Podcasts about Holy Week

Why did Jesus quote Psalm 118 to the Pharisees during Holy Week after telling the Parable of the Wicked Tenants? Dr. John Bergsma—prolific author, illustrator, and theology professor (Bible Basics for Catholics, Psalm Basics for Catholics)—joins Anna Mitchell on the Son Rise Morning Show to unpack the deep Old Testament roots of this famous passage. Dr. Bergsma explains how Psalm 118 was traditionally prayed during the Passover meal, how the historical life of King David foreshadowed Christ's rejection, and how Jesus became the true cornerstone of a new temple built of living stones—the Church. Stream now to listen!Support the show: https://www.sacredheartradio.com/donate-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hold on to your pulpits this week, preachers! The Gospel is one of the hardest parables in Matthew — and one with the most difficult history in Christian preaching. The parable of the wicked tenants has been used, throughout Christian history, to justify the church's replacement of Israel and to fuel centuries of anti-Jewish violence, from medieval pogroms through Nazi propaganda. Preachers must handle it with unusual care.Track One brings us the Ten Commandments at Sinai. Track Two brings us Isaiah's song of the vineyard — the direct source material for the Gospel parable. The Epistle gives us Paul's autobiographical turn: whatever gains I had, I count as loss for Christ.For preachers continuing a series: last week's parable of the two sons exposed the yes that did not go. This week's parable of the wicked tenants exposes what happens when tenants forget they are tenants. The Matthew arc keeps sharpening toward the passion.The ReadingsExodus 20:1–4, 7–9, 12–20First Reading (Track One) — The Ten CommandmentsSummaryGod speaks to Moses at Sinai. “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” Then the commandments: no other gods. No idols. No misusing God's name. Remember the sabbath and rest. Honor your father and mother. Do not murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not bear false witness. Do not covet what belongs to your neighbor. When the people see the thunder, the lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, they tremble and stand at a distance. They tell Moses: “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we will die.” Moses reassures them: God has come to test you, so that the fear of God may be with you and keep you from sinning.Key Ideas for Preaching* The commandments begin with a verb about God, not a demand of the people. “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out.” Deliverance comes first; then the shape of life among the delivered. What might your sermon do with the specific order — grace before command — that most preachers know but many congregations have never actually heard?* The commandments protect people. Do not murder protects human life. Do not steal protects property. Do not bear false witness protects reputation and truth. Do not covet protects the heart from unrest. These are not arbitrary rules; they are the shape of a community where life can flourish. Where in your congregation have the commandments been imagined as arbitrary restrictions when they are actually protections?* “You speak to us, but do not let God speak to us” — the people's request captures a real spiritual pattern. We often prefer mediated religion to direct encounter. What might it look like to preach a God who is willing to be heard directly, and to name the tender fear that keeps us at a distance?Significant Cautions* Do not preach the commandments as if the whole ethical life of the church can be reduced to ten rules. Jesus himself will summarize them in two.* The lectionary omits verses 5–6 (the “jealous God” verses). Preachers should know what has been omitted and decide honestly whether to preach the whole passage or just the assigned selection.* The commandments have often been misused as a checklist for civic religion. Handle their communal, covenantal context carefully.Psalm 19The Psalm (Track One) — The Heavens Are TellingSummary“The heavens are telling the glory of God.” The psalm begins with creation's silent praise — day pours out speech to day — and moves to the law: perfect, reviving the soul; sure, making wise the simple. The psalm closes with a prayer against hidden faults and presumption, and the famous closing petition: let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you.Key Ideas for Preaching* The psalm links creation and law in the same song. The heavens declare God's glory; God's word revives the soul. Both are revelation. Where has your congregation imagined creation and Scripture as competing sources of knowing God, when the psalm holds them together?* “Clear me from hidden faults” — the psalmist prays not for the sins he can see but for the ones he cannot. What might your sermon do with a spiritual practice that includes asking God to name what we are not yet aware of?Significant Cautions* “The heavens declare the glory of God” has been misused in the culture wars around science. The psalm is not a scientific claim; it is doxology.Isaiah 5:1–7First Reading (Track Two) — The Song of the VineyardSummaryThe prophet sings a love song about his beloved's vineyard. God did everything for the vineyard — dug it, cleared it of stones, planted choice vines, built a watchtower, hewed a wine vat. And expected grapes. But the vineyard yielded wild grapes. So God will remove its hedge, break down its wall, make it a waste. The song ends with the interpretation: “The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting; he expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry!”Key Ideas for Preaching* The prophet's judgment on Israel is Israel's own prophet speaking within Israel's tradition. This is not an outside voice condemning God's people. This is Isaiah's love for his people speaking hard truth. What might it look like to preach a prophetic word that comes from love rather than distance?* The wordplay in Hebrew is untranslatable but worth naming. God expected mishpat (justice) but saw mispach (bloodshed); God expected tsedaqah (righteousness) but heard tse'aqah (a cry). Justice and bloodshed sound alike. Righteousness and outcry sound alike. Only one letter apart. What might your sermon do with the closeness of what God wanted and what God got?* Isaiah 5 is the direct source for today's Gospel parable of the tenants. Jesus is not inventing a new critique; he is quoting Israel's own prophet. Where in your congregation might people be helped by hearing that Jesus's hardest words about religious leadership are drawn from Israel's own tradition of self-critique?Significant Cautions* This passage should not be read as evidence that God has rejected Israel. Isaiah's critique is a call to return, not a decree of replacement.* “He expected justice but saw bloodshed” has been quoted in ways that reduce injustice to individual sin. Isaiah is naming systemic failure of leadership, not simply personal wrongdoing.Psalm 80:7–15The Psalm (Track Two) — The Vine You Brought Out of EgyptSummaryAnother vineyard psalm. God brought a vine out of Egypt, drove out the nations, and planted it. It sent out its branches to the sea, its shoots to the river. But now its walls are broken down and passersby pluck its fruit. “Turn again, O God of hosts; look down from heaven, and see; have regard for this vine, the stock that your right hand planted.”Key Ideas for Preaching* The psalm imagines God as the planter and Israel as the tended vine. It is a picture of intimate care — God's own right hand doing the planting. What might your sermon do with a picture of God's investment in the people that is this personal?* “Turn again, O God” is a psalm of return — not the people's return to God, but a prayer that God will turn back toward them. What might it look like to preach a faith that includes asking God to notice again, when God's face seems turned away?Significant Cautions* This psalm's laments have sometimes been used to shame communities into thinking their difficulties are always God's judgment. Not all suffering is discipline.Philippians 3:4b–14The Epistle — I Count It All as LossSummaryPaul lists his credentials. Circumcised on the eighth day. Of the people of Israel. Tribe of Benjamin. Hebrew of Hebrews. A Pharisee. A persecutor of the church — by which he means he was zealous. Blameless under the law. Then the turn: whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. He counts everything as rubbish compared to the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus his Lord. He wants to know Christ, the power of his resurrection, the sharing of his sufferings. Not that he has already obtained this or reached the goal, but he presses on to make it his own, because Christ Jesus has made him his own. Forgetting what lies behind, straining forward to what lies ahead, he presses on toward the goal.Key Ideas for Preaching* Paul's list of credentials is not fabrication. He really did have every advantage of Jewish religious life in the first century. He is not saying his credentials were worthless in themselves. He is saying that compared to knowing Christ, they are loss. Where in your congregation has this passage been read as if Paul were dismissing Jewish life? Preach it more honestly.* Paul's word for what he considers his gains to be is stronger than “rubbish.” In Greek it means excrement — the kind of language you would not read from the pulpit lightly. Paul is being deliberately shocking. What is your sermon doing to hold the shock of this passage rather than sanitizing it?* “Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal” — Paul refuses spiritual complacency. He has been at this for years, and still he presses on. What might it look like to preach a mature Christian life that includes this specific refusal of arrival?Significant Cautions* Paul is not rejecting Jewish life. He is naming his own reordering of priorities. Do not preach this passage as if Judaism were the enemy Paul overcame; that reading has caused enormous harm.* “Forgetting what lies behind” has been misused to shame people who need to process their past. Paul is talking about not resting on his own credentials, not about pretending painful history did not happen.Matthew 21:33–46The Gospel — The Wicked TenantsSummaryJesus tells another parable in the temple. A landowner plants a vineyard, puts a fence around it, digs a wine press, builds a watchtower, and leases it to tenants before going away. When harvest time comes, he sends slaves to collect his share of the fruit. The tenants beat one slave, kill another, and stone another. He sends more slaves; they do the same. Finally he sends his son, thinking “they will respect my son.” The tenants say, “This is the heir; let us kill him and get his inheritance.” They seize him, throw him out of the vineyard, and kill him. Jesus asks: what will the owner do to those tenants? The audience answers: he will put them to a miserable death and give the vineyard to others. Jesus responds by quoting Psalm 118: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” He tells them: the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces its fruits. The chief priests and Pharisees realize he is speaking about them but are afraid to arrest him because of the crowds.Key Ideas for Preaching* This is one of the parables most badly used in Christian history. It has been read as “God took the kingdom from the Jews and gave it to the Christians” — a reading that has fueled centuries of anti-Jewish violence. But the parable is not aimed at “the Jews” as a people. It is aimed at specific religious leaders in Jerusalem who have failed in their role. What might it look like to preach this passage without the supersessionist reading that has haunted the church for two thousand years?* The parable draws directly from Isaiah 5's song of the vineyard. Jesus is not inventing a new attack; he is speaking in Israel's own prophetic tradition. This is Israel's own prophet speaking Israel's own hard truth to Israel's own leadership. Where might your sermon make this connection explicit, so that the parable's real target — failed leadership — becomes clearer than the Christian misreading has allowed?* The tenants' fundamental problem is that they forgot they were tenants. They started acting as if the vineyard belonged to them. When the owner's son came, they killed him for the inheritance. What might your sermon do with a picture of religious leadership — or of Christian life generally — that reminds people they are stewards, not owners?* The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. That reversal is not simply about Jesus. It is about a pattern: what the systems of power reject, God builds on. Where in your congregation might people be helped by hearing that God's building materials are often the ones religious leadership has thrown out?Significant Cautions* This is the critical caution for this passage. The parable has been used throughout Christian history to justify anti-Jewish violence — from medieval pogroms to Nazi propaganda. Preachers who do not name this history and preach against it become complicit in it. Handle with utmost care.* “The kingdom will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces its fruits” has been read as “given to the church instead of Israel.” This is a distortion. The “you” is specific religious leadership; the “people that produces fruits” is not the church replacing Israel but any community that lives faithfully.* The parable ends with the crowd protecting Jesus from arrest. This detail is often overlooked. It is precisely “the crowds” — the people, largely Jewish — who are Jesus's protection here. Do not read this as “the Jews were all against Jesus.”Thematic ConnectionsThe Gospel is the natural center — and it is one of the most difficult parables in Matthew. The three other readings, in different ways, deepen its themes without letting it be reduced to the supersessionist reading that has haunted Christian history.Track One's Ten Commandments give us the shape of life for a community that has been delivered. The commandments are not the vineyard's product; they are the trellis on which the fruit is meant to grow. Preachers can name this pairing: the commandments are what God expected the tenants to steward.Track Two's Isaiah 5 is the direct source material for the Gospel parable. Reading them together makes clear that Jesus is not inventing a new critique of Israel — he is quoting Israel's own prophet. That connection alone can inoculate the sermon against the supersessionist reading.Philippians 3 sits inside the day as Paul's own reordering of what counts. Paul has all the credentials the wicked tenants would have envied — he was a Pharisee, blameless under the law. And he now counts it all as loss for Christ. That is not a rejection of Jewish life; it is a specific spiritual reorientation. Paul, of all people, would not have preached the supersessionist reading of Matthew 21.For preachers continuing a series: last week's parable of the two sons exposed the yes that did not go. This week's parable of the wicked tenants exposes what happens when tenants forget they are tenants. The Matthew arc keeps sharpening toward Holy Week. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lectionarypro.substack.com/subscribe

