As John the Baptist sat in prison, he began to wonder if Jesus really was the Messiah he'd been preparing the way for. Peter Walsh, Elizabeth Garnsey, and John Kennedy address the doubts John had, how we react when life doesn't go as planned, and how scripture may sound different from person to person. Also, just as Jesus wasn't the expected Messiah, the clergy highlight how John wasn't the expected prophet.

Questions for Further Discussion:

Themes and Application

1. Jesus answers John’s doubt by pointing to what is happening — healing, liberation, good news to the poor. What “signs of God’s reign” feel most compelling or credible to you today?
2. The conversation notes that many people want a savior who fixes everything decisively. Why do you think a merciful, nonviolent Messiah can feel disappointing or insufficient?
3. Jesus calls John the greatest born of women, yet says the least in the kingdom is greater. What does that suggest about how God measures greatness?

Personal Reflection

1. What situations in your life have made you ask, implicitly or explicitly, “God, are you really here? Are you really the one I hoped for?”
2. Fr. John suggested that temperament and life experience shape which biblical themes feel alive to us. What life experiences have most shaped how you hear Scripture?
3. Jesus says people didn’t go to John looking for comfort or palace approval. Where are you tempted to seek comfort, status, or “palace religion” instead of prophetic truth?

Broader Spiritual Considerations

1. The clergy note that forcing the kingdom through violence isn’t Jesus’ way. What does Christian nonviolence look like in practice when injustice is real and urgent?
2. Fr. John contrasts Christianity with spiritualities that lack a strong vision of divine justice. Why does a justice-oriented God matter — especially in Advent?
3. John the Baptist’s role is to prepare the way and then step back. What might it mean for the church (or you) to “prepare the way”?

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Another season of Advent, another look at John the Baptist. Peter Walsh, Elizabeth Garnsey, and John Kennedy once again discuss this memorable figure who prepared the way for Jesus. How do John and other prophets set the tone for Advent, what are we to take away from John's fiery language, and how can this fire be both destructive and refining?

Questions for Further Discussion:

Themes and Application
1. What does “repentance” sound like when it’s about making space for God, not just feeling bad?
2. How might Jesus’ version of purity (humble, merciful, inclusive) reshape our priorities?
3. Fr. John connect John’s fire imagery to Malachi’s refiner’s fire—both purification and reckoning. When has “refining fire” in your life felt like healing? When has it felt like hard truth or consequence?

Personal Reflection
1. Where is your life “wilderness-like” right now (uncertain, stripped-down, waiting)? What kind of growth or meeting-with-God might be possible there?
2. Ezekiel’s promise shows up as a setup for Matthew: God giving a new heart and Spirit within. What would a “new heart” look like for you this Advent? What hard place in you might God be trying to soften?
3. John expects one kind of Messiah; Jesus comes differently. When have you found God working in a way you didn’t expect?

Broader Spiritual Considerations
1. Matthew has John confront Pharisees/Sadducees—the elite—and the clergy connect this to how sin often lives in systems. What modern “systems” might need repentance more than individuals?
2. In this passage, the authorities are described as keeping people from holiness through shame, cost, and exclusion. Where do you see religion (or culture) functioning as a gatekeeper today? What does it look like to “prepare the way” by removing barriers for others?
3. Baptism at the Jordan is framed as a return into promise—restoration for a people. What might communal restoration look like in our time? How could the church embody a “second chance” for people and communities?

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This week, our clergy encounter the Bible passage that has everyone so worried about the rapture! Peter Walsh, Elizabeth Garnsey, and John Kennedy discuss the shocking scenarios Jesus illustrates, explain how to keep awake and keep hope alive during trying times, and teach how to live as people of God's kingdom.

Questions for Further Discussion:

Themes and Application
1. What does it mean to “live with the end in mind” without becoming fearful or fixated on predictions?
2. One theme is living awake amid distraction, consumer culture, and sleepwalking through life. What are the most common “sleepwalkers” in your week—habits or forces that dull your spiritual awareness?
3. Advent is portrayed as strength-building through hope → peace → joy → love. What spiritual “muscle” feels most in need of attention for you right now?

Personal Reflection
1. When you hear “keep awake,” what emotions come up first—comfort, pressure, curiosity, anxiety, resistance?
2. The clergy discuss endings that arrive unexpectedly—death, loss, doors closing, sudden change. What “unexpected hour” have you lived through, and how did it shape you?
3. John mentions the tension of embarrassment around future-oriented eschatology. Are there parts of Christian belief that you feel hesitant to talk about? Why?

Broader Spiritual Considerations
1. John brings in Augustine’s idea that history is opaque—we can’t read God’s timetable through current events. What are the dangers of assuming our era is uniquely “the end,” and what are the dangers of ignoring real crisis?
2. The podcast holds two truths together: the world is broken, and God keeps coming into it. How do you keep those both alive without collapsing into cynicism or denial?
3. Advent begins by naming chaos, violence, and instability—and yet it’s a season of hope. What does it mean spiritually to begin hopeful waiting in a world that feels unsteady?


