This week, we're focusing on Mary, and what has come down through the ages to us as The Annunciation...that short interaction in Luke between the Angel and Mary that made all the difference in the world. What kind of agency did Mary have here? What courage and faith does her acceptance reveal? What does this story have for us in a season where not all the news is good? Join us for an exploration of this pivotal figure in the Christmas story, and our faith.

It's the second Sunday of Advent, which can only mean one thing...John the Baptizer emerging from the wilderness to call us to repent. "Ugh," we say, "this isn't very Christmassy, not very peaceful." Or is it? Maybe real peace is not the absence of some things, but rather the intentional presence of other. And if so, how does repentance call us to embrace those things? A tricky passage with a powerful message is ours this week.

Have you ever heard of "ominous positivity?" It's a joke - saying good things in the most ominous way possible. Things like, "Everything will turn out fine. You cannot stop it." Or, "You will be ok. You have no choice." Well, our Advent Sunday of Hope readings have an air of ominous positivity around them: good news and the promise of love, couched in warnings and lament. God's "Yes," but first, God's "No." Both our passages from Isaiah and Mark strip away a lot of false hope and leave us to rebuild from spiritual bedrock: surrender to a loving God working to reform us. 

It's the week before Thanksgiving, so is it any surprise that our theme for this week's podcast is gratitude? And not just gratitude, but how that can flow out of us in profound generosity...of spirit, of time, of passions, of gifts. At the heart of gratitude is God's steadfast love and abundance, and when we reflect that in our lives, we are changed. 

It's Bible Study time again, and this week we talk about the twin disciplines of wrestling and waiting, as we take on the story of Jacob wrestling with the stranger, and Jesus' parable of the bridesmaids. There's a surprising amount of overlap here, in struggle, in readiness, in discernment, in looking for the presence of God in those dark and scary places. Join us this week as we wrestle, and wait, and experience transformation.

Bible Study takes us in what appears to be two wildly divergent directions this week, in Jesus' rebuke against religious hypocrisy, and an unflinching conversation about death. That said, the thing these two have in common is precisely how we live, day to day, every day. Is it authentic, is it honest, is it loving? Join us this week as we dive into some of the deeper questions of the life of faith

This week, one of the most familiar and beloved sayings of Jesus, and then perhaps one of the more obscure figures of the Hebrew Bible. As different from each other as they may seem, both stories are about seeing the bigger picture, stepping out in faith in God, with courage and vision and grace. A wonderful pairing this week.

Aaron and Paige are on the same scriptural track this week, reading the story of Jesus and "the question of taxation" as told in the Gospel of Matthew. For a passage that is only eight verses long, this asks a lot of questions, perhaps, in good Jesus fashion, more than it answers. But maybe that's what discipleship is all about? Let's find out, as we dive into Matthew 22:15-22.

The Lectionary gives, and the Lectionary takes away. We have two very different passages to look at today, Matthew's version of the Parable of the Great Banquet, and Paul's wrap up of his letter to the Philippians. One is inspiring, and hopeful, and empowering, and the other is...well, not. What do we do when the scripture is difficult? We look at the big picture, just as Paul does. Join us for a deep dive into this week's Lectionary readings, and a few words on how we interpret the Word.

This week the lectionary gives us some tricky, challenging passages, both in Matthew and in Philippians, that have been historically (ab)used against Judaism. Despite the fact that neither Jesus nor Paul say, or even seem to imply these things, their words have been interpreted to suggest that Christianity supersedes Judaism as the language through which God is speaking to the world. Much wrong has been done with these passages. So, is there something inspirational and salvific in them. We think so, so join us on this journey.