Jesus is challenged by the authorities, "Who do you think you are? By what authority are you doing these things?" What things is Jesus doing? I'll give some background: it's the Monday of Holy Week. He's led a protest parade. Exciting! Crowds love it. Then he goes into the temple and clears things out; he's protesting the system of exploitation that keeps the poor out. Then he goes out into the outer courts and heals the people who couldn't get in. Next, he curses a fig tree that doesn't bear any fruit; could there be a parallel here with the religious system that doesn't bear fruit? Yeah, obvious. Anyway, then the religious authorities ask where he gets his authority. He asks them a question about John the Baptist. Was he doing his thing because of the divine, or was it human? They can't answer. Just say, "Who knows?" And Jesus is like, "Then I won't tell you where I get my authority." Then he tells them a story. Here's how the story starts: A father has two sons... The kingdom of God isn't about saying the right thing or having the right answers; it's about becoming the kind of people who go, the kind of people who do. We're pretty good at having the right answers. We're pretty good at saying the right thing. But Jesus messes with one of our assumptions: that what we say tells the story of who we are. It doesn't. Through this story, Jesus is inviting us to look at what we do, where our feet take us, who we make room for. Our lives are telling a story whether we realize it or not. The first son says he won't go work the vineyard, but then later, he changes his mind. What is the religiousy word for this? Repentance. The story Jesus tells leaves room for the person who changes their mind. Leaves room for the person who turns around. Then there's the second son. He says he'll go...then doesn't. Religious people can be good at this. We can get really good at performance. Jesus upset the religious authorities in the first place when he cleared out the temple. He was calling out forms of religiosity that don't move us out into the world to work for justice, mercy, compassion, equality and love. So, what's the good news of the story? The father doesn't ask his sons to build the vineyard. Doesn't ask them to save the vineyard. Simply asks them to notice what's going on in the vineyard and work with what's already happening. God is already at work in the world. Where is love moving? Where is compassion needed? Where is healing necessary? Will we become the kind of people who go? Speaker: Aaron Vis Scripture: Matthew 21:23-32 https://www.bible.com/events/49666958

Can you teach kids the truth AND prepare them for a secular world?On this episode of Heavy Things Lightly, host John Heers talks with James and Juliana Joyce, founders of St. George's Classical Academy in Boxford, Massachusetts — an Orthodox Christian classical school started from nothing in 2024.James went from astrophysicist at NASA to teaching kindergarten math at a little plastic table. Juliana went from public-school principal of 10 years to head of school, janitor, finance, and furniture-mover. In the middle of writing their business plan during Holy Week 2023, they fell in love, got engaged in October, married in January, and opened with 21 students that September.We dig into: the Constantine vs. Benedict choice, why they DON'T have Divine Liturgy during the school day, classical vs. Orthodox education and the Western canon, Plato, the Enlightenment, why math matters, fuzzy math, and how to live an integrated, purposeful life.St. George's now draws from 12 Orthodox churches north of Boston — plus Catholic and Protestant families — and has seen families return to faith and convert.Learn more about St. George's Classical Academy in Boxford, MA - https://www.stgca.org/Chapters:00:00 Living a purposeful life01:15 Welcome to Heavy Things Lightly + Conrad's Jerky03:10 Meet James & Juliana Joyce — St. George's Classical Academy05:20 From NASA and principal's office to plungers and trash duty07:45 Can you teach truth and prepare kids for an atheist world?10:30 Constantine vs. Benedict — not retreating from the world13:20 Do you have to compromise classical to pay the bills?17:40 Why there's no Divine Liturgy in the school day21:15 School vs. Church — prayer, feasts, and hospitality25:00 Classical vs. Orthodox? Plato, the West, and the Fathers30:45 Sanctifying culture — West Africa, Enlightenment, and math36:20 Math trauma, loving what you teach, and elementary years42:10 Love story — business plan, Holy Week, engagement and marriage50:30 From cassock to date night — deacon, priest, and new life55:00 Final toast — hope, uncertainty, and purposeful direction58:30 John's riff — kids are hard, schools are hard, add more beauty__

Lauretta opens Winds of Change with a request for prayer for Jimmy Lai, listener, Dave and for peace in Israel. Lauretta discusses the tragic murder of Loyola student; Sheridan Gorman killed at the hands of an illegal alien not detained because of “sanctuary” dictates as well as the senseless murder of Katie Abraham. Lauretta unpacks the significance and customs of every day during Holy week. She further discusses the actions of tone-deaf Brandon Johnson and J.B Pritzker and asks for prayer for their conversion. St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish 

