For all the fluff and shallow Christmas-season pop culture out there, there are some real treasures that sincerely do get something right about what Christmas means. In this episode of Crazy Faith Talk, our colleagues in ministry Sarah, Erica, Natalie, and Steve lift up some favorites that we keep coming back to.
There are COUNTLESS ways to celebrate the Christmas season, although a lot of them don't really have much to do with the birth of Jesus. So what do we make of them? Are they harmful or good? Permissible or forbidden? What do we make of cultural traditions like candy-filled Advent calendars or recent creations like Elf-on-the-Shelf? And how can we allow fun traditions not to crowd out the birth of Christ in our focus this season? Join us for this conversation on Crazy Faith Talk!
The church organ was unplayable and damaged, just a day or so before Christmas Eve--what would the congregation do for worship to celebrate the birth of Christ? A musical crisis gave rise to the composition of "Silent Night," which has now become a worldwide favorite carol of Christmas, but whose tune was first written to be played by guitar on a Christmas Eve where the more impressive instruments weren't available. What can this story tell us about how God accepts our meager gifts and meets us in our unimpressive ordinariness? Join this conversation on Crazy Faith Talk to close out our Advent 2025 series!
On a busy street corner in Toledo, Ohio, in 2018, a large weed grew up out of the curb, only to be decorated by passersby that Christmas season, until it became a local landmark and a place for charitable giving, all spontaneously. In a story that calls to mind both the classic "Charlie Brown Christmas Tree" and the imagery from the prophets of the new sprout that comes up out of the dead stump of Jesse to be God's anointed Messiah, we'll explore what a curious one-time event in one city might mean for our own seeking the movement of the Spirit today.
For at least a night--Christmas Eve--at a handful of places along the trench lines of the war front early in World War I, peace broke out in No Man's Land, and warring armies paused to greet each other, sing, and even play games. How do we speak of God's presence in the midst of a war, even if the hope of peace only lasts for a brief time? Join us for this second conversation in our Advent 2025 series, looking at stories of the Spirit in this season.
As we begin a new series corresponding to the church year season of Advent, colleagues in ministry Natalie, Sarah, Erica, and Steve are exploring stories from different eras and settings where the Spirit of God moved in people's lives--sometimes in life-or-death situations, and sometimes in more lighthearted ways. Join us for our first story, involving a blackout on a German train and the light of Hannukah candles in the dark.
Intuitively, there seems to be a connection between mercy and forgiveness, at least in the abstract. But how do we manage to practice forgiveness toward others while also being merciful to people who have been hurt and still have wounds, who might still be struggling to forgive someone who has wronged them? How does mercy affect our thinking about forgiveness? Join us for our concluding conversation in "The Meaning of Mercy"!
At first blush, mercy and justice seem like opposites: justice is all about giving people what is due to them and ensuring what is fair, and mercy often involves giving people more than they deserve! So how these two relate? What is the goal of justice? And in times of conflict, can we speak of just wars? Join us for a wide-ranging conversation on this week's Crazy Faith Talk!
In times when many are especially struggling with access to food or help with making ends meet, plenty of people want to offer assistance. But how can we offer care that truly meets the needs of people, and how can we use our resources and time in ways that support both the physical needs of neighbors and also honor their worth and dignity as people? How does mercy show up in our public life? That's our conversation this time on Crazy Faith Talk!
The Christian claim is not only that God is merciful, but that we are called to be "merciful as your Father is merciful." In this episode, colleagues in ministry Erica, Sarah, Natalie, and Steve explore how God's kind of unconditional, enemy-embracing love becomes the pattern for our lives, even when it's difficult--and even when we don't want to even recognize those we might deem as "enemies" in our real lives. Join us for this conversation here on Crazy Faith Talk!
Plenty of folks know the song, "Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound," but... what are we actually singing about? When it comes to the grace and mercy of God, what do we mean? Does grace only show up in our lives once we have come to faith in Jesus, or gotten baptized, or gone to church? Does grace mean that God leaves us as we are, with our rough edges and persistent struggles with sin? What can we learn about grace from mama monkeys and cats? Today's conversation takes us in all these directions--and more!
