap. We talk first about the metaphor in the Letter to the Ephesians about God's Armor, and how that actually undermines a militant, violent interpretation of Christian faith. Then we go all in on courage, and how it is grounded in a profound trust in the Divine. Yo...

At different points in our lives, God willing, we are called into what's next: a new level of maturity, or care, or discipline, or awareness. Maybe we're called over and over again before we finally answer. Maybe we need to run things into the ground, even, before we're ready to change. The good news (which we hear from four different bible stories in this episode) is that God is wi...

We are on two different tracks again this week, but also again, they are surprisingly close...community, the human condition, the call of grace, repentance and transformation, found in the story of Jesus eating with sinners, and contrasted with the story of Herod's execution of John the Baptizer. It's all there in these two tales from the Gospel of Mark, who understands the siren call of...

103 sermons and four stories between the two of us, but all ways of celebrating the goodness of hope and healing. From the gospel of Mark, two intertwined stories of a desperate woman healed and a young girl raised from the dead - both of whom needed Jesus' power and great faith. And from the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), two stories of powerful men struggling with some kind of mental/spiritu...

David and Goliath, Jesus calming the storm. Two passages, two messages, but both with similar themes. And not only similar, but immediately resonant: how do we weather the storms raging around us? Systems of domination and destruction, chaos and accident? How, in the face of real and legitimate fear, do we carve out space to be peaceful and good? And how, in the face of overwhelming challenges, ca...

We are on separate paths this week, but paths that intersect at multiple points. Both Paige and Aaron are talking this week about the role of the Church and the Christian as parts of a larger community, how we are called to be witnesses to God's compassion, God's grace, God's love. Does that make it easy or non-controversial? Certainly not...but it is part of what it means to love y...

It's Trinity Sunday, so we'll stretch the boundaries of language and imagination, as we dive into the Oneness and Threeness of the Divine. Not found spelled out specifically anywhere in our Scriptures, the doctrine of the Trinity has much to teach us about God, about ourselves, about the journey we are on together. 

It's Pentecost, people! And we are a Pentecost People. Which is the point. The arrival of the Holy Spirit, that pouring out, not just on a few chosen ones, but on all of us! Toward what end? Well, we talk about that in this episode, as well as the Tower of Babel, the Story of Creation, the Apocalypse, and the prophet Joel. A lot of ground is covered in just a few minutes, so jump on in!

We take a little journey into the mystic today, as we explore both the (S)onship of Jesus Christ, and his Ascension. These both are pillars of classic Christian theology, but have also over time served as stumbling blocks to some who struggle with the language of the literal. Join us as we break down some binaries, and step into the (im)possible this week.

This week, although the scripture passages are a bit different, the themes that Pastor Aaron and Pastor Paige or exploring are very much the same...connection, commitment, relationship, abundance, and joy. How do we stay connected to the Spirit? How do we live that out in our lives? How do we invite others? Join us for another hour of sparkling conversation.

In a shocking turn of events, the author of the Gospel of John is consistent with his themes and threads, and nowhere is that more than it is this week, when we dive into John 10 to talk about Good Shepherds, and John 15 to talk about Good Friends. It's about community, grace, empowerment, and the profundity of Divine Love. Join us if you can for this Johannine exploration.

It's the Third Sunday of the Easter Season, and so Salvation is on our minds...what are we saved from, to what are we delivered, and what is Jesus' role in this amazing work? The Disciples wonder this in their post-resurrection encounters with Jesus, and so do we from our spot in the 21st century. So, let's talk about it...

It's the second Sunday of Easter, and it's time to wrap up Peter's story. Or is it really? Because, although there is some resolution here, it is certainly not the end of Peter's narrative arc, or of Jesus', or of his followers. We end where we began, with "Follow me." 

All of Holy Week in less than an hour? You came to the right place! In this episode of Pod Be With You, we cover not just the Triumphal Entry on Palm Sunday, but also Peter's experience of Holy Week and the Passion. It's difficult, and painful, and uncomfortable, but so very, very human. More than that, there will be resurrection on the other side, not just for Jesus, but for Peter, too....

Technically, this week is Part Two of last week's scripture.  Immediately after Peter's proclamation that Jesus was the Messiah, he kind of puts his foot in it. Jesus has shared that when they go to Jerusalem, he will suffer and die. And Peter vehemently objects. But what is he really objecting to? This week, temptation, following, and the dual and dueling Kingdom of this World and Kingd...

We continue, this Lent, to journey with Peter as he journeys with Jesus. Today, a pivotal moment for Peter, and all of the disciples, as Jesus asks them the question "Who do you say that I am?" Revelation, connection, community, empowerment, celebration are all a part of this story, as Peter replies, "You are the Messiah, son of the living God." Join us as we parse some of this...

As we continue our exploration into the life and faith of Peter, we jump into (pun intended) the story of Peter and Jesus walking together on the stormy water of the Sea of Galilee. It's a tale about faith, about courage, about the power to do the impossible. Join us as we look at this vignette verse by verse, and discover what the text may have for us this second week of Lent.

This Lent, we are following Peter as he follows Jesus, exploring some of those central stories of the Gospel through Peter's eyes. And we begin today with the call of Peter, as found in Luke 5:1-11, that iconic passage where Jesus promises that Peter and friend will "fish for people." It's a great way to start a great story of faith, failure, joy, grief, forgiveness, empowermen...

Even before Jesus takes Peter, James and John up to the mountaintop and back down again, there are a lot of ups and downs in their journey...spectacular moments of Divine power, and valley experiences of misunderstanding and faithlessness. But this event at the top of the mountain is an affirmation for them all...for Jesus, who is turning his face toward Jerusalem, for his Disciples, who will lear...

We pick up in Mark right where we left of last week...Jesus in Capernaum on the Sabbath. This time, four vignettes that give us a peek into "a day in the life." And, among the other things happening here, it's about restoration...the restoration of Peter's mother-in-law, the restoration of those seeking healing, the restoration of Jesus himself when he was tired and at his end....

The Gospel of Mark is so very strange and wonderful. This story of Jesus' life and ministry is so very different for the others, imbued with mystery and spiritual conflict. And today's passage, the tale of Jesus' first act of public ministry...casting out a demon...is so indicative of this difference. Join us today to talk about power, authority, and the reality of the spiritual in...

This week, we're focusing on Mary, and what has come down through the ages to us as The Annunciation...that short interaction in Luke between the Angel and Mary that made all the difference in the world. What kind of agency did Mary have here? What courage and faith does her acceptance reveal? What does this story have for us in a season where not all the news is good? Join us for an explorat...

It's the second Sunday of Advent, which can only mean one thing...John the Baptizer emerging from the wilderness to call us to repent. "Ugh," we say, "this isn't very Christmassy, not very peaceful." Or is it? Maybe real peace is not the absence of some things, but rather the intentional presence of other. And if so, how does repentance call us to embrace those things...