Indeed. Thank you, choir. That was wonderful, what a wonderful way to be prepared to prepare the people for me to come and share a word with you all. And thank you all for being here. My name is Reverend Scott Bostic. I'm a United Methodist pastor, and I'm currently serving beyond the local church as the deputy director of the Washington Interfaith Network, which Foundry is a part of. For those of you who don't know, the Washington Interfaith Network is a broad based, multi-race, multi-faith organization rooted in congregations and associations across Washington, D.C. Together, when members take public action, they organize their communities, hold decision makers accountable, and build power to create change across D.C. It's a joy for me to be back with you again. I say back because this is not my first time here at Foundry. I recognize many familiar faces among you. I first came here many years ago, over a decade ago, when I was serving at Asbury United Methodist Church, down at 11th and K. For a brief time this was my worshiping home, as my family worshiped here. When I was in between appointments many years ago, I've helped with weddings here, I've helped with celebrations of life, I've helped with special services during Holy Week, and other times when I've gotten a phone call from Pastor Ben or Pastor Ginger saying, hey, are you busy? It's a joy to be with you now on this Sunday morning, with an opportunity to share a word with you all from Nehemiah. So here again, beloved, these words from the book of Nehemiah, chapter six, verses eight and nine: "Then I sent to him, saying, no such things as you say have been done. You are inventing them out of your own mind. For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking their hands would drop from the work and it would not be done. But now, strengthen my hands." Will you pray with me? O God of love, speak to me. God of grace and of mercy, speak through me. God of power and of justice, speak in spite of me, that on this day, in these moments, your will would be done. Speak, O Lord, for your people are listening. Amen. I thought it might be good to start off with a confession. I'm not a huge fan of Dolly Parton's music. Country music just isn't really my thing. I do want to be clear, though, that I have deep respect for her talents as a singer, for her talents on and off screen, and for the mighty work that she has done beyond the stage and behind the microphone. So go back with me in time, if you will, to 1980. There's a movie that Dolly starred in called 9 to 5. Some of you probably just thought it was a song, but oh no, it was so much more. There was a spinoff series and a musical too, though maybe we won't talk about the musical. In this movie, Dolly was one of three legendary actresses who told the story of three frustrated, harassed, and mistreated women whose boss is described as the most sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot on the planet. Sounds familiar. Their response to this hateful person was to work behind him and in spite of him to make changes to their workplace. Now, those of you who have seen the movie know there's some other stuff going on, but we're in church, so if you want to know the rest of the story, go watch the movie. Among the changes they make in their workplace are implementing several programs that the workers love, including in-office daycare, equal pay for everyone (one of them had gotten in trouble for asking what one of their male colleagues made), flexible work hours, and a job-sharing program allowing employees to work part time. The boss didn't know they had made these changes, and when he came back he was furious, but his chairman came in and was elated because the productivity of their department had increased by 20 percent because of these changes. That got me thinking about how these changes came to be, not just in movieland but in our world, through the work of organized labor. That, after all, is what this weekend is all about. Not the unofficial end of summer, not one last trip to the beach or a last chance to wear your boat shoes for the season. It's not about the barbecues or the parties or the days off, well, actually, maybe it is about that last one. Labor Day is about celebrating how those who worked for reform in our workplace and labor laws fought to get people a weekend, time off, to end child labor and send kids to school instead of to factories. Coincidentally, my family watched the news this weekend, which is its own great labor story, about things like paid leave and family leave, unemployment benefits, and rules about hiring and firing, so many things that many of us take for granted, and maybe did until the last two years. It got me thinking about how some people said that these proposed changes, each time, were threats to the status quo which benefited them, those in power, and therefore they hurled their own threats and insults at the people who wanted to make these changes. Those in power were afraid of what might happen if people knew their worth and knew that somebody cared about that. Now, our scripture and story for today picks up in the midst of things in the story of Nehemiah. Some of you know that Nehemiah is a book that is part of the Hebrew Scriptures in the section known as the histories. It's different from some of the other books in the history section, like Esther and Ezra and First and Second Chronicles, in that it is told from the first-person perspective. Scholars call it the Nehemiah memoir, because we're hearing the story from Nehemiah's perspective, so he has moments to add his own commentary, his own personal reflections on what was happening. For those who haven't read the book, or haven't read it in a while, it opens in the first chapter with Nehemiah in Susa, the capital of the Persian Empire, serving as cupbearer to the king, who we think was Artaxerxes the First, for the history buffs in the room. Word comes from Jerusalem about the state of the walls and the troubles of his people. In response, Nehemiah prays to God, praying that God will fulfill the promises God made to Moses to uplift and care for God's people. His prayer includes an important confession, because Nehemiah knew that the people were in exile, that the walls had been destroyed for a reason, and it was because of the people's unfaithfulness. It was because of the people's actions that Jerusalem had fallen and that they were in exile in the first place. But he prays that God would receive their prayer and grant restoration to the people if they would repent and return to the Lord. That is where we get to our first lesson, before we even get to the text from Nehemiah: it starts with God and prayer, but please don't stop there. Too often people go to God and pray. We pray for ourselves, we pray for the people around us, we pray for the world, for the problems going on around us, for tragedies that we hear about, and then we stop. We don't follow up on our prayers with the response that God is calling us to take, the response that God has empowered and emboldened us to take. We, as faithful followers, have a responsibility to pray, to seek God first, and to act in response to the needs of the world around us as God is calling and leading, not as social trends would have us do, or social media influencers or politicians or even some pastors, but as God Almighty is calling us and has shown us again and again that we are called to respond through loving our neighbors, not just with warm, fuzzy feelings and sweet, kind thoughts, but with concrete, tangible actions. So Nehemiah, from his position of power at the hand of the king as cupbearer, requests and is granted permission to travel back to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls. He's given written permission so that should anyone question whether it was okay for him to do this, they would know he had the blessing of the king. The king was so moved by and behind this effort that he even provided wood from his own forests and cavalry and troops to escort Nehemiah and their resources back to Jerusalem. Jerusalem, at that point in time, had already had the temple rebuilt, that was the main thrust of the story in the Book of Ezra, and we learn early on in Nehemiah's adventures that in addition to being a faithful servant of God and a loyal servant in his position to the king, he is also wise. That wisdom would serve him well in the ways he would deal with the many challenges ahead. But humbly, Nehemiah recognizes, as he says several times, that his success, the way things were able to work out, was not because of him. It was because of God's faithfulness, because God's gracious hand was upon him. Now, as you might remember or imagine, Nehemiah showing up on the scene to rebuild the walls upset some people, especially the leaders around Jerusalem, because someone was coming to care for the people of Israel. Remember, not everyone went into exile after the fall of Jerusalem. Many remained in the land but were ruled by others. Some had already returned, as I mentioned, to rebuild the temple, as recounted in the Book of Ezra. But they still did not have a Jewish governor who was steadfast and faithful to God. Throughout the chapters leading up to chapter six, Nehemiah had faced opposition from people outside the city and from some people inside the city, not all of whom were faithful followers of God. It took some wisdom for him to navigate these different challenges in this tricky landscape, as people plotted to disrupt the work and even attack the city. Why? Because they knew the practical and symbolic meaning of the walls being rebuilt. Practically, it meant there would be a place of refuge for the people of Israel, should someone in future days come to attack or try to harm them. Now, I'm not advocating for walls in general, but in those days a walled city was a safer city, because when raiders came, people had a place of shelter and knew they would be safe. Symbolically, it marked the return of this space to being a city that was looking out for the Hebrew people. It symbolized strength and protection and care. Nehemiah's return to Jerusalem to build the walls was so zealously supported that people came together, not just in Jerusalem but from across Judah, because they believed that Nehemiah cared for them, and through him they were reminded of God's care for them. That gave them the courage to work, even though it was dangerous and upsetting to their enemies, even though it caused internal challenges for them as a people, because coming together to do the work of rebuilding the walls meant fewer people in the fields, fewer people to guard the city. And yet, in spite of all of this, Nehemiah, in his wisdom and in his seeking of God, was able to create a more caring and loving society, and they were able to get the work done. This may surprise you, but in the midst of their work there were people taking advantage of those who were less fortunate. Can you imagine that? People coming together to do work, things not going well, and somebody trying to profit off of that? It's absurd. People were troubled, wondering how they would be able to get it all done, how they would build the wall, how they would keep one another safe, how they would bring in the harvest. Let me be clear, there wasn't some fast-track, no-bid contract that went out and the wall just got built. It was the people themselves who had to come together, many of whom were not masons and builders, to rebuild the wall, to care for their own safety. Nehemiah's wisdom and God's gracious hand guided him through the internal and external challenges to complete the work he set out to do. So now we're at Nehemiah chapter six. The walls are complete, the gates are not yet built, but they've got everything they need to build them. And here come again the enemies from outside. They've seen how the people have come together to complete this work, and they know once the gates go up, they'll have problems. So enter Sanballat and Tobiah, and Geshem the Arab, and all the neighbors who were displeased when Nehemiah showed up in the first place, back in chapter four, when the wall was only half its height. They sent word to Nehemiah, saying, come, let's meet and talk about this work you're doing. Nehemiah's wisdom told him that nothing good could come from meeting with them, because they wanted him to go twenty-five miles outside the city to talk. So he responded, saying, I must focus on my work, why would I stop to come and meet with you? Three more times they sent him the same message, saying, come meet us in this deserted place outside the city so we can talk, and three more times he sent the same reply: I'm working, talk to you later. He was focused on what he needed to do. So they tried to switch it up, using a tactic that may seem familiar to some of you. They set up an information campaign to discredit Nehemiah, sharing it with anyone who would listen, that's what the open letter refers to, instead of a sealed letter there was an open letter, a town crier walking around telling everybody what was in this letter being delivered to Nehemiah. Moreover, Sanballat and his crew paid people to go into the city and pretend to be prophets, to spread rumors that Nehemiah wanted to set himself up as king. They did this even knowing that Nehemiah had received letters from the King of Persia himself approving this work. But they were troubled, because they knew Nehemiah cared about the people, and he wanted to put an end to their ability to exploit the people of Jerusalem. They thought that if they could get rid of Nehemiah, the work would falter and they could go back to doing things the way they liked. Beloved, there are people in our world today, just as then, who count on cities and communities and states having weak and ineffective leadership, on people not having the things they need to care for those under their charge. We see it all the time here in D.C., we've seen it even more in the past two years. Think back to last year's attempt to take a billion dollars out of D.C.'s balanced budget, a balanced budget, from a Congress that hasn't passed one of its own in twenty-five years. The weakness of others was what they were relying on to give them a sense of power and control, and that is at the core of most, if not all, oppressive thinking: the thinking that someone else has to be down in order for me to be up, that someone has to be of low state, dehumanized and dismissed, in order for me to feel powerful and strong. This, of course, dismisses the teachings of the Torah and of Christ, perpetuating the fear that comes with feelings of scarcity. But Nehemiah doesn't give in to his own potential for fear as these lies and falsehoods are spread about him and the work of the people. He responds flatly and plainly with the truth, and then gets back to work. Verse eight, he begins: "Then I sent to him, saying, no such things as you say have been done, you are inventing them out of your own mind, for they are all wanting to frighten us, thinking their hands will drop from the work and it will not be done." And then comes Nehemiah's prayer: "But now, strengthen my hands." The late Reverend Doctor Ralph Klein, the former dean and professor emeritus of Old Testament at the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago, says it might be better translated, "but in fact, I redoubled my resolve." I redoubled my resolve. Whether it was an explicit prayer by Nehemiah or an act of faith built upon his steadfast faith in the God who had brought him thus far, Nehemiah resolved, in the face of hate and oppression, threats of violence, and attempts to demean him, with resolve and fortitude. We need that kind of resolve and fortitude today, beloved, because there are gaps in the walls meant to protect us, and in some places the walls have been torn down to the ground. That means we have work to do. From the pervasive and perverse actions of gangs of federal agents, with the assistance of our own MPD, roaming through the streets of our city, attacking people based on their ethnicity, as well as those who step out to protect them, to the National Guard troops whose planned presence here until 2029 is intended to normalize something that, as a veteran, I assure you is far from normal, through fear and intimidation, to keep people from exercising their rights and looking out for their neighbors. With all that, there are gaps in the walls and we have work to do. From threats by the executive branch of our federal government to refuse to allow whoever the people of D.C. elect as their mayor to take power, to the past refusal by certain leaders to swear in members of Congress because they didn't want them to take office, to the continually unfolding attacks on our electoral process here and across our country, beloved, there are gaps in the walls and we have work to do. From the continued objectification and domestic terrorism being wrought on Black and brown communities, to the emboldened, systematic efforts to create a permanent caste system of people living in poverty without the resources they need to survive, let alone thrive, we have work to do. When people who are experiencing homelessness and those who are housing insecure can't get an ID because a couple of people in the D.C. government don't see a problem, when people can't pay their healthcare bills or their utility bills or the gas in their car or the groceries they need to feed their families, there are gaps in the walls and we have work to do. I know it can seem overwhelming, because it is overwhelming. But I know that we're not alone, that we have one another to do this work together, some working, some watching over us, like they did in chapter four of Nehemiah, some working and some caring. I know that we have wise leaders, like your pastors and so many others throughout our city, our region, our country and our world, who are not just telling us but showing us with their actions what it means to show up and care for others, and how important it is for us to continue building those muscles of care for one another, especially in these moments when the threats are not just real but at the gates and inside the city. As it says in Galatians 6:9, "let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at the harvest time if we do not give up." If we do not give up, beloved, don't give up. Paul and Nehemiah knew a thing or two about the good and necessary work they had to do. They knew a thing or two about the challenges of working in dangerous and oppressive environments. They knew a thing or two about internal and external threats to their work, and they certainly knew a thing or two about having something that God put on their hearts, that they knew, that they knew, that they had to accomplish. I think if Paul had been around in Nehemiah's time, he might have sent him a note similar to the one he sent to the church in Philippi, where he says, in chapter one, verse six, "I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it." The same is true for us today, that the one who began this great work will see it through. Paul says, "I am confident of this." Given all that he had seen, all that he knew, all that had happened around him, given the threats that were levied against him, given the fact that his very occupation and his work was illegal and punishable by death, he was confident, not pretty sure, not "I think" or "I'm hopeful," but confident that the one who began a good work in you, he said. The one who began a good work in you, choir. The one who began a good work in you, Sarah. The one who began a good work in you, and you, and all of you, and all of us, would see that work continue to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Beloved, there's trouble in our city, there's trouble in our nation, and we have work to do. And we are not alone. So may we go forth from this day with the courage and the resolve, like Nehemiah, to finish the good work that is before us. May it be so. Amen.

