First Baptist Church - Madison, WI

Pastor Tim tells the story of Pentecost, which is considered to be a story about the birth and unity of the Church.  The big takeaway of this story: God created a new identity of unity through the Holy Spirit.  The emphasis here is on new, not a unity that expects assimilation or places limits on outward expressions of diversity. Pentecost is a celebration of God's spirit of inclusion, of equity, of equality. The sermon text is Acts 2:1-21; the reading of the scripture is included in the podcast. The Rev. Tim Schaefer, pastor, preaching.

Pastor Tim preaches on how the church is set apart for a special purpose; our job as a church, as a community, as followers of Jesus, is to be that community where people are made to feel that they belong, to be that community that models the ministry of Jesus. The sermon text is John 17:6-19; the reading of the scripture is included in the podcast. The Rev. Tim Schaefer, pastor, preaching.

Pastor Tim comments on Jesus' preaching on love. What kind of love is Jesus talking about?  The English language has a limited lexicon for love, but the ancient Greek had many words for love. In each case in this scripture, the Greek word agape is used for love. Agape is an altruistic love, a selfless love; it is a love that requires faithfulness, commitment, even sacrifice.  Jesus is telling us to agape love each other, to sacrifice for each other. This is how we support each other and model the love of Jesus.  What does agape love look like to you? How do you show agape? The sermon text is John 15:9-17; the reading of the scripture in included in the podcast. The Rev. Tim Schaefer, pastor, preaching.

Pastor Tim preaches about the story of Philip baptizing the Ethiop1an eunuch. The Ethiopian eunuch in today's scripture is a sexual minority, a gender minority, an ethic minority, and a racial minority; he represents the ultimate outsider. What keeps the eunuch from being baptized? The Holy Spirit leads Philip to realize that nothing keeps the eunuch from being baptized. In this story we learn that God's plan includes all types of people; the Christian faith community is open to all.  But the question remains, how will we be Philip to the Ethiopian eunuchs in our midst? How will we practice this new form of evangelism?  The sermon text is Acts 8:26-40; the reading of the scripture is included in the podcast. The Rev. Tim Schaefer, pastor, preaching.

Pastor Tim preaches on the story of the Good Shepherd, where Jesus is modeling the way for us to be in relationship with each other, how we should care for each other, to protect, and to support each other. In this story we tend to identify ourselves with the sheep and Jesus is the good shepherd. But the story also invites us to identify with the good shepherd.  When we lead and comfort other people, when we advocate for social justice, when we stand up for each other, we are like the good shepherd. The sermon text is John 10:11-18; the reading of the scripture is included in the podcast. The Rev. Tim Schaefer, pastor, preaching.

In Genesis we learn that God has given us dominion over the earth. Our history tells us that we have interpreted dominion as synonymous with domination; humankind's domination of creation has resulted in degradation of the environment to the  point where creation cries out "I can't breathe."  We even dominate each other; domination permeates our culture. Pastor Tim suggests a better interpretation of the Genesis story is that, being created in God's image, we are called to be partners with God and to be caretakers of God's creation. The sermon text is Genesis 1:24-31; the reading of the scripture is included in the podcast. The Rev. Tim Schaefer, pastor, preaching.

Pastor Tim preaches on the story of the "Doubting Thomas", and offers an alternative explanation of the disciple Thomas. Thomas has the courage to ask questions before believing or disbelieving that Jesus was resurrected. The beauty of the Thomas story is that it gives us permission to question  - to question God, to question our faith, to question our relationship with Jesus. The Thomas story is also a challenge to be open to the questions asked by others. The sermon text is John 20:19-31; the reading of the scripture is included in the podcast. The Rev. Tim Schaefer, pastor, preaching.

Upon learning of the empty tomb and the resurrection of Jesus, the disciples had different reactions. Today's scripture suggests that there is not just one way to react to the empty tomb.  Each of us comes to Easter from different places in our faith journey, and with different live experiences. Pastor Tim asserts that this is O.K. Regardless of how we come to Easter, Jesus invites each one of us to come as we are and to find hope, transformation, and new life. The sermon text is John 20: 1-18; the reading of the scripture is included in the podcast. The Rev. Tim Schaefer, pastor, preaching.

On this Palm Sunday, Pastor Tim preaches on two contrasting stories - the Palm text which features the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem and the Passion text which foreshadows the crucifixion of Jesus and the final days of Jesus' life.  As Christians we are called to deal with the good and the bad. We can't have the Palm Sunday experience without the Passion Sunday experience; we can't have the resurrection without the crucifixion.  The two are inextricably linked. Two important lessons for us as a community of faith - first, we should appreciate both the good and the bad in life - the highs and the lows. Second, we have to focus simultaneously on personal acts of kindness towards each other and public care for those who are struggling. As Christians we have to learn to live in that space of tension where joy and sorrow meet. The sermon text is Mark 11:1-11; the reading of the scripture is included in the podcast. The Rev. Tim schaefer, pastor, preaching.

At the end of Jesus' public ministry, some Greeks asked to see Jesus. Jesus replied, "Whoever serves me must follow me". Pastor Tim uses this story to talk about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, and to welcome those who want to serve Jesus alongside us. The sermon text is John 12:20-33; the reading of the scripture is included in the podcast. The Rev. Tim Schaefer, pastor, preaching.