The Hope of Christmas

Yesses and Nos

The story of Mary and Martha isn’t a personality quiz; it’s a priorities check. This sermon names the spiritual art of offering a true yes(which always includes a no), the courage to choose people over perfection, and how Jesus reorders our holiday hustle toward the “one thing” that won’t be taken away. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit textualintercourse.substack.com [https://textualintercourse.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

The Hope of Christmas

Advent hope isn’t passive nostalgia; it’s path-building. Mark opens not with a manger but with John in the wilderness, calling us to prepare the way. This sermon uses a four-step trail-building guide (mark the route, clear the small stuff, reinforce weak spots, post signs) to name our Advent work—then points to Taizé’s Brother Roger as a peacemaker who kept pointing away from himself toward Christ’s new thing. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit textualintercourse.substack.com [https://textualintercourse.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Hope Don't Lie

Advent begins with Jeremiah’s promise to exiles: God will raise a righteous branch who brings justice and righteousness. This sermon contrasts airport-style optimism (“maybe 20 more minutes…”) with true hope—honest about the dark, stubbornly communal, and aimed at justice. With stories of labor, ordination, and the Stockdale Paradox. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit textualintercourse.substack.com [https://textualintercourse.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

What's a Mob to a King?

On Christ the King Sunday we don’t get a triumphant coronation—we get Jesus before Pilate. This sermon contrasts Pilate’s grasping for control with Jesus’ letting go, and asks what it would look like to loosen our grip on power, nostalgia, and image to receive the kingdom Jesus embodies. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit textualintercourse.substack.com [https://textualintercourse.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

What do you have to give?

Joseph has no money and no freedom—yet he still practices stewardship. In prison he offers what he does have: attention, energy, and a God-given gift for interpreting dreams. This sermon widens stewardship beyond dollars to “everything on the table,” with a nod to Apollo 13 and the holy work of using what we have for the good of others. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit textualintercourse.substack.com [https://textualintercourse.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]