Having answered His enemies' temptations three times now, Jesus takes the offensive during Holy Week. He warns the crowds and His disciples against the scribes and Pharisees. Although they rightly read the Word of God, which must be obeyed, their preaching and their practice are full of deceit and hypocrisy which must not be obeyed. Their preaching only proclaims the burden of the Law, with no salvation from the Gospel. Their concern for earthly glory only exacerbates the problem. In contrast, Jesus upholds the life of a servant as the paradigm for all who are members of His Church, for we know that God is the One who exalts us.  Rev. Tim Koch, pastor at Zion Lutheran Church in Linn, KS, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Matthew 23:1-12.  To learn more about Zion in Linn, visit zionlinn.org. “The Reign of Heaven Stands Near” is a series on Sharper Iron that studies the Gospel according to St. Matthew. The first evangelist proclaims that God has fulfilled His Old Testament promises by sending Jesus to bring the reign of the heavens among us. As the Son of David, Jesus is the gracious King we need, and as the Son of Abraham, Jesus is the blessing to all the families of the earth.  Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its broad context and its narrow detail, all for the sake of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen for sinners. Two pastors engage with God's Word to sharpen not only their own faith and knowledge, but the faith and knowledge of all who listen. Pastor Appel serves at Faith Lutheran Church in Godfrey, IL. Learn more at flcgodfrey.org. Submit comments or questions to: listener@kfuo.org

The Pharisees and Herodians form an unlikely alliance during Holy Week in an effort to trap Jesus. They believe they have Him cornered with a question about the lawfulness of paying taxes to the Roman government. Jesus lures them into their own trap as they bring out a coin for the tax and admit whose likeness is on the coin. Jesus' proverbial answer acknowledges Caesar's place in God's order, but more importantly teaches us to recognize God's rule over us and every aspect of our lives.  Rev. Philip Hoppe, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Colby, KS, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Matthew 22:15-22.  To learn more about Trinity in Colby, visit trinitycolby.org. “The Reign of Heaven Stands Near” is a series on Sharper Iron that studies the Gospel according to St. Matthew. The first evangelist proclaims that God has fulfilled His Old Testament promises by sending Jesus to bring the reign of the heavens among us. As the Son of David, Jesus is the gracious King we need, and as the Son of Abraham, Jesus is the blessing to all the families of the earth.  Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its broad context and its narrow detail, all for the sake of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen for sinners. Two pastors engage with God's Word to sharpen not only their own faith and knowledge, but the faith and knowledge of all who listen. Pastor Appel serves at Faith Lutheran Church in Godfrey, IL. Learn more at flcgodfrey.org. Submit comments or questions to: listener@kfuo.org

Jesus tells yet a third parable to the religious leaders during Holy Week; this time He compares God's reign in the world to a King who hosts a wedding feast for His Son. The religious leaders have made every excuse not to come to Jesus in faith, and they are preparing to kill Him as they have killed the prophets before Him. This brings about God's judgment, but He will have His feast full. Those whom He invites must come on His terms, wearing the wedding garments of faith. To come in any other way is to invite the condemnation of the King.  Rev. Peter Ill, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Millstadt, IL, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Matthew 22:1-14. To learn more about Trinity in Millstadt, visit trinitymillstadt.org. “The Reign of Heaven Stands Near” is a series on Sharper Iron that studies the Gospel according to St. Matthew. The first evangelist proclaims that God has fulfilled His Old Testament promises by sending Jesus to bring the reign of the heavens among us. As the Son of David, Jesus is the gracious King we need, and as the Son of Abraham, Jesus is the blessing to all the families of the earth.  Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its broad context and its narrow detail, all for the sake of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen for sinners. Two pastors engage with God's Word to sharpen not only their own faith and knowledge, but the faith and knowledge of all who listen. Pastor Appel serves at Faith Lutheran Church in Godfrey, IL. Learn more at flcgodfrey.org. Submit comments or questions to: listener@kfuo.org

WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS PODCAST EPISODE? Jesus curses an unproductive fig tree He cleans up the Temple – again Religious leaders are looking for a way to kill Jesus but can't formulate a plan Jesus reminds his followers that he will have to die Jehovah God verifies Jesus' ministry The disciples are stunned by a dead fig tree Jesus tells them to believe and pray in their belief Jesus is challenged to prove his authority for his ministry Jesus tells the parable of the disobedient sons Jesus tells a parable of the vineyard keeper and his murderous farmhands Jesus tells a parable of a wedding banquet no one wants to attend Jesus is challenged about paying taxes SCRIPTURES USED IN THIS PODCAST Mark 11:12-33 Luke 19:47-48 Matthew 21:14-16 John 12:20-36 Matthew 21:28-32 Mark 12:1-9 Matthew 21:42-46 Matthew 22:1-22 Luke 20:20-26 WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO HEAR NEXT? Jesus Stories is close to the end of the telling of the life of Jesus. What would you like to hear after we finish this story? I have three suggestions to throw out. The first option is to continue Jesus Stories by talking about the Jesus Stories which are created in the lives of the Apostles as the church is established and spread throughout the Roman Empire. This narrative will come from the book of Acts and other sources as appropriate. We'll use this time to talk about some of Paul's letters which were written in the same time period as the book of Acts. The second option is to jump back to the beginning of the scriptures and talk about the book of Genesis – the most foundational book in all of the Bible. Not only will we tell those stories, but we will look at how these stories point forward to Jesus and what they teach us today. Our final option is to back to the gospels and tell Jesus Stories from the individual gospels. In other words, we start with Matthew and tell of Jesus life and teachings from Matthew's narrative. Then we follow up with Mark, Luke, and finally John. (This is my preference!) FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JesusStoriesThePodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jesus_stories_the_podcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/JesusStoriesPod YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXqA5H3HdRA&list=PLOT9Cm5P1tsQp1U8cEilDk5icjxE55KA8 SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS: Savorista Coffee: https://savorista.com/discount/STORIESDEAL Hero Care Packages: https://herocarepackages.com/discount/STORIESDEAL gt.Photos: https://gtPhotos.pixels.com HAVE YOU SUBSCRIBED TO JESUS STORIES? Subscribing helps us to understand who is listening to us. You'll always know when a new episode is available, too. A win for both of us! Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

As Jesus continues teaching in the temple in Holy Week, the religious leaders demand that Jesus state His authority for acting and speaking in the manner He does. Marvelously evading their trap, Jesus sets a trap of His own as He asks about the source of John's baptism. When the religious leaders refuse to answer, Jesus refuses to answer their question directly. Instead, He begins a series of parables that shows the faithlessness of the religious leaders. Although they should have been sons of God, they have refused to listen to God by refusing the preaching of both John and Jesus, while notorious sinners have been welcomed into God's kingdom for receiving their preaching joyfully.  Rev. Kale Hanson, pastor at Zion Lutheran Church and School in Bethalto, IL, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Matthew 21:23-32.  To learn more about Zion Lutheran, visit zionbethalto.org. “The Reign of Heaven Stands Near” is a series on Sharper Iron that studies the Gospel according to St. Matthew. The first evangelist proclaims that God has fulfilled His Old Testament promises by sending Jesus to bring the reign of the heavens among us. As the Son of David, Jesus is the gracious King we need, and as the Son of Abraham, Jesus is the blessing to all the families of the earth.  Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its broad context and its narrow detail, all for the sake of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen for sinners. Two pastors engage with God's Word to sharpen not only their own faith and knowledge, but the faith and knowledge of all who listen. Pastor Appel serves at Faith Lutheran Church in Godfrey, IL. Learn more at flcgodfrey.org. Submit comments or questions to: listener@kfuo.org

The Lord's DaySeries: Divine RestScripture: Luke 23:50–24:12 (Common English Bible)Preacher: Rev. Sarah Harrison-McQueenWhat if the pauses in our lives are not empty spaces, but an essential part of the story God is writing?In this message from the Divine Rest sermon series, we explore the Sabbath between Good Friday and Easter Sunday—the day when Jesus lay in the tomb, the women waited in grief, and the world seemed to stand still.The sermon begins with a simple illustration from music: a rest is a pause between notes, but that pause is not meaningless. Rests give music its rhythm and meaning. In the same way, the spaces and pauses in our lives can give meaning to what happens around them.Luke's account of Holy Week gives us one of those important pauses. After Jesus' crucifixion, his body is placed in a tomb, and the women return home and rest on the Sabbath according to the commandment. They are living in grief and uncertainty, waiting without knowing what will happen next.The Sabbath gives them permission to pause. They do not have to immediately move past the pain of Good Friday or fill the silence with activity. They simply rest faithfully, even when that rest may feel more like endurance than peace.And then Sunday comes.The women go to the tomb expecting to find death. Instead, they find the stone rolled away and the tomb empty. The resurrection arrives in confusion, wonder, and the startling realization that God is doing something new.The first day of the new week became the Lord's Day for the early Christians—the day when followers of Jesus gathered to celebrate the resurrection and the new creation God had begun.Every Sunday when we gather for worship, we echo that first resurrection morning. We proclaim that the tomb is empty, death is not the final word, and new creation has begun.Sunday worship is more than a weekly habit or another item on the calendar. It is a weekly theological statement. It is a chance to gather as the body of Christ and become a visible sign of God's new creation.John Wesley described gathered worship as one of the means of grace—not because attending worship earns us points with God, but because something happens when the people of Christ gather together. We become a glimpse of God's kingdom and a sign of what God is doing in the world.But we can become so accustomed to Sunday worship that we forget how remarkable it is. We can arrive exhausted or distracted, already thinking about everything that comes after worship. The rhythm of rest creates space for us to notice what God is doing.Just as the women went to the tomb expecting death but encountered life, we are invited to come to worship with a sense of anticipation and wonder:What is God doing today?As we continue through Divine Rest, we are invited to consider the holy pauses in our own lives—the places where waiting, rest, and stillness may not feel productive, but may be creating space for us to notice God's presence and receive the new life God is bringing.Reflection Questions:• The women rested faithfully on the Sabbath, even though that day was saturated with grief and uncertainty. Have you ever had to be faithful through a season of waiting when obedience felt more like endurance than peace? What did you learn from it?• The sermon described Sunday worship as a weekly theological statement: the tomb is empty, death is not the final word, and new creation has begun. Does that description match how you actually experience Sunday morning? What would need to change if it doesn't?• If the rests in a piece of music are what give the notes their meaning, where in your own life do you see the opportunity for rests to add meaning to your life? Support the show

