St. Paul Podcast

John in his gospel pairs two moments to show the incredible value of Jesus' death for his community and for the world as that death draws near. Though this good news has been tragically misused in slander and violence against Jews for centuries, a fresh reading wafts new beauty into our awareness and our communities. Preaching text: John 12:1-8 Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to th...

Sara Olson-Smith preaches on God’s grace. We put together complicated analytics about those around us and for ourselves. Balancing out honesty, speed of humor, average amounts of shared activities, or political viewpoints, or even taste in music. If people fail to live up to these standards, we turn away from them. We are quick to remember the statistics of good and bad, but God doesn’t care about...

For the next few weeks, revisit some favorite Little Bird Easter episodes!  On today's episode, Little Bird adds another new friend to the story. This time, it's a donkey!  Little Bird, Jesus, and their new donkey friend are part of a palm parade in Jerusalem. 

Keeping the focus on the central character of a very familiar story is key to hearing the gospel in this parable, in which Jesus teaches that the God of Israel is the author and champion of life in every way that it wins out over death, with enough to go around for everyone. Preaching text: Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is likely to be...

Mac Mullins preaches on repentance. Human beings have a knack for dividing things, including one another. When we begin to internalize and believe in these divisions as the primary story of our lives and the life of the world, we begin to see each other as divided, as separate, as less than, as our enemies. We fail to look at our own lives and our own sin when we’re focused on others’ actions. We...

With dramatic urgency in a story about Jesus, Luke underscores the urgency of our response to God's invitation to be part of God's people, lest we lose out on even another minute of the life God wants for us. Preaching text: Luke 13:1-9 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...

Katy Warren preaches on trust. We place our trust in many things every day. Faith and trust are words that are sometimes used interchangeably. Faith seems to have an extra element to it. You place your faith in those you grow to know and form a relationship with at other times. When you have a connection, a bond, or a commitment to one another, there is an ability to live in faith with one another...

Today’s episode is about trust. Jesus asks the disciples to trust him and to trust in God’s plan, even if they don’t quite understand it. Sometimes tough things happen in life but trust in God and stick with each other. We don’t have to do it alone.

Mark Niethammer preaches on discerning the truth. Our lives and world are full of people, philosophies, advertising, and social media all trying to convince us of various lies. As Christians, we stand up to the lies that try to convince us that God made something that’s worth less. We must call out lies for what they are in a world where discerning truth from fabrication is becoming more difficult...

Midway through Jesus' journey to Jerusalem and Calvary, Luke again shows him tempted to turn aside from God's will and promise, and again Jesus claims the heritage of the prophets of biblical Israel to press on with confidence in the path on which God leads him. Preaching text: Luke 13:31-35 Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is likely to be the basi...

Today, Jesus heads out to the wilderness alone and Little Bird is very worried about him. So worried that she takes off to find him. A lizard helps her find her friend, but he is not alone in the wilderness. Who is that sitting with Jesus? Little Bird doesn’t have a very good feeling about this.  

As Jesus steps away from his baptism with the gift of the Holy Spirit, Luke shows him immediately tempted to use for his own purposes and power the gracious and powerful relationship God has created with him and aligns the resistance to temptation with biblical Israel's own staunch calls to faithfulness.  Preaching text: Luke 4:1-13 Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture...

Mac Mullins preaches on transformation. Our light, God’s light within us, shines through the abundance of how we live; living with patience, humility, and limitless generosity. When we begin seeing, reacting, and envisioning ourselves and others through God’s eyes, our minds and lives are formed into Jesus's shape. We see ourselves as worth beyond our actions, thoughts, and deeds. We have our...

Today, Little Bird, Jesus, and some of the disciples take a small little hike up a mountain. Once on the mountaintop, Little Bird and the disciples are in for a big, sparkly surprise! 

A key turning point in Luke's' gospel marks a key turning point in the church year, as the changing of Jesus' face on a mountaintop marks the beginning of his journey to Jerusalem, cross, and resurrection and our journey through Lent to Holy Week and Easter. Preaching text:  Luke 9:28-36 Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is likely to be the bas...

Sara Olson-Smith preaches on mercy. God forgives us and welcomes up back over and over again, not just for our sake, but so that this mercy will trickle down through our lives and through the ways we live in the world. When we are at our worst, when we have really messed up, God sees us for who we really are and who we could become. Mercy is an act of divine imagination. It dares to imagine that w...

Jesus, Little Bird, and his friends, the disciples, get a little silly today. Jesus plays a little game to get the disciples to guess what he is and soon, they’re all part of the game!  

In Luke's account of Jesus' Sermon on the Plain, he reminds the reader that we always have control over our posture in response to abuse and injury and that God's own dignified posture of love remains the one meaningful model we have. Preaching text: Luke 6:27-36 Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is likely to be the basis for the sermon on the...

Mark Niethammer preaches on the blessings of God. We have every opportunity to forget our faith and take for granted the things we have. If the things we have to fall back on (money, food, comfort) are gone, do we have the faith to acknowledge the things that matter? If we can’t see the blessings of God in all circumstances and others, that’s when we become lost to God.   Preaching text: Luke 6: 1...

Hi podcast friends! Do you ever feel afraid or alone? Of course, you do. We all do at times. A Little Bird told us that today’s episode helps remind us that with the Holy Spirit we are never alone. Because the Holy Spirit is a parakeet…no wait…that can’t be right… Listen to today’s episode to find out! 

In the first major speech by Jesus in Luke's gospel, the focus of life as God's people is on those who understand themselves to be in need — of God's kingdom, God's nourishment, and God's gift of joy. That can be any of us, and those are the people on whom we also are called to be focused. Preaching text: Luke 6:17-26 Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scrip...

Katy Warren preaches on continuing. Even those of us who live with great depths of faith in our lives experience uncertainties about the future, emotional fatigue, and overwhelm. When God asks us to do things of great purpose and meaning, God rarely calls us to do something we can do all on our own. God asks us to be instruments of transformation and to bring joy, grace, and hope wherever it’s nee...

Today’s episode has it all. Disciples and their silly jokes. Jesus shares an important teaching. AND everyone’s favorite Tiny Mouse. Oh boy. Tiny Mouse gets himself in quite a predicament and must make a big choice. We promise…it’s a really grape episode.  A new sound effects list will be emailed out later this week. Send a quick message to jessica@stpaulqc.org if you'd like to be included in...

Mac Mullins preaches on God’s vision. The promise of God’s love is already ours. It’s not a future reality for us. It is alive here and it is alive now. The very reason most of us worship is to once again hear God’s promise that we will be freed. God’s grace gives us a courage, strength, and love we can’t find anywhere else. We have been redeemed by God.  Listen to last week’s sermon. Preaching te...

Introducing Simon Peter as the first disciple that Jesus calls, Luke makes clear some of what discipleship will be about. Preaching text: Luke 5:1-11 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 pas...