We Wonder

O Wisdom, you come forth from the mouth of the Most High.

You fill the universe and hold all things together in a strong yet gentle manner.

O come to teach us the way of truth. 

Today’s reading: Colossians 1:15-20

I wonder if I can imagine Jesus’ face. What do his eyes look like, as he looks at me with love? What is the expression on his face?

I wonder if it is hard to believe sometimes that all of God -- all of God’s wisdom, and all of God’s love, and all of God’s power -- was present in a human being named Jesus, who really walked and lived on our earth? I wonder if that stretches my imagination? What do I want to say to God about that?

Here are words we heard today: “God was pleased to have his whole nature living in Christ. God was pleased to bring all things back to himself.” Coming to live with us in Jesus makes God happy. Having Jesus bring all of us close makes God happy. How does it feel to hear that God is pleased to be near me?

In Advent, we look around and see the ways that God feels far away or absent. What inside of me, or in my world, needs God to come close now? What needs to be saved and brought back to God? Can I ask Jesus to come and be near us again?

We Wonder is written and hosted by Sarah Dahl; produced by Richard Clark; and engineered by Nick Thompson and Noah Kirby. You can keep in touch with us on Instagram and Twitter by following @wewonderpod, or read more at wewonderpod.com. Thanks so much for listening, and I’ll see you tomorrow!

O Wisdom, you come forth from the mouth of the Most High.

You fill the universe and hold all things together in a strong yet gentle manner.

O come to teach us the way of truth. 

Today’s reading: Job 28:1-4, 9-15, 20-28

I wonder: who do I think of, when I hear the word “wisdom”? Are there any wise people in my life who show me God’s good ways?

Can I think of a time when I did not know how to make a wise choice, or how to speak wise words? What did that feel like?

I wonder: can it be true that the Wisdom that created and holds the whole universe together also wants to come and dwell with me? What do I want to say to God about that?

Can I ask God, right now, to shine light into my mind and heart today so that I can do good, love mercy, and speak truth?

Advent is a time for remembering that we, and our world, need God’s wisdom, not our own. Where do I need God to come rescue and teach me today?

We Wonder is written and hosted by Sarah Dahl; produced by Richard Clark; and engineered by Nick Thompson and Noah Kirby. You can keep in touch with us on Instagram and Twitter by following @wewonderpod, or read more at wewonderpod.com. Thanks so much for listening, and I’ll see you tomorrow!

O Wisdom, you come forth from the mouth of the Most High.

You fill the universe and hold all things together in a strong yet gentle manner.

O come to teach us the way of truth. 

Today’s reading: Isaiah 29:13-16

Isaiah says, “How silly they are to think that potters are like the clay they work with!” I wonder: are these words of judgment for me? Do I sometimes act more like a potter than like clay? Do I sometimes think I know what is best for myself, or for the people around me, without stopping to ask God? 

God said to Isaiah, “I will destroy the wisdom of those who think they are so wise. I will do away with the cleverness of those who think they are so smart.” I wonder if there are things or people I admire who are out of line with God’s wisdom? Can I ask God to help me see myself and the world with his eyes?

If God is like a potter, and we are like clay, I wonder: what has God made me for? How has he shaped me specially, for a good and wise purpose?

Advent is a time for remembering that we, and our world, need God to come and save. Is there anything in me, or in the world around me, that I want to call out for Jesus to come and make new?

We Wonder is written and hosted by Sarah Dahl; produced by Richard Clark; and engineered by Nick Thompson and Noah Kirby. You can keep in touch with us on Instagram and Twitter by following @wewonderpod, or read more at wewonderpod.com. Thanks so much for listening, and I’ll see you tomorrow!

Today is the first Sunday in Advent, and our reading is Mark 13:32-37. 

I wonder if there are places in my life where I have gotten sleepy? Where I don’t pay attention or notice how God could be at work? Where I forget that I -- and my world -- belong to God?

What is it like to hear Jesus say, “keep watch! Stay awake!”? How do I feel in my body, and in my heart, when I hear him say those words to me?

I wonder if I have ever felt like God has gone away, and left me alone. What do I want to say to God about that?

I wonder how I can hope for God to rescue me, even when I feel alone? What can I do to practice waiting and watching this Advent season?

We Wonder is written and hosted by Sarah Dahl; produced by Richard Clark; and engineered by Nick Thompson and Noah Kirby. You can keep in touch with us on Instagram and Twitter by following @wewonderpod, or read more at wewonderpod.com. Thanks so much for listening, and I’ll see you tomorrow!

Join us this Sunday as we begin our Advent journey.

Do you know what the word ‘Advent’ means? It’s an old word, and it means “coming,” or “arrival.” Advent is the season when we look around at our world and see how badly we need God to arrive on the scene. We remember that God came to live among us once, and throughout this season we long for God to arrive again and make all things new. 

