Today we are joined by spiritual director Dr. Lori Tate, who guides us through reflection on Genesis 21:8-21. This complicated story contains deep truths about our roles in life and our relationships with God. Listen until the end for your weekly dose of spiritual inspiration.

It’s a strange way to start a resurrection story: with people hiding behind locked doors, unsure if it’s safe to step outside. Join us today for the second sermon of the Easter season in which we are reflecting on the timely story John 20:19-31, wherein Jesus appears to his disciples after the resurrection. Pastor Travis reflects on how Jesus met his disciples in this uncertain place, and how Jesus meets you there too. 

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Relationships, faith, fear, trust, doubt, community, inclusion, Easter, Lent, Gospel of John, Thomas the Apostle, Doubting Thomas, forgiveness, grace, peace be with you, greeting, disciples, discipleship, progressive Lutheran, open Christian, ELCA, West Michigan, South Haven

It started... with an earthquake. Today we are celebrating Easter, the culmination of the Lenten season. We are reflecting on the resurrection story from Matthew 28:1-10, which depicts the resurrection as a more life-changing, destabilizing event than it is sometimes portrayed. Tune in today to immerse yourself in one of the most powerful stories in the Bible.

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Life change, He is risen, Easter Sunday, Gospel of Matthew, grace, Lent, angels, Mary Magdalene, Mary Mother of God, disciples, discipleship, faith, progressive Lutheran, open Christian, ELCA, West Michigan, South Haven

Today, we don’t come to be comforted. We come to bear witness. In this episode, listen in for four powerful reflections on different parts of the crucifixion story as we observe Good Friday. Tune in to observe this important holy day with us and let yourself feel the solemnity and sorrow of the crucifixion. 

Tags

Lent, suffering, Judas, Simon Peter, discipleship, personal relationship with Jesus Christ, God’s love, truth, Pontius Pilate, Caesar, Mary Mother of God, Mary Magdalene, death, grief, bearing witness, courage, faith, contemplation, progressive Lutheran, open Christian, ELCA, West Michigan, South Haven

Have you ever found yourself in a place you didn't expect to be—and didn't quite know how to get out of? Most of us don’t get out of these situations all at once, but other people help us extricate ourselves in small but significant ways. Today, we are reflecting on John 11:1-45: the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. This Gospel reading is a story of rebirth, not just for Lazarus, but for all of us as well. Listen until the end for your weekly dose of powerful spiritual inspiration, and if you haven’t yet, please take a moment to follow this show – it really helps. 

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Gospel of John, stuck, lost, exhaustion, grief, overwhelmed, confusion, confused, resurrection, questioning, mourning, resolution, community, God’s love, personal relationship with Christ, personal relationship with Jesus, honesty, connection, comfort, faith, progressive Lutheran, open Christian, ELCA, West Michigan, South Haven

Most of his life, people talked about him instead of talking to him. They would stand nearby and whisper. Sometimes not even quietly. "Why is he blind?" "Was it something his parents did?" "Did someone sin?" Imagine hearing people debate your life like that. Like you're not even standing there.  Today we are reflecting on John 9:1-41, in which Jesus heals a blind man while remaining respectful and not treating the man’s disability as a punishment from God. This story is highly personal to Pastor Travis, who relates today’s Gospel passage to his own experience with blindness. Listen until the end to hear what today’s Gospel is really about, and to be reminded that when the world pushes you away, Jesus is looking for you.

Tags

Gospel of John, healing, miracles, pastoral care, disability, grace, marginalized, visibility, voice, faith, progressive Lutheran, open Christian, ELCA, West Michigan, South Haven, relationship with Jesus, God’s plan

Most of us have places that we go when we don't want to run into anyone. Places we can move through without being noticed. Sometimes we’re tired, and carrying things that we don’t want to explain to other people. Today we’re reflecting on John 4:5-42, in which Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at a well. Tune in today to notice the ways Jesus finds you in ordinary moments when you least expect it. 

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Gospel of John, woman at the well, practical faith, grace, everyday life, little things, routines, errands, progressive Lutheran, ELCA, open Christian, fulfilment, God’s love, connection, relationship with Jesus, tiredness, avoidance

We all have questions. Some questions, we might feel unable to even ask. This week, we are reflecting on John 3 1:17, in which Nicodemus questions Jesus and Jesus explains the importance of being born again in the Holy Spirit. In today’s sermon, Pastor Travis explores how Jesus meets us in conversation in our own lives to answer the questions we ask, not in spite of our faith, but because of it. 

Tags

Doubt, Gospel of John, following Jesus, spirituality, fellowship, theology, relationship with God, relationship with Jesus, God’s love, conversation, private life, figuring it out, Christianity, practical faith, ELCA, progressive Lutheran, West Michigan

All of us have experienced loss. Grief can cause doubt to creep in: did we take a wrong turn somewhere? Today we read Matthew 4:1-11, in which Jesus is tested in the wilderness and has these same feelings. In this week’s sermon, Pastor Travis guides us through the ways this passage can help us in our own lives. Listen until the end to reaffirm your faith and enter into the spirit of Lent.

Tags

Grief, loss, doubt, Gospel of Matthew, grace, Jesus in the desert, Satan, the devil, community, baptism, temptation, sin, power, identity, faith, God’s love, presence, practical faith, progressive Lutheran, ELCA, West Michigan

Today we are reflecting on the Ash Wednesday tradition of receiving ashes. In an era more performative than ever before, we have the chance today to bear witness to something greater than ourselves. Join us today in observing one of the most meaningful holidays in the church calendar. 

Tags

Lent, performance, prayer, choice, judgement, faith, private life, privacy, audience, Heaven, social media, grace, perception, spirituality, Christianity, practical faith, ELCA, progressive Lutheran, West Michigan