Transforming Lives Together Podcast

In light of the current Coronavirus pandemic, I sat down with Fr. Bryan Wandel, Rector of Church of the Atonement, Dn. Matt Traylor, Curate of Church of the Atonement, and Fr. Andrew Thebeau, Curate of St. Bartholomew’s to have a round table discussion about our current state of affairs in the church, and how the church can stay connected and move forward in ministry while adhering to the restrict...

In the preface to the 2019 Book of Common Prayer we read that, “The Book of Common Prayer, from the first edition of 1549, became the hallmark of a Christian way of worship and believing that was both catholic and reformed, continuous yet always renewing. According to this pattern, communities of prayer—congregations and families rather than the monasteries of the earliest centuries—would be the c...

Our guest for this episode is Erin Van Lente. Erin is the Youth Program Senior Case Manager at PATH Inc. which is a faith based not-for-profit organization with a mission to end human trafficking through education, prevention and restoration.  Together we talked about human trafficking, Erin’s work with PATH, and how PATH is tackling the trafficking industry in Western New York. Here is our conver...

What we love ultimately defines who we are and shapes the course of our life. We were made to love God and to love our neighbor, but, because of the Fall, our hearts were bent inward to love of self. In this ruined condition we, on our own, are incapable of reordering our loves, so God takes the initiative through the person of Christ; which then enables us to respond in faith. We can see this in...

Eyewitness accounts are valuable when validating whether or not an event took place, though there can be a fair amount of scrutiny given to ancient accounts like the one in our Gospel lesson for this week. We may not have the benefit of time travel to satisfy the naysayers, but we do have the benefit of a historical record that shows a world being transformed by men and women who put their faith i...

As we read the Apostle John’s account of the resurrection, we see that even the presence of angels was not enough to comfort Mary Magdalene in her sorrow as she wept over the disappearance of Christ’s body. If it weren’t for the resurrection of our Lord, we too would weep as ones to be pitied most. If it weren’t for the resurrection, our hero’s journey would end like so many others’. But as we rea...

Throughout the four Gospels we hear the phrase “it is written” quite a bit. This phrase is meant to direct our hearts back to the Old Testament: to see that what was written then was being fulfilled in Christ. God’s work of salvation that our Lord completed on the cross was not a happenstance, but an event that was orchestrated from the beginning. In our lesson for this week Fr. Ward shares a coup...

As meticulous as the Gospel Writers were in documenting the events leading to Christ’s death, their goal wasn’t merely to create a historical record. While knowing the people, places, and times that helped shape these events is important, we are called to go beyond them to find our place in the narrative. To see the human condition, our condition, exposed by the Light of the Bleeding Messiah as He...

Whether we embrace it as relative, or as absolute, we are all, in some ways, engaged in the pursuit of truth. The question Pontius Pilate asks in our lesson for this week, “What is truth?”, is deeply philosophical and theological, and throughout history, has led to many unsatisfactory answers. As we work through John’s gospel, we find the beloved disciple is directing us to understand that it’s no...

Throughout John’s Gospel we see the divinity of Jesus brought to light through miraculous signs and the seven “I Am” statements. Even John’s prologue in chapter one sets us up to see Jesus as the Word who was with God in the beginning, and who was God; the same Word who took on our flesh. The fact that those who sought to apprehend Jesus fell back when He identified Himself, demonstrates, as Fr. W...

It’s no surprise, during this time of year, to find stores, homes, offices, streets, maybe even vehicles, decorated with tinsel, lights, and greenery. It seems as though beautiful things are everywhere you look; in the sights, sounds, and smells of the Christmas season, and it is hard not to feel a little more joyful, and a little more hopeful. At the heart of all of this beauty is longing, and as...

SET APART TO LIVE AS ONE One of the wonderful things about the Body of Christ, the Church, is that, though we are made up of many members, we are all one in Christ through the Holy Spirit. This unity transcends race, region, culture, gender, age, and financial status. As we will see in our lesson for this week, Jesus prays that our union with one another and with God through Him would bear witness...

TO KNOW CHRIST IS TO HAVE LIFE When it comes to advancement upon the career ladder, sometimes hard work and a solid education are not enough. As the saying goes, “it’s all about who you know.” Relationships are the foundation of human society, and as we will see in our lesson for this week, a relationship with God the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ is the foundation for eternal life. Just as...