Here in the northern hemisphere, Advent begins in the dark. The days are short; it is getting colder outside; trees are bare and the earth is settling down into the quiet of winter. We remember the time, long ago, when God’s people were in the dark: there were no more prophets speaking God’s words to them, and they were ruled over by a cruel empire that worshiped its own emperor as a god. They sat in the dark, where it was hard to see how God’s promises to them would ever come true.

During this season, we notice the ways that we are still in the dark. We know that Jesus has come to us once to save; we do not know when he will come back to us and make everything right. We live in an in-between time, waiting and hoping and calling out to God: O come, Emmanuel, God who is with us, and be with us again. Even so, come Lord Jesus.

Welcome to We Wonder: Advent. Do you know what the word ‘Advent’ means? It’s an old word, and it means “coming,” or “arrival.” Advent is the season when we look around at our world and see how badly we need God to arrive on the scene. We remember that God came to live among us once, and throughout this season we long for God to arrive again and make all things new. 

Here in the northern hemisphere, Advent begins in the dark. The days are short; it is getting colder outside; trees are bare and the earth is settling down into the quiet of winter. We remember the time, long ago, when God’s people were in the dark: there were no more prophets speaking God’s words to them, and they were ruled over by a cruel empire that worshiped its own emperor as a god. They sat in the dark, where it was hard to see how God’s promises to them would ever come true.

During this season, we notice the ways that we are still in the dark. We know that Jesus has come to us once to save; we do not know when he will come back to us and make everything right. We live in an in-between time, waiting and hoping and calling out to God: O come, Emmanuel, God who is with us, and be with us again. Even so, come Lord Jesus.

Our guest hosted series wraps up today with Christina Im. Christina and her husband Daniel co-host the wonderful podcast Im Between, covering all things parenting, marriage, and building a home culture of welcome and hospitality. Their episodes are both inspiring and practical, and make you feel like they’ve cleared a seat at the table just for you. You should definitely give it a listen: https://imbetween.org/

Christina is coming to us today from Alberta, Canada, where in addition to podcasting and raising a family, she is also a social worker, a counselor, and an Enneagram enthusiast.

Today's passage is Philippians 4:6-7,

6 Don’t worry about anything. No matter what happens, tell God about everything. Ask and pray, and give thanks to him. 7 Then God’s peace will watch over your hearts and your minds. He will do this because you belong to Christ Jesus. God’s peace can never be completely understood.

We Wonder is written and hosted by Sarah Dahl, and is produced by Richard Clark and Nick Thompson. You can support this and future seasons of the podcast by joining us as a patron: visit patreon.com/wewonder to learn more. 

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @wewonderpod to stay in touch, or learn more at www.wewonderpod.com. Thanks for listening!

Our guest hosted series continues today with Jeff Chu. Jeff is a prolific writer, an editor, and the co-host of the Evolving Faith Conference. He attended Princeton Theological Seminary, where he worked as a farmhand at the Farminary, which is a kind of amazing mashup of learning about God and God’s ways while tending God’s earth -- and then getting to eat the results.

These days, Jeff is the teacher-in-residence at Central Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he and his husband are getting ready to experience their very first Midwestern winter. 

Jeff is also, a mutual friend tells me, an amazing cook who loves to gather people around his table. He loves, as you’ll hear, fried rice, but he hates beets. And I think he’s a pretty great preacher. I’m so glad he has chosen to come and wonder with us today. 

Today's passage is from John's gospel, chapter 21 verses 3 through 17:

3 Simon Peter told them, “I’m going fishing.”

They said, “We’ll go with you.” They set out in a boat, but throughout the night they caught nothing. 4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples didn’t realize it was Jesus.

5 Jesus called to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?”

They answered him, “No.”

6 He said, “Cast your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.”

So they did, and there were so many fish that they couldn’t haul in the net. 7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard it was the Lord, he wrapped his coat around himself (for he was naked) and jumped into the water. 8 The other disciples followed in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they weren’t far from shore, only about one hundred yards.

9 When they landed, they saw a fire there, with fish on it, and some bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you’ve just caught.” 11 Simon Peter got up and pulled the net to shore. It was full of large fish, one hundred fifty-three of them. Yet the net hadn’t torn, even with so many fish. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples could bring themselves to ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread, and gave it to them. He did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.

Jesus and Peter

15 When they finished eating, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

Simon replied, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you.”

Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 Jesus asked a second time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Simon replied, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you.”

Jesus said to him, “Take care of my sheep.” 17 He asked a third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was sad that Jesus asked him a third time, “Do you love me?” He replied, “Lord, you know everything; you know I love you.”

Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.

We Wonder is written and hosted by Sarah Dahl, and is produced by Richard Clark and Nick Thompson. You can support this and future seasons of the podcast by joining us as a patron: visit patreon.com/wewonder to learn more. 

