Pod Be With You

Our story today is that of Abraham and Sarah extending extravagant hospitality to a trio of traveling strangers, who turn out to be Divine. And, of course, there is blessing in the hospitality...not earned, but freely given, like the meal itself. It's a joyous, celebratory, funny tale about the gift that is welcome.Trigger Warning: Includes a brief discussion of sexual violence around the Sodom and Gomorrah story that follows. 

Two separate paths again today...one about Mental Illness and Mental Health, and one about the Spirit moving and working in the world, even when we're maybe not ready. Both firmly anchored in the testimony and witness of our Scriptures where, we believe in faith, the Spirit always has been at work, and continues to be. Join us to see what might be afoot.

It's the fourth Sunday after Easter, and we are talking sheep, shepherds, and disciples this week, with two different but connected paths. The first is the story of the resurrection of Tabitha by Peter in the Book of Acts. And the other is a meditation on Shepherd Leadership in John 10. The convergence of the twain? A life lived in love and grace, perhaps. Join us as we continue in this season to celebrate resurrection.

Two weeks after Easter, and John is still telling us resurrection stories! Which, of course, is only appropriate, because the new life we find in Christ isn't limited to one day once a year. This Sunday is an amalgam of references to other Gospel stories, the reconciliation of Peter, and the commissioning of him and the others to the work of the Kingdom. It's a lot...but the overarching theme is new life, rebirth, resurrection. Happy Easter indeed!

It's a Jesus Christ Superstar moment..."The rocks and stones themselves would start to sing!" Luke's version of the Triumphal Entry is on the pod today. There are no palms, no hosannas, no donkey, but there is resistance, and protest, and challenge all in the shouting and the silence. Both can be sacred and necessary in their moment, and yet both can also be counterproductive in others. How do we know when to lift our voices, and when to be still? Join us for this deep dive into Palm Sunday.

Zacchaeus is the story this week, the story of a rich tax collector who climbs a tree just to see Jesus. Again, we think we know what this story is about, but do we really? Is it about repentance? Coming back to your true self? Or not judging the life and work of another? Maybe, like our theme this entire Lent has suggested, it is all of these things, and more, a nuanced tale about the complexities of life in general, and the life of faith in specific. 

It's a familiar story this week, "The Parable of the Lost Sheep." Or, as Amy-Jill Levine and Ben Witherington like to call it, "The Parable of the Sheep Owner Who Counts, and Seeks, and Celebrates." It changes the emphasis, the center of gravity, and maybe the way we understand this wonderful tale. At its heart, it's about a God who loves us more than we can possibly imagine...and that is Good News.

This week, the very short, and in many ways abrupt, Parable of the Fig Tree. Jesus seems to be preaching the same themes as John the Baptist before him here, that time is short, repentance is essential, and bearing fruit a necessity. But, is that all there is? Is it about rest? Is it about nurture? Is it about patience? Is it about the Divine's delight in us? Well, if you read the scholars and commentators, the answer is "Yes, and then some." So listen, and see what you make of the Parable of the Fig Tree.

Are you a Mary or a Martha? That's the traditional question when it comes to Luke's story this week about the sisters and Jesus. But maybe that's not the right question to ask. This little story, only five verses, might be more about being in the moment than valuing some gift over others, or launching a faith versus works battle. It's far more nuanced, more compassionate, more relatable than all that. So, join us as we join Martha, Mary, and Jesus for dinner and some conversation.

It's Lent! And the Sanctified Art series we are using this season asks us to explore where God meets us, where our faith thrives, where we can find solid ground to stand...or, "Everything (in) Between." This week we dive into the story of the Good Samaritan, and ask ourselves, what is the distance between a Stanger and a Neighbor? How can we tell? How do we behave? What does it mean? It's complex, of course, messy, and ashy, and so very human. So, join us as we, with Jesus, turn our faces toward Jerusalem, and begin the journey of Lent.

The Transfiguration story that rolls around every year before Lent is a strange and wonderful one. But so is the very disturbing story that follows it, the story of Jesus, in the grit and the grime of real life, healing a child from possession. What are we to make of these tales? Maybe they're about mystery...maybe they're about Divine presence...maybe they're about the work of the Church, passed down from generation to generation. Maybe. Listen, and see what you think of Force Ghosts and Spiritual Warfare. 

That's what this particular section of Jesus' Sermon on the Plain is all about...resisting the values of the dominant culture, resisting the urge to lash out, resisting oppression and evil. But we can only do it through training, through practice, through the difficult and often painful work of making the movements of grace again, and again, and again. And at the heart of it all...love, muscular, tangible, active love. Let's live into it!

