Storytown | Why We Keep Choosing the Wrong Tree

Storytown | Why We Keep Choosing the Wrong Tree

In this message, the Rev. Dr. Luke Lindon connects Hadestown, the Garden of Eden, and the story of Christ to explore a timeless human struggle: our tendency to choose control and judgment over trust, mercy, and life. Through the stories of Orpheus, Eurydice, Adam, and Eve, Luke reminds us that the old patterns keep repeating. But in Christ, we are offered a new way forward. Every day, we stand before two trees. One promises the satisfaction of being right. The other offers the gift of life. *To support our mission to create more podcast content like this ⁠Donate using our secure portal: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://onrealm.org/uccmedina/-/form/give/now⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__onrealm.org_uccmedina_-2D_form_give_now&d=DwMFaQ&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=VN9xOCKl6xjt2MRZdWJdT-y7aTER-AC4g_S2GZimnyU&m=R90FxirpxwKjR55QpfB-lefbNgHbO820ADQX7-_d-yoWd6QXfSb91KdmjTE9lX9N&s=PhSiDYAUev1gkfulwfg0Q-iv8Y--U3gp3pvHmLhLnfc&e=] OR Texting UCCMEDINA to 73256 Who is the Rev. Dr. Luke Lindon? The Rev. Dr. Luke Lindon serves as the senior pastor of United Church of Christ Congregational in Medina, Ohio. Prior to coming to Medina in April 2017, he was the associate pastor at Sylvania UCC in northwest Ohio. Luke earned his Doctor of Ministry through the Methodist Theological School in Ohio with an emphasis on transformational leadership in 2022. His thesis was on adaptive leadership and ecclesiology. He received his Master of Divinity degree from Lancaster Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania and his bachelor’s degree in journalism from Ohio University. Before seminary, Luke worked as a tool and fastener sales representative and store manager for Capitol Building Supply in Washington, D.C. Luke and his wife, Kate, have two children. Luke grew up in Dennison, Ohio, and enjoys sports, music, and Dungeons and Dragons. He is a member of the UCC Next Generation Leadership Initiative.

A Theology of Mystery | Ain’t No Ghost but the Holy Ghost

In this reflective and story-rich sermon, the Rev. Dr. Luke Lindon's message centers on Jesus’ use of parables, the mystery of God, and why grace is often so hard for people to accept. Through the image of a seminary chapel glowing mysteriously at night, the story explores how fear can become prayer, how certainty can block humility, and how faith often begins where our understanding ends. Rooted in the theology of mystery, the episode reminds us that the Kingdom of God cannot be reduced to simple answers, rigid rules, or easy explanations. Instead, Jesus invites us into deeper questions, deeper trust, and deeper community. The heart of the message is that we do not have to know everything because God has given us Scripture, prayer, grace, and perhaps most beautifully, one another. Works Cited Robert Farrar Capon, Kingdom, Grace, Judgment: Paradox, Outrage, and Vindication in the Parables of Jesus (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans, 2002. Robert Farrar Capon, Between Noon and Three: Romance, Law, and the Outrage of Grace (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997).   *To support our mission to create more podcast content like this ⁠Donate using our secure portal: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://onrealm.org/uccmedina/-/form/give/now⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__onrealm.org_uccmedina_-2D_form_give_now&d=DwMFaQ&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=VN9xOCKl6xjt2MRZdWJdT-y7aTER-AC4g_S2GZimnyU&m=R90FxirpxwKjR55QpfB-lefbNgHbO820ADQX7-_d-yoWd6QXfSb91KdmjTE9lX9N&s=PhSiDYAUev1gkfulwfg0Q-iv8Y--U3gp3pvHmLhLnfc&e=] OR Texting UCCMEDINA to 73256 Who is the Rev. Dr. Luke Lindon? The Rev. Dr. Luke Lindon serves as the senior pastor of United Church of Christ Congregational in Medina, Ohio. Prior to coming to Medina in April 2017, he was the associate pastor at Sylvania UCC in northwest Ohio. Luke earned his Doctor of Ministry through the Methodist Theological School in Ohio with an emphasis on transformational leadership in 2022. His thesis was on adaptive leadership and ecclesiology. He received his Master of Divinity degree from Lancaster Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania and his bachelor’s degree in journalism from Ohio University. Before seminary, Luke worked as a tool and fastener sales representative and store manager for Capitol Building Supply in Washington, D.C. Luke and his wife, Kate, have two children. Luke grew up in Dennison, Ohio, and enjoys sports, music, and Dungeons and Dragons. He is a member of the UCC Next Generation Leadership Initiative.