It's one of those words that Christians toss around frequently--in prayer and liturgy as well as in our action in the world--mercy. But what exactly are we talking about when we talk about "mercy"--is it a feeling, a mindset, a character trait, an action? And how is God's mercy supposed to connect to our actions and posture in the world? Are there times when mercy doesn't "feel" warm and fuzzy, and are there times when mercy toward those who are being harmed also means a word of protest against those who are causing harm? All of these questions help us get our bearings in this new series on Crazy Faith Talk!
In this concluding episode of our series on "Profiles in Courage" from church history, we look at the witness of Anne Hutchinson, who crossed an ocean to follow a pastoral voice she found compelling, then taught in small groups for women and men in a time when women's leadership was typically forbidden, and then risked exile for speaking up against what she saw as the bad theology of other pastors in her community in the New World, leading to an early argument for religious freedom in colonial-era America. Join us to find out what we can learn from the story and example of Anne Hutchinson!
He was instrumental in organizing the March on Washington at which Dr. King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech was delivered, and was a part of a precursor to the Freedom Rides that attempted to desegregate bus lines across America, and yet many don't know his name or story. But Bayard Rustin was not only an important figure in the Civil Rights movement, but also he insisted on keeping it committed to non-violence in its practices and civil disobedience. And he also knew what it was like to be on the margins of that movement because he was openly gay in a time when that brought a great deal of stigma, even within the civil rights movement. Join us for this week's profile in courage, on Bayard Rustin.
In the midst of the German occupation of World War II, a village full of ordinary French citizens took it upon themselves to hide and protect Jewish refugees from the clutches of the Reich. And they did it, not because a bishop had ordered them to, but with the guidance of their faith and pastoral leadership, they recalled their own experience having been persecuted before and saw the need to take action for others who were in danger. In this week's "profile in courage," we'll look at the witness of the people of Le Chambon in France, and what their story might teach us when we are called upon to practice courageous compassion for others who are particularly in harm's way. Join us on this episode of Crazy Faith Talk!
Some people know the figure of Saint Francis from stories of his chosen poverty or care for animals (and even preaching to them, in some stories). But there's another episode told about Francis of Assisi that models courage in facing "the other" even when it is risky--the story of Francis seeking a meeting with the Sultan during the time of the Fifth Crusade. In this week's episode, we'll explore how this story about the famous monk gives us guidance for being open to conversations with people who do not share our faith, and how we enter those conversations with curiosity and grace... and a healthy dose of courage.
She approaches Jesus while he is on the way to heal someone else, at a point of desperation after twelve years of suffering, and her name wasn't even recorded for us. Yet her willingness to step forward and say "Jesus' goodness and healing are for me, too," is preserved in Scripture as one more profile in courage for us to look at. This week, colleagues in ministry Sarah, Erica, Natalie, and Steve take a look at the witness of this woman we'll call "Sally" and see what her story might mean for us.
He's a towering figure in the New Testament (even though his name means "little"!) remembered for his numerous letters, his bold missionary journeys, and his endurance through brutal persecutions. But we don't often think about the bravery that Paul the apostle had to use before all of that, simply to admit his old way of thinking was wrong, and to be willing to let the risen Christ turn everything upside down in his life. In this week's "profile in courage," we'll look at the courage it takes to be open to new ideas, to consider that we might be wrong, and to make room for the Spirit to lead us in new ways. Check it out here on Crazy Faith Talk!
In a scene that feels like the climax of an action movie like John Wick or Die Hard, this lesser-known "judge" of ancient Israel plots a daring attack on an enemy king who was oppressing the Israelites that inspired them to fight back for their freedom. His name is Ehud, and if you've never heard his story, this is one that's worth getting to know. Join us for this week's "Profile in Courage" as colleagues in ministry Erica, Sarah, Natalie, and Steve explore another biblical figure who shows us how to be brave. Listen in here!
In a new series for this fall, colleagues in ministry Sarah, Erica, Natalie, and Steve take a look at figures in the Bible who offer us surprising pictures of bravery, often in unexpected ways. We start this series with the story of Abigail, a less-well-known figure in the book of 1 Samuel who is brave enough to avert a massacre from a young David, to prevent her husband from being foolish, and to be a peacemaker. What might it look like in our lives to be courageous peacemakers? Join us for a conversation about Abigail to find out on this week's Crazy Faith Talk!