Both the lectionary passages given to us this week, found in Luke's Sermon on the Plain, and Paul's words about the reality of the resurrection, are at heart about God's great yes...to the poor, the hungry, the grief-stricken, the struggling, those looking death in the eye. God is about life, abundant and bountiful, and both Jesus and Paul affirm that reality in our texts for Sunday. Differently, of course, but beautifully and strongly. Jump in to hear what they have to say.

Some classic Call stories this week, the Calls of Isaiah, Peter, and Paul. And a through-line that runs across all of them? "I'm not worthy." I'm not worthy. Not words we utter that often in the Progressive Church, but words I know we feel deep in our hearts. And Christ is there, saying, "Don't be afraid." Don't be afraid, friends, to answer, to intend, to do. 

It's been a minute. And what could be more wonderful to come back to than the Apostle Paul's musings on love in 1 Corinthians 13? It feels like he wrote these words about how we are to be in the world, and with each other, with this time in mind. Easy? No. Necessary? Yes. Love, he seems to be declaring, should be, must be, at the heart of the Christian life.

Happy New Year! This week, we explore the different gospels' renderings of Jesus' baptism - especially that of the Gospel of Luke. Less of a public declaration and more of a private revelation, Jesus is reminded who and whose he is - all in the wake of John the Baptist's arrest and imprisonment. Jesus is praying about what's next, and the answer he receives is: "You are what's next. I love you - now get out there and get to work!" In some ways, this is the story of all our baptismal callings: "I love you. You have what you need to make a difference. Now go do it!" Like Jesus, this is a call we need, not even during challenging times, but especially. 

It' s the second week of Advent, and our scriptures this week bring us the amazing and hope-filled stories of both Ruth and Naomi, and Mary, Mother of Jesus. And on of the things that resides at the heart of both of these wonderful tales is chesed, the indwelling faithfulness and commitment of God to us, and of us to each other. Join us for a journey through the scriptures today.

Thanksgiving can be hard...both the national holiday, and the act of gratitude. But Jesus, in our Gospel lesson for today, a clip from the Sermon on the Mount about worry, providence, and thanksgiving, offers us a solution. We can find ourselves poisoned by the negativity around us and within us sometimes, and gratitude opens us up to...more. More joy, more connection, more life. So join us today for a meditation on the power of gratitude.

It's time for All Saints Sunday, folks, one of the weirdest and, arguably, most wonderful celebrations in the Christian Year. We take a Sunday to remember and honor and grieve those who have died...but it's not a morbid service. It is an affirmation of legacy, and love, and life, the connections that still hold us together. Enjoy today's conversation, and maybe find a church on Sunday to enter in to the mystery that is life. 

Welcome to the book of Job: one of the most fascinating and frustrating books in all our scripture. Famous, but often misunderstood, this ancient work of fiction brings us to questions of grief, accident, and loss. How do we make sense of life when it is so blatantly unfair, and God is absent and/or mysterious? Are we faithful simply to work a system of reward and punishment, or because righteousness is inherently good? What are the ways we are helpful (or profoundly unhelpful) to those in the midst of suffering? Do we truly believe God can handle the messiness of our rage and lament, when those are the only honest and holy responses? Job is a book that resists resolution and easy answers, but it will bring us to some timelessly important questions. 

It's Worldwide Communion Sunday, and we are revisiting the vision of unity, abundance, and wholeness that is at the heart of what Communion is. This Sunday reminds us that this "togetherness" is not just a mystery, but something we live out daily in the way we enact our faith. Two Gospel stories this week...Zacchaeus, and John's version of the Feeding of the 5000...illustrate the heart of the Kingdom...welcome, plenty, transformation. 

We talk often about how the Bible is written by many, many authors across many, many years, and so there will be differing perspectives, opinions, and voices contained within its pages. This a good thing, leading to depth, richness, and diversity.But sometimes our scriptures speak loudly, with one voice. And this week is one of those times...James and Mark are both proclaiming the same truth about the ways of this world, and the ways of God's Realm. And though they employ different ways of communicating, the message is the same. Join us this week for a journey into pride and humility, power and servanthood, death and life.

James has a lot to say this week about the power, for both good and for evil, of speech. In twelve short verses, he drills down to the bedrock of the matter, that the words we speak and how we speak them can create, and nurture, and inspire, or they can destroy, and poison, and defeat. He bases this in solid Creational theology, and calls upon Christians to speak words of life. Good stuff. Join us as we explore the power of words.

In a shocking turn of events, we're on the same scripture passage this week! (And we will be at least throughout September.) We're taking a deep dive into the Book of James, notably Martin Luther's least favorite book of the entire Bible. We will be talking, faith, works, salvation, the Kingdom of God vs. the Kingdom of this World, and salty epistle authors. Fun! Join us!

