This week, two passages cut right to the heart of our faith as a way of life. We hear both from Matthew and Ephesians where God's heart is (hint: with the vulnerable) and how we will be: gentle, generous, tenderhearted, patient, and true. This moment demands of us a response - and this moment desperately needs people who see the world this way and live this way.

Two separate scriptures and themes from our pastors this week, but a real overlap, as we discuss reformation, righteousness, humility, and discerning what of our "old" treasures to hold on to, and what of our "new" is holy. It's a good one, folks, and timely, as reformation is happening around us and in us right now!

Another hugely challenging - even potentially dangerous - passage from the Gospel of Luke. This is a message for mature audiences only. "Increase our faith," the disciples demand. And what follows are two teachings from Jesus that will ask of them a great deal of faith. In this episode we explore what Jesus might mean with these, as well as larger points about how we read scripture, the nature of authority within churches, and how our divided world no longer seems to share a reality, le...

It's a familiar, if troubling parable...known to us as "The Rich Man & Lazarus." Troubling in what it suggests about the afterlife, challenging in what it says about wealth, conflicted, I would argue, in its view of righteousness. But it's the challenging parables that are often the most rich, most compelling. So, let's dive in together.

The Parable of the Dishonest Manager is Jesus at his most enigmatic - which is pastor-speak for, "We have no idea what he's saying." But if you want to hear us take some swings, here you go! A compilation of Jesus' teachings on money, power, and our relationship with God, this passage challenges us to live with clever integrity in an often confusing and corrupt world.

Jesus this week, as found in the Gospel of Luke, is not the Jesus we often think of, peaceful, and compassionate, and gracious. This Jesus knows what time it is, and is urgently trying to get those around him to look at the clock, too. His words are jarring, disruptive, and designed to wake folks up. It is a difficult saying, for a difficult season. Can we hear it?

Back after a hiatus due to traveling and health and what not, we have two amazing, and on the surface at least, contradictory Gospel stories. The first, Jesus telling his followers that they must practice denial, take up their cross, and follow. And the second, Jesus celebrating a wedding with flowing wine, warm fellowship, and I am sure dancing. How do these go together? Join us to find out!

This week, an obscure (to many Christians, at least) story about the prophet Elijah and the widow who fed him - a story that celebrates many risky leaps of faith. We'll also hear from Ecclesiastes - a teacher who reminds us that there is a time for everything. So what time is this? And how do we know?

In Batavia, our trend of meal-centric scripture continues. This week, what happens when our meal companions aren't our closest beloved, but are, instead, one of them? We know how much a meal means - which means it's easy to be disturbed by those we love eating with an "other" - even an enemy. And in Dundee, we're exploring meals, too - specifically, communion. We always pray that this holy meal might make us "salt and light and leaven." Salt and light, yes. But leaven? How so? And when ...

Sorry we're a week late in posting! But here's a reflection on various bible passages, exploring in particular the nature of prayer: is it getting God to do what we want? Is it beseeching a heavenly parent with a list of demands? And if not, what is it?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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