1 Corinthians 1***Some people – maybe you’re one of them – turn to pastors to make good choices. They want to know if what they think is acceptable to God, if what they do is pleasing to God, and if what they consider is in the will of God.There’s something blessed about want- ing affirmation from someone you trust. But what if your pastors don’t have the perfect answer and can’t give you the ideal guidance? Are there other waysto make good choices? Of course, there are. Wisdom is boundless like that.In the early church, apostles and leaders wrote to communities to help them make good choices. On the one hand, their words can feel overbearing and re- strictive, but on the other hand, they can feel a lot like love. Love that cares about where you get your information. Love that instructs you to steer clear of legal trouble – the courts aren’t made for your soft soul. Love that concerns itself with the food you eat and where it comes from. Love that inquires about who you’re sleeping with and if that heals or harms you. Again and again, when we turn to letters like 1 Corinthians, we walk away with advice that still speaks across centuries to help us make good choices. ★ Support this podcast ★

Dawn is breaking. Darkness fades away.And in the light of Easter morning we awake to find that resurrection has come to find us.Slipping into everyday moments.Seeping into the dried out and forgotten places of our hearts.Showing up to surprise in unexpected ways.So, we celebrate!Christ has been raised to life, and with him all creation too.Life and love burst into full bloom.Decay and despair release their grip.And as they do, we give in to hope. We look forward with fresh expectation. We come together in praise of all new begin- nings.Celebrate with us this Easter Sunday. ★ Support this podcast ★

Things weren’t going to end well.Even after doing so much good, sharing so much love, and bringing so much hope, Jesus kept telling his friends that his enemies would get the best of him. And then, in the final moments of his life - With his body taken and broken by violence - Jesus seemed to pause as death approached.He turned his face to heaven, and taught his friends a prayer for broken hearts. Simply asking, “Why?”Which is the question we bring with us to the end of Holy Week.Carried from all the places of our sorrow - our loss - and our helplessness.Here we ask our whys, and remember that God spared nothing to make all things new. That Jesus gave himselfover to death to lead us into life. That in his final words Jesus revealed how God knows the language of our doubt and fear. Showing us the road to resurrection, dark as it may be. And we that we don’t have to walk it alone. ★ Support this podcast ★

Palm Sunday: JOHN 17 + 12A Gospel’s structure is a roadmap – a way to get your bearings in a story.John structures his Gospel in four parts (stay with me). There’s the Prologue, the Book of Signs, the Book of Glory, and the Appendix. This Lent, we’ll work through the Book of Glory (John 13-20).But maybe you’re like, “So what?” And you’re right about something there. That word “glory” doesn’t mean much to most of us. It feels stodgy and strange. But what if we replace it with its definition? A word we are more fond of – Beauty. Book of Beauty.As we make our Lenten journey – these forty days toward Easter – what beauty will we find in the story of Jesus as John tells it?These beautiful stories guide us like roadmaps to live as friends of God. The stories here are about service, Spirit, belonging, union, heartbreak, and new life.Glory includes so much. It’s beautiful like that. ★ Support this podcast ★

Fifth Sunday of Lent: JOHN 15:18-16:15A Gospel’s structure is a roadmap – a way to get your bearings in a story.John structures his Gospel in four parts (stay with me). There’s the Prologue, the Book of Signs, the Book of Glory, and the Appendix. This Lent, we’ll work through the Book of Glory (John 13-20).But maybe you’re like, “So what?” And you’re right about something there. That word “glory” doesn’t mean much to most of us. It feels stodgy and strange. But what if we replace it with its definition? A word we are more fond of – Beauty. Book of Beauty.As we make our Lenten journey – these forty days toward Easter – what beauty will we find in the story of Jesus as John tells it?These beautiful stories guide us like roadmaps to live as friends of God. The stories here are about service, Spirit, belonging, union, heartbreak, and new life.Glory includes so much. It’s beautiful like that. ★ Support this podcast ★

