Word of Life Church Podcast

By Pastor Brian Zahnd

Society & Culture Government & Organizations Philosophy Religion & Spirituality Spirituality Non-Profit Christianity

What's Word of Life Church Podcast about?

Word of Life Church in St. Joseph, Missouri is a thriving non-denominational church led by Pastor Brian & Peri Zahnd. We are followers of Jesus seeking to be an authentic expression of the kingdom of Jesus in the twenty-first century. Additional sermon audio and other resources are available on our church website.

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Waiting on Christmas with I...

12.08.2019

Isaiah envisions a day when a Messianic king will rule in righteousness, causing the beastly to be converted and to live humanely with the most vulnerable in society. It's the glorious day when the lion lays down with the lamb.

Word of Life Church Podcast episodes:

12.08.2019 Waiting on Christmas with Isaiah: When the Lion Lays Down with the Lamb (Audio) Isaiah envisions a day when a Messianic king will rule in righteousness, causing the beastly to be converted and to live humanely with the most vulnerable in society. It's the glorious day when the lion lays down with the lamb.
12.01.2019 Waiting For Christmas With Isaiah: In the Light of Christ (Audio) Jesus Christ is the light that enlightens every person. In the light of Christ we know that narcissism is a deformity of the soul because in the life of Jesus we see self-sacrifice. In the light of Christ we know ...
11.24.2019 Job: A Blameless Victim Part 3 (Audio) When you are grieving and in great pain, pour out your lamentation to God, but hold on to your ticket. Remember that life is a precious gift, affirm the goodness of creation, love every leaf and every grain of sand, ...
11.17.2019 Job: A Blameless Victim Part 2 (Audio) When we encounter tragedy, the question is not, Who can we blame? The question is, How can we help? If the framing question in tragedy is, Who can we blame?, then we end up doing the work of the devil. ...
11.10.2019 Job: A Blameless Victim Part 1 (Audio) The Book of Job exposes the satanic practice of blame. The book presents a test to the reader: Can the reader hold onto what God says about Job — that Job was blameless. Most readers cannot. Eventually they are seduced ...
11.03.2019 Anniversary Sunday: A Long Obedience In the Same Direction (Audio) “The essential thing in heaven and in earth is that there should be a long OBEDIENCE in the same direction that thereby results, in the long run, in something which makes life worth living—virtue, art, music, dancing, reason, spirituality—anything...
10.27.2019 We Are Family (Audio) Jesus shows us what it means to be family. We are fully seen and known by him. Even after diving deep into the details of our lives he still calls us family. This is how we are called to love ...
10.20.2019 I Am Chosen (Audio) It feels good to be chosen, because it communicates to us that we are wanted. It communicates that not only are we welcomed, but we are wanted. It creates a sense of belonging. Psychologists since the 1950s have said that ...
10.13.2019 I Am a Worshiper (Audio) You were made to worship, because you are human. Worship is a human quality. We all have the capacity to look towards something outside ourselves, to give attention to some version of the good life, to give our hearts and ...
10.06.2019 I Am Called (Audio) From Moses to Mary we see God calling individuals to specific tasks and special vocations through peculiar and powerful events. This can leave us awestruck and distraught at the same time, wondering what our calling may be and if we ...
09.29.2019 I Am Peaceful (Audio) We are created to be people of peace. Jesus is present with us in the midst of our fears and worries. Rather than participate in the chaos Jesus invites us into the peace of His presence through prayer. Prayer is ...
09.22.2019 I Am Content (Audio) There is a sense in our day that the drive for more is driving us crazy. Jesus wants to liberate us from this madness of more, setting us free to rest in his grace. Jesus says to us, “Come to ...
09.15.2019 I Am Loved (Audio) The second most important question a person can answer is "Who are you?" This question follows the most important question "Who is Jesus?" As we look to Jesus and the cross we can honestly answer, "I am loved." Shame is...
09.08.2019 Knockin' on Heaven's Door - Bob Dylan (Audio) Mama, take this badge off of meI can’t use it anymoreIt’s gettin’ dark, too dark to seeI feel I’m knockin’ on heaven’s door Knock, knock, knockin’ on heaven’s door Knock, knock, knockin’ on heaven’s doorKnock, knock, knockin’ on heaven’s...
09.01.2019 Jesus Just Left Chicago - ZZ Top (Audio) Jesus just left Chicago And he's bound for New OrleansWell now, Jesus just left ChicagoAnd he's bound for New OrleansWorkin' from one end to the other and all points in between Took a junk through Mississippi Well, muddy water...