Jesus passes through Jericho as He nears Jerusalem. There, two blind men beg for mercy from Jesus because they see Him truly as the Son of David. When the crowd tries to silence the men, their prayers grow louder. Jesus asks the two men the same question He had asked the mother of the sons of Zebedee, and these two blind men ask for something Jesus has come to grant. He grants them physical sight, matching their spiritual sight. Unlike a previous healing, after this miracle, Jesus does not tell the men to be silent. As Holy Week draws near, the time has come for the world to see what it means that Jesus is the Son of David.  Rev. Dr. Martin Dressler, pastor at Salem Lutheran Church and School in Black Jack, MO, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Matthew 20:29-34.  “The Reign of Heaven Stands Near” is a series on Sharper Iron that studies the Gospel according to St. Matthew. The first evangelist proclaims that God has fulfilled His Old Testament promises by sending Jesus to bring the reign of the heavens among us. As the Son of David, Jesus is the gracious King we need, and as the Son of Abraham, Jesus is the blessing to all the families of the earth.  Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its broad context and its narrow detail, all for the sake of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen for sinners. Two pastors engage with God's Word to sharpen not only their own faith and knowledge, but the faith and knowledge of all who listen. Pastor Appel serves at Faith Lutheran Church in Godfrey, IL. Learn more at flcgodfrey.org. Submit comments or questions to: listener@kfuo.org

This week in our verse-by-verse journey through Matthew, Pastor Karl unpacks Matthew 22 — a pivotal chapter set on the Tuesday before Jesus' crucifixion, where four different groups challenge his authority, only to be silenced one by one.Pastor Karl opens with a look at how authority is viewed differently across generations, from the positional authority respected by Baby Boomers to the influencer-driven authority sought by Gen Z, and asks a pointed question: what — or who — do we actually let have authority in our lives?From there, the message walks through Jesus' encounters with the Pharisees, Herodians, Sadducees, and religious lawyers, showing how Jesus asserts his authority over five key areas: how we enter the Kingdom (the Parable of the Wedding Feast), what we owe the Kingdom (the "render unto Caesar" exchange), what Scripture means (the resurrection debate), what matters most (the greatest commandment), and ultimately, who he is (the identity of the Messiah).The big idea: Jesus alone has the authority to define the Kingdom, define truth, define obedience, and define our relationship with God. This isn't a Jesus who asks for a place in your life — it's a Jesus who claims authority over all of it.Join us in person 8:00am, 9:30am & 11:00am every Sunday morning.37193 Ave 12 #3h, Madera, CA 93636For more visit us at flipside.churchFor more podcasts visit flipsidepodcasts.transistor.fm

What does daily worship actually look like when Sunday morning is over?In the final week of our Ordinary Holy series, Pastor Jon Thompson walks through Romans 12 to show us the foundation of a holy, everyday life. Throughout this summer, we have explored how our faith touches work, rest, food, technology, and relationships. Romans 12 brings it all together: in view of God's immense mercy toward us, we are called to offer our whole lives back to Him as living sacrifices.True worship isn't confined to what happens on stage during musical worship. It's lived out on Monday morning, Thursday night, and everywhere in between. When we surrender our minds, our time, and our relationships to Jesus, the Holy Spirit transforms us from the inside out.In this message, Pastor Jon unpacks how Romans 1–11 grounds us in God's unstoppable mercy before we are asked to act, what it truly means to be a "living sacrifice" in today's world and the practical contrast between the pattern of this world and a spirit-led life.

Pastor Karl continues the Kingdom Now series with a hard-hitting look at Matthew 21:18–46, where Jesus confronts religion without fruit. The big idea: because Jesus is King, genuine faith must produce the fruit of obedience.Starting with Jesus cursing the barren fig tree — a symbol of Israel's outward religion with no inward fruit — Pastor Karl walks through the chronology of that Passion Week Tuesday, tracing Old Testament roots in Leviticus 26's blessings and curses. From there he unpacks the religious leaders' challenge to Jesus's authority, the Parable of the Two Sons (obedience over empty profession), and the Parable of the Wicked Tenants, where Jesus becomes the rejected cornerstone.The application lands close to home: faith isn't the fruit — faith produces fruit. Are you relying on looking religious instead of living in repentance? A sobering call to let genuine faith show.Join us in person 8:00am, 9:30am & 11:00am every Sunday morning.37193 Ave 12 #3h, Madera, CA 93636For more visit us at flipside.churchFor more podcasts visit flipsidepodcasts.transistor.fm

What happens when the life you're standing in looks nothing like the one you imagined? In Week 10 of our Ordinary Holy series, Pastor Joël St. John explores Matthew 16:13-25 to unpack how our mental pictures can distort our identity and our relationships. Discover how surrendering our expectations to Jesus allows us to step out of our own fantasies, engage our actual lives, and experience the real hope of resurrection.

Have you ever tried to pray, only to find your mind wandering to your to-do list, an old argument, or everything else happening in your day? In today's episode, Angela Mason explores what it means to “pray continually” and how prayer can become more than a formal practice— it can become a constant awareness of God's presence throughout our ordinary lives. As we learn to turn everyday moments into opportunities for prayer, we're reminded that we don't need perfect focus or perfect prayers to approach God. Through Jesus, the invitation is always open. Prayer keeps us connected to God, strengthens our faith when answers are delayed, and transforms the ordinary moments of life into opportunities to experience His presence.Speakers: Angela MasonPublication: August 17, 2026

This week, Julia Allan walks through the Parable of the Two Sons (Matthew 21:28-32). Jesus presents this parable in the temple, the Tuesday of Holy Week, just moments after the chief priests demanded to know by what authority Jesus was teaching. In the parable, one son says the words their father wants to hear, but doesn't do what he said he would. The other outright refuses, then changes his mind and does what his father asked. And then, Jesus concludes by telling the religious leaders that tax collectors and prostitutes are actively entering the Kingdom ahead of them. The question that sits underneath the parable, a question that everyone in Jerusalem was already asking is, "Who is this?" That's a question we must ask ourselves, too. Who do we think Jesus is and will we grant him authority over our time, finances, gifts, work, and relationships?

As Jesus enters Holy Week, He finds Himself face-to-face with the religious leaders who question His authority. Through two powerful vineyard parables, Jesus exposes the difference between simply looking faithful on the outside and actually living a life of repentance, obedience, and transformation. These stories remind us that God isn't primarily concerned with our religious […] The post Matthew 21:23-46 – Vineyard Stories appeared first on Sierra Bible Church.

Hour 1 for 8/6/26 Drew welcomes John Edwards to share his story and conversion from a life of addiction to ministry (1:00), his low point during Holy Week (12:55), time in jail (24:01), his ministry today, and his new book (43:06). Link: https://justaguyinthepew.com/ Original Air Date: 6/5/26

This edition was available to Cloud of Witnesses Patreons since July 6, 2026.Her dad died by suicide when she was 9 and it rewired everything. Years later, a hunger for truth pulled her from non-denominational church to Hebrew Roots, then to Orthodox liturgy.A faith crisis rarely starts with an abstract argument. Sometimes it starts with a funeral, a silent house, and a kid trying to understand why a father is suddenly gone. Our guest Taylor Biss (Voice of Taylor on Instagram) joins Jeremy Jeremiah of Cloud of Witnesses from Australia to share the story that shaped her: losing her Catholic father to suicide at nine years old, growing up detached, and carrying questions about grief, isolation, and what God does with the brokenhearted.• childhood trauma after a parent's suicide and the loneliness that follows• wrestling with fears about eternity and learning to trust God's compassion• a decisive encounter with prayer and a message about God's heart for daughters• being discipled by older women and learning the basics of Christian faith• tensions in non-denominational church life when serious Bible questions arise• why Hebrew Roots feels solid at first through Torah, Sabbath, and festivals• the movement's internal chaos, sacred name confusion, and anti-divinity claims about Jesus• a 2020 Israel trip exposing racism and excuses framed as “bloodline” privilege• leaving Hebrew Roots, resisting New Age drift, and seeking reverent worship• stepping into Orthodox Christianity and returning to weekly liturgy with her childrenTaylor walks us through the moment everything changed at seventeen when she finally said yes to church and encountered Christ through prayer and a message about God's heart toward daughters. We talk about discipleship, older women stepping in with real spiritual care, and how discovering the Father's love can heal places you didn't even know were starving. From there, the conversation turns to something many listeners will recognize: reading the Bible deeply, asking sincere questions, and realizing the non-denominational model often cannot answer with consistency or depth.That hunger for truth leads Taylor into the Hebrew Roots movement, Torah-keeping, Sabbath practices, and biblical festivals that feel “original” at first, until the cracks show up: endless private interpretations, sacred name confusion that wrecks prayer, and even teaching that denies the divinity of Jesus. A trip to Israel in 2020 becomes a major turning point as she sees racism and spiritual double standards up close. When she finally steps away, she admits how close she comes to drifting into New Age spirituality, before a longing for reverent worship pulls her toward historic Christianity and her first Divine Liturgy during Holy Week and Pascha.If you've wrestled with deconstruction, Hebrew Roots, church hurt, or a search for Orthodox Christianity that actually feels grounded, this one will meet you where you are. Subscribe, share this with a friend who's searching, and leave a review then tell us: what question or moment most shaped your faith journey?Questions about Orthodoxy? Please check out our friends at Ghost of Byzantium Discord server: https://discord.gg/JDJDQw6tdhPlease prayerfully consider supporting Cloud of Witnesses Radio: https://www.patreon.com/c/CloudofWitnessesFind Cloud of Witnesses Radio on Instagram, X.com, Facebook, and TikTok.Please leave a comment with your thoughts!

