Matt and Merry sit down with long time colleague and friend, Rev. James Retallack. Both Matt and Jamie have a few years under their belts being regular, Joe 6-pack, pastors at your local church. So, they sit down to chat about what it means for the local congregation to remain relevant and continue to make an impact in the life of the average person and community, so that the good news we all have to share will never go silent.
Mar 29, 2021•54 min
Pr. Matt and Merry sit down with the Rev. Dr. Fred Lehr, author of the book Becoming a 21st Century Church . We look at the reforms the church goes through every 500 years, and how we are due for one now. We also chat about how congregations can better partner with the communities where they are situated, and finding ways to do something "with" others instead of "for" others. Dr. Lehr also talks about those who have had no religious afiliation for generations, and how many folk could be called "...
Mar 22, 2021•1 hr 5 min
Pr. Matt takes to the airwaves solo for our final installment of our Lent 2021 series, Dark Night of the Soul. This week, we focus on Jonah. He's the guy who was eaten by a fish and survived! His dark night is a wee-bit self imposed. There's something about God he simply can't accept. We look at the little bit of Jonah that is in all of us, and search for the hope and good news in his story for each one of us.
Mar 17, 2021•19 min
Pr. Matt and Merry sit down with Rev. David Shank, Assistant to the Bishop for Development in the DE-MD Synod of the ELCA, to chat about developing into a 21st century church. Indeed, we talk about how the church is emerging in a new era, but we also chat about the nuts and bolts of it all. What is the practical side of being a 21st century church?
Mar 17, 2021•50 min
Pr. Matt and Merry continue our mid-week Lent 2021 reflections, Dark Night of the Soul, by focusing on the troubles experienced by both Noami and Ruth. You can find their story in the book of Ruth in the Hebrew Bible. A four chapter rom-com, yet it is quite serious in the hope that is found in the relationship between two friends who are loyal to each other even unto death. What can Noami and Ruth teach us today about ourselves and our God?
Mar 10, 2021•22 min
Pr. Matt and Merry sit down with Rev. Laura Sinche, campus pastor at Towson, UMBC, and Morgan St. They chat about how young adults express their faith today, how they engage in faith based communities, what this teaches us about what the 21st century church is, and what this means for the congregation down the street from you.
Mar 08, 2021•38 min
Pr. Matt and Merry reflect on Job's dark night. He suffered tragidies and traumas one after the other. Still, he stood tall and wrestled with God, and asked why bad things happen to good people. He didn't remain silence, even in darkness. But where is the hope in Job's story for us today?
Mar 03, 2021•24 min
Pr Matt and Merry sit down with Rev. Bill Gohl, Bishop of the Delaware-Maryland Synod of the ELCA. We chat about what it means to be a 21st century church, the steps we can take to move in that direction, and some success stories of congregations engaging their community, adapting to their context, and even growing again.
Mar 01, 2021•1 hr 2 min
Matt and Merry reflect on the dark night experienced by Hagar. A slave of Abraham and Sarah, she is forced to bear them a child. To add insult to injury, they then kick her out of their home, and she is forced to wander through the wilderness. Both she and the child, Ishmael, nearly die. But God hears them just in time. God resceus them. God gives them the same promises God gave Abraham, Sarah, and their children. Through Ishamel will come a mighty nation. We reflect on a God who hears, a relati...
Feb 24, 2021•17 min
Matt and Merry introduce their new series, Being a 21st Century Church. Is this important part of our culture and society dying or coming to life? They go over some numbers that look grim for the institution. But, they then go over numbers that help us better understand where people find hope for today and promise for tomorrow. They conclude by saying that congregations should focus less on the survival of the institution and more on building relationships within the communities they are situate...
Feb 22, 2021•44 min
Pr. Matt takes the mic solo to introduce a new mid-week series, Dark Night of the Soul. He reflects on what Lent means for us during a pandemic, how lent 2020 has yet to end, how much it looks different from years past, and what remains the same.
Feb 17, 2021•16 min
Pr. Matt and Merry reflect on our need to take breaks in life. This week, they chat about listening for God’s voice in moments of silence and solitude. Along the way, Pr. Matt talks about his experience getting the Covid vaccine, Merry reminisces about working at the JC Penney catalogue department (what’s a catalogue?), and they chat about the importance of President’s day by remembering all the “one term-ers” out there.
Feb 15, 2021•47 min
Pr Matt and Merry come to you live from halftime of the super bowl. The reminisce about halftime’s from the past when music made more sense to them. They also talk about our need to take breaks to recover, reenergize, and connect with God and one another. This is especially true after Living Water’s recent food/fundraiser. And, they also remember a great ol’ hymn called Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.
Feb 08, 2021•35 min
Matt and Merry talk like hippies when they advocate that everyone should have enough. They also talk about some newcomers who taught the same thing. Their names are James, John, Peter, a punk named Paul, and some guy named Jesus…all people who proclaimed the good news of God’s dominion by, first and foremost, making sure everyone had enough.
Feb 01, 2021•25 min
Matt and Merry sit down to chat about the end of one era and the birth of a new one. There are events in life that change the course of history, whether our personal history or our culture's history. We can think of those big events; 09/11, sudden loss, the current pandemic, those events that change things for us. We are living in one of those times right now. One era is passing away, and another is emerging. Matt and Merry look at the story of Tabitha in Acts 9:36-42, how this was the shift of ...