08.25.2019 Peace Train - Cat Stevens (Audio) Now I've been happy lately Thinking about the good things to comeAnd I believe it could beSomething good has begunOh, I've been smiling latelyDreaming about the world as oneAnd I believe it could beSomeday it's going to...
08.18.2019 Heart of Gold - Neil Young (Audio) I want to live, I want to giveI've been a miner for a heart of goldIt's these expressions I never giveThat keep me searching for a heart of gold and I'm getting oldKeep me searching for a heart of gold ...
08.11.2019 Shine A Light - The Rolling Stones (Audio) Saw you stretched out in room 1009 With a smile on your face and a tear right in your eyeCould not seem to get a line on you, my sweet honey loveBerber jewelry jangling down the streetMaking bloodshot eyes at ...
08.04.2019 Revolution - The Beatles (Audio) You say you want a revolution Well, you knowWe'd all love to change the worldYou tell me that it's evolutionWell, you knowWe'd all love to change the worldBut when you talk about destructionDon't you know that you can count me...
07.21.2019 All Along The Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix (Audio) “There must be some way out of here,” said the joker to the thief“There’s too much confusion, I can’t get no reliefBusinessmen, they drink my wine, plowmen dig my earthNone of them along the line know what any of it ...
07.21.2019 Let Justice Roll Down (Audio) Justice is the presence of God’s healing presence in the world. It's God’s ongoing work of setting right a world gone wrong. When people are suffering, where the strong oppress the weak, when people are suffering lack, the justice of ...
07.14.2019 Quartet: The Gospel In Four Movements JOHN (Audio) God is like Jesus. God has always been like Jesus. There’s never been a time when God wasn’t like Jesus. We haven’t always known this, but now we do.
07.07.2019 Quartet: The Gospel In Four Movements LUKE (Audio) Just like we have four directions and four seasons, we have four Gospels. These four distinct, yet complimentary witnesses, give us a full portrait of Jesus Christ. We need all four Gospels just like we need the whole body of ...
06.30.2019 Quartet: The Gospel In Four Movements MATTHEW (Audio) Matthew opens his Gospel with these words: “The book of the genesis of Jesus Christ.” So we could say that Matthew is the Genesis of the New Testament. But in a Christian reading of Scripture, Matthew is actually the genesis ...
06.23.2019 Quartet: The Gospel In Four Movements MARK (Audio) The New Testament opens with four Gospel witnesses to the life of Jesus Christ. Each of these Gospels has their own voice, perspective, and particular emphasis. The Gospels are not mere biographies—they are theologically driven documents. They differ...
06.16.2019 Is Christianity A Religion? (Audio) On Trinity Sunday the church emphasizes that the living God is a Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Trinity is not a word found in Scripture, rather it is a formulation within the Christian religion drawn by the church ...
06.09.2019 PENTECOST SUNDAY: The Dreams I Dream (Audio) Visions are for when you’re holding on tight and are looking for direction. Dreams are for when you’re letting go and have less to lose — or something like that. Visions are prose and need a plan. Dreams are poetry ...
06.02.2019 EASTERTIDE: Jesus Gets a Promotion (Audio) The ascension of Jesus given to us in Acts 1 pictures Jesus going up into heaven. Jesus has gone up into heaven until the day when he brings heaven down to earth. So what is Jesus doing up there? In ...
05.26.2019 EASTERTIDE: The Crystal City On the Shores of the Lake of Fire (Audio) In the closing chapters of the Bible, the lost garden of Eden and Abraham’s sought-after city are combined in the garden metropolis of the Lamb. The arrival of New Jerusalem is celebrated as a great wedding. Just as Jesus began ...
05.19.2019 EASTERTIDE: The Newness From Above (Audio) The book of Revelation is the most prophetic book in the Bible; it’s a prophetic interpretation of the cataclysmic events of the AD 60s and 70s; it’s a prophetic critique of the Roman Empire and thus all empire; it’s a ...
05.12.2019 EASTERTIDE: The Global Nation of the Lamb (Audio) When we dare to read the book of Revelation we find all manner of strangeness — angels and demons, dragons and beasts, bowls of blood and a bejeweled city, angels with four faces and locusts with human faces, cryptic numbers ...
05.05.2019 EASTERTIDE: Surprised By Jesus (Audio) The New Testament gives us about eight accounts of Jesus appearing to people following his resurrection. First to Mary Magdalene in the garden; then to a group of women as they left the empty tomb; to Cleopas and his wife ...
