Pod Be With You

It's the second Sunday after Easter, and we are still exploring Resurrection Sunday with the story of Jesus joining the disciples on the road to Emmaus. We say it every week, but it is apt in this case...there's a lot going on here. From mystery, to the Holy Spirit, to the Law and the Prophets, to gathering around the Eucharistic Table, there are themes for days. Join us for a wide rangi...

We've used it in worship, referred to it in the Podcast, and delved into the brilliant theology and creativity of the First Nations Translation of the Bible. Now we get to sit down and talk with one of the people working on the Hebrew Bible translation! Paige's dear friend from college, and a force to be reckoned with, Amy Allan. Join us for this fascinating interview

Beginnings and endings, our story in the story of Christ, life, death, resurrection, this is the week before us. It's an ancient story, one we've heard so many times before. And we enter into the drama once again, just as Christ has entered ours. A blessed week to you all.

Our Gospel Lesson this week, whether you're reading from Matthew, Mark, Luke or John, is the story of Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. It's the performance that begins Holy Week, and quite literally provokes the events of Good Friday. Jesus asks us in this little bit of theatrical protest, just what does power look like? The answer surprised his contemporaries, and continues...

It's a little Easter in this fifth week of Lent...the story of the resurrection of Lazarus, and Ezekiel's vision in the valley of the dry bones. So often we think of Lent as a sort of perpetual Good Friday, but this week's lessons are all about coming to life! There is a profound hope here, even if it requires waiting and work. God is at work in the world.

We are in Week 3 of Lent already, and that takes us to Paul's letter to the church and Rome to talk about suffering and hope, and then the Gospel of John to consider the intimate presence of God in the story of the Woman at the Well. There is, as always, a surprising amount of overlap between these passages. Join us as we travel Creator's Good Road together.

We're coming up on the second Sunday in Lent, so that must mean it's time for Nicodemus to visit Jesus. A Pharisee, he comes at night with genuine questions...Who are you? What are you up to? How can I be a part of it? Do I WANT to be a part of it? The ensuing conversation is literally some of "The Gospel's Greatest Hits," but do they mean what we think they mean? Let&apos...

It's the first Sunday of Lent already, if you can believe that. And although we are looking at two different stories from the Bible...Paige, the Wedding and Cana, and Aaron, the "Fall" of Humanity...both provide an open door into this season of self-reflection, discipline, meditation, and re-orientation. Join us, as we begin this 40 day journey to the cross and the empty tomb.

Transfiguration comes around this time of year, every year, on the Sunday before Lent. And here it is again...with the themes of community, transformation, encouragement, empowerment, revelation, humanity, and baptism, all wrapped up in this strange and familiar story. Join us for an exploration of Jesus' mountaintop experience.

Jesus proclaims in the Sermon on the Mount, "You are the salt of the earth! You are the light of the world!" Great metaphors, but how do we make them real, get into the practical nitty gritty of being salt and light? A wide ranging conversation on a familiar passage. Join us.

No, it's not a dish at your favorite Chinese restaurant, but rather an exploration of this very familiar (and beloved) passage through the use of four different translations.  Fear not! We don't read them all all the way through, but allow them to inform our discussion of a classic explication of what the Kingdom of God looks like in our midst. It's an amazing journey.

Today, I (Aaron) am lucky enough to speak with Rev. Molly Baskette, Senior Pastor of the First Congregational Church of Berkeley, CA, and author of several outstanding books. Her most recent is "How to Begin When Your World is Ending: A Spiritual Field Guide to Joy DESPITE Everything."  "Field Guide" is a great description: this book is part survival guide for those going throu...

It's Matthew's version of the call of the first disciples this week. But more than that, we are diving into a theological meditation on what calling means...that it is for all of us, that it is about journey, that "even Jesus" was called, and mentored, and knew what it was to follow. A few short verses, a whole lot of meaning. 

This Sunday is either Baptism of Christ, or Epiphany, depending on how you calendar. Today, we talk about both...and the journey that ensues. What guides, what drives, what inspires us as we step into a new year, with all the adventure and challenge  that holds? Join us for some old stories, and a new year, on Pod Be With You.

Here we are, hurtling toward Christmas and the end of 2022! But first, we pause on two figures: Joseph and David. Joseph as a model of self-giving love and remarkable trust, courage, and faithfulness. And David as another in the long line of ordinary, flawed, gifted people God calls to world-changing things. As always, we are challenged not only to celebrate what was, or look with faith for what w...

Thia week, we're focusing on the stories of women, Mary and Elizabeth, Ruth and Naomi, and the Joy created by loving, faithful relationship. It's a cosmic saga, of which we are all a part, if we can just apprehend and nurture those moments when they enter our lives. Join us for Joy this week!

What do a camel-skin wearing, locust-eating prophet, and a Canaanite sex worker have in common? They are both a part of Jesus' family! It's the second Sunday of Advent, and that means we get John the Baptizer coming in and proclaiming peace with some challenging language. And, exploring Jesus' genealogy, we also find Rahab, who courageously fought for her own peace. Join us for an i...

We know it is good. We believe we "should" feel grateful. Parts of us yearn for gratitude and all of its spiritual relatives: peace, joy, contentment. So why is it so tough - so often fleeting and rare? This episode, we draw on our own experiences, as well as two books that have been formative for us (see below) for an honest conversation about gratitude. What is it? How do we get there?...

Whether we are celebrating the annual liturgical observance of Christ the King Sunday, or the final Sunday of the Stewardship Campaign, the theme for this Sunday is Hope...hope in the One who holds our future, hope in the power that One give us to make change, hope that Love and Justice will reign. Join us for this joyful, energizing discussion.

It's that time of year again, as we close in on the end of the Church Year, we will be celebrating with churches around the world, All Saints Sunday. It is the sacred time we set aside a Christians to name those who have passed in the previous year, to give thanks for their lives and their legacies, and to literally re-member them. This Pod Be With You we talk life, and death, and life everla...

All of us get stuck sometimes, whether it is in our perception of ourselves and others, the circumstances of our lives, or our own heads. Stuck is a hard place to be. But our lectionary today, from the words of the prophet Joel, to a parable of Jesus, show us how to get unstuck, empowered, and moving in the right direction. 

Story is our theme this week, as we dig into Jeremiah 29. On the same weekend we are celebrating Indigenous People's Day, we are given a text about the trauma, the grief, the pain of living in Exile. How do we tell that story? How do we listen to the stories of others? And how do we write the story that God desires for all God's people? 

What are we doing? That's a fine question. For the last three weeks, Pastor Paige has explored justice in the scriptures, and this week we talk about putting it into direct, real action. And, with a Baptism and Communion coming up the Sunday, Pastor Aaron looks at the sacraments, not only what we THINK happens in them, but what how our thinking shapes what really DOES happen.

So what are we covering this week? Oh, nothing really, just the spiritual and physical implications of striving after wealth, and the nature of what it means to be human. Both Aaron and Paige are swinging big, as we cover 1 Timothy 6 and the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Join us as we grapple with some of the big questions. 

That's the question for today, with both of our scripture passages for Sunday, "What Happens the Next Day?" Whether it is a question of creation and environmental justice, as Paige explores with Genesis 1, or the next chapter of the story of the Prodigal Son, a topic Aaron engages, there is always a next day, a next move, a next step closer to God and each other. We are deeply, fund...