St. Paul Podcast

Near the end of the first century CE, a follower of Paul affirms the good news that the wide diversity of the Ephesians' community holds together in unity as a gift of God. Preaching text: Ephesians 3:14-21 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...

Katy Warren preaches on compassion. Compassion is the ability to tend to someone’s needs, to take time away from our own agendas and though it’s rarely convenient, it’s sacred and needed work. Your true character is what you do or how you respond when no one is watching, even if it is an inconvenience for you. Wherever someone shows up in front of you, wherever this is a need, it is no small thing...

In Mark's Gospel Jesus stitches together different communities, showing that our oneness as people of God makes it possible to live in our differences with love and respect. Preaching text: Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 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 Lection...

Max Franks preaches on the power of love. Even if you believe and have faith that can move mountains, it doesn’t matter if you do not have love. When the fear of change, the pain of loss, or the anxiety of what will come next arises within us, we’re bold to lean into love and to lean into God who is love. The love we share is a powerful force.  Preaching text: Hebrews 12: 1-13

The example of biblial Israel's ancestors and heroes, living in the embrace of God's faithful promise, is called "faith," and it models the stance that Christians are exhorted to adopt in the face of adversity. Preaching text: Hebrews 12: 1-13 Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is likely to be the basis for the sermon on the following weeke...

Peter A. Pettit preaches on God's vision. The promised kingdom doesn’t depend on any groups of special people. It depends on whoever lives for the kingdom. Look for signs of the kingdom, of God’s vision, wherever you go. Look for welcome, hospitality, acceptance, humility, and generosity. Wherever you find these, people are living out the kingdom that God has brought near.  Preaching text: Ma...

Mark's story of Jesus in his hometown reassures Mark's community about their own mission, that even without Jesus they have God's power of the gospel for healing and life in God's realm. Preaching passage: Mark 6:1-13 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...

Katy Warren preaches on memories. Our memories from the past inform how we approach the future or even in the present. Memories shift our perspective, moving us from sorrow to hope and carrying us through difficult times. Our memories are informed by days of less burdens and more joy, even when it might not feel possible. Even in grief, there is hope and joy to be found.   Preaching text: Lamentat...

Sara Olson-Smith preaches on uncertainty. It’s uncertainty that is often the hardest part of the challenges of our lives. Being human is often about finding ways to live with uncertainty. We like to know what to expect and we take comfort in knowing what is to come. It’s the not knowing or the lack of control over what is ahead of us that causes many of our fears and anxieties. But know that God i...

The poet voices unwavering confidence in God from the depths of heartache and despair, recalling God's steadfast love and mercy even as present circumstances are bleak and seem hopeless. Preaching passage: Lamentations 3:22-33 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 Revis...

Mac Mullins preaches on broken trust. God’s vision and understanding of trust differs from that of human beings. Our fears and anxieties don’t place a lot of faith in trust. But God does. God’s trust is unending. When God forgives, God forgives completely. When God loves, God loves completely. And when God trusts us, that trust is complete and total trust.   Preaching text: Ezekiel 17: 22-24 

God's voice speaks "from the whirlwind," testifying to God's presence within the worst of life's circumstances and assuring Job and us that the mastery over cahor that God established in creation remains our hope in any chaos or calamity that life can throw at us. Preaching passage: Job 38:1-11 Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is lik...

The prophet Ezekiel announces God's promise to go one better than any earthly rulers, restoring the people to their homeland and blessing them with abundant life. Preaching passage: Ezekiel 17:22-24 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 i...

Peter W. Marty preaches, during his final Sunday at St. Paul, on the essentials of Christian living. Resume virtues are the skills and achievements that may end up on a resume, centering on your credentials. In contrast, eulogy virtues involve your character, your depth, and the nature of your relationships. How do we grow our eulogy virtues? Desire, grace, faith, and gratitude. Desires shape the...

The apostle Paul reminds his congregation in Galatia that life and hope depend entirely on God's faithfulness to the relationship that God has created with them. Preaching passage: Galatians 2:15-21 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 i...

Katy Warren preaches on knowing. We often talk about knowing someone or something but there is a broad spectrum of what knowing implies. What is known about you and who knows all about you? God knows our challenges and our fears, our hopes and joys. There’s nothing we can think, say, or do that God isn’t aware of. God knows all of this and all of us, inside and out, and loves us completely.    Pre...

Approaching God with a fervent plea, the psalmist acknowledges just how many ways there are that God knows them, and in that vulnerability entrusts the plea to God. Preaching passage: Psalms 139:1-6, 13-18 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...

Max Franks preaches on change. We all find ourselves at different times between chapters in life. These are the spaces between what has been and what is to come. Times when something that brought us life and joy is passing or has passed away and we wonder if there is new joy or new promise on the other side of the transition. The new is sometimes scary, especially when the old ways are comfortable...

Peter W. Marty preaches on prayer. It can be hard to figure out what to pray. Many of us are focused on receiving some answers. That’s why we pray. We should eliminate the word ‘answers’ when we talk about prayer or prayer outcomes. Prayer is about conversation with God; conversations are not about answers but about engaging a relationship and sharing company with someone. Once we realize this abo...

Leading a desperate community after catastrophe into new ways to be God's people, Mark emphasizes reaching out and settling in for an indefinite future. Preaching text: Mark 2:13-22 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. Pau...

The apostle Paul reminds the community in Rome that they have the "first fruits" of the Spirit as both the guarantee of God's promises and the gifts and strength to persevere until those promises are brought to fulfillment. Preaching passage: Romans 8:22-27 Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is likely to be the basis for the sermon on the follow...

Sara Olson-Smith preaches on connectedness. When faced with something scary, our friendships and our community matters. When are are afraid of things, imagined or real, getting together to dance, to laugh, to play, chases away our fears. We are not lost, we are not alone, we have each other and God will hold us through everything we face, even death. Connecting to God and one another dares us to l...

Peter W. Marty preaches on boundaries. We shape our lives around social distinctions and cultural affinities that we’re often barely even aware of. We segment ourselves and measure our happiness by being around people who are roughly like us. In God, there is no partiality. God does not make distinctions between faces. Ask yourselves: am I learning to live as Jesus would in my place? Live in such...

In Jesus' final prayer, John reminds the community that God has given them all that they need to be protected from the seductions and corruptions of the world. Preaching text: John 17:6-13 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...

Luke, the author of Acts, depicts a key step in his program of gospel expansion – the realization that the Holy Spirit works in many ways throughout the world, and it is the same Holy Spirit that the apostles experienced on Pentecost. Preaching text: Act 10: 44-48 Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is likely to be the basis for the sermon on the following week...