The Good News From The Gardens Podcast

Mark 14:26 to 15:47 Meditation begins at 17:17.  The Passion of Christ narrative, meditation, and cross interactive experience centered in the hymn Were You There?  Click here to explore and support the ministry of Nativity.

1st Cor. 11:23-26 John 13:1-17, 34b-35 On the night of betrayal and love, Jesus speaks not from a distance but from the floor, turning a final heart-to-heart conversation into a living command to love one another as he has loved us. A service featuring the Lord's Supper, and Stripping of the Altar in preparation of Christ on the cross. Click here to explore and support the ministry of Nativity.

Part of a sermon series on Heart to Heart Talks Crowds gather, cloaks spread, branches wave, and voices rise: “Hosanna!” In Matthew 21:1–11, Jesus enters Jerusalem not with force, but humility—riding a donkey, fulfilling hope in an unexpected way. The city asks, “Who is this?” It’s the same question that echoes within us. Is he a distant figure, a wise teacher, a disruptor—or the Savior who meets...

Part four of seven part sermon series on Heart-to-Heart Talks. John 9:1-41 In this gospel story from John, the disciples assume someone’s sin must explain a man’s blindness. But Jesus redirects the question. Instead of blame, he points to God’s work being revealed. The deeper issue in the story isn’t physical sight—it’s spiritual vision. While the man gradually sees, the religious leaders refuse t...

Part three of seven part sermon series on Heart-to-Heart Talks. John 4:5-42 Most encounters with strangers stay on the surface—a polite smile, a quick thank-you, a quiet moment shared without words. But sometimes a simple meeting becomes something deeper. At a well at noon, Jesus begins an unexpected conversation with a Samaritan woman. What starts as small talk becomes a moment of truth, revelati...

Part two of seven part sermon series on Heart-to-Heart Talks. John 3:1-17 Have you ever slipped into a place quietly, hoping no one would notice what you were curious about? In Gospel of John, Nicodemus does just that. After Jesus overturns tables in Jerusalem, igniting controversy, this respected leader comes by night—protecting his reputation while reaching toward the light. He believes Jesus is...

Part one of seven part sermon series on Heart-to-Heart Talks. Matthew 4:1-11 Jesus enters the wilderness hungry, exposed, and fully human. After forty days of fasting, the tempter strikes at his emptiness, urging an easy fix. This sermon explores how temptation so often meets us when we are tired, hollow, shaky, or “hangry”—when impulse feels stronger than wisdom. Jesus doesn't deny his hunger or...

Heart to Heart with Jesus On this Ash Wednesday, Jesus speaks to us about prayer, fasting, and treasure—not as religious obligations, but as an intimate conversation that reveals what we truly love and who we are becoming. Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-21 Click here to explore and support the ministry of Nativity

Conclusion of sermon series on Gifts That Keep on Giving. Matthew 17:1-9 On the mountain of Transfiguration, the disciples respond logically—preserving glory, offering hospitality. Jesus interrupts. This moment asks us to examine how often we react from habit or expectation. Faithful living may mean pausing, discerning, and staying open, so Christ shapes us by surprising grace and reveals himself...

Part five of six part series on Gifts That Keep on Giving. Matthew 5:13-20 Jesus names his disciples—then and now—as salt of the earth and light of the world. Scripture holds tension between private and public faith: Jesus sometimes calls for silence, yet often commands visible acts of healing and liberation. In a secular world, believers struggle to discern when and how to express faith amid fear...

Part four of seven part series on Gifts That Keep on Giving. Matthew 5:1-12 The Beatitudes remind us why fewer, better-crafted words matter. Their poetic simplicity makes a radical message clear and memorable. Jesus challenges not only what we share, but how we share it. In this message let's contemplate the importance of good listening and deep discernment for God’s will through Jesus Christ. Cli...

Part three of seven part series on Gifts That Keep on Giving. Matthew 4:12-23 There comes a time when bold choices must be made—confronting injustice, discerning our public life, and answering Christ’s call to “follow me.” Discipleship is complex, requiring us to step away from who we have been toward who God calls us to be, despite fear, opposition, or sensible reasons to hesitate. Faith asks att...

John 1:29-42 Curiosity is often treated as a weakness or distraction, but in this week’s Gospel it becomes holy ground. Two disciples follow Jesus, unsure of what to say or want. Jesus asks, “What are you looking for?” Not what they believe or whether they are worthy, but what they seek. He honors their wondering before reshaping their understanding. Their curiosity becomes the doorway to disciple...

