The real miracle of Christmas is not the title of a Hallmark movie. And it's not very cozy. We indulge in some cozy chat today (Cambridge at Christmas time!), but the heart of our conversation is about the Incarnation in the arts, and how music, painting, poetry can help to unstick us, to remind us who our Incarnate Lord really is, in all the puzzling and startling smallness of his Nativity.

The Rev. Dr. Jeremy Begbie is the Thomas A. Langford Distinguished Research Professor of Theology at Duke Divinity School, and McDonald Agape Director of Duke Initiatives in Theology and the Arts. He is Senior Member at Wolfson College, Cambridge, and an Affiliated Lecturer in the Faculty of Music at the University of Cambridge. He's the author of several good books, books including Resounding Truth: Christian Wisdom in the World of Music (Baker/SPCK) and Abundantly More: The Theological Promise of the Arts in a Reductionist World (Baker). 

Now get yourself a mug of something, crank up the fire, crack out the mince pies, but don't get so cozy that you neglect to be discomfited by Christmas. We hope you enjoy the conversation.

Jeremy Begbie's books

Recipe for mince pie

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There are people who tend to be on the fringes in church: the unhoused, those with mental illness, teens and kids, single people, those with dementia, and those with no family. But all of these folks are in the center of church life at St James the Less, Pimlico, in London. 

Today we'll speak with the rector, the Rev. Lis Goddard, about how this came about, and how it works.

This is a conversation about radical hospitality. Maybe you've used that phrase; maybe your denomination does. What does that mean? The word "family" is key. Much about a healthy family is being able to share safe space. If baptismal water is truly thicker than blood, how does that require radical hospitality, maybe especially, with those who are vulnerable? And how can it also invite parishioners into a deeper, rather than more tenuous, sense of security?

Today we'll be talking about open doors and open homes, as well as the boundaries and practical policies that make radical hospitality possible. We'll learn about Sabbath, how saying no is an invitation to mutual honor, and ways to equip volunteers for joyful service. 

The Rev. Lis Goddard has been Vicar of St James the Less, Pimlico (London), since September 2010. Other ministry roles have included university chaplain and Tutor for Ministerial Formation at Wycliffe Hall, and Assistant Minister at St Andrew’s Church in North Oxford. She leads missions, mentoring, and spiritual direction initatives, and was the Chair of Awesome/The Junia Network, a network of ordained women evangelicals. She is now Cochair of the Church of England Evangelical Council and is co-author of The Gender Agenda, a book of charitable debate on women's ordination.

When you get off at Pimlico station, be sure to mind the gap. And maybe become more aware of how we can help close the gaps between God's beloved people. We hope you enjoy the conversation.

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Today we'll be talking about the material of worship. The literal material. We sat down with Robert Hoare, the managing director of vestment maker, Watts & Co, to talk about its venerable and sometimes quirky history, and the ancient and unbelievable craftsmanship of the chasubles, cassocks, copes, surplices, maniples, mitres, stoles, and humeral veils Christian clergy wear today, to lead the people of God into the presence of God.

And this episode isn't just for people who know what a maniple is. Anyone interested in history, art, sustainable industry, English stuff, or a good yarn will also enjoy this episode.

We'll hear about commissions for the royal family, the formidable women of Watts & Co, the flood that took out several centuries of hand embroidery, secrets of the craft, how vestments might be attracting young people to church, and our longing for beauty in a world of technologized homogeneity. 

Robert Hoare and his sister, Marie-Severine de Caraman Chimay, are fifth-generation owners of Watts.

Is this a conversation about art and worship, or a sales pitch for beautiful vestments? We hope we thread that needle. We hope you enjoy the conversation.

Watts & Co website

Opus Anglicanum needlework

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How are Anglicans persevering in ministry and life together in the face of climate change?

The Bishop of Puerto Rico, the Rt. Rev. Rafael Morales Maldonado, has a passion for creation-care ministries, outreach, and evangelism. What's up in ministry in Puerto Rico? And especially how are they integrating concern for climate change into ministry there?