The Whole Armor of God, and the blazing courage of the woman with a hemorrhage, are our topics today...and there is a lot of overlap. We talk first about the metaphor in the Letter to the Ephesians about God's Armor, and how that actually undermines a militant, violent interpretation of Christian faith. Then we go all in on courage, and how it is grounded in a profound trust in the Divine. You should join us for these interesting, interwoven exploration of the Word.

At different points in our lives, God willing, we are called into what's next: a new level of maturity, or care, or discipline, or awareness. Maybe we're called over and over again before we finally answer. Maybe we need to run things into the ground, even, before we're ready to change. The good news (which we hear from four different bible stories in this episode) is that God is with us wherever we are, calling as Wisdom in the streets, welcoming us home as beloved children, and challenging us to grow up and make the most of the time we've been given. 

We are on two different tracks again this week, but also again, they are surprisingly close...community, the human condition, the call of grace, repentance and transformation, found in the story of Jesus eating with sinners, and contrasted with the story of Herod's execution of John the Baptizer. It's all there in these two tales from the Gospel of Mark, who understands the siren call of power, and the power of God to transform.

103 sermons and four stories between the two of us, but all ways of celebrating the goodness of hope and healing. From the gospel of Mark, two intertwined stories of a desperate woman healed and a young girl raised from the dead - both of whom needed Jesus' power and great faith. And from the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), two stories of powerful men struggling with some kind of mental/spiritual illness - both of whom needed time and the support of their communities to heal. Resonant and relevant, these stories still hit us where we live: squarely in the messy, blessed mix of humanity. 

David and Goliath, Jesus calming the storm. Two passages, two messages, but both with similar themes. And not only similar, but immediately resonant: how do we weather the storms raging around us? Systems of domination and destruction, chaos and accident? How, in the face of real and legitimate fear, do we carve out space to be peaceful and good? And how, in the face of overwhelming challenges, can we do our small but essential part - and have faith that God will do what we cannot? 

We are on separate paths this week, but paths that intersect at multiple points. Both Paige and Aaron are talking this week about the role of the Church and the Christian as parts of a larger community, how we are called to be witnesses to God's compassion, God's grace, God's love. Does that make it easy or non-controversial? Certainly not...but it is part of what it means to love your neighbor as yourself.

It's Trinity Sunday, so we'll stretch the boundaries of language and imagination, as we dive into the Oneness and Threeness of the Divine. Not found spelled out specifically anywhere in our Scriptures, the doctrine of the Trinity has much to teach us about God, about ourselves, about the journey we are on together. 

It's Pentecost, people! And we are a Pentecost People. Which is the point. The arrival of the Holy Spirit, that pouring out, not just on a few chosen ones, but on all of us! Toward what end? Well, we talk about that in this episode, as well as the Tower of Babel, the Story of Creation, the Apocalypse, and the prophet Joel. A lot of ground is covered in just a few minutes, so jump on in!

We take a little journey into the mystic today, as we explore both the (S)onship of Jesus Christ, and his Ascension. These both are pillars of classic Christian theology, but have also over time served as stumbling blocks to some who struggle with the language of the literal. Join us as we break down some binaries, and step into the (im)possible this week.

This week, although the scripture passages are a bit different, the themes that Pastor Aaron and Pastor Paige or exploring are very much the same...connection, commitment, relationship, abundance, and joy. How do we stay connected to the Spirit? How do we live that out in our lives? How do we invite others? Join us for another hour of sparkling conversation.

In a shocking turn of events, the author of the Gospel of John is consistent with his themes and threads, and nowhere is that more than it is this week, when we dive into John 10 to talk about Good Shepherds, and John 15 to talk about Good Friends. It's about community, grace, empowerment, and the profundity of Divine Love. Join us if you can for this Johannine exploration.

It's the Third Sunday of the Easter Season, and so Salvation is on our minds...what are we saved from, to what are we delivered, and what is Jesus' role in this amazing work? The Disciples wonder this in their post-resurrection encounters with Jesus, and so do we from our spot in the 21st century. So, let's talk about it...

It's the second Sunday of Easter, and it's time to wrap up Peter's story. Or is it really? Because, although there is some resolution here, it is certainly not the end of Peter's narrative arc, or of Jesus', or of his followers. We end where we began, with "Follow me." 

All of Holy Week in less than an hour? You came to the right place! In this episode of Pod Be With You, we cover not just the Triumphal Entry on Palm Sunday, but also Peter's experience of Holy Week and the Passion. It's difficult, and painful, and uncomfortable, but so very, very human. More than that, there will be resurrection on the other side, not just for Jesus, but for Peter, too. There is Good News even in the darkness.

