Saint Paul’s Pod

Saint Paul's Pod: Living Faithfully in Exile

Consider God’s people in exile. The worst had happened as Jeremiah had warned. The people are shunned and the temple in ruins. They can only hope for a reversal, an escape hatch.
But God through Jeremiah tells His people to build houses, plant gardens and grow families. To continue to live faithful lives.
When our world feels helpless, we cannot pause and wait for deliverance. We still have work to do and can serve others to create prosperity not defined by wealth and power.
If you don’t particularly like where you are in life or the world you find yourself in, there is no escape hatch. We can’t sit on our hands and wait for God’s kingdom, we work for his people today. We follow Jesus’ example of living with a purpose to seek and save the lost on the way and in between.
 

Saint Paul's Pod: Go Wash Some Feet

The parable of the mustard seed illustrates the power of faith. Jesus taught that having faith "as a grain of mustard seed" is enough to accomplish the impossible.
To strengthen our relationship with God we must have faith, steadfastness, courage and obedience.
We must not be clouded by our worldly surroundings and allow faith to activate our life of service. Serving others furthers the kingdom of God.
Exercising our faith in God allows us to live boldly using our time, talent and treasures to serve. We can also exercise our faith by humbly seeing ourselves and our neighbors as God sees us.
We must focus on the work to be done and what we are called to do. How do we put this into action? “Go wash some feet.”
 

Saint Paul's Pod: Embracing God's Love

There is no barrier that can prevent us from experiencing God's love; however, it is essential that our hearts remain open. How we utilize our time, talents, and resources reflects the true state of our hearts.
God is endlessly patient with humanity; yet, it is important to understand that patience does not equate to tolerance. The message of God's word is a profound love story — He is actively pursuing you, His cherished one. God extends mercy to the oppressed, the poor, and all those in need. We have received all the necessary warnings; may we recognize that pride has the power to lead to our downfall. In our pride, we may gain the world but ultimately lose our souls.

Saint Paul's Pod: Looking for God in Our Fractured World

In the Old Testament, Jeramiah tells of a society in crisis; a world full of violence and filled with greed. Jesus comes 600 years later, and the world remains in a state of crisis filled with murder, oppression, neglect, lies, brokenness and wickedness.
Where do we as Christians look when our world is fractured? We look to God. God is relying on hope and perseverance to bring all people into the heart and family of God. The answer is not in vengeance. Jesus calls out to the lost. He came to seek and save what was lost…sinners and tax collectors alike. The church must remain with Jesus, on the move. Not on the left or on the right but serving from the bottom.
These are horrible times. We grieve but not without hope. We must follow Jesus more closely and proclaim the good news of the love of God more boldly.
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus,Look full in His wonderful face,And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace.”

Saint Paul's Pod: Poverty and Wealth

What if poverty and wealth were honest with each other? Could they find riches in one another? Poverty has bounty in community while wealth has bounty in gifts and talents. Jesus lacked nothing in life, but he did not possess worldly wealth.
In honesty with one another, we find a space of transformation. The space in between is a place where we grow. We must allow our Lord to navigate us to a transformative life of purpose.
 

Saint Paul's Pod: Trust Over Fear

False evidence appearing real…FEAR. The world bombards us constantly with negativity. We are challenged by fear morally, ethically and spiritually. Fear will attempt to control our thoughts, words and emotions. Proverbs tells us not to lean on our own understanding. But to trust in the Lord. In all our ways, acknowledge him. The word of the Lord must stay in our mind and serve as a compass to guide us.
In the Gospel of Luke we see Jesus heal a severely crimpled woman. Often chronic illness hinders us from engaging and seeing one another. Leaving us feeling left out, oppressed and unvalued. Jesus sees through that and restores our identity and community.
As God's people and a body of believers, we are called to remember not only whose we are but also that our neighbors are His as well.
Prayer: Dear Lord,
We turn to you in our need. You are worthy of our complete trust. When our lives are filled with confusion and angst, fill our souls with hope and belief.
Amen

Saint Paul's Pod: Jesus Coming in HOT

Before he dies, Jesus asks for unity among all people. This is usually how we see Him in hymns and stories—a peacemaker, gentle, meek and mild. While his heart remains pure, we see a different side of Jesus in Luke’s Gospel. Here Jesus yearns for fire on earth and embraces division among people.
While we aren’t called to set fires of destruction or glorify division between neighbors, we are called to recognize oppression and cruelty that have no place in God’s kingdom. The fire we desire is the cleansing fire of repentance fueled by love. The unity Jesus is looking for requires us to roll up our sleeves and aid the hungry, the sick, the lonely and the outcast.
Prayer: Lord, give us humility to see our faults and the grace to forgive one another. Unite us in love through the cleansing flame of your mercy. Amen
 

Saint Paul’s Pod: Witnessing the Gospel in Today's World

In the Bible, many followers are acknowledged for their faithfulness and suffering, even unto death, for their beliefs. Today, we may not be called to death, but we can still make our lives a witness to the gospel. We can give our lives away to others. By giving to others, we can live more deeply and fully than before; mysteriously renewed in joy.
It is God’s pleasure to give us the kingdom. Jesus calls us to not be afraid and jump into faith with the assurance of God’s promises.
 

Saint Paul's Pod: Wealth, A Dangerous Good

The Parable of the Rich Fool, tells the story of a wealthy landowner whose crops were so abundant that he lacked storage space. He decides to tear down his existing barns and build larger ones to hoard his wealth for his own comfort and enjoyment. However, God calls him a fool.
God has created us in community to care for and lean on one another. When we are more interested in our possessions than our community, we are missing the point. We have been made by God to live together and share, not to be alone with our worldly possessions. Everything belongs to God. Wealth is a dangerous good, that can only remain good when shared.
 
 

Saint Paul's Pod: The Power of Being "In"

This week we hear about what it means to be "in" Christ. As humans we desire to belong. Paul tells the Galatians that as converts, they have been transformed "in" Christ with blessings of peace, protection, provision and providence. 
 
This transformation also brings us together and allows an intimacy with the holy trinity. As we pray together each week, we can reshape our faith together, praying beyond our selfish needs and desires. We can pray together for those who have no voice and together celebrate the fullness of salvation found in Christ.