St. Paul Podcast

Pastor Peter W. Marty preaches on Luke. God cares about the quality of our lives, the depth of our lives, the scope of our lives. The passion for important things. To live fully is to risk dying, to hope is to risk despair, to try is to risk failure. If we don’t take certain risks, are we really free? With faith, there are some beautiful risks to take. It’s about living a life that matters. How ca...

Pastor Sara Olson-Smith preaches on the last days of loved ones. When our loved ones are dying, our whole world shrinks to focus on them, they are the center of our attention, the here and the now is what matters. Because the time we once thought of as endless now has a finish line, a finite end. When we come face to face with death, we come to know that we do not have forever so we may experience...

Pastor Katy Warren preaches on the story of the prodigal son. We are vulnerable when we love someone else; a child, parent, spouse, friend, family pet. When you love another person, you open yourself up to the joy and goodness and happiness of that relationship but you are also opening yourself up to hurt, sadness, heartache. God has the willingness to love us despite the vulnerability or the risk...

Pastor Peter W. Marty preaches on Isaiah and the poetry of prophets. Poet Jane Kenyon “It is to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth in such a beautiful way that people cannot live without it. The poet's job is to put into words those feelings we all have that are so deep, so important, and yet so difficult to name, to tell the truth in such a beautiful way, that people cannot live...

Pastor Katy Warren preaches on Genesis and placing trust in God to guide us where we’re meant to go. Trust takes courage. God is willing to take a risk in trusting us so maybe one of the miracles of our faith is hearing the whispers of the promises of God and believing God is worthy of our trust.  Word of God Words & Music by Brenton Brown & Andi Rozier. © 2012 Thankyou Music | Sony/ATV Tu...

Pastor Sara Olson-Smith preaches on Luke and remaining sustained during wilderness moments, holding on to faith, hope, courage. Staying grounded in faith during wilderness times may help you find meaning, a new sense of strength, or growth. O Lord, throughout These Forty Days Text: based on Claudia F. Hernaman; para. Gilbert E. Doan Jr. Music: A. Davisson, Kentucky Harmony, 1816; arr. Theodore A....

Peter W. Marty preaches on Exodus. After coming down from the mountaintop, Moses’ face was luminescent, radiant with everything that constituted the fullness of God. God is known in the face, through light and brightness. You have the power to make someone else’s day or to bring them joy, to show empathy and love through the light in your face.   Hallelujah (Your Love Is Amazing) Words & Music...

Katy Warren preaches on Luke Chapter 6 and the Golden Rule. It can be easy to ignore the commandment to ‘Love your enemies’ when it feels like you don’t have many. But what is Jesus’ definition of enemy? Could it be someone who irritates you, gets under your skin, makes you annoyed or resentful? Loving your enemy frees you up to care for others, to love others. We can choose anger and resentment o...

Pastor Sara Olson-Smith preaches Luke’s Gospel. For those of us who are worn down from living too long with too little, who are hollowed out by hunger, or who are exhausted by too many nights full of tears, hearing Jesus’ words, “blessed are you who are poor, who are hungry, who are weeping” may bring some comfort and healing. The beauty in every one of us is in the eyes of God.  Let Justice Flow...

Pastor Peter W. Marty preaches on grace. “By the grace of God, I am what I am and it is God’s grace that has been shown to me that has not gone to waste.” God loves each of us because we are who we are.  To Be Your Presence Text: Delores Dufner Music: Charles V. Stanford. Text © 2000 GIA Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission under OneLicense #A-710534. Multiply Your Love Words...

Pastor Katy Warren preaches on 1 Corinthians and love. Sometimes love looks like wedding gowns, tuxedos, flowers, and a great big party, and other times, love looks like sharing what you have, putting a smile on someone else’s face, or making sure someone else has a warm meal. Love comes in all shapes and sizes and can look like all sorts of different things.  Rise, Shine, You People Text: Ronald...

Pastor Peter Pettit preaches on Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. There are always reasons for discontent, embarrassment, and frustration about our bodies, however, this body is what God created. This body is what God formed. All of what Jesus did, he did in his body and all that we do in our bodies and all our bodies can do is amazing. No one body can be the whole, no one body can be perfec...