Want to reach out to us? Want to leave a comment or review? Want to give us a suggestion or berate Anthony? Send us a text by clicking this link!Joy is not hiding at the bottom of your feed, and Pope Leo says it out loud. We start with his short, direct warning about endless scrolling, pornography culture, promiscuity, superficial relationships, and obsession with image, then pull on the thread that really matters: what happens to Catholic life when attention is constantly fractured and faith turns into something we only argue about instead of something we actually live.From there we go straight at a problem a lot of serious Catholics feel but rarely name clearly: American Catholicism can end up as intellectual Catholicism shaped by Protestant convert habits and argument-first catechesis. We're grateful for solid apologetics, but we also ask why videos of Holy Week in Spain go viral while many American parishes struggle to sustain processions, festivals, and the ordinary customs that used to form families and neighborhoods. We talk about what broke the chain, including liturgical disruption, catechesis failures, the collapse of local community, suburban dislocation, online life replacing in-person life, and the lingering trust crisis around clergy.Then we get practical. “Uniquely American Catholic culture” does not mean copying European aesthetics or doing something cringe on purpose. We explore small, repeatable, parish-level traditions like a yearly rosary walk, a local pilgrimage, seasonal devotions, and family practices that become culture over time. We also share a surprising read of The Odyssey as an allegory for disorder, the suitors, and the return that puts the house in order, plus why that storyline hits so hard in the middle of a Church crisis.If this conversation lit a fire or hit a nerve, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more people who care about Catholic life can find us. What's one concrete tradition you'd start in your parish this year?Support the showGet 10% off an amazing Black Monk Rosary by going to https://www.blackmonkrosaries.com/?ref=AVOIDINGBABYLON and using code AVOIDINGBABYLON at checkout!Check out our sponsor, Nic Nac, at www.nicnac.com and use code "AB25%" for 25% off of your first order!Please subscribe! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKsxnv80ByFV4OGvt_kImjQ?sub_confirmation=1https://www.avoidingbabylon.comMerchandise: https://avoiding-babylon-shop.fourthwall.comLocals Community: https://avoidingbabylon.locals.comFull Premium/Locals Shows on Audio Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1987412/subscribeRSS Feed for Podcast Apps: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/1987412.rss

Episode Title: From Waiting to Living: Maria Valentina Almeida's Journey After Kidney Transplant Episode Description: On this weeks episode of This Thing Called Life, just weeks after receiving the life-changing phone call she'd been praying for, Maria Valentina Almeida returns to share what life looks like after a successful kidney transplant. From years of declining kidney function to receiving a life-saving transplant through the National Kidney Registry's Voucher Program, Maria reflects on the journey that has transformed not only her health but her outlook on life. Maria opens up about the emotional day she received "the call," her recovery, the generosity of her living donor, and the faith that carried her through every step of the process. Filled with gratitude, hope, and renewed purpose, this episode is a powerful reminder of the extraordinary impact of living donation and the importance of sharing stories that inspire others to become organ donors. Episode Highlights Host Andi Johnson welcomes Maria Valentina Almeida back to This Thing Called Life to celebrate her remarkable recovery following a successful kidney transplant. Maria shares that she received her transplant on April 2 and has experienced an incredible improvement in kidney function—from just 9% before surgery to approximately 90% afterward. She expresses profound gratitude for her living donor and reflects on the priceless gift of receiving a second chance at life. Looking back on the months since her transplant, Maria shares how restored health has transformed her mindset, giving her renewed energy, optimism, and excitement for the future. Andi and Maria celebrate several life milestones made possible by her improved health, including attending her sister's wedding and eagerly anticipating the birth of her first niece. Maria reflects on the spiritual significance of receiving her transplant during Holy Week, describing the experience as a powerful reminder of God's timing, hope, and renewal. She vividly recounts the emotional moment she received the long-awaited transplant call, sharing the shock, excitement, and overwhelming gratitude she felt as she told her family the life-changing news. Maria describes the emotional reactions of her parents and sister, highlighting the unwavering support they provided throughout her health journey. The conversation honors the late Liz Bonis, who gave Maria the opportunity to publicly share her transplant journey and advocate for organ donation. Maria reflects on Liz's generosity, kindness, and lasting impact on her life. Maria explains how the National Kidney Registry Voucher Program made her transplant possible after a compassionate donor, who was not a direct match, chose to donate on her behalf. She breaks down how the voucher program works, illustrating how one act of generosity can create a chain of life-saving transplants for multiple families. Maria speaks about the deep gratitude she feels toward the donor whose selfless decision forever changed her life. She also reminds listeners that transplantation is a treatment—not a cure—and discusses the lifelong commitment required after surgery, including medications, regular monitoring, and managing side effects. Maria shares the unforgettable moment she woke up after surgery and immediately noticed the physical difference, describing increased energy, improved appetite, and a renewed appreciation for everyday life. Inspired by her experience, Maria hopes to use her testimony to encourage others facing kidney disease and to advocate for organ, eye, and tissue donation. She emphasizes the importance of faith, family, community, and self-advocacy, encouraging listeners to seek support, ask questions, and never lose hope during difficult seasons. The episode concludes with Andi celebrating Maria's incredible journey and expressing excitement for the meaningful future that now lies ahead. Key Takeaways 1. A Living Donor Can Change Multiple Lives Maria's story demonstrates how one selfless act through the National Kidney Registry Voucher Program created a pathway to a life-saving transplant, proving that generosity has the power to impact far more people than we often realize. 2. A Transplant Is the Beginning of a New Journey Receiving a transplant is not the end of the story. Lifelong care, medication, and healthy habits remain essential, but they also open the door to renewed health, new opportunities, and a brighter future. 3. Faith, Community, and Hope Sustain Us Through Life's Hardest Seasons Maria's journey highlights the incredible strength found in faith, supportive relationships, and the willingness to share one's story to encourage others facing similar challenges. Tweetable Quotes “I definitely have been just way more passionate about my future, about life, knowing that I have new restored health. My mindset of everything has completely shifted. I have so many goals set up. Every single day I'm just like trying to get better and better so that I can hit the next milestone.” Maria Valentina Almeida “It was just such a blessing and such a relief to hear. I was waiting for so long for those words. I wasn't sure if it was going to be a kidney, a diseased donor, or a living donor, and the fact that my national kidney registry voucher donor, her decision to donate on my behalf paid off because they found my match. It's just so incredible. I it just it really leaves you speechless.” Maria Valentina Almeida “I was just completely in shock, and yeah, I was. It just made me respect just the the the the value of life so much more, and respect her as a person, knowing that she was struggling with something, and still being such a selfless human.” Maria Valentina Almeida on Liz Bonis's loss. “t all started was that there was this woman, who was interested in giving me the gift of life. However, she wasn't a direct match for me, so she couldn't donate her kidney to me. She decided to continue on and find resources to still give the chance and put me higher up in the list for for that kidney match. And so that's how she found out about the National Kidney Registry.” Maria Valentina Almeida “I'm just so humbled by the the opportunity that I got to be part of that voucher program and to have someone willingly want to give to someone else in order to help me. Like you don't see that every day.” Maria Valentina Almeida “I know that this is just confirmation that there is a plan for me. That God definitely wants me to do something with my life, and you know, use my testimony to continue, you know, bringing hope to people, giving faith to people that are struggling with the same disease” Maria Valentina Almeida Resources: Donatelifeky.org https://getoffthelist.org/ https://www.networkforhope.org/ https://www.networkforhope.org/about-us/ https://www.networkforhope.org/stories-of-hope/ https://www.facebook.com/NetworkForHopeOPO https://www.youtube.com/@NetworkforHope. https://aopo.org/ RegisterMe.org/NetworkforHope

A Palm Sunday sermon by Kezzie Joyner, Evan Schmalzbach, William Sleeman, Ava DealScents have a way of rapturing us out of our present into a memory. The other day Daphne made beignets, the kind we both grew up eating in Africa, and as I bit into it and the smell filled my senses, I was a 6-year-old boy on the streets of Malabo. I can't describe how the smell and taste populated my mind and memory with the sights and sounds of Equatorial Guinea in 1988.I'm guessing the Apostle John had a similar scent memory with the smell of the perfume broken free from Mary's alabaster box. Decades later as John composed his Gospel, I wonder if the smell came back to him. I think it did. I think whenever he smelled nard, he was transported back to that night when, “The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume” (John 12.3). It was a sweet memory because it signaled the time had come for Jesus to become our Passover lamb (1 Corinthians 5.7b). Anointed for burial He will bring us to new life in His resurrection!The Apostle Matthew would remember this night, recalling how Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, wherever this good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her” (Matthew 26.13). Mary's love for Jesus is vibrantly evident. Jesus is the One who made room for her among His disciples (Luke 10.38-42). Jesus is the One who wept with her in her deepest grief (John 11.32-35). He is the One who raised her brother Lazarus back from the dead (John 11.38-44). Who else was more deserving of her absolute devotion, but Jesus Christ?!Friends, it's right we call Jesus our Christ and Messiah. Both words, in Greek and Hebrew, carry the meaning of being anointed. When He began His ministry, Jesus was anointed by the Father with the Holy Spirit and power (Acts 10.38). Divinely anointed at the beginning, it's fitting then we would anoint Him on his way to the cross. We, the humanity made in His image. We, who are made whole in His sacrifice, would devote our most priceless gifts for His worship. This Holy Week may the Lord, our anointed Messiah, fill our senses with the fullness of His glory.

An Ash Wednesday sermon by Pastor Brett Deal.Wednesday is the beginning of Lent, the first of forty days which lead us to Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem and the start of Holy Week. All across the world, fellow followers of Jesus will make this spiritual pilgrimage—from Ash Wednesday through Holy Saturday—a time of heartfelt repentance. To aid us in our devotion at Eternity, we will be walking alongside Jesus with His beloved disciples John. It's important to note here at the outset, Lent is not a sprint. The goal is not to see who can get to the cross fastest. Lent is a journey, a few steps a day.We see this pace in Jesus' ministry. He could have rushed to Jerusalem and established His Messianic reign by angelic force (Lord knows that's what folks thought the Messiah would do!). Instead, Jesus began His ministry in the waters of baptism, modeling for us the way of repentance (John 1.29-34). Right now, take a moment of silent prayer and repent (acknowledging where you've fallen short). Following His baptism, John records Jesus' first sign (John 2.1-12). The wedding at Cana, seen in the light of baptism, takes on a whole new layer of meaning. We all want a good life filled with celebration and joy. We all save up and allocate resources for special occasions. But we will also all experience times when our stockpiles run out, our plans for self-sufficiency run dry. All our lives at some point grind to a halt. This is where Christ enters in. We cannot baptize ourselves, absolving ourselves of sin, but Christ can. He is the One who receives our repentance, washes us clean in His blood (1 John 5.6-8). We cannot turn water to wine, but He takes our water vats (dedicated for ceremonial cleaning)—our active symbols of repentance—and fills them to the brim. He takes the water of our repentance and transforms it into the wine of joy. Take a moment now to thank Him for the abundance of His generosity in your life.

