St. Paul's Leaskdale Audio Podcast

Luke 1:5-17 - The first Christmas was hopping! God was fulfilling promises made centuries earlier and now he needed the right people to be in place and ready to go. His first stop was Jerusalem to talk to an old priest about he and his wife having a baby. There was excitement in the air! And so it begins.

Mark 3:32-35 - The most important practice of all is Community, because, in part, we can learn every other practice as we walk with other Jesus people. In this week's passage, Jesus clarifies the kind of community we need to be surrounded by: those who do the will of God.

John 15:5-17 - Jesus describes himself as the vine whose source and power produce fruit in the branches. When we remain in Jesus the way a branch does in a vine, he grows the fruit of true life in us. A Rule of Life is a set of practices that help us remain in Jesus. These practices include prayer, solitude, Scripture, sabbath, community, fasting, service, witness, and generosity.

Mark 2:17 - Jesus came to call sinners. Sinners, those who miss the mark, are on God's invite list! Jesus also adds that he didn't come to call the righteous, so everyone who believes, or at least wants others to believe, that they've got it all together, need not apply. There's a fundamental self-awareness required to follow Jesus.

Matthew 26:36-39 - A number of the Christian practices that Jesus gave us (like solitude, Sabbath, prayer and Scripture reading) turn down the noise of the world so we can turn up the volume of His voice. Other voices surface as well! Buried emotions and wounding memories can also rise to the surface. This is one of God's ways of telling us it's time to enter those harder bits of our lives with him and learn how to name them, express them and regulate them as followers of Jesus.

Mark 1:35 - One of the many remarkable things about Jesus' life is his restraint and rhythm. Knowing he had only three years in ministry might have made him frantic and sleepless, but it wasn't the case. Thankfully, he gave us practices so that our own lives can also be marked by restraint and rhythm.

Luke 6:39-49 - Jesus has much to say about how life is intended to be lived. We’re always learning; that means, consciously or otherwise, we have teachers. Jesus warns that some teachers are dangerous! They are like the blind leading the blind. In the end, you will become like your teacher. Choose wisely.

Romans 12:1-2 - Jesus’ invitation is to follow him: to be with him, become like him, and do what he did. We surrender control to Jesus, resist the pattern of the world that shapes us, and rely on the power of the Holy Spirit for transformation.

Mark 1:16-18 - This Sunday, we begin a message series on Practicing the Way. When Jesus lived bodily among us, he taught and modelled many things, including practices like praying, fasting, solitude and Sabbath. These weren’t harsh measures to separate the strong from the weak; they were gifts to grow intimacy with God and develop a deep well of character and grace. In this week’s passage, Jesus calls Peter and Andrew, two ordinary run-of-the-mill fishermen, to be his apprentices. It turns out Jesus can work with anyone.

Acts 17:16-34 - Acts 17 tells the story of a Christian who spoke in a public setting about the hope Jesus brings. It was a moment to put aside churchy language and use ‘street speak’. Paul encouraged his audience in their search for God and carefully took the time to show where that search had lost it’s way. And then he gave them Jesus, who is the Truth.

Acts 13:1-5 - The first Christians had small groups! They knew, because Jesus modelled it, that we’re much better in groups than we are as individuals. The group that gathered in Antioch was diverse, zoned in on Jesus and figuring out how to be outward-facing. Your own group will want all that and more!

Acts 8:9-25 - Simon put on a good show (literally!), but his heart was full of bitterness. He wasn’t healthy and wasn’t taking the steps to be healthy. What about us today?

Acts 2:40-47 - As a church, we’re taking some time to talk about our vision and strategy. We’re hoping to add clarity to why and how we do what we do in this season. We’ve found ourselves pondering the story of the earliest church in the book of Acts. In one day, uncertainty turned to full-out joy, and church membership blew up 2500%! Jesus was alive, they experienced God’s promised Spirit alive in them, so they locked into being together, learning, sharing and praying. It's hard to improve on that!  

Psalm 129 is a bit of a nasty Psalm! The writer has been oppressed and doesn’t hold back in expressing what that feels like. You might think being a believer means your troubles disappear, but that has never been the case. The good news is that God is neither blind nor indifferent to our struggles. In time (often not as fast as we want), God always intervenes. There’s even hope for the oppressor in this Psalm! Good news travels.

Psalm 131 - The Psalms of Ascent have it all: anguish, anger, encouragement, and wild joy.  Psalm 131 is all about contentment. Where does contentment come from? What ruins it? What does it feel like? How can I be content in an age where marketing, social media and mirrors breed discontent?

Psalm 133 - The Psalms of Ascent were songs for the journey—worshippers sang them as they traveled together toward Jerusalem and the Temple. These Psalms give voice to the sorts of things that go through worshippers' hearts as they prepare to worship. Today’s Psalm (133) is about relationships, people getting along and how God blesses us as we choose to live in harmony.

Psalm 104 is a song of praise that marvels at the beauty and order of God’s creation. From mountains to seas, seasons to creatures great and small, it reveals a world sustained by His power and care. This psalm invites us to stand in awe, give thanks, and consider our role as stewards of His handiwork. As we reflect, we’ll explore how creation points us to God’s character, draws us closer to Him, and shapes the way we live in His world.

We humans need help! The question is, where will we turn for it? Psalm 121 invites us to look to God for true help.

Psalm 127 reminds us that unless the Lord builds the house, our efforts are in vain. It's a call to trust—learning to rest in God's provision while recognizing that every good gift, including our work, our homes, and our children, ultimately rests in His hands.

A life of faith is a life of prayer. It’s also a life lived with others. When we follow Jesus, we belong to Him and to one another as brothers and sisters. As a family, we care for one another in weakness, confess our sins to each other, and gently confront one another.