Pastor Peter Marty preaches on John 2. Pastor Marty explores the helping of others and the mission of the church. Reflecting on Martin Luther King Jr.’s words from his Mountaintop speech, a need to develop an almost dangerous unselfishness. Instead of “If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?” King suggested the real question should be “If I don’t stop to help this man, what will happen...

Pastor Peter Marty preaches on the third chapter of St. Luke and the baptism of Jesus. “I have called you by name, you are precious in my sight, and I love you.” Our names are distinctive and part of our identity. This is a big reason why we get baptized. We are baptized with our full name and we are told that we have a place in the heart of God and we are loved by God.  Crashing Waters at Creatio...

Peter W. Marty preaches on Ephesians. We are the adopted children of God and God as our adoptive parent. “Do not think the point of life is just to set goals, think instead the point of life is to be faithful to the commitments that have already been built into your life.” O Come, All Ye Faithful Text: attr. John Francis Wade; tr. Frederick Oakeley, sts. 1, 3-4; tr. unknown, st. 2. Music: attr. Jo...

Peter W. Marty preaches on this special Christmas edition of the St. Paul podcast. The Christmas story tells us that the things that count are human and deeply personal. Jesus offers a new way of being human, with power found in vulnerability, humility, and service to others. May the Christmas story remind you of that tiny child who is determined to teach us the difference between the love of powe...

Sara Olson-Smith preaches on Luke chapter 1 and Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth and the song of Mary and Elizabeth. Our collective memory can be our shared hope. God has been faithful to us, is faithful to us now, and will be faithful to us and this world forever.  Lo, How A Rose / Child of Mary German Carol. Chorus & Arrangement by Bill Campbell

Peter W. Marty preaches on Isaiah chapter 12. Salvation is the name for Christian hope. Hope is what allows us to overcome despair, for some to wage a realistic war against the depression that bedraggles you or the anxiety that bedevils you. “Surely God is my salvation. I will trust and I will not be afraid.” Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus Words: Charles Wesley. Melody: "Hyfrydol." Arran...

Katy Warren preaches on the first chapter of the gospel of Luke and the song Zechariah sings just days after his son John was born. Pastor Warren reflects on Brahms Lullaby and the constant hope for renewed life and a hope for the future even during struggles and difficult times. The names two realities: Life is hard, death is an ever-present reality and you will be surrounded by the tender mercy...

Peter W. Marty preaches on the first Sunday of Advent. Be on your guard so you aren’t avoiding or wasting your true purpose. Stand tall, keep your head up, stay engaged with all of the messy activities of life. The proper response in anxious times of disaster, Jesus says, is to keep your head high, stand up, and go about living, to keep loving God and your neighbor as much as yourself. Christian p...

Katy Warren preaches on the celebration of the final Sunday in the church calendar, the Sunday prior to the beginning of Advent. It is a day of reflection on the reign of God in our lives. “My kingdom is not of this world.” God’s presence shapes who we are and how we behave in this world because it is God who reigns in our hearts.  Shine Down on Me Words & Music by Maria Christianson, Margaret...

Peter W. Marty preaches about grace. Consider your life during the sermon, what good luck and breaks have you had in your life? The good fortune and chance blessings that are part of your experience? While there may be bad luck and misfortune in your life, there are ample blessings that come your way. When we focus on the positive aspects of our lives, we tend to underestimate the role of luck and...

Sara Olson-Smith preaches during All Saints from John Chapter 11. Pastor Olson-Smith preaches about taking a threshold pause as a spiritual practice, stopping and pausing as we step out of one place and into the next, one way of being into another, a time to stop and look back so we can step forward with freedom and intention. When we are stuck and buried by our grief, Jesus helps move us into som...

Peter W. Marty preaches from the book of Romans from the Apostle Paul. In Christ Jesus, we get to trust that all will be right in the center of life, even when all feels wrong. It’s all right. Behind this phrase are the murmurings of grace. All people sin and fall short of the glory of God, no exceptions, but through the righteousness of God, God brings us a gift through Jesus Christ. Everything i...

Peter W. Marty preaches from the book of Mark Chapter 10 and shares about establishing habits and practices that shape who we are, including our faith. When faith becomes second nature, it is truly beautiful. You have to train and work your spiritual muscles. Learn the fundamentals of trust, know them, practice them, then let them wail!  Amazing Grace Text: John Newton. Music: New Britain