St. Paul Podcast

In a pair of stories about Jesus' power to heal, Mark reorients the community toward a wider world and more encompassing gospel than they had ever imagined. Preaching text: Mark 7:24-37 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....

Katy Warren reflects on faith. When was the last time you looked in the mirror? How often do we think about what we saw in the mirror after stepping away and going about the rest of our day? While many of us look in the mirror regularly, it’s not something that sticks with us all that long. Be doers, not hearers. Our lives are only as vibrant as the faith we reflect, our community of faith reminds...

The author of the letter of James, as part of introducing this letter, emphasizes that knowing salvation by the word has a purpose – to care for orphans, widows, and others on the vulnerable margins of life. Preaching text: James 1: 17-27 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 th...

Mark Niethammer preaches on ‘enough.’ We tend to see, to notice, the things we don’t have. If we fall into the pit of ‘there is never enough,’ we forget to look for the subtle ways God is already providing everything you need. Sometimes we need to learn or relearn how to distribute all that God made so all can thrive. There’s always enough. God is working in the background of your life every day....

The account of Jesus' first public encounter in John's gospel comprises all the themes of that gospel, showing in story what was already announced in poetry and theology in the very first verses. Preaching text: John 2:1-11 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 Rev...

Sara Olson-Smith preaches on the power of comfort food. One of the miracles of being human is that our bodies remember. Not just our heads remember but our bodies do too. Love is stored and remembered in our muscles and our senses. Faith isn’t about having the right answers, thinking in the right kinds of ways, understanding, and never doubting, it’s not just about our heads or our hearts, our fai...

John shows Jesus redirecting people's attention away from spectacle to the persistent, reliable work of God in sustaining and nourishing communities in every circumstance. Preaching text: John 6:51-58 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...

Amy Current, Bishop of the Southeast Iowa Synod, preaches on humanity. We are all humans created by God and we are set free to live our lives. We often come up short. We aren’t always compassionate. We aren’t always kind. But we are never alone. In this week’s episode of the podcast, Pastor Mac Mullins reflects on Bishop Current’s Sunday sermon and the installation of Pastor Mark Niethammer as the...

Mark Niethammer preaches on hope. We have all hoped. When we have hoped and things have not turned out how we wanted them to, we must live in that grief. But that broken hope doesn’t end with the tragic, they evolve into something amazing and often, something miraculous. Second chances give us all the chance to move from grief to accompanied grief to life on the other side.   Preaching text: Luke...

The writer of Ephesians grounds life together in community in truthfulness and thoughtful restraint, showing those to be echoes of God's saving love for us. Preaching text: Ephesians 4: 25-5: 2 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 use...

Mac Mullins preaches on being grounded in faith. When left to our devices, our hearts and desires tend to remain focused on ourselves, on our own wants and desires. Letting go of selfish ambition and trusting our needs will be met even if our wants may not be, are part of what it means to be rooted in Christ. We are filled with love because we are meant to share that love deeply with others.   Pre...

In a dramatic story set on the evening of Easter day, Luke addresses crucial questions for every Christian community that lives after the resurrection. Preaching text: Luke 24:13-35 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...

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...