Technically, this week is Part Two of last week's scripture.  Immediately after Peter's proclamation that Jesus was the Messiah, he kind of puts his foot in it. Jesus has shared that when they go to Jerusalem, he will suffer and die. And Peter vehemently objects. But what is he really objecting to? This week, temptation, following, and the dual and dueling Kingdom of this World and Kingdom of Heaven.

We continue, this Lent, to journey with Peter as he journeys with Jesus. Today, a pivotal moment for Peter, and all of the disciples, as Jesus asks them the question "Who do you say that I am?" Revelation, connection, community, empowerment, celebration are all a part of this story, as Peter replies, "You are the Messiah, son of the living God." Join us as we parse some of this out, to find what it has to say about our journeys, too.

As we continue our exploration into the life and faith of Peter, we jump into (pun intended) the story of Peter and Jesus walking together on the stormy water of the Sea of Galilee. It's a tale about faith, about courage, about the power to do the impossible. Join us as we look at this vignette verse by verse, and discover what the text may have for us this second week of Lent.

This Lent, we are following Peter as he follows Jesus, exploring some of those central stories of the Gospel through Peter's eyes. And we begin today with the call of Peter, as found in Luke 5:1-11, that iconic passage where Jesus promises that Peter and friend will "fish for people." It's a great way to start a great story of faith, failure, joy, grief, forgiveness, empowerment, and God's great love for us all.

Even before Jesus takes Peter, James and John up to the mountaintop and back down again, there are a lot of ups and downs in their journey...spectacular moments of Divine power, and valley experiences of misunderstanding and faithlessness. But this event at the top of the mountain is an affirmation for them all...for Jesus, who is turning his face toward Jerusalem, for his Disciples, who will learn what it is to follow. Join us as we explore this strange and wonderful story on the cusp of Lent.

We pick up in Mark right where we left of last week...Jesus in Capernaum on the Sabbath. This time, four vignettes that give us a peek into "a day in the life." And, among the other things happening here, it's about restoration...the restoration of Peter's mother-in-law, the restoration of those seeking healing, the restoration of Jesus himself when he was tired and at his end. A wonderful passage about the sacredness of the daily lives we lead. Join us for this exploration.

The Gospel of Mark is so very strange and wonderful. This story of Jesus' life and ministry is so very different for the others, imbued with mystery and spiritual conflict. And today's passage, the tale of Jesus' first act of public ministry...casting out a demon...is so indicative of this difference. Join us today to talk about power, authority, and the reality of the spiritual in our world.

This week, we're focusing on Mary, and what has come down through the ages to us as The Annunciation...that short interaction in Luke between the Angel and Mary that made all the difference in the world. What kind of agency did Mary have here? What courage and faith does her acceptance reveal? What does this story have for us in a season where not all the news is good? Join us for an exploration of this pivotal figure in the Christmas story, and our faith.

It's the second Sunday of Advent, which can only mean one thing...John the Baptizer emerging from the wilderness to call us to repent. "Ugh," we say, "this isn't very Christmassy, not very peaceful." Or is it? Maybe real peace is not the absence of some things, but rather the intentional presence of other. And if so, how does repentance call us to embrace those things? A tricky passage with a powerful message is ours this week.

Have you ever heard of "ominous positivity?" It's a joke - saying good things in the most ominous way possible. Things like, "Everything will turn out fine. You cannot stop it." Or, "You will be ok. You have no choice." Well, our Advent Sunday of Hope readings have an air of ominous positivity around them: good news and the promise of love, couched in warnings and lament. God's "Yes," but first, God's "No." Both our passages from Isaiah and Mark strip away a lot of false hope and leave us to rebuild from spiritual bedrock: surrender to a loving God working to reform us. 

It's the week before Thanksgiving, so is it any surprise that our theme for this week's podcast is gratitude? And not just gratitude, but how that can flow out of us in profound generosity...of spirit, of time, of passions, of gifts. At the heart of gratitude is God's steadfast love and abundance, and when we reflect that in our lives, we are changed. 

It's Bible Study time again, and this week we talk about the twin disciplines of wrestling and waiting, as we take on the story of Jacob wrestling with the stranger, and Jesus' parable of the bridesmaids. There's a surprising amount of overlap here, in struggle, in readiness, in discernment, in looking for the presence of God in those dark and scary places. Join us this week as we wrestle, and wait, and experience transformation.

Bible Study takes us in what appears to be two wildly divergent directions this week, in Jesus' rebuke against religious hypocrisy, and an unflinching conversation about death. That said, the thing these two have in common is precisely how we live, day to day, every day. Is it authentic, is it honest, is it loving? Join us this week as we dive into some of the deeper questions of the life of faith