Pod Be With You

Jesus' Sermon on the Plain in Luke has a lot of familiar sayings..."Turn the other cheek," "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," and "Do not judge, and you will not be judged," just to name a few. But how well do we really know this passage? What is it really about? Join us as we talk about agape love, breaking the cycles of abuse and violence, and Jesus' Third Way of resistance. 

This is a first for us...not that we don't occasionally rant about things...we just don't normally record it. But today, mostly in good fun, we take aim at a recent New York Times opinion peace that tells churches they "should" drop their online worship services. We talk Pauline theology, logic, pastoral care, and congregational polity, and the challenges of weighing many different needs and opinions in a diverse community in this episode of Pod Be With You. You SHOULD join us! 

The story seems so simple...a miraculous catch of fish, a sacred calling, the beginning of discipleship. The moral of the story is "Answer the call!" Right? But what does it mean to be called? What is vocation, really? Is "to do" the same as "to be?"  A conversation about calling, and answering, and the daily walk of faith.

Without diagramming the entire book of 1 Corinthians, we dive into the salient parts for today's discussion of 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, the Love Chapter. It's about community, and connectedness, and compassion, and above all, the animating love of the Holy spirit. Join us for a far-ranging conversation about St. Paul, what it means to be part of the body, and what True Love looks like.

In the spirit of a recent clergy gathering, and the start of a brand new year, we are taking the opportunity to look at where we have been as the Church, where we are, and where we are going. Hope, fears, dreams, vision, and a whole lot of the Holy Spirit. Join us for a conversation that reaches a lot of topics, and takes us a lot of places.

Well, it happened: Covid has come to the James house! We're all ok (and hope to stay that way) but it also means we're on Zoom today. But if you can stand the funky audio, we've got a great bible study on a famous and rich story: Jesus turning water into wine during the wedding at Cana. What do we make of this extravagant miracle? What does this sign say about who God is and what God cares about? Thanks for being with us!

It's a familiar story...maybe too familiar, in fact. We think we know all there is to know about the Three Kings and their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. But what's really going on here and what's it all about? Jump into Epiphany with us, as we explore the journey of the Magi, as found in Matthew 2:1-12.

We're a little more than a week out from Christmas, and do we have a lot to say...about the New Year, about Advent, about the Magnificat, about Christmas Eve! (And all of it, of course, is germaine to the season.) Join us this week for a little of this, a little of that, and a whole lot of Christmas.

Can you believe we're already getting ready for the second Sunday of Advent? Time seems to be hurtling by, and us with it. But this week, a pause, as we listen for the voice of one calling from the wilderness, "Prepare!" But what are we preparing for, and how do we do it? Join us this week as we talk John the Baptizer, repentance, peace, and hygge.

This week, two stories of disruption and uncertainty - both of which, in their own way, challenge us to be faithful. They force us to face hard things: delayed promise, unfulfilled needs, a scary world, and everything we can't control. And then they call us to be open and courageous, patient and present for the meeting of our moment. These convulsive pains we're feeling - are they birth pangs or death throes? The answer, of course, is yes - both of these things are happening. Both are valid, and both need to be attended to as the work of ministry. These days, we are all chaplains and we are all midwives.