As we talk about Pentecost Sunday - the day the Church remembers the sending of the Holy Spirit in the aftermath of Christ's Resurrection - we couldn't help but notice how this beautiful vision of the community of God speaks now prophetically to us now. How can we be the sort of community that honors and respects the "fire from heaven" that rests on others?  What is being affirmed that the Holy Spirit allows us to hear the good news in the diversity of our own languages? And how does the Spirit's generosity encourage us to speak boldly to the church that is often seen as a place of preservation of institutional hierarchy?

This was a super fun conversation, as we talk about what this detailed (and somewhat convoluted) narrative describing Jesus' raising of Lazarus teaches us about life. In his incredible conversation with Martha, we are reminded that resurrection is much more than what happens to us after we die--rather it is the power of Jesus to transform how we live now. Then, in his incredible conversation with Mary, we remember that in our darkest moments and emotions, Jesus welcomes us and weeps along with us. 

We enter into the season of Lent -- a time of preparation for the celebration of Easter -- with a reflection on Jesus' preparation in the wilderness, as he overcame the three temptations of the devil. Sandy and Jin talk about how this informs our understanding of our desires, provides a better theology of evil, the certainty/uncertainty of faith, AND the great temptation that we in the church have all too often fallen for. This is our longest episode, but wow, the time flew by!

The lectionary readings that are assigned for this week were Matthew 4:1-11; Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7; Psalm 32; and Romans 5:12-19.

Join Sandy and Jin as they drink coffee--and tea!--and discuss this rich section of the Sermon on the Mount, as Jesus explains the depth and the beauty of the commandments of God!

We cover how the commandments of God are a reflection of who God is, as they are lived out among God's people! It is his beautiful vision of the community of God that is meant to compel us to want to participate in such a life--how can we possibly not?! Yet too often, we in the church miss the point and use these words of Jesus to determine the "sin-line"--in precise contradiction to what Jesus is doing here. 

But what if the church in our times adopted these and became a community of God's virtue?

Sandy and Jin chat over Isaiah 42:1-9 and Matthew 3:13-17 from the first Sunday after Epiphany. We get real serious as we consider why Jesus got baptized (what was he trying to tell us by doing this?) and consider all the ways in which we in the church miss what "repentance" means. Somewhere along the way, we talk about our need to return to the shalom that Jesus was calling us into, as well as how this relates to good parenting skills!

We continue our Advent conversations with the story of Joseph's response to Mary's conception of Jesus, as recorded in Matthew 1:18-25. We compare and contrast Joseph's response to Mary's -- i.e., Joseph's silence, compared to Mary breaking out in a song. We also talk about all the names of Jesus--Immanuel, Christ, Messiah, Ye'shua--that our texts gives us.

Welcome to the second season of the Pulpit Cafe. Jin is joined for the first time in conversation by Sandy Richter as a new co-host!  We focus on the texts for the third week of Advent, especially the Magnificat of Mary, and the gospel reading from Matthew 11:2-11. We cover how Mary's song reveals her insight into God's faithfulness and consistency in history--the God who has saved, will save! We then lean into Mary's seeing of God's consistent and persistent presence, to find comfort, and meaning, and strength in our work... This is good stuff, even if we do say so ourself!