The most played episodes among Podcast App listeners.

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   Number 1: Bringing my Neighbor to Jesus

   Large crowds were following Jesus wherever he went. People were hungry for his teaching. Many people came mainly to see his miracles or to ask for one for themselves. Hope for healing could be huge for people who had no medical care. We can imagine the paralyzed man living without hope, until he heard about Jesus the miracle worker. Some neighbors got together and carried this man to Jesus. When they arrived and saw that they could not get into the house because the crowd was so big, they hoisted their friend to the roof and lowered him “right in front of Jesus.” Jesus did not disappoint. First he met the man’s deepest spiritual need, forgiving his sins. Then Jesus met the man’s physi­cal need, making him able to walk again. The man “went home praising God.” About seven years ago, a dear colleague was hospitalized with terminal cancer. Inspired by this story, four of us who were friends of his met him in his room, wheeled him out to a patio, and shared Scripture and prayer with him in the presence of Jesus. Jesus did not heal his cancer that day. But Jesus had already forgiven our friend’s sins. And some weeks later, our friend “went home praising God” for all eternity.

   January 12, 2022·2min
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   Number 2: Tear Down our Walls

   U.S. President Ronald Reagan may best be remembered for his Berlin Wall speech. In 1987, standing near the wall that separated East Berlin from West Berlin, Reagan made this appeal to Russia’s General Secretary: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” Today’s story tells us that Jesus went through Samaria, that he came near the town of Sychar, that he was tired, that he sat down by a famous well, and that a Samaritan woman came to draw water. A huge, centuries-old wall was there too. It was invisible, yet everyone knew it was there—between Jews and Samaritans. Jesus tore down this wall. When he spoke to the Samaritan woman, she couldn’t believe it: “How can you ask me for a drink?” She wasn’t saying, “How dare you?” but “Why would you reach out to me?” When Jesus’ disciples returned, they were surprised too! Not just that he was talking to a woman, but to a Samaritan! Meanwhile, the woman went back to town to tell her neighbors about the wall-breaker: “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did.” Her neighbors followed her to meet Jesus for themselves. And when they invited Jesus to visit with them, he did! That’s what good neighbors do.

   January 11, 2022·2min
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   Number 3: Upside-down Hospitality

   I have a friend who hosts holiday meals at church for folks who have no one to spend the holiday with. They might be new to our church, far from family (physically or emotionally), or low on friends. In Jesus’ day, just as in our day, people enjoyed being invited to gatherings of the rich and famous as a way to climb the social ladder. The guests who sat nearest to the host were the most elite, and next to them were guests of slightly lower status, and so on. A prominent Pharisee—a religious leader—invited Jesus to a gathering like that. And Jesus was not impressed. He looked around and saw people who had already achieved high status, and he pointed out the glaring absence of people who were excluded and forgotten. It’s easy for us to embrace our people from whom we have something to gain. But Jesus turns our world upside down and says that the last will be first and the first will be last. So who should be on our list to call, text, email, or invite to our homes? Jesus says we are blessed when we get out of our comfort zones and build relationships with people who may be marginalized, such as those who are widowed, divorced, homeless, gay, immigrants, single moms, ex-prisoners, and more. Jesus invites us to his banquet and offers us the best seat in the house. Can we do the same?

   January 10, 2022·2min
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   Number 4: Making Eye Contact

   Greedy people tend to be ­rather unpopular, partly because they can’t be trusted. Look the other way, and they might try to get more of something for themselves: money, possessions, power. We tend to avoid or exclude such people. To the people in Jericho, Zacchaeus was detestable. He was chief of a network of tax collectors whose guiding principle was greed. They constantly overcharged for Roman taxes and kept the ­extra ­money for themselves. But Jesus didn’t avoid or exclude sinners. Rather, as our text today says, “Jesus looked up” at Zacchaeus, who had climbed a tree in order to see Jesus as he came by. Then Jesus announced that he would go to Zacchaeus’s house—and that set in motion a radical repentance and repayment of all that Zacchaeus had stolen from others. Eye contact is a powerful form of nonverbal communication. When eyes meet, souls connect. Jesus looks at each one of us—sinners by nature—and he offers love, forgiveness, and restoration. Do we avert our glance or do we fix our gaze on the lost people we encounter? As Christ’s followers, we are his agents as we live and work among people drowning in a life of sin. “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost”—and he has passed the baton to us.

   January 09, 2022·2min
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   Number 5: When Less is More

   Jesus was doing heart checks, not money checks, as he watched people bring their ­offerings to the temple. He knew who was being stingy and who was being generous. And he explained how the gift of the poor widow was a true act of worship. It can be tempting for church councils and nonprofit boards to focus too much on pleasing major donors, whose money can yield power and influence. It’s often the wealthy who are sought out for leadership roles and coveted as friends. Even in the body of Christ, money talks. But Jesus is saying here, “Not so fast.” We also should seek out peo­ple with limited financial resources and abundant generosity to be part of our friend circles, to mentor others, and to serve as leaders. Rather than looking past those who seem to be least among us, we need to ask Jesus for his eyes to see one another’s incredible value and to learn from each other. Wealth can be here today, gone tomorrow. Jesus is concerned with the motives of the heart. Recently a single mom who cleans houses for a living gave the church a packet of envelopes that each contained cash she had set aside from her weekly earnings. The total amount was not very much compared with that of a wealthier donor, but in terms of her heart and sacrifice, it was extremely valuable. Sometimes less is more!

   January 08, 2022·2min
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