St. Andrew UMC Podcast

Scripture Reading:John 5: 1-9

One of the great mistakes Christians have made over the centuries is to have assumed that Jesus of Nazareth was principally concerned with matters of right belief or doctrine.  For two thousand years, the Church has been preoccupied with the metaphysical and supernatural, to the neglect of the physical and natural.  While Jesus was a rabbi who cared deeply about the mind and soul of a person, he was also a healer who cared at least as much about the body of a person.  For Jesus, body, mind, and spirit could not be separated.  He came to restore the whole person to oneself, to community, and to God.  

In this sermon series,  we’ll meet the Jesus whom tradition has come to call “The Great Physician.”  The “abundant life” Jesus calls us to is a wholeness of life in which our mind, heart, spirit, and body are most fully integrated and alive.  To experience abundant life is not to believe the right things, or to have certainty, or to prepare ourselves for the next life; instead, it’s to be well in this life, by the grace we find in Christ and in community. 

Scripture Reading: Luke 8: 26-39

One of the great mistakes Christians have made over the centuries is to have assumed that Jesus of Nazareth was principally concerned with matters of right belief or doctrine.  For two thousand years, the Church has been preoccupied with the metaphysical and supernatural, to the neglect of the physical and natural.  While Jesus was a rabbi who cared deeply about the mind and soul of a person, he was also a healer who cared at least as much about the body of a person.  For Jesus, body, mind, and spirit could not be separated.  He came to restore the whole person to oneself, to community, and to God.  

In this sermon series,  we’ll meet the Jesus whom tradition has come to call “The Great Physician.”  The “abundant life” Jesus calls us to is a wholeness of life in which our mind, heart, spirit, and body are most fully integrated and alive.  To experience abundant life is not to believe the right things, or to have certainty, or to prepare ourselves for the next life; instead, it’s to be well in this life, by the grace we find in Christ and in community. 

A popular poster hanging from many office walls portrays massive, threatening storm clouds covering the earthen landscape below.  All life on the ground has sought a place of safety and shelter.  But above the dark, ominous clouds an eagle soars with outstretched wings.  The caption reads: “When storms arise, sparrows head for cover, while eagles soar higher.”

When the hardships of life press in all around us and we begin to grow weary, or when a storm or crisis overturns our world and threatens to overwhelm us, we are often inclined to run for shelter, take cover, and wait it out—hoping simply to get through it in one piece.  But the eagle knows that in the storm lies both danger and opportunity.  By locking its wings in a fixed position, it can use the wind of the storm to fly higher in a matter of seconds, thereby avoiding the perils below and gaining a whole new perspective.   

In this four-part “Soar” series, we hear from the prophet Isaiah, who reminds us that, in the face of every storm, God gives us the strength and courage to soar like eagles, rather than hide like sparrows.

A popular poster hanging from many office walls portrays massive, threatening storm clouds covering the earthen landscape below.  All life on the ground has sought a place of safety and shelter.  But above the dark, ominous clouds an eagle soars with outstretched wings.  The caption reads: “When storms arise, sparrows head for cover, while eagles soar higher.”

When the hardships of life press in all around us and we begin to grow weary, or when a storm or crisis overturns our world and threatens to overwhelm us, we are often inclined to run for shelter, take cover, and wait it out—hoping simply to get through it in one piece.  But the eagle knows that in the storm lies both danger and opportunity.  By locking its wings in a fixed position, it can use the wind of the storm to fly higher in a matter of seconds, thereby avoiding the perils below and gaining a whole new perspective.   

In this four-part “Soar” series, we hear from the prophet Isaiah, who reminds us that, in the face of every storm, God gives us the strength and courage to soar like eagles, rather than hide like sparrows.

A popular poster hanging from many office walls portrays massive, threatening storm clouds covering the earthen landscape below.  All life on the ground has sought a place of safety and shelter.  But above the dark, ominous clouds an eagle soars with outstretched wings.  The caption reads: “When storms arise, sparrows head for cover, while eagles soar higher.”

When the hardships of life press in all around us and we begin to grow weary, or when a storm or crisis overturns our world and threatens to overwhelm us, we are often inclined to run for shelter, take cover, and wait it out—hoping simply to get through it in one piece.  But the eagle knows that in the storm lies both danger and opportunity.  By locking its wings in a fixed position, it can use the wind of the storm to fly higher in a matter of seconds, thereby avoiding the perils below and gaining a whole new perspective.   

In this four-part “Soar” series, we hear from the prophet Isaiah, who reminds us that, in the face of every storm, God gives us the strength and courage to soar like eagles, rather than hide like sparrows.

A popular poster hanging from many office walls portrays massive, threatening storm clouds covering the earthen landscape below.  All life on the ground has sought a place of safety and shelter.  But above the dark, ominous clouds an eagle soars with outstretched wings.  The caption reads: “When storms arise, sparrows head for cover, while eagles soar higher.”

When the hardships of life press in all around us and we begin to grow weary, or when a storm or crisis overturns our world and threatens to overwhelm us, we are often inclined to run for shelter, take cover, and wait it out—hoping simply to get through it in one piece.  But the eagle knows that in the storm lies both danger and opportunity.  By locking its wings in a fixed position, it can use the wind of the storm to fly higher in a matter of seconds, thereby avoiding the perils below and gaining a whole new perspective.   

In this four-part “Soar” series, we hear from the prophet Isaiah, who reminds us that, in the face of every storm, God gives us the strength and courage to soar like eagles, rather than hide like sparrows.

In one of his most famous parables, Jesus gives us a model for Christian service through a man who finds himself in the right place at the right time and actually gets off his donkey and serves a person in need.

Like the Good Samaritan, believers are called daily to dismount, get down and dirty, and live a life that makes a difference. 

Join us for this series on the call to faithful service and greater community engagement in order to do our essential part in creating a world worth living in. 

In one of his most famous parables, Jesus gives us a model for Christian service through a man who finds himself in the right place at the right time and actually gets off his donkey and serves a person in need.

Like the Good Samaritan, believers are called daily to dismount, get down and dirty, and live a life that makes a difference. 

Join us for this series on the call to faithful service and greater community engagement in order to do our essential part in creating a world worth living in. 

In one of his most famous parables, Jesus gives us a model for Christian service through a man who finds himself in the right place at the right time and actually gets off his donkey and serves a person in need.

Like the Good Samaritan, believers are called daily to dismount, get down and dirty, and live a life that makes a difference. 

Join us for this series on the call to faithful service and greater community engagement in order to do our essential part in creating a world worth living in. 

In one of his most famous parables, Jesus gives us a model for Christian service through a man who finds himself in the right place at the right time and actually gets off his donkey and serves a person in need.

Like the Good Samaritan, believers are called daily to dismount, get down and dirty, and live a life that makes a difference. 

Join us for this series on the call to faithful service and greater community engagement in order to do our essential part in creating a world worth living in.