A double appearance by Jesus in the original ending of John's gospel offers a double blessing to all who follow the risen Master. John has been introducing us to Thomas all along as the pragmatic one, the realistic one, the one just like us (of...

Mark Niethammer preaches on Easter Sunday. Somedays, everything feels like it’s going wrong and everywhere you turn there is bad news. When we’re surrounded by the bad of the world, we get angrier, turn in on ourselves, and stew in our own mise...

Happy Easter, podcast listeners! A particularly amazing thing happens in today’s episode. Little Bird’s best friend Jesus died just three days ago and while she and a few of Jesus’ other friends are getting ready for his burial, some special vi...

Amidst a bevy of details that make the whole story seem questionable, Luke sets the one question that proclaims the Easter gospel from the heart of an empty tomb: Why do you seek the living among the dead? Why, indeed — then, now, or ever.<...

Sara Olson-Smith preaches on Jesus' steadfast love. Jesus' saving work was to bring freedom and hope not just for the people in his own time and place but for all creation of every time and place. Our songs of praise are joined with those who c...

Today’s episode is a sad one. There are some scary and hard things, but there is also lots of good and love. Our story begins on the same evening as the Last Supper. When Jesus is arrested and put on trial, Little Bird and the disciples are sca...

Mark Niethammer preaches on new life. When Jesus shows up, incredible things happen. When we are at our worst, lowest, and loneliest, we need to look no further than the story of Lazarus. He reminds all of us what Jesus can do and what Jesus do...

Luke orchestrates Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem with every mark of the pomp and circumstance that is appropriate to the story he is telling. The prophets, tradition, and creation itself hail the moment when God proves faithful to promises that wi...

In this week’s episode, Little Bird shares a very special meal with Jesus and the disciples. And before that meal, Jesus does something a little different but extra special for his friends to show his love and care for them.

John in his gospel pairs two moments to show the incredible value of Jesus' death for his community and for the world as that death draws near. Though this good news has been tragically misused in slander and violence against Jews for centuries...

Sara Olson-Smith preaches on God’s grace. We put together complicated analytics about those around us and for ourselves. Balancing out honesty, speed of humor, average amounts of shared activities, or political viewpoints, or even taste in musi...

For the next few weeks, revisit some favorite Little Bird Easter episodes! On today's episode, Little Bird adds another new friend to the story. This time, it's a donkey!  Little Bird, Jesus, and their new donkey friend are par...

Keeping the focus on the central character of a very familiar story is key to hearing the gospel in this parable, in which Jesus teaches that the God of Israel is the author and champion of life in every way that it wins out over death, with en...

Mac Mullins preaches on repentance. Human beings have a knack for dividing things, including one another. When we begin to internalize and believe in these divisions as the primary story of our lives and the life of the world, we begin to see e...

With dramatic urgency in a story about Jesus, Luke underscores the urgency of our response to God's invitation to be part of God's people, lest we lose out on even another minute of the life God wants for us.Preaching text: Luke 13:1-9

Katy Warren preaches on trust. We place our trust in many things every day. Faith and trust are words that are sometimes used interchangeably. Faith seems to have an extra element to it. You place your faith in those you grow to know and form a...

Today’s episode is about trust. Jesus asks the disciples to trust him and to trust in God’s plan, even if they don’t quite understand it. Sometimes tough things happen in life but trust in God and stick with each other. We don’t have to do it a...

Mark Niethammer preaches on discerning the truth. Our lives and world are full of people, philosophies, advertising, and social media all trying to convince us of various lies. As Christians, we stand up to the lies that try to convince us that...

Midway through Jesus' journey to Jerusalem and Calvary, Luke again shows him tempted to turn aside from God's will and promise, and again Jesus claims the heritage of the prophets of biblical Israel to press on with confidence in the path on wh...

Today, Jesus heads out to the wilderness alone and Little Bird is very worried about him. So worried that she takes off to find him. A lizard helps her find her friend, but he is not alone in the wilderness. Who is that sitting with Jesus? Litt...

As Jesus steps away from his baptism with the gift of the Holy Spirit, Luke shows him immediately tempted to use for his own purposes and power the gracious and powerful relationship God has created with him and aligns the resistance to temptat...

Mac Mullins preaches on transformation. Our light, God’s light within us, shines through the abundance of how we live; living with patience, humility, and limitless generosity. When we begin seeing, reacting, and envisioning ourselves and other...

Today, Little Bird, Jesus, and some of the disciples take a small little hike up a mountain. Once on the mountaintop, Little Bird and the disciples are in for a big, sparkly surprise! 

A key turning point in Luke's' gospel marks a key turning point in the church year, as the changing of Jesus' face on a mountaintop marks the beginning of his journey to Jerusalem, cross, and resurrection and our journey through Lent to Holy We...

Sara Olson-Smith preaches on mercy. God forgives us and welcomes up back over and over again, not just for our sake, but so that this mercy will trickle down through our lives and through the ways we live in the world. When we are at our worst,...