The Mystery of Us | Heaven Is Other People

What does it really mean to show up for one another? In this UCC Medina sermon, Rev. Dr. Luke Lindon reflects on Medina Pride, a young man searching for belonging, the loneliness that divides us, and the quiet power of presence. Drawing from Noah Kahan’s song “The Great Divide,” [https://open.spotify.com/track/4ck9vo0gEmjVHWUb5q2rYe]Jesus washing the disciples’ feet, and the Road to Emmaus, this message explores how misunderstanding can separate us and how love slowly teaches us to cross back over. From shared tables and long conversations to forgiveness, reconciliation, and simply being present, this sermon is a reminder that community is not built in grand gestures alone. It is built when we listen a little better, stay a little longer, and help one another remember they belong. Don’t wait to connect. Heaven may be closer than you think. Works Cited Jean-Paul Sartre, No Exit, trans. Stuart Gilbert, in No Exit and Three Other Plays (New York: Vintage International, 1989). Thurman, Howard. Meditations of the Heart. Boston: Beacon Press, 1953.   *To support our mission to create more podcast content like this ⁠Donate using our secure portal: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://onrealm.org/uccmedina/-/form/give/now⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__onrealm.org_uccmedina_-2D_form_give_now&d=DwMFaQ&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=VN9xOCKl6xjt2MRZdWJdT-y7aTER-AC4g_S2GZimnyU&m=R90FxirpxwKjR55QpfB-lefbNgHbO820ADQX7-_d-yoWd6QXfSb91KdmjTE9lX9N&s=PhSiDYAUev1gkfulwfg0Q-iv8Y--U3gp3pvHmLhLnfc&e=] OR Texting UCCMEDINA to 73256 Who is the Rev. Dr. Luke Lindon? The Rev. Dr. Luke Lindon serves as the senior pastor of United Church of Christ Congregational in Medina, Ohio. Prior to coming to Medina in April 2017, he was the associate pastor at Sylvania UCC in northwest Ohio. Luke earned his Doctor of Ministry through the Methodist Theological School in Ohio with an emphasis on transformational leadership in 2022. His thesis was on adaptive leadership and ecclesiology. He received his Master of Divinity degree from Lancaster Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania and his bachelor’s degree in journalism from Ohio University. Before seminary, Luke worked as a tool and fastener sales representative and store manager for Capitol Building Supply in Washington, D.C. Luke and his wife, Kate, have two children. Luke grew up in Dennison, Ohio, and enjoys sports, music, and Dungeons and Dragons. He is a member of the UCC Next Generation Leadership Initiative.

The Mystery of You | Why We Don’t Need to Understand Someone to Love Them

What if one of life’s greatest mysteries isn’t the universe, God, or even eternity… but the people sitting right beside us? In this week’s message, Rev. Meghan Malone explores what it means to truly see one another beyond labels, assumptions, and the stories we create about people we barely know. Through the parable of the Good Samaritan, we’re reminded that compassion does not require full understanding, and that perhaps loving our neighbor begins with recognizing that every person we encounter is living a life just as complex, beautiful, and mysterious as our own. A thoughtful reflection on empathy, curiosity, community, and what Jesus teaches us about caring for people across difference. Donate using our secure portal: ⁠⁠https://onrealm.org/uccmedina/-/form/give/now⁠⁠ [https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__onrealm.org_uccmedina_-2D_form_give_now&d=DwMFaQ&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=VN9xOCKl6xjt2MRZdWJdT-y7aTER-AC4g_S2GZimnyU&m=R90FxirpxwKjR55QpfB-lefbNgHbO820ADQX7-_d-yoWd6QXfSb91KdmjTE9lX9N&s=PhSiDYAUev1gkfulwfg0Q-iv8Y--U3gp3pvHmLhLnfc&e=] OR Texting UCCMEDINA to 73256 Who is the Rev. Meghan Malone? Meghan Malone is the Associate Pastor of Youth and Mission at the United Church of Christ Congregational in Medina, Ohio. She has a bachelor’s degree in Comparative Religious Studies from The Ohio State University and a Master of Divinity Degree from The Methodist Theological School in Ohio. Meghan previously served as a minister for The United Church of Granville, finishing her time there as their Transitional Pastor in January 2022. During the pandemic, Meghan completed her Clinical Pastoral Education at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and worked there as a chaplain resident and contract chaplain. Meghan enjoys telling the stories of the Bible through queer and feminist lenses, talking about mental health, and helping others to fall in love with the Bible again. She and her husband Logan both grew up in Johnstown, Ohio.

The Mystery of Me | Why We Are More Than the Voices in Our Heads

In this episode the Rev. Dr. Luke Lindon reflects on what it means to live with the complicated mix of mind, body, spirit, memory, labels, expectations, and inner criticism that shape how we see ourselves. Drawing from Paul’s words in Romans, Jesus’ words in the garden, the Heidelberg Catechism, and even the familiar question, “Why do I do that?”, this message explores the struggle of being human and the comfort of knowing we are not defined by our worst thoughts, our old wounds, or the voices we have internalized along the way. At the heart of this sermon is a simple but powerful reminder: before anything else, before every label, every insecurity, every failure, and every attempt to become enough, you are beloved by God. *To support our mission to create more podcast content like this ⁠Donate using our secure portal: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://onrealm.org/uccmedina/-/form/give/now⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__onrealm.org_uccmedina_-2D_form_give_now&d=DwMFaQ&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=VN9xOCKl6xjt2MRZdWJdT-y7aTER-AC4g_S2GZimnyU&m=R90FxirpxwKjR55QpfB-lefbNgHbO820ADQX7-_d-yoWd6QXfSb91KdmjTE9lX9N&s=PhSiDYAUev1gkfulwfg0Q-iv8Y--U3gp3pvHmLhLnfc&e=] OR Texting UCCMEDINA to 73256 Works Cited Paul D. MacLean, The Triune Brain in Evolution: Role in Paleocerebral Functions (New York: Plenum Press, 1990); Joseph E. LeDoux, The Deep History of Ourselves: The Four-Billion-Year Story of How We Got Conscious Brains (New York: Viking, 2019). Daniel Rojas-Valverde et al., “Examining the Interaction between Exercise, Gut Microbiota, and Neurodegeneration: Future Research Directions,” Biomedicines 11, no. 8 (2023): 2267, ⁠https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines11082267⁠ [https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines11082267]; Vincenzo Monda et al., “Exercise Modifies the Gut Microbiota with Positive Health Effects,” Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity 2017 (2017): 3831972, ⁠https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/3831972⁠ [https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/3831972]. Lee C. Barrett III, trans., The Heidelberg Catechism: A New Translation for the 21st Century (Cleveland: The Pilgrim Press, 2007), 29. Jean-Paul Sartre, Being and Nothingness: An Essay on Phenomenological Ontology, trans. Hazel E. Barnes (New York: Washington Square Press, 1992). Who is the Rev. Dr. Luke Lindon? The Rev. Dr. Luke Lindon serves as the senior pastor of United Church of Christ Congregational in Medina, Ohio. Prior to coming to Medina in April 2017, he was the associate pastor at Sylvania UCC in northwest Ohio. Luke earned his Doctor of Ministry through the Methodist Theological School in Ohio with an emphasis on transformational leadership in 2022. His thesis was on adaptive leadership and ecclesiology. He received his Master of Divinity degree from Lancaster Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania and his bachelor’s degree in journalism from Ohio University. Before seminary, Luke worked as a tool and fastener sales representative and store manager for Capitol Building Supply in Washington, D.C. Luke and his wife, Kate, have two children. Luke grew up in Dennison, Ohio, and enjoys sports, music, and Dungeons and Dragons. He is a member of the UCC Next Generation Leadership Initiative.