The Naked Sermon

Jesus Wept

In our final episode of the podcast, Jules and Marshall take a dive into John 11:1-45. This passage talks about the deeply emotional story of the death and resurrection of Lazarus which ultimately lead to the final cinching of the plot to kill Jesus. Jules and Marshall talk about grief and loss both in the context of death and in our relationships with others. 

Marshall asks us to reflect on what it would mean to take this scripture seriously and explore what it says about God’s nature and human nature. How would that impact how we show up in circumstances of death or loss of relationship? 

 

• Julia Nielsen is a Pastor and Sacred Organizer with Leaven Land and Housing in Portland, Oregon.
• Marshall Wattman-Turner is a Pastor at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Milwaukie, Oregon.

Wake Up Sleeper!

Stori and Paul talk about Ephesians 5:8-14. In this passage, the Apostle Paul writes to the church in Ephesus about being children of the light. Stori and Paul share about the trouble with light/dark good/bad metaphors can have in light of racism and white supremacy. They frame the text in light of knowledge and exposing painful truths so that they can be healed. 

 

• Stori Long is a Pastor and Social Media Organizer at Storyline Community in Milwaukie, Oregon.

• Paul LeFeber is a former pastor and a member of Storyline Community in Milwaukie, Oregon.

Hard Hearted and Thirsty

Josh and Rayah explore Exodus 17:1-7, a passage about a newly freed Israel thirsting while wandering the wilderness. They discuss what that scene may have looked like and the class difference between Moses and the Israelites. They also wonder if ‘striking the rock’ for water might have been a metaphor for breaking down the hardness of their hearts and finding a life-giving source of water. 

 

• Josh Kingsley is Pastor at King of Kings Lutheran Church in Milwaukie, Oregon.
• Rayah is a local community member and theology nerd in Milwaukie, Oregon.

Who’s In and Who’s Out

Jesse and Dylan dig into John 3:1-17 when Nicodemus visits Jesus. They talk about the oddity of the concept of being “born again” and how that can be used in a detrimental way to determine who is “in” as opposed to who is “out” or not a *real* christian. 

 

• Jesse Christopherson is Pastor at Milwaukie Lutheran in Milwaukie, Oregon.
• Dylan Hyun is the Pastor of Oak Grove United Methodist Church in Oak Grove, Oregon.

Testing Power

Stori and Marshall talk about Matthew 4:1-11 - The Temptation of Christ. This very influential text talks about the beginning of Jesus’s public ministry when he is drawn out into the wilderness and tempted by the devil. Stori and Marshall talk about the angle of the temptations that are offered to Jesus and how they relate to power. They discuss how power is wielded and Stori shares how she tests whether a call to power has evil roots or not. They also encourage us to note the end of the passage where Jesus is tended to by the angels after his face off with the devil and take time for care and celebration after difficult encounters. 

• Stori Long is a Pastor and Social Media Organizer at Storyline Community in Milwaukie, Oregon.
• Marshall Wattman-Turner is a Pastor at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Milwaukie, Oregon.

Back Down the Mountain

Stori and Rayah talk about the transfiguration of Jesus in Matthew 17:1-9. In this passage, Jesus takes the disciples up on a mountain and Elijah and Moses appear while God once again speaks over Jesus and calls Jesus his beloved son. Stori and Rayah discuss the disciples' response and their desire to stay up on the mountaintop with their leaders instead of going back down the mountain and to the people. They also explore Jesus’s possible frustration with the disciples' resistance to taking him at his word and how he may have felt about having to show so many signs to them. 

• Stori Long is a Pastor and Social Media Organizer at Storyline Community in Milwaukie, Oregon.
• Rayah is a local community member and theology nerd in Milwaukie, Oregon.

Plucking Out Sin

Josh and Dylan sit down and discuss Matthew 5:21-27 a passage where Jesus makes some seemingly extreme statements regarding sin. Divorce is a big one both in their society and ours. Is divorce a sin that lingers forever? What even is sin? Josh and Dylan dive in and explore what it meant to Jesus and what it means for us today. 

• Josh Kingsley is Pastor at King of Kings Lutheran Church in Milwaukie, Oregon.
• Dylan Hyun is the Pastor of Oak Grove United Methodist Church in Oak Grove, Oregon.

Fulfilling the Law by Working for Equity

Today Anna and Jesse talk about Matthew 5:13-20 when Jesus talk about how we are the salt and light and that he came to fulfill the law. A lot of people may have some trauma around the way this verse has been used by those in power. The discussion today centers around what the concepts of justice and righteousness really mean in a corrupt and broken system.

• Anna Hoesly is a Co-Pastor and Organizer at Storyline Community in Milwaukie, Oregon.

Jesse Christopherson is Pastor at Milwaukie Lutheran in Milwaukie, Oregon.

A Holy Interruption (Rebroadcast)

Anna and Jesse talk about the call of Jonah and the call of the disciples, and the nature of the Kingdom of God that they are all called to proclaim (Mark 1:14-20 and Jonah 3:1-5,10). They dig into the interruption that is the Kingdom of God, and the power of naming it as Good News, even in the places where Good News feels far away.  

• Anna Hoesly is a Co-Pastor and Organizer at Storyline Community in Milwaukie, Oregon.
• Jesse Christopherson is Pastor at Milwaukie Lutheran in Milwaukie, Oregon.

Everyone is Being Fished for

Stori and Jules dig into Matthew 4:12-23 the story where Jesus calls disciples and tells them to be “fishers of men.” They discuss the context of the story and where it sits in the broader picture - Jesus has some people he is close to being persecuted and they wonder if he may be feeling vulnerable in that moment. They also talk about how people are being fished for and what the bait that those who are trying to catch us might be using. 

• Stori Long is a Pastor and Social Media Organizer at Storyline Community in Milwaukie, Oregon.
• Julia Nielsen is a Pastor and Sacred Organizer with Leaven Land and Housing in Portland, Oregon