TrinityCast

The Reverend Dr. Johanna Wagner starts off by explaining why people did not believe the women who ended up discovering Jesus' empty tomb: These women are not literal angels. The Reverend explores how angels in Luke's gospel have been the ones to deliver the promises of new life, from Jesus' birth, to reminders of Jesus' own words.

The Reverend goes on to explore the visual aspects of Trinity's Easter service that provide the promise of new life: white paraments hanging, bouquets of flowers, and children singing.

“Father, into your hands, I commend my spirit.”

The Reverend Dr. Johanna Wagner contemplates how the story of Jesus’ Crucifixion has so many characters who are hiding. Pilate and the members of the crowd are hiding their intentions & identities, while other characters are hiding behind humor and sarcasm. In that sense, this story is a "darkening" of Adam & Eve's story. While Adam & Eve hide due to shame, the Crucifixion story is about hiding so that we do not have to feel shame.

There are always ways to hide our blame, to hide our shame; The Reverend prays that we may grow in self-awareness to recognize the times we may want to harm others.

In Episode 3 of the ASK series, Rev. Dr. Johanna Wagner explores the question: "When was Hell built?" Johanna goes through the examples (or lack thereof) of Hell as it appears in the Bible; Jesus has spoken of Hell a few times, and Johanna puts his thoughts in context. Sarah ponders what she herself has learned about Hell growing up with a religious education, and Johanna points out how Presbyterians' don't really talk about Hell, thanks in part to the Protestant Reformation. Regardless of our mortal understanding, Rev. Johanna quotes Jesus' idea of a one "true" and unforgivable sin: "Blaspheming the Holy Spirit."

The Rev. Johanna Wagner describes examples of Jesus' teachings that practically invite the criticism of the Roman government and high priests. She asks us to appreciate Jesus' attitude, like that of a bored teen, responding "you say so" to the judgments of Pilate and the establishment.

She calls us to imagine our own criticisms, and invites us to courageously "color outside the lines" in responding, like Jesus: "You say so." While there is indeed a cost to coloring outside the lines, we must have faith that the cost is temporary, and that the costs do not control us the way we may think.

The Reverend Dr. Johanna Wagner calls us to contemplate the fire that Peter sits beside. A fire is supposed to be a warm gathering place; what made it so unwelcoming that Peter felt distant and detached from Jesus? Rev. Wagner argues that, as Christians, the bar to pass is a modest one: All we need to do is profess that we are with the Savior. To do that, we must be with each other in a way that we encourage the faith of others. The Reverend closes by asking us to ask ourselves...Are we seeing each other with the right eyes?

Are we sharing our warmth?

Are we accepting each other, with all our complications?

The Rev. Johanna Wagner reflects on Jesus' feelings of weakness at the Mount of Olives. Prayer is not just saying "I need help," she says, but it also is a matter of claiming your place. The reverend explores how prayer is a form of strength, letting us feel the value of our life to the rest of the universe.

This Third Sunday of Lent, the Reverend Dr. Johanna Wagner discusses Jesus' role as a model host, despite being in his life treated as an unwanted guest. Reverend Wagner discusses Socrates' musings on the concept of "justice," and uses the story of a former classmate of hers, who remains a kind and loving person despite an abusive upbringing, to point out one definition of Christianity: Turning feelings of bitterness into justice and love.

In Episode 2, Rev. Johanna and Sarah discuss the complicated power of prayer. Prompted by the question "What can you do when a certain agony does not go away, no matter how much time goes by?," our hosts give thoughts about what purpose prayer really serves. Jesus' relation to prayer, the words in the Psalms, and a story about a melted snowman all come up in this discussion.

For the second Sunday of Lent, the Reverend Miriam Foltz, guest pastor at Trinity this week, preached on Jesus in the temple. Jesus' physical location intersects with his 3 "personal" locations: his identity as Messiah, as a Jewish man, and as a reformer. The reverend offered a meditative practice for the congregation to clench their hands in righteous anger, and then release their hands so they may be ready to help and heal the world around them.

In the First Sunday of Lent, we find Jesus outside of Jerusalem, as he weeps for the city. The Reverend Dr. Joanne McCune Wagner discusses how Jesus has compassion and pity for Jerusalem, and how we as Christians must uproot our own hostile impulses, instead of feeling gleeful at the expense of others.