In this episode, Pastor Scott explores the Nativity story, which is featured on Christmas Eve every year in the Lectionary, Luke 2:1-20. Luke places this event in a specific time in history, and we are presented with different individuals who bring their own perspective and experience to this event. Likewise, every year we bring our own unique history and perspective to the celebration of Christ's birth. This will affect the way that we have this divine encounter with the mystery of what God is up to in the Christ-event.

In this sermon for Christmas Eve, based on Luke 2:1-20, Pastor Scott explores the sense of anticipation he feels around Star Wars...and the same sort of expectation and excitement that we bring into the familiar story of the Nativity. God is up to something big in our reality, and this is only one piece of it. But we enter into it, with our perspectives shaped by our own experience.

In this sermon, based on Matthew 1:18-25, Pastor Scott explores the ways that Joseph's action in and around the birth of Jesus is utterly significant, especially in light of his silence. Joseph never speaks. And yet, what he does for Jesus reflects enormous similarities between us and the Messiah.

This sermon stems from the reflections that Pastor Scott offered in The Rambling Rev Episode #004.

In this episode of The Rambling Rev, I finally tackle a passage along with doing the background work in prep for a sermon. Matthew 1:18-25 is the assigned text for Sunday December 22, 2019, the 4th and final Sunday of Advent. We have Matthew's version of the birth narrative, which I compare to Luke's account. Matthew focuses in on Joseph and his actions and involvement. But in the end, the angelic instruction about the name of the Messiah reveals a great deal.

In this episode of The Rambling Rev, I continue the exploration into the role of John the Baptist as the forerunner of Jesus. As we move through Advent, and we experience the growing anticipation of Jesus while moving towards Christmas, we find some reassuring truth. Even John fails to fully understand what it is that Jesus is up to. The Kingdom of God has come near...and so we ponder on just what that means in the here and now.

In this first normal-ish episode, I explore the Gospel text for the Second Sunday in Advent, Matthew 3:1-12. As we are in the season of anticipation and preparation for the birth of Christ at Christmas, our texts reveal that same sense of looking forward.

This week, I explore a passage that opens the larger story of the Baptism of Jesus, but in this opening portion, the focal point is on John the Baptist and his ministry as the forerunner of Christ.

I'm kicking off a new venture, based on an old venture. Over the past 5 years, I've been producing weekly video podcasts in which I rambling through my musings on the assigned scripture passage for the week. You can find those videos on Youtube under the title "Sermon Braindump." But now I'm doing them in the audio format.

Tune in weekly, almost always on Fridays as I prepare and post new episodes, and you'll be able to gain some different insight into the assigned text for the week.