Bishop Rafael is the diocesan bishop of Puerto Rico, currently provisional bishop in Cuba, and bishop advisor on the Virgin Islands. He is the president of Episcopal Health Services, Inc., which includes the island's most significant home care and hospice service, as well as president of the Episcopal Funeral Services. Bishop Rafael has also been a key leader in responding to natural disasters that have affected Puerto Rico in recent years.

Today we'll talk about: how the island is finding their place in the Lambeth Call on the Environment, saying prayers before planting trees, why good weather reports are a ministry, stepping up mental health services for the voiceless, and learning from St. Francis. 

This is a joyful conversation on creation and loving the neighbor. 

The Lambeth Call on the Environment and Sustainable Development

Programa REDES

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Today we'll be touching down in Kansas, Japan, Africa, China, and the middle east, for some global lessons in leadership.

How are Christians formed as effective leaders, and how do they in turn form effective leaders? How do we learn leadership from beyond our home turf to serve in fearlessly contextualized ways?

My guest today is Dr. Mary Ho. Mary is an expert in strategic leadership, and she is the International Executive Leader of All Nations International, a global Christian missions training and sending organization. She is currently co-teaching a 3-year class on leadership in the global Christian context at Gordon Conwell. Mary is also the author of a number of articles that I'll link today in the show notes including, "When Leaders Drink Tea Together," "The Transcendent Culture of Servant Leadership," and "Growing Global Women Leaders from the Majority World." 

Are there Western leadership models that can be exported elsewhere? When and why?

How do we lead with vision, or even with a charismatic personality, while building nurture rather than going toxic?

What can global north organizational leadership learn from global south Christianity?

And what are some benefits and limits to reading leadership books? 

Take off that leadership cap for just a second. Sit back, relax. Maybe have a cup of tea. We hope you enjoy the conversation.

Check out these articles by Mary Ho:

Global Leadership for Global Missions

The Transcendent Culture of Servant Leadership: Principles for 21st Century Global Missions

When Leaders Drink Tea Together: A Critique of Western Christian Leadership in Light of Global Trends

Growing Global Women Leaders from the Majority World

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Two bishops in Bermuda give us a glimpse at a gesture of Christian unity that's making a difference in a diverse community.

We'll hear today how the Anglican and Roman Catholic bishops of the island both found their call into island ministry, how their friendship started, and some of the fruit it's bearing in their dioceses in sweet and surprising collaborations. We'll also hear some advice on how to make friends with other Christian leaders in your own community, across divides of history and tradition.

The Rt. Rev. Nicholas Dill has been the Anglican Bishop of Bermuda since 2013. Bishop Nick started as a barrister in London, then became a priest, before accepting a call as bishop of his home island of Bermuda. He is looking to see where God is leading the Church, but knows it includes a greater emphasis on work with Christian brothers and sisters of every denomination.

The Most Rev. Wiesław Śpiewak has been the Roman Catholic Bishop of Bermuda since 2015. A native of Poland, Bishop Wes first served there at a seminary, before teaching and serving in Rome, then serving as Provincial of the Polish Province before coming, unexpectedly, to Bermuda. 

Hang on to your mitres and your mai tais. We hope you enjoy the conversation. 

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Videos of Bishop Nick and Bishop Wes:

(20+) Video | Facebook , (20+) Facebook, (20+) Facebook

What or who are angels? Why does it matter? 

Some of you may be coming to today's episode with some skepticism or at least curiosity. Why are we talking about angels and demons? Should we bother thinking or talking about invisible creatures? Is it possibly to not be scary or weird about it?

As we'll discover today, Christians have always been concerned with angels, because angels are deeply concerned with us — with our wellbeing and our journey toward — or away from — the love and likeness of Christ.

Fear not: today will not include impressive or spooky stories, or anecdotes of spiritual experiences. Instead, we focus on the goodness of God, the hospitality of heaven, and how the holy angels help us along the way. And little about how the naughty angels try to trip us up, how we can catch them at it, and the gifts God gives us to resist their tricks. No campfire stories. Just some good doctrine, simple advice, and a lot of Thomas Aquinas.

Our guest today is the Rev. James Dominic Brent, OP. Fr. James is a Dominican Friar who lives and teaches at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C. He is the author of The Father’s House: Discovering Our Home in the Trinity. He frequently lectures for the Thomistic Institute, and appears on their YouTube series Aquinas 101 as well as on the Dominican podcast Contemplata, A Podcast for Contemplative Souls.You can find more of his work on Soundcloud. 

