First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh's Podcast

This Easter we consider Mark’s account of the first Easter. The women disciples were unprepared for what they found that morning: the stone rolled away and an angel sitting where Jesus body had been. Two millennia later, are we any better prepared for the implications of the empty tomb?

The story of the first Easter from the Gospel of Mark begins in the most mysterious way, with the women disciples running away from the tomb in fear. Why do you think Mark told the story this way? Do you think it adds or takes away from its credibility?

This Sunday we look at Mark’s account of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Mark tells us that the colt Jesus rode on Palm Sunday had never been ridden? How was it possible to ride an unbroken, untamed animal? What does this say about Jesus and his command of the situation.

Fourth in the series, “What’s Wrong With Us?”  God had rescued the Hebrew people from slavery in Egypt and provided for their every need in the desert. It seems that it’s easier to take people out of slavery than to take the slave out of people.

Instead of being grateful for being rescued from slavery, the people complained. They even longed to go back to slavery. How do we learn to see that sin is something that enslaves us as well?

Third in the series, “What’s Wrong With Us?” The great story of Naaman, a valiant warrior who had it all.

Naaman may have had courage, success, and fame, but he also had a problem: leprosy. Yet Naaman was too proud to accept the cure that was offered. Are we too proud to accept what God offers us?

Second in the series, “What’s Wrong With Us?” How is it that we keep telling ourselves that we’re better than we are, while, while looking down on others? The series explores the concept of sin based on four Old Testament stories.

The lesson this week is the story of the disobedience of Saul, the first king of ancient Israel. Saul had been anointed by God to be king, and yet he trusted in his own judgment instead of God. Why do we believe ourselves instead of believing God?

Begins a short Lenten series, “What’s wrong with us?” How does the Christian concept of sin explain the conflicts we experience every day?

The passage this week, about Cain and Abel, is one of the foundational stories of the Bible. When God asked Cain, “Why are you so angry?” God could have been asking the same of each of us. Well, why are you so angry? Why are we all so angry?

Seventh and last in the series “Cliches we love, truths we need.” The last cliché we’ll examine is “The safest place to be is at the center of God’s will.” But surely that cannot mean physical safety.

What does it mean to be “safe in God’s will? In this week’s lesson from Luke 21, Jesus describes some of the signs of the end times. Sometimes, doing God’s will make Jesus’ followers a target for persecution.

Fifth in the series, “Cliches We Love, Truths We Need.” The clichés we’ve discussed in this series up until now have some Biblical basis. “God helps those who helps themselves” is from Benjamin Franklin.

Why do we repeat the cliché “God helps those who help themselves?” The whole point of Jesus coming from heaven to earth was to save us because we were helpless to save ourselves. How easy is it for you to admit your own helplessness? In this week’s lesson on Jesus’ call to Matthew, Jesus picks a moral failure to be his disciple.

Fourth in the series, “Cliches We Love, Truths We Need.” People love to say that “God doesn’t give you more than you can handle.” But we are often overwhelmed by the circumstances of life. Some people are overwhelmed all the time. What is the greater truth we need to hear?

Have you been overwhelmed by the circumstances of your life? Do you know people who seem to be overwhelmed all the time? What motivates us to say that “God won’t give you more than you can handle?” Weren’t the great heroes of the Bible “overwhelmed” all the time?

Third in the series, “Cliches We Love, Truths We Need.” Many people say that everything is unfolding according to God’s plan. Is that true? If so, what does it say about God? Many times, in response to the loss of a dear friend or family member, people say, “God needed another angel.” Of course this could not be true. God lacks nothing and needs nothing from us. So why do we say such things?