Saint Lukes Episcopal Church

With the Rev. Richmond R. Webster . Many of us want to read the Bible, but we just don’t know how. As a result, we stick with cherished stories or phrases while another thousand pages goes unread and unloved. This semester, under the theme of living water, we will explore God’s Holy Word, seldom encountered people and corners of Scripture to find stories with remarkable application and relevance f...

Most places in the Holy Land today are approximate locations, often churches to evoke a memory or celebrate and event. Golgotha is a real place and exact location to be visited and it sits under the dome of the church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. This podcast will consider the meaning of crucifixion as it relates to the nearby Temple, and the Good News of the Empty Tomb. Reflection Question...

It has been said that Gethsemane is the saddest place on planet earth. In this podcast we will look closely at the place where Jesus cried and prayed before his betrayal, the failure of his friends, and a surprising connection to another story long ago… Questions What does it mean to call God, “Abba Father?” How does Jesus demonstrate honest faith here? Remembering the number three, what does the...

Just as all four Gospels remember a woman anointing Jesus, all four remember a friend’s betrayal. Judas Iscariot is one of the most vilified and misunderstood characters in the World of Jesus, and this podcast will look closely at the text to find new meaning. How has God used a bad choice for good?  How has Grace saved the day?   

In the last Wednesday of Jesus earthly life, an unnamed woman performs such an act of bravery it is remembered by all four Gospels. But only if we have eyes to see, as others complain she has wasted money better spent on the poor. In this podcast we will see her as a disciple, a prophet, and a friend. Questions:  How can we be “all in,” as we follow Jesus? What does it mean to call Jesus our “King...

This lesson will cover one of the most controversial and misunderstood (if not misused) passages that is also Jesus’ longest speech, Mark 13. Written in a form of poetry sometimes lost to us, Jesus uses vivid images to describe their world and call forth the power of hope.

In this third podcast on the attacks on Jesus in the last week of His life, we meet the Sadducees, an aristocratic and powerful class of theologians who reject the notion of heaven. Jesus' response not only refutes their case, but shows us all how heaven works... Reflection Questions: 1. How do our loved ones send us signs from heaven? 2. How does the block logic of scripture apply to our liv...

In the last week of his earthly life, Jesus is attacked by strange bedfellows in an attempt to silence the Rabbi from Galilee. In this second of a three part podcast on attacks from Jesus’ enemies, we will consider what it means to say that God is over all.. Reflection Questions What does it mean to live as if God is over every aspect of our lives? How does this change relationships, in business,...

In the last week of his life, Jesus experiences five attacks on his ministry before his betrayal and arrest. This attack is on Jesus’ “authority” or his right to do anything. And as so often happens, we are left with a new teaching for here and now.. Reflection Questions: How do you see Agape love in your relationships? How does Agape make apologies possible? What does a community/church/family ba...

The story of Blind Bartimaeus is the last healing story recorded in Mark. It closes a chapter on Jesus’ earthly ministry and begins the lonely road to Jerusalem. In this podcast we will look carefully at special details that make this one of the more interesting and important stories in the Bible.  Reflection Questions: What does a life not ruled by appetites look like? Why is it hard to let go? T...

This lesson from Mark 10 is about the dangers of Status, as it keeps us from seeing God at work all around. This story also contains one of the more “cringe worthy” questions from James and John on their way to Jerusalem… Reflection Questions: What “means” can we identify to draw us closer to God? What feeds your soul? Why is humility God’s plan for us?    Who are the best people you know?   

“We call this story the “Rich Young Ruler,” and we think it’s about money. But look closely and this story is about anything holding us back from our dreams…” Reflection Questions: What makes us tired? How can our talent fit business or building wealth be a “love language?” When it comes to faith, what is a “True Heart?”

The Bible has been used and misused for centuries, and Mark chapter 10 is one of those stories that can hurt without knowing the context. In this podcast we will see that Jesus’ teaching on divorce has less to do with legalism and more with our confusing “means” with “ends." Scripture Passage: Mark 10:1-16 Reflection Questions: 1. In this episode, Rich discusses the difference between “means,...

The stories of Christmas are much older than the birth of Jesus. In this podcast we will explore the cosmic showdown between Joseph of Nazareth, and a story begun some 2,000 years before him..

The story of Mary contains a mystery that can be solved with history, context, and removing layers of tradition not found in the Bible. This podcast will seek to find the “real” Mary..

Bethlehem is a tiny place just outside the city of Jerusalem. Still poor, still small, still insignificant, save that here is the beginning of the Greatest Story Ever Told. In the podcast we will look at the village and a few new surprises along the way..

There are four “pillars” to support the story of Jesus, especially in the early days. Time, Authority, The Messianic Secret, and Healing all interpret and inform the Greatest Story Ever Told.

We know that Jesus told stories, but sometimes he enacted them. Today we look at the strange scene where Jesus curses a fig tree, and we learn this wasn’t about the tree at all..

Storms blow in fast on the Sea of Galilee, and the water can be dangerous. Mark’s Gospel uses two storms to reveal Jesus, his authority and his reality as the Son of God…

The word “unclean” is a big idea in the Bible, appearing over 100 times in Leviticus. You can understand some stories without it. In this podcast we will see how Jesus makes two suffering people “clean” again.

It’s one thing to say Jesus loved someone, it’s quite another to watch him do it. In this episode, we see what happens when Jesus calls a man to follow - a tax collector who is hated by pretty much everyone.

Samaritans are still a thing, though only a few hundred remain today. In this podcast we will explore the ancient grudge that led Jesus to a most radical story, known as “The Good Samaritan.”

We know that Jesus used stories to teach, but we often fail to appreciate his using everyday stuff to reveal God in our lives. For Jesus, the land and its people are the Bible, and for the next two episodes we will leave Mark’s Gospel and spend time with what may be the best and most radical story of all. It’s a story of what happens when four travelers converge, and the good guy belongs to a hate...

There are mysteries to the Gospels that can only be solved by living in the world of Jesus, which is to say that context reveals deeper meaning. In this episode we use both history and archeology to reveal something called "The Messianic Secret."