Lamplighters Podcast

Lynn Adams welcomes Meredith Weatherby to explore two healings at the turn of John 4 and 5. Meredith begins with a helpful overview of the Jewish festivals in Leviticus 23, the "appointed times" that drew tens of thousands to Jerusalem and set the stage for much of John's Gospel. From there, they follow a royal official who begs Jesus to heal his dying son and is asked to walk home in faith, discovering more than he came for. At the Pool of Bethesda, Jesus asks a man who has waited 38 years a surprising question: "Do you want to get well?" Lynn and Meredith reflect on excuses, scarcity, and self-reliance, the true purpose of the Sabbath, and why Jesus wants our whole hearts, not just our requests. A thoughtful episode to prepare you for small group, with questions to consider: Are you seeking Jesus for who He is or for what He can do? And where might He be asking you, "Do you want to get well?"

Why would Jesus take the road through Samaria, wait at a well in the heat of the day, and seek out a conversation with a woman the rest of her village kept at a distance? This week, Lynn Adams is joined by Catriona Preston to explore one of the most familiar encounters in the Gospel of John and the surprising intentionality behind it.

Catriona unpacks the centuries-old rift between Jews and Samaritans, then walks through the conversations about living water, true worship, and spiritual food, each one moving from the physical to the spiritual. Along the way, she and Lynn share personal stories about stepping out in obedience, everyday moments of faith, and the many people who sow seeds that lead someone to Christ.

We are all the woman at the well. Jesus does not condemn us for our past, and he offers a spring of living water welling up to eternal life. Come ready to consider who God might be nudging you to tell this week.

Lynn Adams welcomes Jan Skaggs back to the studio to explore one of the most famous conversations in Scripture. Nicodemus, a respected Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin, comes to Jesus under the cover of night, and Jesus meets him with words that confound and unsettle him. Jan walks us through what it means to be "born of water and the Spirit," why Jesus shifts from speaking to Nicodemus alone to speaking to all of us, and how the wind of the Spirit moves in ways we cannot control.

Along the way, we revisit the strange Old Testament story of the bronze serpent, read John 3:16 in its full context, and follow Nicodemus from secret inquirer to open follower of Jesus. Jan also shares her own "Nicodemus story" of discovering that being good was never enough, and encourages us to see our discomfort with hard truths as a sign that the Holy Spirit is at work.

Laura Tuma and Lynn Adams turn to what one scholar calls Jesus's "wine and whip" chapter — his first sign at the wedding in Cana, and his cleansing of the temple. They explore why Jesus turns water into wine, what it means that Mary tells the servants "whatever he says to you, do it," and why Jesus's response to the chaos in the temple is deliberate and intentional rather than an angry outburst. The episode closes with Jesus's startling words about rebuilding the temple in three days — a claim about his own resurrection — and a pattern of conversion and cleansing that shapes the whole Christian life.

Lynn Adams and Laura Tuma open this year's study of the Gospel of John with its opening poem: Jesus as the eternal Word, present with God and part of God since before time began. They trace three key words that will echo through the whole gospel — Word, light, and witness — and explain why John introduces Jesus this way before ever describing an event in his life. The conversation also covers John the Baptist's role as witness to the true light, and why some who encountered Jesus believed while others rejected him. A rich, image-filled start to the year ahead in John.

Welcome back, Lamplighters! We're so glad you're here as we kick off a brand new season together. This season, we'll walk verse by verse through the Gospel of John, from the opening declaration that "the Word became flesh" to the empty tomb and beyond. Along the way, we'll encounter Jesus's own "I AM" statements, the Bread of Life, the Light of the World, the Good Shepherd, the Resurrection and the Life, the Way and the Truth, and the Vine, and see how each one reveals who He is and what it means to abide in Him. We'll sit with pivotal moments like the woman at the well, the healing at the pool, and the raising of Lazarus, then journey through the Last Supper, Jesus's prayer for His followers, His betrayal and crucifixion, and His resurrection appearances. By the end of the season, we'll have traced the full arc of John's Gospel: from the Word made flesh to the risen Christ appearing by the sea.

In this season finale of Lamp Lighters, Lynn Adams, Meredith Weatherby, and Laura Tuma conclude their yearlong journey through the Gospel of Mark by exploring the death and resurrection of Jesus in Mark 15:21–16:20.

The conversation reflects on the crucifixion, the courage of unexpected disciples like Simon of Cyrene and Joseph of Arimathea, and the profound meaning of the empty tomb. The hosts also discuss the testimony of the women, the disciples’ struggle to believe the resurrection, and Jesus’ final commissioning of His followers.

As the study of Mark comes to a close, this episode returns to the central truth of the Christian faith: the cross, the empty tomb, and the call for every believer to bear witness to the risen Christ.

Laura Tuma and Lynn Adams explore Jesus’ trial before Pontius Pilate in Mark 15:1–20. As the religious leaders press their case and the crowd chooses Barabbas, the conversation reflects on hard-heartedness, the misuse of authority, and the quiet obedience of Jesus as He moves toward the cross. The exchange of the guilty for the innocent offers a striking picture of the gospel at the center of the Passion story.

As Jesus stands before the Sanhedrin, Peter waits in the courtyard below, frightened and unsure of what will happen next. In this lesson, Meredith Weatherby and Lynn Adams explore Mark’s interwoven account of Jesus’ trial and Peter’s three denials, showing the sharp contrast between Jesus’ faithfulness and Peter’s fear.

This episode reflects on the ways we, like Peter, often fall short despite our best intentions. Yet even here, the gospel is clear: our hope does not rest in our ability to remain faithful, but in the steadfast faithfulness of God.

In this episode of Lamplighters, Jan Skaggs and Lynn Adams walk us into the dark heart of Mark’s Gospel. In Mark 14:32–51, Jesus enters Gethsemane and faces the full weight of what lies ahead—anguish, betrayal, and ultimate abandonment.

Jan and Lynn explore Jesus’ deeply human prayer to “Abba,” his request for the cup to pass, and his surrender to the Father’s will. They reflect on the disciples’ failure to watch and pray, Peter’s impulsive violence, Judas’ painful betrayal, and the scattering of the sheep when the Shepherd is struck.

This episode invites listeners to consider their own “Gardens of Gethsemane”: Where are we tempted to sleep instead of pray? Where are we overconfident in our strength? What do we do when our world falls apart?

Even in failure and fear, God is at work. Through abandonment, surrender, and weakness, the purposes of God continue to unfold.