Her dad died by suicide when she was 9 and it rewired everything. Years later, a hunger for truth pulled her from non-denominational church to Hebrew Roots, then to Orthodox liturgy.A faith crisis rarely starts with an abstract argument. Sometimes it starts with a funeral, a silent house, and a kid trying to understand why a father is suddenly gone. Our guest Taylor Biss (Voice of Taylor on Instagram) joins Jeremy Jeremiah of Cloud of Witnesses from Australia to share the story that shaped her: losing her Catholic father to suicide at nine years old, growing up detached, and carrying questions about grief, isolation, and what God does with the brokenhearted.• childhood trauma after a parent's suicide and the loneliness that follows• wrestling with fears about eternity and learning to trust God's compassion• a decisive encounter with prayer and a message about God's heart for daughters• being discipled by older women and learning the basics of Christian faith• tensions in non-denominational church life when serious Bible questions arise• why Hebrew Roots feels solid at first through Torah, Sabbath, and festivals• the movement's internal chaos, sacred name confusion, and anti-divinity claims about Jesus• a 2020 Israel trip exposing racism and excuses framed as “bloodline” privilege• leaving Hebrew Roots, resisting New Age drift, and seeking reverent worship• stepping into Orthodox Christianity and returning to weekly liturgy with her childrenTaylor walks us through the moment everything changed at seventeen when she finally said yes to church and encountered Christ through prayer and a message about God's heart toward daughters. We talk about discipleship, older women stepping in with real spiritual care, and how discovering the Father's love can heal places you didn't even know were starving. From there, the conversation turns to something many listeners will recognize: reading the Bible deeply, asking sincere questions, and realizing the non-denominational model often cannot answer with consistency or depth.That hunger for truth leads Taylor into the Hebrew Roots movement, Torah-keeping, Sabbath practices, and biblical festivals that feel “original” at first, until the cracks show up: endless private interpretations, sacred name confusion that wrecks prayer, and even teaching that denies the divinity of Jesus. A trip to Israel in 2020 becomes a major turning point as she sees racism and spiritual double standards up close. When she finally steps away, she admits how close she comes to drifting into New Age spirituality, before a longing for reverent worship pulls her toward historic Christianity and her first Divine Liturgy during Holy Week and Pascha.If you've wrestled with deconstruction, Hebrew Roots, church hurt, or a search for Orthodox Christianity that actually feels grounded, this one will meet you where you are. Subscribe, share this with a friend who's searching, and leave a review then tell us: what question or moment most shaped your faith journey?Questions about Orthodoxy? Please check out our friends at Ghost of Byzantium Discord server: https://discord.gg/JDJDQw6tdhPlease prayerfully consider supporting Cloud of Witnesses Radio: https://www.patreon.com/c/CloudofWitnessesFind Cloud of Witnesses Radio on Instagram, X.com, Facebook, and TikTok.Please leave a comment with your thoughts!

This is a cheeky special extended excerpt from this month's full Chronicles episode. To hear the whole thing, and get access to future Chronicles with Svein, become a PODIUM Member via our Substack.

Just after completing the Olivet Discourse, Matthew pivotsback to the progressing events in the narrative of Holy Week. Only a couple days removed from the Triumphal Entry, and a couple days ahead of the crucifixion, Jesus one last time prepares His disciples for what He is about to endure. All thewhile, the leaders of Israel secretly scheme about how they kill Him. A sermon preached by Caleb Stomberg at Legacy ReformedBaptist Church in East Grand Forks, MN.

Hour 3 for 6/5/26 Drew welcomes John Edwards to share his story and conversion from a life of addiction to ministry (1:00), his low point during Holy Week (12:55), time in jail (24:01), his ministry today, and his new book (43:06). Link: https://justaguyinthepew.com/

Taylor Phinney, once one of the biggest names in American cycling is back! In this wide-ranging conversation, Ted and Taylor reconnect in Monterey, CA at Sea Otter shortly after Taylor's announcement of a return to cycling with eyes on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Recorded in two parts; part one in the chaos (and comedy) of a busy Sea Otter afternoon and a second via Zoom ahead of gravel's Holy Week, Unbound. The episode blends reflection on his early career, his 2014 injury, life outside cycling in Girona, and what's driving his comeback now. Check out Ted's time at Holy Week! Part 1 -- Flanders: https://youtu.be/8p3Rxgi5EaY Part 2 -- Paris-Roubiax: https://youtu.be/FYlJzsvGaaY  Improve your sleep by visiting LagoonSleep.com/king and use the code KING for 15% savings Thanks Bicycle Accident Law for supporting this show! Visit https://www.bicycleaccidentlaw.com/bicycle-accident-legal-articles/ted-king-podcast Support gut health and overall health with www.DrinkAG1.com/tedking

Kelsey sits down with Kirsten (@pointstravel.md), a Pediatric ER doctor from upstate New York, to recap her family of five's incredible trip to Italy in April 2025. They spent time in both Rome and Sorrento, with day trips to Pompeii and Orvieto, plus unforgettable adventures along the Amalfi Coast and out to Capri.In this episode, Kirsten shares what it was really like visiting Italy with kids, including touring the Colosseum, attending Gladiator School (a family favorite!) seeing the Pantheon, taking a pizza-making class, boating to Capri, exploring Pompeii, and soaking in all the pizza, gelato, history, and beautiful Italian scenery along the way!This episode is available to watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kelseygravesIf you'd like to share about your trip on the podcast, email me at: kelsey@triptalespodcast.comBuy Me A Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/kelseygravesFollow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelsey_gravesFollow me on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mskelseygravesJoin us in the Trip Tales Podcast Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1323687329158879Mentioned in this episode:- @pointstravel.md on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pointstravel.md/- TripIt App- Rome AirBNB: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/963857416949581312- ROME: The Colosseum, Golf Cart Tour, The Pantheon, Tiramisu & Pizza Making Class (through Eat Walk Italy), Mama Loves Rome for scavenger hunt printables, Gladiator School (by Gruppo Storico Romano), Mizio (street food, best sandwiches)- Orvieto, Italy: Duomo, Orvieto Underground, Etruscan Museum- Trenitalia App for train tickets- Sorrento AirBNB: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/36904867 - SORRENTO: Campania Express vs. Circumvesuviana train, Holy Week, Tavern Allegra (nice Italian restaurant), Amalfi Coast Tour with Rainbow Limos to Postiano, Ravello and Amalfi, Pizzeria da Franco, Capri, Monte Solaro Chair Lift in Anacapri- Pompeii: Family tour with Alex Tour Pompeii- Capri: Iconic Faraglioni rock formations, Blue Grotto, Anacapri, Monte Solaro Chair LiftTrip Tales is a travel podcast sharing real vacation stories and trip itineraries for family travel, couples getaways, cruises, and all-inclusive resorts. Popular episodes feature destinations like Marco Island Florida, Costa Rica with kids, Disney Cruise Line, Disney Aulani in Hawaii, Beaches Turks & Caicos, Park City ski trips, Aruba, Italy, Ireland, Portugal's Azores, New York City, Alaska cruises, and U.S. National Parks. Listeners get real travel tips, itinerary recommendations, hotel reviews, restaurant recommendations, and inspiration for planning their next vacation, especially when traveling with kids.

0:00 You came back — Holy Week opens3:15 Opening statement: the table the world holds its breath for8:00 Your "chair" stories from last week12:30 Terminal lucidity — the last normal night18:45 Good Friday in funeral service23:00 The boy in the suit at the graveside ("Is he in the box?")28:30 Holy Saturday — the most underrepresented day in grief33:15 The family who made a list of "weekend jobs"37:40 Selection Room — why funeral homes need to show up online42:50 Resurrection in real life: cooking breakfast on the beach——Every Tuesday at 7pm EST, this is the room.No highlight reel. No performance. Just honest conversation about grief, loss, and what it means to keep going.This week is Holy Week — and I couldn't let this Tuesday pass without talking about what this week actually means for the people who are carrying something heavy right now.Tonight I'm sharing stories from 15 years inside the funeral profession. The families I sat with. The moments I've never forgotten. And why the part of the Easter story nobody talks about — the Saturday in between — might be the most honest picture of grief ever written.We'll also talk about what it means to serve people on the worst days of their lives, and why that work deserves to be seen.If you're in a season of waiting right now — if your table has an empty seat this week — this one is for you.https://selectionroom.iohttps://stan.store/thenathanmorrisText me: https://laylo.com/nathanmorris

Before Jesus can use you, He has to disrupt you — and that's actually good news. We all love the version of Jesus who comforts us, encourages us, and comes alongside us. But what do we do with the Jesus who confronts us? Because that's exactly who we meet in Mark chapter 11. This story is situated in Holy Week, and as Jesus enters Jerusalem for the last time, everything is about to shift. The crowds are cheering, palm branches are flying, and people are crying out Hosanna — God, save us! It's a high moment. And then Jesus walks into the temple... and turns it upside down. Here's what I want you to see today, because this is the passage that gets misused more than almost any other: you are not Jesus in this story. You are the temple. Before Jesus can use any of us for anything, He has to come in and disrupt the systems inside of us that keep us from real worship — the appearances, the transactions, the religion-without-transformation that can look perfectly healthy on the outside while bearing zero fruit. We also dig into the curious moment when Jesus curses a fig tree — and why that's not about Jesus needing breakfast. It's a prophetic symbol, pointing to the same problem in the temple: the appearance of life without the substance of it. Looking good on the outside, but not actually connected to God at all. And we sit with something I find both hard and beautiful: as the story enters Passion Week, Jesus doesn't just overturn tables — He goes on to suffer. He allows things to happen to Him because He knows what it's accomplishing. And because He went ahead of us in that suffering, we are never alone in ours. We can't have a life that's Jesus plus anything. It's Jesus plus nothing — and that actually ends up being everything. Want More?

3 Albertan Warriors. Persecuted Patriots. Zero filters. Pastor Artur Pawlowski and Freedom Convoy founder James Bauder return with host Brad Wozny, united again as 3 Albertan Warriors confronting Canada's wide-open, Luciferian driven agenda cracking down hard upon faith, freedom, our innocent children and divine dissent:  from Bill C-9, the gun grab, the land grab, the tax grab, the open border invasions and Ottawa's cabal driven power machine… where Deep State regime elements across the political, media, business, military, and judicial landscapes now mirror the same strangleholds once imposed on the good peoples across Venezuela, Iran, and Cuba. With an extimated 90,000 Canadians executed via MAiD since 2016 per Canada's own reporting (a number estimated at 8 times higher than the Nazis in Germany), forced vaccinations, taxpayer backed mutilation of children from ‘gender affirming care', plus taxpayer funded grooming of kids in classrooms and libraries, to the taxpayer sponsored mutilation of Canada's children nationwide, the end times are here.  CSIS and U.S. law enforcement alone have continually warned Canada provides a safe-haven to terrorists, Canadian banks have laundered for Cartels, Canadian companies found by the US Government this month to be funding Hezbollah and Hamas organizations, while alt media reporter Nick Shirley's upcoming investigation exposes the ongoing immigrant invasion as cultural coercion and Holy Week spiritual warfare rage on.  Pastor Pawlowski and James Bauder lay out some of the receipts, the pressure points, and all three will discuss what comes next for Alberta and the nation.  America and major MAGA influencers are horrified as they watch the wide-open destruction of the second-largest nation on earth, overrun by outright tyranny. Finally, as Holy Week spiritual warfare unfolds, sovereignty, accountability, and the battle for the soul of the West collide at a tipping point. The Creator is our witness.