Now forget your harps and halos for just a second. From the Desert Fathers to alcoholic's anonymous, we're going to find out about those blessed creatures who were made to be busy for God on our behalf. We hope you enjoy the conversation.

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With election season heating up in the U.S., many Christian leaders feel the extra strain. With churches and nations dealing with painful divisions, how might Christians — and anyone else — learn to enjoy and share life together? What does that take?

Today it takes us to the virtues, ways to live at peace with ourselves and others through the exercise of certain habits.

The cardinal virtues are four specific means and wisdoms for flourishing that God makes available to humans universally, to discern "the good" and experience some of that goodness in our social and material lives.

How do humans share life across divides? How do we make the life of grace visible, and how does God make it visible through us, and accessible to others, even in tricky times? And how are the cardinal virtues a time-tested paradigm for knowing and sharing, through prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude, God's goodness in our life together?

Dr. Elisabeth Rain Kincaid is our guest today. She is the Director of the Institute for Faith and Learning at Baylor University, where she also serves as associate professor of ethics, faith, and culture. Her first book, Law From Below, was recently published with Georgetown University Press. Her research interests include questions at the intersection of theology, business, and law, as well as natural law theory, virtue ethics, socially responsible investment, Anglican and Catholic Social Teaching, and questions of human flourishing.

We hope you enjoy the conversation. 

Read Elisabeth's book.

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How can poetry teach us to read Scripture?

Everything within creation

Speaks of Jesus’ Incarnation.

Likewise too, his saving Passion

Is shown forth in all that’s fashioned.

The Word God spoke before all ages

Can be traced in Scripture’s pages.

The Bible tells one vast narration

from Genesis to Revelation.

So begins "Figural Graffiti," a delightful instructional poem by theology professor Joe Mangina. "Figural Graffiti" is sincere and playful, and it's a little ditty on the method and gift of reading scripture figurally. We discuss today this ancient and lively method of reading Scripture, what we lose when we lose the knack of figural reading, and what freedom figural reading gives us as disciples and Christian leaders.

Dr. Joseph Mangina is professor of theology at Wycliffe College, Toronto. His scholarly interests include ecclesiology, ecumenism, sacramental theology, and theological interpretation of Scripture. For several years in the 2000s he served on the Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue commission for Canada. Among other books, he's written two on Karl Barth, the Revelation commentary for the Brazos Theological Commentary series, and most recently, he's co-edited a book called Figural Reading and the Fleshly God: The Theology of Ephraim Radner.

Read "Figural Graffiti" on the Living Church's free online journal, Covenant.

Check out Joe's new book.

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Clergy couples: How do they work? Where are the tensions and the graces? Even highly functional, loving, clergy marriages can look so different. Knock, knock – can we come inside your marriage for a peek?

In this episode, host Amber Noel gets really nosy. Here are three couples willing to come on the podcast and talk honestly about their clergy couple marriages – what makes them tick, what ticks them off, and how they've learned to value differences, protect each other, and learn grace in community.

In this episode we'll hear from:

• The Rev. Tish Harrison Warren and her husband, the Rev. Dr. Jonathan Warren Pagán. Tish is a priest in the Anglican Church in North America. She is the author of Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life and Prayer in the Night: For Those Who Work, or Watch, or Weep. She’s written for The New York Times and Christianity Today. Jonathan is planter and rector of Immanuel Anglican Church in Austin, Texas. Together they cowrote the book, Advent: The Season of Hope.
• The Rev. Dr. Lilian and the Rt. Rev. Given Gaula: Bishop Given has been Bishop of Kondoa, Tanzania, since 2012. Mother Lilian serves in various roles in the diocese of Kondoa, including teaching at the theological college and running a ministry for women’s empowerment.
• The Rev. Melissa and the Very Rev. Randy Hollerith. Melissa has 30 years of ordained ministry under her belt, much of it serving schools. For the past two years, she has been the upper school Chaplain and teacher at St. Albans School in Washington. Randy has served as the Dean of Washington National Cathedral since 2016, and was rector of St. James’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia, for 16 years.

We hope you enjoy the conversation.

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