The Good News From The Gardens Podcast

The Gift of Committed Community: A sermon series on gifts that keep on giving.

Part 1 of 7 part series
Matthew 3:13-17
At the Jordan River, Jesus steps into the waters not because he needs repentance, but because he chooses solidarity. In Matthew 3:13–17, baptism is revealed not as a private spiritual moment, but a communal calling. As the heavens open and God names Jesus “Beloved,” a community is formed around promise and purpose. In baptism, vows are spoken that bind us to one another—to teach, to forgive, to show up. In this message we ponder our fulfillment of baptismal promises, and how we live them out: by bearing burdens together, resisting isolation, and embodying God’s beloved-ness in word and deed, long after the water dries.
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Shepherding Hope - A Birth of Christ Message

Luke 2:1-20 & John 1:1-14 
The Nativity tells of God shepherding hope into the world through the birth of Jesus. In the humility of a manger, divine promise takes on vulnerable flesh, revealing that hope is not distant but present among ordinary lives. The first to receive this news are shepherds—tired workers keeping watch in the dark—showing that hope often comes to those overlooked. Fear is named before comfort is given, as angels announce good news that changes their direction and purpose. The shepherds witness, go, and tell, becoming tenders of God’s hope. Their story invites us to nurture light in fragile places and carry hope into the night.
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She’s Having A Baby! - An Advent Message on Waiting Well.

Isaiah 7:10–16 & Matthew 1:18–25
These Isaiah and Matthew texts together proclaim God’s surprising nearness in moments of fear and uncertainty. Isaiah names a sign of hope given amid political anxiety, while Matthew reveals that sign fulfilled in Jesus’ birth through Mary, embraced by Joseph’s faithful obedience. These texts testify that God acts beyond human expectation, entering vulnerability to save, accompany, and remain with a troubled world—Emmanuel, God with us. Listen to the message to gain insight into the intersection of faithful obedience, fear, and uncertainty.
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That’s OK, I’ll Wait: An Advent Message On Waiting Well.

Isaiah 35:1-10 & Matthew 11:2-11
Isaiah 35 promises a wilderness transformed—creation erupting with life, healing, and rejoicing. Matthew 11 reveals John the Baptist waiting in uncertainty, asking Jesus if he truly is the One. Together, these texts name our living reality wherein human doubt and holy expectation coexist. God’s future blooms in deserts, yet often slowly, hidden from immediate sight. Jesus answers John not with theories but with evidence of restoration: the blind see, the lame walk, good news is preached. Join us at 9AM where we will continue to be faithful, waiting well, trusting that even in confusion, God’s renewal is already breaking in.
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Not All Actions Are Created Equal: An Advent Message On Waiting Well.

Isaiah 11:1-10 & Matthew 3:1-12  
In this message we encounter God’s transformative intervention in a world longing for renewal. Isaiah envisions a Spirit-anointed shoot from Jesse, a righteous ruler whose reign brings justice, peace, and the healing of creation. John the Baptist echoes this hope, calling Israel to repentance as preparation for the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit and fire. Both texts confront our brokenness while promising God’s restorative future: a kingdom where righteousness prevails and peace reshapes all relationships. In the message we explore the relationship between holy waiting/listening and acts of repentance.
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The Busy Body of Christ: An Advent Message on Waiting Well

Isaiah 2:1-5 & Matthew 24:36-44
The practice of waiting involves a posture that is largely uncomfortable and laden with anxiety. In any given scenario, not “doing” can be perceived as apathetic, detached. When it comes to matters of the heart, not “doing” can be perceived as even unfaithful. How do we challenge the narrative of faith being just about what we do? What does it look like to wait on the will of God, instead of the will of man? Listen to this message and hear how both Isaiah and Jesus faithfully anticipate God’s action. 
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Jesus Our Incumbent Christ: A Christ the King Sunday Message | Psalm 46 & Luke 23: 33-43

Christ the King Sunday is a transition Sunday between the church seasons of Ordinary Time and Advent. Before we turn our attention to the story of promise that leads to Bethlehem, we turn to Luke’s account of the crucifixion. Amid scoffing and slander from those who sarcastically call him Messiah and king, Jesus reveals that to be Messiah and king is to give one’s life for others. Jesus uses his power to welcome a despised sinner to paradise but puts his own death into God’s hands. Extraordinary. What does it look like to move from an ordinary posture of living to an extraordinary posture? What does it look like to live hopeful and forward? In this message we ponder ways in which we can transition our lives fully into God’s control.
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Women of Nativity Thankoffering Service | Ruth 1:7-16, Psalm 139: 1-14, Matthew 9:18-25

In this message, women of Nativity ages of 10 to 94 lend their voices to this worship service. Women were an integral part of the early church, and are an essential voice in its life and ministry today. Many thanks to Breanne Johnsen for delivering the message by expanding our understanding of family through her own story. A special Thankoffering was taken for the Doris Karlik Local College Scholarship for women. It was a great day in the life of Nativity!
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What Disciples Do Is, Live By Faith | Job 19:23-27a & Luke 20:27-38

Sadducees who do not believe in the resurrection of the dead, try to trap Jesus by concocting an unrealistic and convoluted case of a serial widow who marries a succession of seven brothers. Jesus responds in a rather sarcastic manner by teaching about God to whom all are alive and in whom all relationships are fulfilled. Ann then there is Job...his life has burned down to nothing, and yet in the ashes he finds a faith that will not die: “My Redeemer lives.” What good does it do to not trust in the presence of a God who defeated death and the disciples despair by coming back to life? Why has this "story" survived to this very day? In this message we ponder the presence of God in seemingly Godforsaken moments of life.
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Look Like A Saint | Luke 6:20-31

In this All Saints Sunday message we ponder what it looks like to live and act like a "saint". With echoes of the prophet Isaiah and Mary’s song of praise, Jesus reveals surprising things about who enjoys blessing and who endures woe. He invites his disciples to shower radical love, blessing, forgiveness, generosity, and trust even on enemies and outsiders. This message is meant to challenge, and inspire you to embrace your blessedness, and to avoid woeful living. 
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