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @wewonderpod to stay in touch, or learn more at www.wewonderpod.com. Thanks for listening!

Our guest host this week is a writer, a poet, and a thinker whose way with words is an absolute gift to our world, especially this year. She is also a longtime We Wonder listener, who has been with us since day one, and I’m so honored that she has invited this podcast into her home and her family’s life. 

Laura Fabrycky’s work has appeared in Books and Culture, Christianity Today, Comment, Plough, and a host of other publications. She is the author most recently of Keys to Bonhoeffer’s Haus: Exploring the World and Wisdom of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, which is an absolutely beautiful meditation on her time spent as a guide at the Bonhoeffer Haus while her family was on a diplomatic posting to Berlin. Her writing on civic housekeeping, and the virtues that each of us can cultivate in order to care well for one another in our shared public life has been a gift to me this year, and I can’t recommend Laura’s book highly enough. (Please consider ordering it from your local independent bookshop or from Byron and Beth Borger at Hearts and Minds books!) 

Laura and her family are currently posted in Brussels, and I am so delighted that she has been able to carve out the time to share her voice, her wonder, and her words with us. 

Trinity Forum: “At Home with Bonhoeffer, an online conversation with Laura Fabrycky”

Today's passage is Luke 5:1-11:

1 Jesus was standing on the shore of Lake Gennesaret,[a] teaching the people as they crowded around him to hear God’s message. 2 Near the shore he saw two boats left there by some fishermen who had gone to wash their nets. 3 Jesus got into the boat that belonged to Simon and asked him to row it out a little way from the shore. Then Jesus sat down[b] in the boat to teach the crowd.

4 When Jesus had finished speaking, he told Simon, “Row the boat out into the deep water and let your nets down to catch some fish.”

5 “Master,” Simon answered, “we have worked hard all night long and have not caught a thing. But if you tell me to, I will let the nets down.” 6 They did it and caught so many fish that their nets began ripping apart. 7 Then they signaled for their partners in the other boat to come and help them. The men came, and together they filled the two boats so full that they both began to sink.

8 When Simon Peter saw this happen, he knelt down in front of Jesus and said, “Lord, don’t come near me! I am a sinner.” 9 Peter and everyone with him were completely surprised at all the fish they had caught. 10 His partners James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were surprised too.

Jesus told Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you will bring in people instead of fish.” 11 The men pulled their boats up on the shore. Then they left everything and went with Jesus.

We Wonder is written and hosted by Sarah Dahl, and is produced by Richard Clark and Nick Thompson. You can support this and future seasons of the podcast by joining us as a patron: visit patreon.com/wewonder to learn more. 

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @wewonderpod to stay in touch, or learn more at www.wewonderpod.com. Thanks for listening!

Our guest host this week is Joshua Jalandoon. Joshua is a pastor and youth director at City Church San Francisco. He loves working with young people, and lives for moments when he gets to see them take steps of faith. Joshua just recently moved out to San Francisco from Chicago, and he would trade snow for fog any day. Happily, we’ve got plenty of fog here in SF to go around! When he’s not pastoring, he’s getting lost biking around Golden Gate Park with his partner Melody, or digging into a good book while sipping on a pour over coffee. I’m grateful for Joshua’s vision and leadership with my own children, and I’m honored to be able to share his voice with you!

Today's passage is 1 Samuel 3:1-10:

1 The boy Samuel served the Lord under the direction of Eli. In those days the Lord didn’t give many messages to his people. He didn’t give them many visions.

2 One night Eli was lying down in his usual place. His eyes were becoming so weak he couldn’t see very well. 3 Samuel was lying down in the Lord’s house. That’s where the ark of God was kept. The lamp of God was still burning. 4 The Lord called out to Samuel.

Samuel answered, “Here I am.” 5 He ran over to Eli and said, “Here I am. You called out to me.”

But Eli said, “I didn’t call you. Go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.

6 Again the Lord called out, “Samuel!” Samuel got up and went to Eli. He said, “Here I am. You called out to me.”

“My son,” Eli said, “I didn’t call you. Go back and lie down.”

7 Samuel didn’t know the Lord yet. That’s because the Lord still hadn’t given him a message.

8 The Lord called out for the third time. He said, “Samuel!” Samuel got up and went to Eli. He said, “Here I am. You called out to me.”

Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down. If someone calls out to you again, say, ‘Speak, Lord. I’m listening.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10 The Lord came and stood there. He called out, just as he had done the other times. He said, “Samuel! Samuel!”

Then Samuel replied, “Speak. I’m listening.”

We Wonder is written and hosted by Sarah Dahl, and is produced by Richard Clark and Nick Thompson. You can support this and future seasons of the podcast by joining us as a patron: visit patreon.com/wewonder to learn more. 

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @wewonderpod to stay in touch, or learn more at www.wewonderpod.com. Thanks for listening!