St. Andrew UMC Podcast

Journey to the Manger: The Mountain (11/27/16)

Throughout the four weeks of Advent, as we journey toward Christmas, we’ll visit the Mountain, the River, the Desert, and the Manger.  Each of these key stops along the journey to Bethlehem represents the spiritual geographies that prepare us for the coming of the Messiah.  We’ll visit the Mountain of peace, where swords are hammered into ploughshares, and spears into pruning hooks; then we’ll head to the River of repentance and forgiveness, where our hearts are changed; then to the Desert of emptiness, where we experience spiritual longing; and finally to the Manger, where we meet God’s promise in the shape and form of an helpless infant.  Join us for the Journey, and be transformed along the way!

A Mile In Your Shoes: Cultivating Compassion (11/20/16)

Jesus made compassion for others central to the Christian life.  Being personally and deeply aware of the suffering and plight of our neighbors requires deep listening and bold action.  Are we attentive to the suffering of others?  How do we cultivate a compassionate spirit within?  How do we respond to the needs of others without suffering from “compassion fatigue?”  In this three-part series, we’ll explore what it feels like to “walk in another’s shoes” and be moved with compassion.

A Mile In Your Shoes: Choosing Compassion (11/13/16)

Jesus made compassion for others central to the Christian life.  Being personally and deeply aware of the suffering and plight of our neighbors requires deep listening and bold action.  Are we attentive to the suffering of others?  How do we cultivate a compassionate spirit within?  How do we respond to the needs of others without suffering from “compassion fatigue?”  In this three-part series, we’ll explore what it feels like to “walk in another’s shoes” and be moved with compassion.

A Mile In Your Shoes: Seeing and Knowing (11/06/16)

Jesus made compassion for others central to the Christian life.  Being personally and deeply aware of the suffering and plight of our neighbors requires deep listening and bold action.  Are we attentive to the suffering of others?  How do we cultivate a compassionate spirit within?  How do we respond to the needs of others without suffering from “compassion fatigue?”  In this three-part series, we’ll explore what it feels like to “walk in another’s shoes” and be moved with compassion.

The Forgotten Ways: Koinonia - Community (10/30/16)

After Jesus’ death, an improbable, seemingly impossible thing happened: a small, despised community of Jesus followers from a small, insignificant corner of Palestine began a movement that, in less than three hundred years, grew to become the dominant faith of the mighty Roman Empire—an empire steeped in fiercely defended pagan religions.
The spread of the Christian church in this period is one of the most extraordinary phenomena in history. Christianity was considered by Rome to be an illegal, contemptible religion. Wave after wave of state-sponsored persecution was unleashed to destroy it, which drove the Early Church underground. They had limited resources, no social, economic or political capital, no buildings, no social media, and everywhere they traveled, they were hunted and persecuted.
So how did this fledgling movement survive? How did it expand to eventually lay the foundation for all of Western Civilization? What can it teach us that might help us reclaim our own faith and transform our own world?

The Forgotten Ways: Kerygma - Witness (10/23/16)

After Jesus’ death, an improbable, seemingly impossible thing happened: a small, despised community of Jesus followers from a small, insignificant corner of Palestine began a movement that, in less than three hundred years, grew to become the dominant faith of the mighty Roman Empire—an empire steeped in fiercely defended pagan religions.
The spread of the Christian church in this period is one of the most extraordinary phenomena in history. Christianity was considered by Rome to be an illegal, contemptible religion. Wave after wave of state-sponsored persecution was unleashed to destroy it, which drove the Early Church underground. They had limited resources, no social, economic or political capital, no buildings, no social media, and everywhere they traveled, they were hunted and persecuted.
So how did this fledgling movement survive? How did it expand to eventually lay the foundation for all of Western Civilization? What can it teach us that might help us reclaim our own faith and transform our own world?

The Forgotten Ways: Diakonia - Serve (10/16/16)

After Jesus’ death, an improbable, seemingly impossible thing happened: a small, despised community of Jesus followers from a small, insignificant corner of Palestine began a movement that, in less than three hundred years, grew to become the dominant faith of the mighty Roman Empire—an empire steeped in fiercely defended pagan religions.
The spread of the Christian church in this period is one of the most extraordinary phenomena in history. Christianity was considered by Rome to be an illegal, contemptible religion. Wave after wave of state-sponsored persecution was unleashed to destroy it, which drove the Early Church underground. They had limited resources, no social, economic or political capital, no buildings, no social media, and everywhere they traveled, they were hunted and persecuted.
So how did this fledgling movement survive? How did it expand to eventually lay the foundation for all of Western Civilization? What can it teach us that might help us reclaim our own faith and transform our own world?

The Forgotten Ways: Leitourgia - Worship (10/09/16)

After Jesus’ death, an improbable, seemingly impossible thing happened: a small, despised community of Jesus followers from a small, insignificant corner of Palestine began a movement that, in less than three hundred years, grew to become the dominant faith of the mighty Roman Empire—an empire steeped in fiercely defended pagan religions.
The spread of the Christian church in this period is one of the most extraordinary phenomena in history. Christianity was considered by Rome to be an illegal, contemptible religion. Wave after wave of state-sponsored persecution was unleashed to destroy it, which drove the Early Church underground. They had limited resources, no social, economic or political capital, no buildings, no social media, and everywhere they traveled, they were hunted and persecuted.
So how did this fledgling movement survive? How did it expand to eventually lay the foundation for all of Western Civilization? What can it teach us that might help us reclaim our own faith and transform our own world?

The Forgotten Ways: Didache - Learning Christ (10/02/16)

After Jesus’ death, an improbable, seemingly impossible thing happened: a small, despised community of Jesus followers from a small, insignificant corner of Palestine began a movement that, in less than three hundred years, grew to become the dominant faith of the mighty Roman Empire—an empire steeped in fiercely defended pagan religions.
The spread of the Christian church in this period is one of the most extraordinary phenomena in history. Christianity was considered by Rome to be an illegal, contemptible religion. Wave after wave of state-sponsored persecution was unleashed to destroy it, which drove the Early Church underground. They had limited resources, no social, economic or political capital, no buildings, no social media, and everywhere they traveled, they were hunted and persecuted.
So how did this fledgling movement survive? How did it expand to eventually lay the foundation for all of Western Civilization? What can it teach us that might help us reclaim our own faith and transform our own world?