Part 1 of 7 part series Matthew 3:13-17 At the Jordan River, Jesus steps into the waters not because he needs repentance, but because he chooses solidarity. In Matthew 3:13–17, baptism is revealed not as a private spiritual moment, but a communal calling. As the heavens open and God names Jesus “Beloved,” a community is formed around promise and purpose. In baptism, vows are spoken that bind us to...

Luke 2:1-20 & John 1:1-14  The Nativity tells of God shepherding hope into the world through the birth of Jesus. In the humility of a manger, divine promise takes on vulnerable flesh, revealing that hope is not distant but present among ordinary lives. The first to receive this news are shepherds—tired workers keeping watch in the dark—showing that hope often comes to those overlooked. Fear is...

Isaiah 7:10–16 & Matthew 1:18–25 These Isaiah and Matthew texts together proclaim God’s surprising nearness in moments of fear and uncertainty. Isaiah names a sign of hope given amid political anxiety, while Matthew reveals that sign fulfilled in Jesus’ birth through Mary, embraced by Joseph’s faithful obedience. These texts testify that God acts beyond human expectation, entering vulnerabilit...

Isaiah 35:1-10 & Matthew 11:2-11 Isaiah 35 promises a wilderness transformed—creation erupting with life, healing, and rejoicing. Matthew 11 reveals John the Baptist waiting in uncertainty, asking Jesus if he truly is the One. Together, these texts name our living reality wherein human doubt and holy expectation coexist. God’s future blooms in deserts, yet often slowly, hidden from immediate s...

Isaiah 11:1-10 & Matthew 3:1-12   In this message we encounter God’s transformative intervention in a world longing for renewal. Isaiah envisions a Spirit-anointed shoot from Jesse, a righteous ruler whose reign brings justice, peace, and the healing of creation. John the Baptist echoes this hope, calling Israel to repentance as preparation for the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit and fir...

Isaiah 2:1-5 & Matthew 24:36-44 The practice of waiting involves a posture that is largely uncomfortable and laden with anxiety. In any given scenario, not “doing” can be perceived as apathetic, detached. When it comes to matters of the heart, not “doing” can be perceived as even unfaithful. How do we challenge the narrative of faith being just about what we do? What does it look like to wait...

Christ the King Sunday is a transition Sunday between the church seasons of Ordinary Time and Advent. Before we turn our attention to the story of promise that leads to Bethlehem, we turn to Luke’s account of the crucifixion. Amid scoffing and slander from those who sarcastically call him Messiah and king, Jesus reveals that to be Messiah and king is to give one’s life for others. Jesus uses his p...

In this message, women of Nativity ages of 10 to 94 lend their voices to this worship service. Women were an integral part of the early church, and are an essential voice in its life and ministry today. Many thanks to Breanne Johnsen for delivering the message by expanding our understanding of family through her own story. A special Thankoffering was taken for the Doris Karlik Local College Schola...

Sadducees who do not believe in the resurrection of the dead, try to trap Jesus by concocting an unrealistic and convoluted case of a serial widow who marries a succession of seven brothers. Jesus responds in a rather sarcastic manner by teaching about God to whom all are alive and in whom all relationships are fulfilled. Ann then there is Job...his life has burned down to nothing, and yet in the...

In this All Saints Sunday message we ponder what it looks like to live and act like a "saint". With echoes of the prophet Isaiah and Mary’s song of praise, Jesus reveals surprising things about who enjoys blessing and who endures woe. He invites his disciples to shower radical love, blessing, forgiveness, generosity, and trust even on enemies and outsiders. This message is meant to challenge, and...

In John 8, Jesus speaks of truth and freedom as spiritual realities known through his word. He reveals the truth that sets people free from sin. In Romans, Paul wraps up the readings with theological might…we are justified by faith in the cross of Christ. In this Reformation Sunday message we ponder God’s divine redemptive activity on the cross, and our inability to earn it. And for that we exclai...

In this Sunday’s message we explore what life looks like for us when we wrestle and persevere for what is righteous and good in our world we do this through the lens of two biblical stories. First, we hear of how Jacob wrestles all night long with a divine adversary who ultimately blesses him and changes his name to “Israel,” a name that means “he wrestles with God.” And in the gospel of Luke Jesu...