Fourth Sunday of Lent: JOHN 15:1-17A Gospel’s structure is a roadmap – a way to get your bearings in a story.John structures his Gospel in four parts (stay with me). There’s the Prologue, the Book of Signs, the Book of Glory, and the Appendix. This Lent, we’ll work through the Book of Glory (John 13-20).But maybe you’re like, “So what?” And you’re right about something there. That word “glory” doesn’t mean much to most of us. It feels stodgy and strange. But what if we replace it with its definition? A word we are more fond of – Beauty. Book of Beauty.As we make our Lenten journey – these forty days toward Easter – what beauty will we find in the story of Jesus as John tells it?These beautiful stories guide us like roadmaps to live as friends of God. The stories here are about service, Spirit, belonging, union, heartbreak, and new life.Glory includes so much. It’s beautiful like that. ★ Support this podcast ★

Third Sunday of Lent: JOHN 14:8-23A Gospel’s structure is a roadmap – a way to get your bearings in a story.John structures his Gospel in four parts (stay with me). There’s the Prologue, the Book of Signs, the Book of Glory, and the Appendix. This Lent, we’ll work through the Book of Glory (John 13-20).But maybe you’re like, “So what?” And you’re right about something there. That word “glory” doesn’t mean much to most of us. It feels stodgy and strange. But what if we replace it with its definition? A word we are more fond of – Beauty. Book of Beauty.As we make our Lenten journey – these forty days toward Easter – what beauty will we find in the story of Jesus as John tells it?These beautiful stories guide us like roadmaps to live as friends of God. The stories here are about service, Spirit, belonging, union, heartbreak, and new life.Glory includes so much. It’s beautiful like that. ★ Support this podcast ★

Second Sunday of Lent: JOHN 14:1-7A Gospel’s structure is a roadmap – a way to get your bearings in a story.John structures his Gospel in four parts (stay with me). There’s the Prologue, the Book of Signs, the Book of Glory, and the Appendix. This Lent, we’ll work through the Book of Glory (John 13-20).But maybe you’re like, “So what?” And you’re right about something there. That word “glory” doesn’t mean much to most of us. It feels stodgy and strange. But what if we replace it with its definition? A word we are more fond of – Beauty. Book of Beauty.As we make our Lenten journey – these forty days toward Easter – what beauty will we find in the story of Jesus as John tells it?These beautiful stories guide us like roadmaps to live as friends of God. The stories here are about service, Spirit, belonging, union, heartbreak, and new life.Glory includes so much. It’s beautiful like that. ★ Support this podcast ★

First Sunday of Lent: JOHN 13:18-38A Gospel’s structure is a roadmap – a way to get your bearings in a story.John structures his Gospel in four parts (stay with me). There’s the Prologue, the Book of Signs, the Book of Glory, and the Appendix. This Lent, we’ll work through the Book of Glory (John 13-20).But maybe you’re like, “So what?” And you’re right about something there. That word “glory” doesn’t mean much to most of us. It feels stodgy and strange. But what if we replace it with its definition? A word we are more fond of – Beauty. Book of Beauty.As we make our Lenten journey – these forty days toward Easter – what beauty will we find in the story of Jesus as John tells it?These beautiful stories guide us like roadmaps to live as friends of God. The stories here are about service, Spirit, belonging, union, heartbreak, and new life.Glory includes so much. It’s beautiful like that. ★ Support this podcast ★

Part 4 of 4. Today we talk about violence***In studying the Bible, we have found it to be a trustworthy and beautiful guide for life. And yet, we also know the many ways this same profound text has been weaponized against others. Whether to marginalize, silence, or shame those who have dared to ask questions and chart a new path through the world, this is not only wrong but a misapprehension of the Bible’s role in the Christian faith. On the first page of this year’s journal, we wrote, “we are completely fascinated by this complex and beautiful collection of texts we call the Bible—but we worship Jesus.” That’s not because we think there is a disconnect between the two. In fact, we are convinced the Bible is what points us back to Jesus. However, Scripture is where we encounter Jesus. Scripture is not a replacement for Jesus. And therefore, our use of the Bible must be as peaceful and grace-filled as the Jesus we follow. In this series, we will attempt to disarm the Bible of violent interpretations but also to recapture some of the extraordinary ways in which the Bible calls us to life change. ★ Support this podcast ★