Saint Lukes Episcopal Church

We call Jeremiah the "weeping prophet," in part because his heart was broken, and in part because he was beaten up for speaking the truth! In this podcast we will enter the prophet's world and see plenty to cry over...

Genesis 15-20 is the saga of a family who is called to be different in the way God asks us all to be different, making this the story of us. No one comes close to Jacob in detail and in adventures, and much of it is not pretty. His name means "trickster," and this podcast will explore why God chose a scheming second born to carry on the Promise.

Paul's church in Corinth has been described as the "original problem parish." In this episode we will explore how they got it wrong, the challenges of being different, and what we can learn from reading someone's mail.

This podcast will look at the Hebrew prophets in general, and Amos in particular, as the first to write it all down. We will also explore what it means to be a people of "Justice."

This semester we are going for the basics with a series called "Bible Basics." Many people want to read the Bible but don't know where to start or what it even means. In this first episode, we will look at Paul's letter to the Philippians, the meaning of the term, "Gospel," and how to show love in a tough neighborhood.  Discussion question: How can showing love just b...

While it's true that the Temple was the wonder of the ancient world, someone still had to pay for it. This podcast will explore the concept of the "Temple Tax" additional offerings, and the role of money from a "God's eye" view.

Jeremiah has been called "The Weeping Prophet," in no small part because the Temple broke his heart. This podcast will look at the role of prophets in a world where people need unvarnished truth.

By the time we read of Jesus' birth, Herod the Great was the third richest man on earth, changing the Temple in Jerusalem into the Wonder of the Ancient World. He was also vile, and his cruelty would be legendary. This podcast will explore the problem with mixing our very fallen world with God's intention, and how religion can be used to hurt people.

For the entirety of Jesus' life, the Temple would be a place of pilgrimage, instruction, and worship. In this podcast we will address the Temple as backdrop of the Gospels, and a showdown for the saddest day on earth.

When the exiles unexpectedly return to Jerusalem and begin rebuilding, Samaritans arrive like long lost cousins to help. When the Judeans send them packing this begins four centuries of bad relations. This podcast will explore the Samaritan religion and a unique problem surrounding their Temple.  Question: Have you seen how religion can get a little wrong at first, only to be very wrong later?

Whatever started with King David was over just 100 years later, with a split kingdom and two warring countries that should be family. This podcast will explore the origins of Israel and Judah, their stories and priorities, and how the Temple looms in the background as one king has a really bad idea. Question: How do we make our religion fit our priorities?

There are two back stories in Scripture that inform all the others, "Exodus," and "Exile," and we know the first because we've seen the movie. We have chapters and chapters on the Exodus, but with the Exile there are only whispers. In this podcast we will consider what it meant for God's people to lose their homes, their Temple, and most importantly, their Ark, all wh...

This episode looks at the origins of the Ark of the Covenant, which also means the origins of the Tablets of Ten Commandments, which also means the origins of writing, which also means the origins of original sin. We will consider the strategy of "God in a box" and the danger of supposing that portable means anything less than Holy. Question: How has our faith weathered in times of chang...

2 Samuel 7 is the most important scripture passage no one ever talks about. King David is at the top of his game, with a unified nation and new capital city, Jerusalem. Now he wants to build God a house, a Temple. In response God's prophet pulls no punches, "I don't want a house." Temples can be trouble and worse yet distracting, and in time this Temple would be both. In this e...

While Rich is in Israel for the next few weeks gathering more podcast adventures, we will revisit three episodes from the Galilee that tell old stories in a new way, and especially through the lens of "Living Water." Last time we learned that storms happen pretty quickly on the Sea of Galilee, and Jesus is master over storms. But rain and wind aren't the only kinds of storms, and in...

While Rich is in Israel for the next few weeks gathering more podcast adventures, we will revisit three episodes from the Galilee that tell old stories in a new way, and especially through the lens of "Living Water." The Bible doesn't tell us but the Sea of Galilee is the lowest freshwater lake on the planet. This means that the lake sits in a bowl and storms come in quick. In this...

While Rich is in Israel for the next few weeks gathering more podcast adventures, we will revisit three episodes from the Galilee that tell old stories in a new way, and especially through the lens of "Living Water." Jerusalem is a problematic place to call your Capital City, especially with regards to water. In this episode we will learn why King David captured it, made Jerusalem his ow...

Paul's letter to the Phillipians can seem so hopeful and happy, we are apt to forget what a tough spot Phillipi could be.  This podcast will explore the secret of a church that thrived with little support from the outside world. 

Read without context, 1 Corinthians chapter 8 can almost seem non sensible, or so time conditioned we can see relevance today. But this chapter is a beautiful ethic and road map for 21st century living, and we will do well to live in their world. 

Just say the word "Easter" and we conjure all sorts of memories and associations, and that could be church, bunnies, chocolate, or eggs. We all have favorite Easter hymns and many of us wear our Easter Best. This podcast highlights a mind blowing clue when it comes to Easter, and a clue found within that first encounter with Risen Jesus...

John 13 is a famous scene as Jesus washes the feet of his friends before the last supper. This podcast will consider that sometimes a wild story isn't really wild enough, and this selfless act may well be what we all need in order to understand Easter.

We all know that "Jesus Wept" is the shortest verse in the Bible. We may not know what a mind blowing idea this verse conveys. This episode will look closely at the raising of Lazarus from the dead, its significance and theology, and as a result we will consider what it means to say that God cries too.

While the Bible is a library of many different books written by many different people, there are special places that appear again and again. This episode will look at Bethel, or more precisely "Bet-El" which means house of God. It's a place both famous and infamous, with lessons for today... 

Shepherds and Sheep are frequently mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments, but not in the way we usually think. This episode will look at real life shepherding with an eye towards expanding the common metaphor to a deeper relationship with God our Shepherd. 

The Death of King Saul is both fascinating and dramatic, and in no small part because it didn’t have to happen. This episode will look at the dangers of unchecked appetites and how even successful people can lose their way. Question: How have our appetites skewed our reality?