Word of Life Church Podcast

Why was Jesus baptized for repentance by John the Baptist? (Yes, Jesus is willing to participate with us in our repentance. But there is something deeper.) Jesus is not so much being baptized by the waters, as he is baptizing the waters. Jesus is sacramentally consecrating the waters so they become mighty waters—the mighty waters of salvation.

To actually celebrate the Twelfth Day of Christmas may seem strange and overly religious to some, but in a secular age determined to rush past the holy, it’s an act of sacred resistance. And the final day of Christmas is a good time to meditate on the Logos in adolescence.

"Hope builds a bridge across the abyss into which reason cannot look. It can hear an undertone to which reason is deaf. To the hopeful, the world appears in a different light. Hope gives the world a special radiance; it brightens the world." –Byung-Chul Han, The Spirit of Hope

Shepherds, though now romanticized in Nativity scenes, were at the bottom of society. These were not landowners but hired hands who watched over the sheep by night; sleeping, if they did, on the cold hard ground. That these simple shepherds and not the high and mighty were the first to know the greatest news of all was entirely in keeping with Mary’s prophetic song: He has shown the strength of hi...

In our contemporary context we need a Christianity formed by the Magnificat. In the American superpower we are typically inclined toward ideologies of success and anthems of strength. But the grace of God does not run uphill toward the pinnacles of success and strength, it rolls downhill toward the low places of humility and trust.

Mary as the Mother of God is both a holy and unique mystery, and an enduring archetype.

John the Baptist drinks no wine, because he’s not the one who brings the party, he only prepares the way. The party begins when Jesus turns the water to wine at the wedding feast of Cana. John is Advent; Jesus is Christmas.

Jesus of Nazareth being interrogated and ultimately condemned by Pontius Pilate is one of the most dramatic moments in the gospel story, and one of the most strangely fascinating moments in human history. Jesus on trial before the Roman governor of Judea establishes a historical context for the crucifixion. Indeed, it creeps into the Creed: “He suffered under Pontius Pilate.” If we enter into the...

In his Olivet Discourse Jesus predicted that the Temple would be destroyed, saying “all will be thrown down.” This came to pass a generation later when the Roman legions destroyed Jerusalem. But if Jesus’ words are words that “will not pass away,” what do these words say to us today, these words that—“all will be thrown down”?

Psalm 130 invites us to wait for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning. Our souls wait for the Lord because there are no quick and easy paths on the road to spiritual formation. Waiting is inevitable. Waiting is baked into this ancient Christian faith we have received. Instead of a hurried dash through a department story, the Christian life is more like a slow walk down a wooded trail. The C...

Let nothing disturb you Let nothing frighten you All things are passing away God never changes Patience obtains all things Whoever has God lacks nothing God alone suffices –Teresa of Ávila

In Mark's Gospel bar-Timaeus (son of Timaeus) is the only person Jesus healed who is given a name. The blind beggar bar-Timaeus is also the first person in Mark's Gospel to identify Jesus as the Son of David. So who is Timaeus and why does it matter?

The problem that James and John and the rest of disciples had, was that they thought Jesus could be contained in their own ambitions and agendas; that Jesus could be contained in the systems and political structures of the world they already knew. But they were wrong. They were wrong because Jesus is the uncontainable Christ.

The faith of Abraham is a pilgrim faith that confesses the kingdoms of this world are all transitory and passing away, and that the only eternal kingdom is the kingdom of the heavens, where Jesus Christ reigns at the right hand of God.

Philip the Evangelist rode in a chariot with the Ethiopian Eunuch on the Gaza Road two thousand years ago. Brian Zahnd road on a train with Yu in Paris on the day Derrida died. The two stories are not entirely different.

No matter what cripples us, no matter what issues we have, no matter how many dark spirits afflict us, Jesus is the one who recalls us to life.

In The Chronicles of Narnia, Puddleglum tells the underworld witch, "I'm on Aslan's side even if there is no Aslan. I'm going to live like a Narnian even if there isn't any Narnia." In this story C.S. Lewis is doing more than telling a children's fantasy, he is portraying what it means to "walk by faith."

Bread on the table is ordinary, but bread in the hands of Jesus becomes extraordinary. Bread in Jesus' hands during the Passover meal became an extension of Jesus’ very flesh. During Jesus' teaching ministry, bread became a feast for 5,000 people. During a meal with two disciples in Emmaus, bread became a revelation of Jesus in their midst. And we are like bread. Jesus takes us, blesses us, breaks...

This sermon explores the transformative work of Christ to give us beauty for ashes and bring healing to our woundedness. As Henry Nouwen states: "Nobody escapes being wounded. We are all wounded people, whether physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually. The main question is not 'How can we hide our wounds?' so we don't have to be embarrassed but 'How can we put our woundedness in the servi...

Haven't seen you in quite a while I was down the hold just passing time Last time we met was a low-lit room We were as close together as a bride and groom We ate the food, we drank the wine Everybody having a good time Except you You were talking about the end of the world I took the money I spiked your drink You miss too much these days if you stop to think You led me on with those innocent eyes...

Oh life is bigger It's bigger than you And you are not me The lengths that I will go to The distance in your eyes Oh no I've said too much I set it up That's me in the corner That's me in the spotlight Losing my religion Trying to keep up with you And I don't know if I can do it Oh no I've said too much I haven't said enough I thought that I heard you laughing I thought that I heard you sing I thi...

Come as you are, as you were As I want you to be As a friend, as a friend As an old enemy Take your time, hurry up Choice is yours, don't be late Take a rest as a friend As an old Memoria Come doused in mud, soaked in bleach As I want you to be As a trend, as a friend As an old Memoria And I swear that I don't have a gun No I don't have a gun No I don't have a gun Memoria

Shine Collective Soul Give me a word Give me a sign Show me where to look Tell me, what will I find? What will I find? Lay me on the ground And fly me in the sky Show me where to look Tell me, what will I find? What will I find? Whoa, Heaven let your light shine down... Love is in the water Love is in the air Show me where to look Tell me, will love be there? Will love be there? Teach me how to sp...

If God had a name what would it be? And would you call it to his face? If you were faced with Him in all His glory What would you ask if you had just one question? And yeah, yeah, God is great Yeah, yeah, God is good Yeah, yeah, yeah-yeah-yeah What if God was one of us? Just a slob like one of us Just a stranger on the bus Tryin' to make his way home? If God had a face what would it look like? And...

The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood to reveal God’s neighboring presence. God has joined us as us in order to rescue us and the world. The infinite took on the finite. Immortality took on mortality. The eternal took on the earthly. The God of creation moved into the neighborhoods of our creation in order to rebuild our neighborhoods. God is here. God’s neighboring prese...