04.28.2019 EASTERTIDE: We're All Thomas Now (Audio) Thomas, the disciple of Jesus. Thomas the twin. Thomas the one who doubted. But Thomas was no more inclined to doubt than any of the other disciples, it’s just that Thomas had not had their experience; so Thomas had a ...
04.21.2019 Jesus On the Other Side (Audio) Throughout Lent we’ve been seeking to encounter the Unvarnished Jesus. In 46 daily meditations and seven sermons we’ve been looking at and listening to Jesus Christ. We’ve seen him announce and enact the kingdom of God by feeding the hungry, ...
04.19.2019 Three Crosses (Audio) That Jesus was crucified with victims on either side of him presents us with a powerful image: Jesus among the victims in solidarity with them, but simultaneously becoming the dividing point. How we respond to Jesus determines everything. One thief...
04.14.2019 Behold Your King (Audio) Jesus arrived in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday in order to be crowned King and inaugurate the Kingdom of God. During his coronation and passion Jesus stood before all three representatives of the principalities and powers — Joseph Caiaphas the High ...
04.07.2019 The Sweet Fragrance of Pure Worship (Audio) All four Gospels give an account of Jesus being anointed by a woman as an act of worship. In Matthew and Mark, Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha, anoints Jesus’ head in Bethany following the Triumphal Entry. In Luke ...
03.31.2019 Jesus And The Homecoming (Audio) The parable of the prodigal son is one of the most important stories of our faith. As with any truly great story, this parable invites everyone everywhere throughout all time to find themselves somewhere in this tale of a father ...
03.24.2019 The Apocalyptic Christ (Audio) Some Galilean Passover pilgrims had been executed when they rioted against Roman occupation and eighteen people had perished in a Jerusalem building collapse. Jesus commented on these tragedies by saying, unless your rethink everything, you will all...
03.17.2019 What Was Jesus' Goal? (Audio) Salvation is this: to live in the kingdom of God—the kingdom that comes from heaven bringing peace, justice, and human flourishing to the earth, and where King Jesus bestows forgiveness upon all, and finally, at the end of the age, ...
03.10.2019 Jesus and the Devil's Good Ideas (Audio) In the wilderness the devil tempted Jesus with three good ideas: 1. Feed everyone.2. Liberate everyone.3. Persuade everyone.And who would disagree that these are good ideas? But Jesus discerned the devil lurking in those good ideas. The devil's...
03.03.2019 Not Like Moses (Audio) Jesus is the perfect epiphany of who God is. Reading the Bible without the spirit of Jesus is a veiled and death-dealing reading of Scripture. This why Augustine said, "It is not the Old Testament that is done away with ...
02.24.2019 Enemy Love from Above (Audio) Loving is a kind of knowing. We know God not only by collecting information about God. We know God by loving the way God loves. We love our enemies because God loves them. God loves the people we hate. When ...
02.17.2019 The Sermon On The Plain (Audio) In Matthew's account of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus opens his sermon with the Beatitudes -- eight blessings. In Luke's account of the Sermon on the Plain, Jesus also opens his sermon with the Beatitudes -- this time four ...
02.10.2019 Jesus Only Calls Sinners (Audio) You may feel like a sinner; you may feel guilty; you may feel like a failure; but none of that matters. Keep believing in the boundless mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ and you will see the goodness of God ...
02.03.2019 The Stories Prophets Tell (Audio) The Bible is a dangerous book — especially if you emphasize the parts people would rather overlook. In his hometown the people of Nazareth tried to throw Jesus off a cliff. Why? Because Jesus told the stories prophets tell — ...
01.27.2019 Reading The Bible With Jesus (Audio) Throughout history the Bible has been misused to justify wars of conquest, genocide, the institution of slavery, women held as property, and any number of other egregious abuses. But to do this we have to ignore the greatest truth the ...
01.20.2019 L'Chaim! (Audio)
01.13.2019 A New Humanity (Audio) Every baptism is a new Exodus from the bondage of Egypt and a new entrance into the Promised Land of freedom and forgiveness in Christ. Every baptism is a spiritual incorporation into a new Israel — an Israel no longer ...
01.06.2019 Return of the Magi (Audio) On January 6 we commemorate the epiphany granted to the magi from the east—Persian astronomers, astrologers, magicians who discerned an auspicious sign in the stars and made a thousand mile journey to worship the Christ child in Bethlehem. These magi...

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