WE SHALL OVERCOME One of the most prolific gospel songs associated with social justice movements through the years has been “We Shall Overcome.” The words are quite simple, yet these simple words brought about unity and resolve in the face of injustice and oppression: We shall overcome, we shall overcome, we shall overcome someday! Oh, deep in my heart I do believe we shall overcome someday! As Ch...

ANOTHER HELPER It goes without saying that our world is full of trouble. For those of us who believe it can be even harder to bear because we see a world where many have rejected God, but we also have hope because Christ overcame the world and His life now lives in us through the Holy Spirit. Christ explains, in our lesson this week, that it was for our good that He departed this earth and went ba...

FRIENDS OF GOD Israel was called to be a peculiar people, a nation set apart, different from the rest of the world. This position wasn’t for the purpose of simply being an exclusive group, but rather to be a light to the other nations, a living testament of the Triune God. Through Christ we have been brought into this special relationship where we, like Abraham and Moses, are considered friends of...

LIFE IN THE VINE Much of the Book of Ecclesiastes can sum up our postmodern culture today. Whether the pursuit is labor or pleasure, it is ultimately empty of meaning. To tie it to our lesson for this week, this is life outside or disconnected from the vine. Life that is really no life at all. Christ is the True Vine, and we, as the Apostle Paul puts it, have been grafted in by the grace of God. T...

WHAT ARE THE FOUR MARKS OF A TRUE BELIEVER? While the term “Christian” was initially used, possibly as an insult, by those outside the Church to describe those in the Church, it was embraced by the Church because the word meant “those belonging to Christ”. But what does it mean to belong to Christ? What does it look like? In Jesus’ final instruction to His disciples before His eventual arrest, He...

A NEW COMMANDMENT Much is made about love in our society. We see this appeal to love or find love through various spheres of influence, yet much of what we find outside of the church carries with it an emptiness rather than a fullness because it is love separated from the source. In our lesson for this week, we see that the commands to love God and love our neighbor find their fulfillment in Chris...

THE SON OF PERDITION  Judas Iscariot was one of the more complicated figures among the twelve disciples. He was a member of the zealots, who desired to overthrow the Roman government, and he was a thief, known for pilfering the money purse he was responsible to oversee as treasurer. Still, Judas was chosen to be one of the twelve, and was dearly loved by Christ, which made the betrayal that much m...

WHAT REALLY MAKES ONE GREAT? In his letter to the Philippians, the Apostle Paul describes Jesus’ attitude during His earthly ministry as, “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness” (‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2:6-7‬ ‭NIV‬‬). These words echo...

NO CROSS NO CROWN With His gaze looking ahead to His inevitable death, Jesus knew what it would take to bring about the fruit of salvation. As the writer of the letter to the Hebrews wrote, “For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame...” Christ’s example of self-sacrifice and faithful devotion is not easy, in fact, it is impossible to follow without the Holy Spirit working...

Our guest for this episode is Fr. Bryan Wandel. Fr. Bryan is the rector of Church of the Atonement, an Anglican church plant in the City of Buffalo, and host of The Nickel City Forum, which is a bi-monthly gathering to learn about and discuss big idea topics in theology, ethics, and culture.  Together we talked about the challenges of planting an Anglican church in the City of Buffalo, work-life b...

THE ROAD TO CALVARY IS PAVED WITH UNMET EXPECTATIONS  Our expectations can mislead us, especially when we expect God to work in a certain way. Judas’ expectations were challenged when Jesus defended Mary’s use of expensive perfume to anoint His feet. The crowd’s expectations of Jesus being the king who would raise up an army to overthrow the Romans were also challenged as He rode into Jerusalem no...

LAZARUS COME FORTH! In our Twenty-Fifth Episode Jesus demonstrates His power over life and death, raising Lazarus from the grave, as we continue with “Life’s Meaning and Purpose: an in-depth study of the Gospel of John.” With so much that can and does go wrong in our world, it can be hard to see the silver lining. Bad news seems to dominate the airwaves, and even in moments of peace it feels more...