As part of Jesus' last word to the disciples, John responds to the challenge of an enduring Word of God in a changing world. The promise of the Spirit of Truth assures the Jesus community that the Word that God spoke to Israel and the disciples...

Sara Olson-Smith preaches on the Holy Spirit as wind. The Greek word for spirit is ‘pneuma.’ Pneuma has multiple meanings including wind, breath, and spirit. Wind is both strong and gentle, a soothing whisper and a powerful storm. We can never ...

Mark Niethammer preaches on human annoyances. A faithful life is possible even in the messiness of our days. When we embrace the love of God, that love brings us into the lives of others, into community, and then spreads, changing everyone in i...

With dramatic flair and deep biblical echoes, the gospel writer Luke opens the story of the Book of Acts as one that will bring to all people the power of life over death that biblical Israel and Jews already knew in the mighty acts of God....

John closes the account of Jesus' public ministry with the final words of Jesus' prayer for the disciples, that God will hold them together against every divisive and polarizing claim,  to offer to all people what God has sent Jesus to bri...

Sara Olson-Smith preaches on God's grace. Our lives are like the water of a watershed, which eventually flows toward a big river. All creation will be pulled by the gravity of grace into the goodness, care, and the ultimate joy of life with God...

The Book of Revelation presents a soaring vision of the city of God to which all nations turn for praise and healing, with a surprising twist regarding when and where that vision comes into reality.Preaching text: Revelation 21:10, 22-22...

Katy Warren preaches on love. Often, we think there is only so much love to share, but love is not a limited resource. There is more than enough to go around. In all areas of our lives, we have new opportunities to love more. Love doesn’t get u...

Luke's reassurance to the community reading Acts that they are indeed included in the life-giving work of God's spirit becomes for us, as readers of Acts, an encouragement to look for the surprising places where God's Spirit might be at work to...

Sara Olson-Smith preaches on trust. The words of Psalm 23 provide comfort, but the psalm doesn’t just talk about a comfortable kind of love from God. Human life is full of challenges and battles, grief and sorrow. Our faith gives us what we nee...

Set at the Jewish Festival of Renewal, John's story about Jesus shows that God renews the promise of life for all people over and over again, in different times and places and ways, yet all life  — and eternal life — comes from God....

Katy Warren preaches on connection. We belong to each other, for better or for worse. There’s more to faith than our personal perspective, there’s a great community surrounding each of us. It’s easier to judge, to hate, to persecute someone fro...

Maddy Tyler preaches on the resurrection. In our days of grief and despair, when we’ve lost ourselves, Jesus meets us where we are. He meets us at the foot of our own burdens and grief. There isn’t any barrier or locked door that keeps Christ a...

Bridging the life of Jesus and the life of his own church community, John uses powerful symbolism and narrative to announce that the life abundant that Jesus promised will be realized in a community embracing all people with leadership that is ...

A double appearance by Jesus in the original ending of John's gospel offers a double blessing to all who follow the risen Master. John has been introducing us to Thomas all along as the pragmatic one, the realistic one, the one just like us (of...

Mark Niethammer preaches on Easter Sunday. Somedays, everything feels like it’s going wrong and everywhere you turn there is bad news. When we’re surrounded by the bad of the world, we get angrier, turn in on ourselves, and stew in our own mise...

Happy Easter, podcast listeners! A particularly amazing thing happens in today’s episode. Little Bird’s best friend Jesus died just three days ago and while she and a few of Jesus’ other friends are getting ready for his burial, some special vi...

Amidst a bevy of details that make the whole story seem questionable, Luke sets the one question that proclaims the Easter gospel from the heart of an empty tomb: Why do you seek the living among the dead? Why, indeed — then, now, or ever.<...

Sara Olson-Smith preaches on Jesus' steadfast love. Jesus' saving work was to bring freedom and hope not just for the people in his own time and place but for all creation of every time and place. Our songs of praise are joined with those who c...

Today’s episode is a sad one. There are some scary and hard things, but there is also lots of good and love. Our story begins on the same evening as the Last Supper. When Jesus is arrested and put on trial, Little Bird and the disciples are sca...

Mark Niethammer preaches on new life. When Jesus shows up, incredible things happen. When we are at our worst, lowest, and loneliest, we need to look no further than the story of Lazarus. He reminds all of us what Jesus can do and what Jesus do...

Luke orchestrates Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem with every mark of the pomp and circumstance that is appropriate to the story he is telling. The prophets, tradition, and creation itself hail the moment when God proves faithful to promises that wi...

In this week’s episode, Little Bird shares a very special meal with Jesus and the disciples. And before that meal, Jesus does something a little different but extra special for his friends to show his love and care for them.

John in his gospel pairs two moments to show the incredible value of Jesus' death for his community and for the world as that death draws near. Though this good news has been tragically misused in slander and violence against Jews for centuries...

Sara Olson-Smith preaches on God’s grace. We put together complicated analytics about those around us and for ourselves. Balancing out honesty, speed of humor, average amounts of shared activities, or political viewpoints, or even taste in musi...