Like many of the parables of Jesus, the story of the Prodigal Son is a study in contrast, between the waywardness of the younger son and the extravagant love of God. Embodying that contrast is the light and shadow that comes from beautiful stai...

In week three of Visio Divina, Pastor Justin LaRosa reflects on the story of Lazarus in John’s Gospel through Caravaggio’s powerful painting The Raising of Lazarus. The scene is full of shadow, grief, and tension, reminding us that resurrection...

In this full-cut Visio Divina conversation, Magrey deVega and Dr. Rose Trentinella explore Tintoretto’s depiction of the Wedding at Cana. Originally created for a monastery dining hall, the artwork was meant to surround viewers as they shared t...

This first miracle by Jesus, recorded in John’s gospel, may seem like an odd insertion into the Lenten journey. But it is the moment when Jesus made his public debut as not just a stirring teacher, but as a miraculous healer who was concerned a...

In this full-cut interview from our Visio Divina Lenten series, Magrey deVega sits down with Dr. Rose Trentinella from the University of Tampa to explore two extraordinary works of Renaissance art: Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling and Ghib...

The most famous fresco in the history of western art is in the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo. It depicts the stirring moment when God created humans, with God and Adam, arms outstretched, making contact. Just as moving is the stunning...

In this final episode of Beyond the Sermon for the "Say Less" series, Justin LaRosa and Mat Hotho reflect on what it really looks like to listen for God’s will. The conversation explores centering prayer, silence, counseling, spiritual directio...

Revelation may seem like an odd choice to include in a series on listening, but the oracle is founded on a witness from John to Christians who needed to listen better. Beginning with the indictments to the seven churches, the book is filled wit...

In this episode of Beyond the Sermon, Mat Hotho sits down with Bishop Will Willimon to unpack what it really means to listen to a sermon. Their conversation explores the difference between reading Scripture and preaching it, why sermons are mea...

This Sunday, we are joined by Bishop Will Willimon as he reflects on Jesus’ first sermon in Luke 4 and what happens when God speaks a word we didn’t come to hear. Willimon explores why preaching is so difficult to listen to, not because sermons...

n Week 2 of Say Less, Matt Hotho and Pastor Magrey deVega dig deeper into Romans 12 and the tension between what we believe and how we live. Their conversation moves from Paul’s shift from belief to practice into the communal roots of faith, dr...

Empathy seems to be a lost art these days. It has even been villainized by certain segments of our political discourse. Empathy is not a weakness; it is a demonstration of strength, of security in oneself, and a reflection of the character of G...

In this episode of Beyond the Sermon, Magrey deVega sits down with guest preacher Gary Mason to continue the conversation on listening in a divided world. Drawing from Gary’s experience in Northern Ireland and his work with Rethinking Conflict,...

One of the hardest times to practice good listening is with people who have opposing viewpoints. Indeed, the polarization in our society seems to be getting worse, not better, over time. Yet Paul is clear with the Christians in Ephesus: Unwhole...

In this Beyond the Sermon conversation, Magrey deVega and Matt Hoto dig into the ideas behind the “drum major instinct” and why the pull toward attention, affirmation, and influence shows up so naturally in our lives. They walk through how Jesu...

 The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. famously diagnosed the problem with pride as having a “drum major instinct,” adapting a phrase from the Methodist preacher J. Wallace Hamilton. Indeed, much of the hostility and tension in the world ca...

This week on Beyond the Sermon, Matt and Magrey reflect on Baptism of the Lord Sunday by sharing personal baptism stories and exploring why baptism is more than a single moment in time. They talk about baptism as an intergenerational promise, t...

Baptism reminds us of who we are in Christ, and the calling Christ gives us to live a holy life. It is a notion underscored by 1 Peter, which tells us that the waters of baptism do not as much cleanse us physically, but spiritually, empowering ...

In this Week One Grounded conversation, Magrey and Matt reflect on what it really means to begin a new year with intention. From an unexpected video game metaphor to Wesleyan roots, they explore how personal spiritual rhythms, shared faith prac...

Just as a tree digs its roots deeper to find water and nourishment during times of drought, times of unsettledness are an invitation for us to hone our commitment to Jesus. The year kicks off with a time of obedience to the will and way of Chri...

The incarnation is the ultimate act of drawing near, as God bridged the gulf between God and humanity by becoming like us. We celebrate the birth of Christ by making room for him in our hearts, as we share the message and love of Christ with a ...

This week on Beyond the Sermon, Magrey deVega and Mat Hotho reflect on Mary’s role in the Christmas story by placing it within the much longer arc of Israel’s history—from tabernacle and temple to incarnation and church. They explore how Luke c...

Mary and Elizabeth were the original collaborators, co-laboring to provide the world with the hope and promise that it needed. In drawing near to each other, they discovered mutual support and joy, and the strength to encourage each other throu...

The first-century Roman Empire faced the same kinds of injustices that we face today: growing inequality between the rich and the poor, abusive oppression by those in power, and a disregard for decency and civility. John the Baptist’s message i...

This week on Beyond the Sermon, Justin LaRosa and Mat Hotho revisit John the Baptist’s call to repentance as a turning toward something better, exploring it as a shared, lived practice that reaches beyond individual behavior and into the system...