The Good News From The Gardens Podcast

Part 1 of 3 part series on keeping the Sabbath.
Deuteronomy 5:12-15; Matthew 11:28-30; 12:9-14
Busy schedules, overflowing calendars, and constant demands leave many people exhausted. Yet long before burnout became a modern problem, God gave the Sabbath as a gift of freedom. Moses reminds Israel that Sabbath is rooted in liberation from slavery, while Jesus invites all who are weary to come to him for rest. When Jesus heals on the Sabbath, he reveals that God's holy day is meant for restoration, not restriction. In this message hear the Sabbath as God's invitation to lay down our burdens, receive Christ's grace, and experience the freedom that comes from trusting God instead of endless striving.
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Part four of four part series on The Lord's Prayer
Matthew 6:9-13 & Colossians 2:6-19
What does Jesus really mean when He teaches us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread”? Is it only about food, or is it about something much deeper? In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus invites us to trust our heavenly Father for everything we need. In Colossians, Paul reminds us to be rooted and built up in Christ, the One who nourishes our faith and sustains our lives. Listen and discover how God provides not only for our physical needs but also our deepest spiritual hunger, giving us strength to live each day in Him.
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Part three of four part series on The Lord's Prayer
Luke 11:1-13 & Hosea 1:2-10
What does it really mean to pray, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done”? Is it simply a hope for heaven someday, or an invitation to let God reign in our lives today? In Luke 11, Jesus teaches His disciples to pray with bold trust, while the prophet Hosea reveals a God whose kingdom is built not on power, but on relentless love, mercy, and restoration. This Sunday, discover how praying for God's kingdom also means becoming people through whom His grace, forgiveness, and faithful love are made visible in the world.
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Part two of four part series on The Lord's Prayer
Matthew 6:5-13 & Psalm 138
What comes first when we pray? Before our needs, our worries, or our plans, Jesus teaches us to begin with God: “Hallowed be thy name.” But what does it mean to keep God's name holy? In Psalm 138, David praises God with his whole heart because God's steadfast love and faithfulness never fail. This Sunday, we'll discover that honoring God's name is more than speaking it with reverence—it's living in a way that reflects God's character to the world. Listen, and learn how to pray and live as Jesus taught us.
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Part one of four part series on The Lord's Prayer
Luke 11:1-3 & Genesis 18:20-32
What kind of relationship does God want with us? In this week's scriptures, Abraham boldly speaks with God about the fate of Sodom, while Jesus teaches his disciples to pray, beginning with the simple yet profound words, “Our Father.” Neither passage portrays a distant or indifferent God. Instead, we encounter a God who invites conversation, questions, persistence, and trust. Like a loving parent, God welcomes us into relationship and encourages us to bring our hopes, fears, doubts, and needs before Him. Listen to this message to explore the Lord's Prayer and discover what it means to trust our Father in heaven.
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REWIND! This podcast originally aired October of 2025.
Pastor Steve is with kids at Camp Lutherock in NC, and then on vacation. 
A new message will drop the week of Monday July 6, 2026.
2nd Timothy 1:1-14
Paul’s letter to Timothy is a personal message of encouragement. In the face of hardship and persecution, Timothy is reminded that his faith is a gift of God. He is encouraged to exercise that faith with the help of the Holy Spirit. In this message we consider the stewardship of God’s mysteries in how we  share and pass on faith to our family. 
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REWIND! This podcast originally aired January of 2025.
Pastor Steve is with kids at Camp Lutherock in NC, and then on vacation.
A new message will drop the week of Monday July 6, 2026.
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
In this scripture and message we hear Luke’s account of John’s baptism of Jesus. Jesus' baptism was God’s affirmation/anointing/kick off of God’s mission to the world through Jesus. Jesus was baptized because the people were getting baptized. He may have been without sin, but he was not too good to enter the turbulent and muddy waters of human life. He came to serve, so that others may learn to serve. In this message we celebrate and correlate Jesus’ baptism to ours, and what that means to us and God's creation. 
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Part three of three part sermon series on the Creeds. 
Acts 2:1-18 & Matthew 28:16-20
The disciples admittedly could not accomplish Christ’s mission by their own courage, wisdom, or strength. They needed the gift of the Holy Spirit. So do we. In Matthew, Jesus sends his followers into the world; in Acts, the Spirit equips them for the journey. Martin Luther reminds us in his explanation of the third article of the Apostles Creed that we cannot, by our own reason or strength, believe in Jesus Christ or come to him. Faith itself is God’s gift. The Holy Spirit calls, gathers, enlightens, sanctifies, forgives, and sustains us. Simply put, the Christian life is something we cannot do without the Spirit. 
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Part two of three part sermon series on the Creeds. 
1st Cor. 1:18-25 & John 1:1-18
What kind of God enters the world not with power and prestige, but through vulnerability, flesh, and a cross? In John, the eternal Word becomes flesh and dwells among us. In Corinthians, Paul dares to proclaim a crucified Messiah—foolishness to some, scandal to others, yet the very wisdom and power of God. At the center of the Christian creed stands this astonishing confession: God revealed in Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh and crucified for the world. Listen, and faithfully wrestle with the mystery that still turns human wisdom upside down.
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Part one of three of a sermon series on the Creeds
Genesis 1:1-5; Matthew 6:30-34
In the beginning, God spoke light into the darkness, bringing order where there was chaos and hope where there was uncertainty. In Matthew, Jesus reminds us that the God who clothes the lilies and feeds creation is already holding tomorrow in loving hands. Both texts invite us to trust that the same God who separated night from day still meets us in life’s unknowns. When worry clouds our hearts, faith remembers: the God who created light is also the God who faithfully lights the way ahead.
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