This week on a special crossover episode of “Jesuitical,” Ashley and Colleen Dulle, host of the “Inside the Vatican” podcast, speak with Gerard O'Connell, America's senior Vatican correspondent, and his wife Elisabetta Piqué about co-writing The Election of Pope Leo XIV: The Last Surprise of Pope Francis. In “Signs of the Times,” Ashley and guest host Sebastian break down Pope Leo's first Holy Week and how it was shaped by the conflict between the United States and Iran. They also discuss astronaut Victor Glover, the pilot of the Artemis II mission, and his Easter message from space.  Finally, in “As One Friend Speaks to Another,” Ashley and Sebastian talk about how the death and resurrection of Christ can help us understand and live through the extremes of this past week's news—the threat of Iran's total destruction and the new heights reached by humanity in space.  Links: The Election of Pope Leo XIV: The Last Surprise of Pope Francis, by Gerard O'Connell and Elisabetta Pique Excerpt: Behind the scenes of Pope Leo XIV's election Pope Leo praises U.S.-Iran ceasefire as ‘sign of genuine hope,' presses for peace Pope Leo: Trump's threat to destroy Iran ‘truly unacceptable' What photos from the Artemis II astronauts say to us in a time of war Artemis astronaut: Moon mission inspires wonder, prayer and unity You can follow us on X and on Instagram @jesuiticalshow.   You can find us on Facebook at facebook.com/groups/jesuitical.  Please consider supporting “Jesuitical” by becoming a digital subscriber to America magazine at americamagazine.org/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's Holy Week here in northern Europe and that means we're smack between Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. A few days out from Roubaix, I thought it would be a great time to launch this episode with George Hincapie as he talks his way through the history of the upstart American pro team, Modern Adventure Pro Cycling. You've likely seen their eye catching kits, you've seen them headed out in the breakaway of some of the biggest races of the year this year already, now it's time to dig into a conversation with George to hear all about this team, where it's from and where it's going. Plus lots more! Big thanks goes out to our sponsors: Matt Scarborough and Bicycle Accident Law, visit them at https://www.bicycleaccidentlaw.com/bicycle-accident-legal-articles/ted-king-podcast Lagoon Sleep and their incredible pillows! Check them out at LagoonSleep.com/king and use the code KING for 15% off your next piece of the optimal recovery puzzle.  AG1. Visit drinkAG1.com/tedking for a welcome kit and those great travel packs!

He is risen. In this final episode of our Holy Week series, I walk through the resurrection account in Matthew 28, the history behind Easter traditions, and what it means to actually live in the power of the resurrection — not just know it as a fact. We close with a beautiful Easter poem by George Herbert. Download the free Holy Week devotionalFollow along daily through Easter!

We're talking all things Easter this week! First on the agenda: why are Mormons suddenly celebrating Holy Week? Since when was Palm Sunday a thing? Then we get into resurrection theology, fear of death, and what it looks like to celebrate Easter after religion. You can listen to the full episode on the Girlscamp: Unplugged Patreon here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Holy Saturday is the quiet day — the day between the cross and the empty tomb. In this episode, I walk through what we know about this often-overlooked day, including the intriguing phrase from the Apostles' Creed about Jesus descending to the grave. The theme for today: prepare your heart, because Sunday is coming. Download the free Holy Week devotional Follow along daily through Easter!

On this episode of The Federalist Radio Hour, Dr. Kenneth Calvert, professor of history and director of the Oxford program at Hillsdale College, joins Federalist Senior Elections Correspondent Matt Kittle to consider the significance of Holy Week, chronicle the historical context surrounding Good Friday, and celebrate how Jesus' sacrifice has salvific relevance in the world today. The Federalist Foundation is a nonprofit, and we depend entirely on our listeners and readers — not corporations. If you value fearless, independent journalism, please consider a tax-deductible gift today at TheFederalist.com/donate. Your support keeps us going.

Good Friday is the most sobering day of Holy Week — and the most important. In this episode, I walk through the crucifixion, the tearing of the temple veil, and what it all means for us today. Jesus didn't save himself because he was saving you. Download the free Holy Week devotionalFollow along daily through Easter!

Throughout Lent, and really throughout the entire Christian life, we keep Christ crucified before our eyes as a reminder of how deeply we are loved. But it also confronts us with a question: Do I want to be associated with that? Fr. Mike Schmitz challenges us, especially during Holy Week but also every day, to answer honestly: Do I want to be associated with Jesus, even if it means suffering? Our hope is that the answer becomes “yes,” day after day. Because no matter the trials or sacrifices, nothing compares to the joy of being with Him at the end of it all.

Chris Cuomo explores the real meaning of Easter, breaking down Holy Week, Passover, and the origins of religious tradition to argue that the core message has less to do with faith—and more to do with human behavior, forgiveness, and change. He examines how Christianity borrowed from earlier traditions, why symbols like Easter and resurrection predate religion, and what lessons actually matter now. Cuomo argues that “rebirth and renewal” isn't theological—it's natural law—and applies to anyone, regardless of belief. He connects that idea to personal accountability, regret, forgiveness, and the ability to move forward after failure. This episode moves away from politics and focuses on something more fundamental: how to deal with what you've done, what's been done to you, and what comes next. Join The Chris Cuomo Project on YouTube for ad-free episodes, early releases, exclusive access to Chris, and more: https://www.youtube.com/@chriscuomo/join Follow and subscribe to The Chris Cuomo Project on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube for new episodes every Tuesday and Thursday: https://linktr.ee/cuomoproject Go to https://cozyearth.com/CHRIS for 20% off! Refresh your wardrobe with Quince at https://quince.com/cuomo for free shipping and 365-day returns, now available in Canada. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Most people have never heard of Spy Wednesday — but it's one of the most sobering days of Holy Week. This is the day Judas began plotting to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. In this episode, I walk through what happened, how it fulfilled prophecy written hundreds of years earlier, and why even the darkest betrayal couldn't stop God's redemption. Download the free Holy Week devotionalFollow along daily through Easter!

Most people have heard of the Last Supper — but do you know why it's called Maundy Thursday? In this episode, I walk through the foot washing, the new commandment Jesus gave his disciples, and how the Last Supper fulfilled the Passover. The theme for today: watch and pray. Download the free Holy Week devotional Follow along daily through Easter!

In the middle of this Holy Week, we're sharing a special episode to help you pause and prepare your heart for the celebration of Jesus' resurrection. We know it's easy to get caught up in the busyness of the holiday, so these Easter reflections will invite you to slow down and simply behold the Lamb—because whatever you behold, you will be held by. Plus, Layne Victoria sings over you a beautiful worship song that will reorient your heart and help you rejoice in the risen Savior!  SHOW NOTES: 413Podcast.com/396    Read the episode TRANSCRIPT in the show notes. Get my weekly email, Java with Jennifer, to be notified when a new podcast episode releases. Subscribe HERE.

Is this the most consequential day in history? Glenn goes through all the world-changing news of the day, including the Artemis II launch, Trump's address to the nation on Iran, and the possible end of America's involvement in NATO. Glenn also explains why he believes the Artemis II moon mission is something worth celebrating. Astronaut Barry "Butch" Wilmore, who was stranded in space for over nine months, joins to discuss how his faith carried him through the terrifying situation. What could President Trump reveal during his address to the nation regarding Iran? Glenn lays out the qualities of a wartime president while discussing President Trump. Astrophysicist Hugh Ross joins to discuss the importance of space travel. Glenn and Hugh also discuss the story of Noah's ark. Is Noah's ark a story of God's wrath or God's mercy? Glenn speaks about the often-forgotten day of Holy Week, Wednesday, two days before Passover, when the events of Jesus' final days were set in motion.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's been some drama this week in the St. John household as Lizz ended up spending a couple of nights in the hospital with Sloan. What the doctor first thought was an ear infection turned out to be an infected salivary gland. An important lesson was learned: always check the lymph nodes! Also, why aren't there more reviews for pediatricians?  Over at the Stumpe household, things were a little more calm as they had an adults-only dinner with zero kids! They also have new residents at the farm with the addition of three new lambs and some baby chicks just in time for Easter. The timing is extra perfect as Tyler is about to become a Catholic. Plus, they are learning all the benefits adults gain from using a trampoline. Could this be the next workout trend?  The internet has been full of drama this week and Kelly has SO much to say about the Barbie Dream Fest drama. This is NOT something you will see at The Car Mom Auto Show! Meanwhile, Lizz is still on her organization grind and has gained some new, inspiring tips thanks to social media.  Industry News this week is all about what to expect at the New York Auto Show. Make sure you are following Kelly to get all the latest news you need to know! Outside of the Auto Show, there is some hot tea coming from Stellantis. Why are they giving tickets to their own employees?!?  Finally in Ditch the Drive-Thru, Lizz has the perfect outside meal for the summer and Kelly is all about cabbage soup. 

It's Holy Week, and most of us will say the Lord's Prayer at some point over the next few days without ever really hearing it. Brad Gray, author of "Bringing Heaven Here" and a veteran of over fifteen years of biblical study hiking trips in Israel, joins filmmaker and Evolve Studios founder Joel Edwards in the Blurry Basement to walk through The Lord's Prayer that Jesus gave us and show why it's not a formula or a ritual but a kingdom manifesto. Brad walks through how this prayer functions as a chiasm with "kingdom come" at its center, how each line echoes the Exodus narrative, and why the early church prayed it three times a day as a discipleship anchor. This isn't a crusty piece of liturgy. It's the most powerful thing Jesus ever gave us and quite possibly the most underutilized. The conversation also dives into forgiveness as the number one foothold for the demonic, temptation as spiritual warfare language, and prayer as participation rather than just petition. Joel and Brad share the incredible story of making both the film and the series, a journey marked by relentless opposition and miraculous provision at every turn. The crew arrived in Israel the same night Iran launched an unprecedented missile and drone attack on the country, and when the dust settled and the airspace closed, they found themselves with empty holy sites and open doors no film crew had ever walked through, including the inner tomb shrine at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Six years in the making, "The Lord's Prayer" film and "The Sacred Thread" series are now streaming on Angel. Watch it free at angel.com/blurry and grab the book "Bringing Heaven Here" at thelordsprayer.com. This episode is sponsored by: https://timtebow.com/tree-blurry/ — Get your copy of If the Tree Could Speak by Tim Tebow on Amazon today!https://livemomentous.com — Get up to 35% off your first order with promo code BLURRY at checkout!https://go.goodranchers.com/BLURRY — Get $25 off your first order with code BLURRY at checkout! - Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices