Pontificating Pastors

This is the one where we keep rolling through the HOLY-Days! We talk about the idea that Christmas is not the end of the Holidays in the Church! We talk about Epiphany, Three Kings Day, Ash Wednesday, and even throw back to All Saints Day and All Hallows Eve! We talk about what it means to be shaped by the Church Calendar throughout the entire year!

We are dropping this one on Christmas because it is all about the whole reason we celebrate Christmas: God in the Flesh! We talk about why this understanding is SO important and why it matters that Jesus became ONE of US!

This is the one where Michael and Nate begin a series called the Holiday Specials! (No, we are not part of the "War on Christmas," the word literally means "Holy Days!") It is the one where we talk about what the season of Advent is, where we talk about learning to lament during a season of joy, where we talk about longing and waiting (which we aren't very good at!), and where we share some of our longings during this Holiday season! We hope you will enjoy listening to this special series while you are on your way to grandma's house or even just when you need a break from family! (This is mostly a joke...) So season 6 is the Holiday specials from Pontificating Pastors!

This is the one where we are about to host our "5th Sunday Serve" at our respective churches. It gets us talking about the role of service in the life of the local church. It's the one where we talk about the sacrificial nature of Love, and where we discuss the fact that worship is much more than singing and preaching, but involves every aspect of our lives, including our service.

This is the one where we talk about that word we only use in church, "Fellowship." We talk about why fellowship is so important and why we tend to invest time and energy in things like coffee bars in the lobby and the "all church potluck!" We also talk about the courage it takes to be open to other people, and to bring something that even might me rejected. Our former intern, Caleb Miller, gets a shout out for his unique look at the potluck line, and we just generally have a good time talking about the unity we have in Christ!

In this episode, we talk about two parts of the service, the invocation and benediction. This is one about what those words even mean, and why they matter. It's the one where we think about whether it is actually possible to invoke the presence of God, and where we talk about being sent out into the world. Finally, it's the one where we talk about why we have these structured forms of worship each week!

This is the one where we talk about the church and money. It's the one where we talk about the idea of giving and why it is part of the church worship service rather than fundraisers being outside the worship time. It's the one where we are honest about how church giving affects us directly, where we talk about words like tithes and offering, and where we talk about money and ministry. ultimately it's the one where we realize that giving is an act of worship!

This is the one where we get to do the podcast LIVE from Lake Tahoe. It is the one where we are together with other pastors at a sermon planning retreat. It's the one where we welcome our friends Joe and JJ onto the podcast to talk about one of the things that we do in church that all four of us do each Sunday- preach! Ultimately, it is the one where we look at the preaching moment in a worship service and realize that it involves so much more than a 30-45 minute speech. Ultimately, it's the one where we talk about the fact that preaching is a relational event that helps us encounter God in new ways! 

In this episode, Michael and Nate have just spent the weekend together at Tyler's graduation. It's the one where Michael is finally able to just sit in a worship service and take it all in, which inspires our conversation about why we pray at altars. It's the one where we talk about remembrance, where we talk about the importance of body posture, where we even delve into the communal aspect of praying together. Ultimately, it's the one where we realize that our own lives have been shaped by moments around an altar!

This is the one where we talk about all the singing that is done in Church. It's the one where we talk about the nature of worship music and how it shapes up as a congregation. It's the one where we talk about making a joyful noise, or maybe sometimes not so joyful. Ultimately, it is the one where we talk about the power of music in our lives!

This is the one where we talk about the importance of gathering together. It is the one where we lament the fact that COVID did not allow for us to do so as often as we would have liked. This is the one where we talk about gathering spaces as sacred spaces. It's the one where we even address the dreaded handshaking time and the tradition of "passing the peace." Ultimately, it's the one where we realize that there is something about gathering that spurs us on in our relationship with God and our relationships with others!

This is the one that kicks of our new season about "Things We Do in Church." It's the one where we catch up after a brief hiatus from podcasting. It's ultimately the one where we look at this somewhat strange and yet beautiful meal we call "communion" or "the eucharist!"

This is the one where we are finally back together after a bit. It's the one where Michael asks some Nate some rapid-fire questions which leads to a discussion about competition and how we reconcile the gospel that calls us to lay our lives down with our competitive nature. Ultimately, it's the one where we choose to live in the tension between healthy competition and the gospel!

This is the episode about Michael's daughter and Nate's son getting married! It's the one where we talk about the great cloud of witnesses in this community we call the Church! We thought we would republish it and see if we could get it published on apple this time! (For some reason the last one never showed up!)

This is the one where we reflect on our kids recent wedding festivities. We talk about the day the was, what went well and even what didn't. We give our perspective on the big day, which causes us to be extremely grateful for all the good things God has brought into our lives and the web of relationships and support system that surrounded our kids on their wedding day. A great cloud of witnesses, if you will... 

This is the one where we haven't talked to each other in 13 weeks. It's the one where we talk about Nate's lessons from sabbatical, where Michael is examining his core values, where our kids are still getting married this summer, and where we talk for a long time because we haven't gotten to do this in a while. It's ultimately the one where we find out if our audience is still out there somewhere, so that will be up to YOU!

This is the one that you've been waiting for! It's the one where we talk about marriage, and specifically the fact that Tyler Cook and Maggie Pigg are getting married. It's the one where we wonder how we looked so young and yet felt so mature when WE got married to our wives, and where we celebrate the goodness of marriage. Ultimately, it's the one where we are super happy for our kids who just love being together.

In this episode, Nate is getting ready to go on sabbatical which prompts the question, what is a sabbatical and why would a pastor need such a thing. Which leads us into a discussion about the nature of "paying a pastor" and how a transactional view that sees a pastor's salary through a consumeristic lens can often hinder ministry. We also talk about Michael's workouts, Nate's improv, and all sorts of other things like our kids who are dating... (This episode was recorded before they got engaged! I'm sure we will discuss this on our next show!!)

In this episode, we talk about Christian culture, including memes. We talk about our time in youth ministry. We also about the interesting phenomenon that occurs during preaching when people often hear what they want to hear. We talk about humor and cynicism and all kinds of other things along the way!

In this episode, we talk about the GREATEST ISSUE our generation faces, whether or not we should wear a mask! (Hopefully you read that with the sarcasm intended!) This is the one where we spend way too much time and have way too much fun talking about masks. It's the one where we talk about the fact that we have lost "nuance" in our culture. We talk about how even the structure of the Jewish bible tries to push us from law, to deconstruction, and ultimately to wisdom! This is the one where we have a LOT of fun, while calling Christians to getting past the either/or towards seeing nuance in the issues that we face in our world today!