Jan 25, 2021•35 min
Matt and Merry chat about a guy named Philip who shared the good news by giving away food. How ought we to share the good news today? They also chat about how depressing Lent is, vacations to Civil War battlefields, and struggling over feeling thankful during a rough year.
Jan 18, 2021•42 min
Matt and Merry update on our Souperbowl food/fund raiser to support local food banks. They also talk about the end of the world as we know it. When and how will the world end? And what is our role in it?
Jan 11, 2021•34 min
Pr. Matt and Merry give us an update on our souperbowl food/fund drive competition with our church friends down the street, Centerpoint. Who is in the lead? And by how much? They also look at a few things coming up on The Water this winter, like the series How to become a 21st Century Church.
Jan 04, 2021•19 min
Pr. Matt and Merry wrap up our December series, Christmas Isn't Cancelled. This week, we look at one of our favorite Christmas movies...the many versions of A Christmas Carol. Which one is the best? Which one is our favorite? And where does the moral of A Christmas Carol intersect with the good news in the original Christmas story?
Dec 28, 2020•37 min
Pr. Matt and Merry review another favorite Christmas movie for many of us...Miracle on 34th Street. For the characters in the movie, Kris Kringle confronts them with a new reality...that he is the real Santa Claus. We see people's hearts changed, folks lives enriched, and a city living into the fullness of life. It is similar to the new reality the angels confronted the shepherds with. A new king is born who will change the world for the better. In both cases, people are curious enough to go and...
Dec 21, 2020•40 min•Ep. 141
Pr. Matt and Merry continue our series, Christmas Isn't Cancelled. This week, chat about the popular Christmas movie, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. They also reflect the good news for us in the Christmas Story told through the eyes of Jospeh. Along the way, they talk about charity competitions, something called the "souperbowl," the current shutdown, and why ninjas will be present in their nativity scene this year.
Dec 14, 2020•49 min•Ep. 140
Matt and Merry open their December series, Christmas Isn't Cancelled. This month, they watch some classic Christmas movies, and give you their take on it. This week they watch White Christmas. What is the lesson in that movie? And does it overlap with the true meaning of Christmas? While they answer these questions, they reminisce about Seinfeld episodes, talk about upcoming birthdays, and explore the glorious world of hot chocolate bombs.
Dec 07, 2020•47 min•Ep. 139
Pr. Matt and Merry finish up our series, Reformation: Being Lutheran Today. They ask where the church is, and where God is at work in the world. Is it through an institution, or through our own lives? They look at what Martin Luther had to say about all this. Along the way they chat about turkey shaped turkey loaves for Thanksgiving, how excited they are for Christmas this year, some holiday themed cocktails they want to try, and a few must watch classic Christmas movies that must be watched thi...
Nov 30, 2020•48 min•Ep. 138
Matt and Merry encourage you to "sin boldly." But wait! What does that mean? We explore what Martin Luther meant when he wrote that, and what that means for us today. Along the way they talk about cheesy Christmas movies, cat adoptions, and Henri, le Chat Noir.
Nov 23, 2020•39 min•Ep. 137
Matt and Merry talk about being stuck between two worlds, the world as it is now and the world as it's going to be. Along the way, they chat about listening to Christmas music already, what our holidays will be like in the chaos that is the year 2020, and the fate of Schrodinger's cat.
Nov 16, 2020•35 min•Ep. 136
Pr. Matt and Merry continue our series, Reformation: Being Lutheran Today, with part 2. We talk about the recent election, our frustration at potential winter shutdowns from covid, and even discuss the nuances of the Minnesota accent. We then chat about Lutheran's obsession with grace without works, and talk about what God expects of us in return for grace. Grace is a gift, to be sure. Yet, God calls us to live a certain way in response. Listen in to hear more about this.
Nov 09, 2020•47 min•Ep. 135
Matt and Merry kick off their November series, Reformation. Over the next five episodes, we will look at what it means to be a Christian in our modern world. This week, we talk about Martin Luther's call to reform the church of his day. That happened 500 years ago, but the call to reform continues to this day. We are asked to reform ourselves, our institutions, our societies, our cultures, our world each and every day. And God has our back as we do this. Along the way, we talk about Halloween fu...
Nov 03, 2020•38 min•Ep. 134
Pr. Matt and Merry give us a preview of what's coming to Life on the Water between now and Christmas.
Oct 26, 2020•13 min
Matt and Merry wrap up their fall series, Life on the Water. They chat about running 5k's, baseball playoffs, and folks who support us through thick and thin. This week, Jesus sends out messengers before him as he makes his way to Jerusalem. Knowing they will have failures along with successes in their mission, he sends them out in pairs so they always know someone has their back. Find out the good news for us today....
Oct 18, 2020•33 min•Ep. 133
Matt and Merry keep going with their series, Life on the Water, with part 5, Jesus calms a storm. They chat about infomercial stars like Billy Mays, The ShamWow guy, and the most famous of them all, Ron Popeil. Matt refuses to believe Merry has never heard of him, and then recalls the time Ron P. convinced him to buy a set of knives with his "Wait! There's more!" routine. Jesus' disciples have a similar experience with Jesus. What do we mean? Listen to find out.
Oct 12, 2020•36 min•Ep. 132
