St. Paul Podcast

 Mark writes the gospel for us after the resurrection, which is the promise that calls us to follow in the pattern of Jesus' suffering love for others.  Preaching text:  Mark 8:31-38  Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is likely to be the basis for the sermon on the following weekend. It correlates with the Revised Common Lectionary as it is used at St. P...

Sara Olson-Smith preaches on God’s amazing promise. What truly changes people is grace. Rainbows appear when there is both rain and sunshine. God doesn’t deny our brokenness, our failures, and our sin, nor does God let us ignore that part of our humanity, but God lets us see that in the light of God’s grace with a kind of loving truth. By God’s rainbow grace and a little foolish faith, we can make...

Today, Little Bird is MAD. Very, very mad. Do you ever get mad? Of course you do. We all do! But it’s how we deal with those feelings that is very important. 

The covenant God makes with all living things after the Great Flood opens up our lives to honest self-critique and an earnest quest to respond more fully in faith. Preaching text: Genesis 9: 8-17 Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is likely to be the basis for the sermon on the following weekend. It correlates with the Revised Common Lectionary as it is used a...

Katy Warren preaches on change. Every day we get to choose how and when to let others influence us and how we’ll let our perspectives shift or modify our own ways of thinking. We decide how open we are to change. There are times we could set aside our perspectives and plans to learn from someone else’s and allow ourselves to be shaped, moved, and inspired toward change.  Preaching text: Mark 9: 2-...

Hello podcast friends! Do you know about the commandments? Which one do you think is the greatest commandment of all? In today’s episode, we’ll talk about just that! 

In the story of Jesus's transfiguration, Mark's powerful use of symbols underscores God's presence and grace in both strength and weakness. Preaching passage: Mark 9: 2-9 Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is likely to be the basis for the sermon on the following weekend. It correlates with the Revised Common Lectionary as it is used at St. Paul...

Peter W. Marty preaches on strength and vulnerability. When I am weak, that is precisely in the Lord when I am strong. This inversion of strength and weakness, power and vulnerability is difficult to wrap our heads around. How is it that when I am weak, I am strong? If you search your life, you will find a place where you were so depleted and uncertain of hope that from that powerless vantage poin...

Today, Little Bird is a little baffled. Jesus is always talking to himself, and she can’t quite figure out who he is talking to. What do you think Jesus is doing and who is he talking with?

Isaiah encourages Israel in exile with a reminder that God is the author of creation and history, giving enduring power to the weak and weary. Preaching passage: Isaiah 40:21-31 Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is likely to be the basis for the sermon on the following weekend. It correlates with the Revised Common Lectionary as it is used at St. Paul.  With...

Katy Warren preaches on words. Our words carry much more weight or power than we sometimes give them credit for. You don’t need special powers to make change happen. It starts with our words. Every single day we can choose to speak with a certain kind of courage or confidence. What would the world look like if we used our voices in this way? As though we had all the power in the world to change it...

On this week’s episode, a very unexpected person shows up and does something even more unexpected! This is an episode of love and forgiveness. 

Mark opens the story of Jesus's public work, affirming that a close, undistracted alignment with God gives power over the forces that oppose life. Preaching text: Mark 1: 21-28 Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is likely to be the basis for the sermon on the following weekend. It correlates with the Revised Common Lectionary as it is used at St. Paul.  W...

Peter W. Marty preaches on relationships. We seem to live in a world where we no longer need each other much anymore need our neighbors for the meaning in our lives, the happiness in our lives, and the quality of our lives. Do we celebrate and honor these relationships just as we celebrate and honor achievements in our own lives? This is hard work and we should be investing in it.   Preaching text...

Little Bird and Jesus visit some very good friends in today’s episode. The sisters are so excited to see Jesus and Little Bird but they each show their love and care in two very different ways. You may even remember these sisters from Season 1!   Season 1, Episode 15: Little Bird and Jesus with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus  https://www.buzzsprout.com/1232567/12431325 

Telling the story of Jesus calling the first four disciples, Mark offers important insights into the nature of Christian discipleship. Gospel passage: Mark 1:14-20 Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is likely to be the basis for the sermon on the following weekend. It correlates with the Revised Common Lectionary as it is used at St. Paul.  With Peter A. Petti...

Katy Warren preaches on renewing our vision. We can look at the same situation, the same person, the same thing and see very different things and come to very different conclusions. There are things we see objectively and then there is how we interpret them or respond. And sometimes we use our eyes instead of our hearts in how we see people around us.  

This week, we fast forward to when Jesus is a grown-up. Today, we’ll meet a very generous woman who gives so much of herself to others. 

John tells the story of Jesus calling two disciples, in a scene that can teach us all about discipleship. Preaching passage: John 1:43-51 Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is likely to be the basis for the sermon on the following weekend. It correlates with the Revised Common Lectionary as it is used at St. Paul.  With Peter A. Pettit, teaching pastor.

Peter W. Marty preaches on the chaos and goodness in life. So many of the words in scripture are like three-dimensional words you can climb inside of because they speak of a truth that we cannot live without. Goodness itself is intrinsic to creation. There’s something else besides goodness that rests at the heart of creation: chaos. God brings structure to the chaos.   Preaching text: Genesis 1: 1...

For the next few weeks of Little Bird and Jesus, we’re going to introduce you to some wonderful people Jesus met throughout his life. This week, meet Simeon and Anna, two people who met Jesus very early on in his life. 

The first verses of the Bible open up to us the God who is for us from beginning to end. Preaching passage: Genesis 1:1-5 Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is likely to be the basis for the sermon on the following weekend. It correlates with the Revised Common Lectionary as it is used at St. Paul.  With Peter A. Pettit, teaching pastor.

Mac Mullins preaches on encountering God’s grace. How is your life being shaped by God’s grace? We are surrounded by this heavenly peace and God’s great story. One part of living a great life is encountering grace outside ourselves and living in a way that is true to ourselves.  Preaching text: Luke 2: 22-33

Happy New Year! This week, we find Little Bird just where we left off - the stable in Bethlehem.  On this day, some astounding new visitors arrive, bringing with them one of the strangest creatures Little Bird has ever seen! 

Last week's episode ended with Little Bird waking up to a most peculiar sound. What could that sound have possibly been? This week, Little Bird meets a very small new friend.