Learn more about St. Mark's at https://www.stmarksnewcanaan.org

Want to have your question or comment featured on the podcast? Leave a voicemail on our Rev'd Up hotline! Call (203) 442-5002.

Learn more about St. Mark's at https://www.stmarksnewcanaan.org

The Gospel lesson for Christ the King Sunday shows us Jesus being mocked on the cross and his famous words to the repentant thief: "Today you will be with me in paradise." Peter Walsh and John Kennedy explain why this is the perfect piece of scripture for Christ the King, how this is a lesson in divine humility, and why we should be cautious about exclusively believing the kingdom is on Earth or elsewhere.

Questions for Further Discussion:

Themes and Application:

1. Kingship Reimagined: What does this passage teach about God’s power expressed through humility rather than dominance?
2. Forgiveness in the Face of Violence: What stands out to you about Jesus offering forgiveness before anyone repents?
3. The Meaning of Paradise: Jesus’ promise of “today you will be with me in Paradise” reframes heaven as companionship with Christ.
    How might this reshape how we think about death, hope, or eternal life?

Personal Reflection:

1. Opening the Heart: The clergy describe salvation not as a transaction but as an opening of the heart. Where do you sense your own heart opening—or resisting—God’s love?
2. Responding to Mockery and Pain: What experiences in your life make it difficult to respond with the mercy and restraint Jesus shows here?
3. Paradise as God’s Presence: If Paradise is walking with the King—presence, companionship, intimacy—when have you sensed moments of “Paradise” in this life?

Broader Spiritual Considerations:

1. The Nature of Salvation: The clergy critique overly formulaic views of salvation. In your own understanding, what is salvation for? How might this passage broaden or complicate your theology of who is saved and how?
2. Love as the First Word: Peter suggests Christians often lead with sin rather than love. What might change—within the Church, or in the wider world—if love were always the first word?
3. Living Between the Gardens: If Eden represents our origin and Paradise our fulfillment, what does it mean to live faithfully in the “in-between”—in a world marked by both beauty and brokenness?

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In this week's reading, Jesus delivers some shocking revelations about the temple and prophetic visions of what's to come. Peter Walsh, Elizabeth Garnsey, and John Kennedy explain how the disciples would have their faith tested, if these prophecies came to pass, and why many people today are still focused on the events Jesus described. Plus, how do we respond when power pushes back against our desire to follow Jesus' ways?

Questions for Further Discussion:
Themes and Application
1. The clergy discuss cycles of violence and the futility of responding to violence with violence. How does this shape our understanding of discipleship today?
2. How does the nonviolent approach Jesus models in Luke 21 relate to modern conflicts and social justice work?
3. Peter mentions that “endurance” and bearing witness are central to this teaching. What does it mean to “gain your soul” through endurance in the face of chaos?

Personal Reflection
1. What “temples” or institutions in your own life do you feel attached to that could fall, and how might your faith guide your response?
2. Elizabeth talks about tuning into the divine through lived experience and acts of justice. How do you personally recognize when an action aligns with God’s ways?
3. How does understanding the imperishable nature of the soul affect your approach to challenges, loss, or societal chaos?

Broader Spiritual Considerations
1. How do you interpret the references to “wars and insurrections” and natural disasters in a modern context? Are these warnings meant literally, metaphorically, or both?
2. The hosts discuss the tension between loving tradition and challenging it. How can one honor spiritual traditions while also embracing necessary transformation?
3. How does this passage and discussion inspire hope amid fear and uncertainty in our current world?

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This week, the Sadducees challenge Jesus with a hypothetical question about the resurrection. If a woman was married to seven brothers in life, which is she married to in the resurrection? Peter Walsh, Elizabeth Garnsey, and John Kennedy examine what N.T. Wright calls "the most important passage about resurrection" and discuss biblical understandings of death, what happens to the loved ones we lose, and the anxiety many of us have around dying.

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We've heard the Beatitudes many times, so why is it still so hard to follow them? Peter Walsh and Elizabeth Garnsey explain Jesus' reversal of concepts like rich and poor, how we can make space inside ourselves for more love, and what part of this passage is the most important teaching for our time.

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Another episode, another parable. This week, Jesus addresses people who are self-righteous and regard others with contempt. Peter Walsh, Elizabeth Garnsey, and John Kennedy warn against comparing ourselves to one another, attitudes of contempt among religious people, and the problem of labeling people good/bad or insider/outsider.

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What can the Parable of the Persistent Widow and the Unjust Judge teach us about prayer? Peter Walsh, Elizabeth Garnsey, and John Kennedy highlight why the widow's actions are so shocking, how times of opposition call for bold prayers, and why the message of this story isn't just "pray harder".

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In this week's reading, Jesus heals 10 lepers, but only one returns to thank him. Peter Walsh, Elizabeth Garnsey, and John Kennedy draw several parallels between this story and our modern world, including the treatment of foreigners, societal blame and scapegoating, and Jesus' challenge for us to be thankful.

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Learn more about St. Mark's at https://www.stmarksnewcanaan.org