The Good News From The Gardens Podcast

Part 1 of 4 part series on Tough Lovin'

Though it often seems more easily said than done, loving the unlovable is possible with guidance from our scriptures.

Ezekiel 33:7-11 & Matthew 18:15-20

Love is not always easy, comfortable, or popular. Sometimes love requires us to speak the truth when silence would be simpler. In Ezekiel, God calls the watchman to warn others. In Matthew, Jesus gives us a pathway for addressing conflict...

Part 3 of 3 part series on keeping the Sabbath.

Deuteronomy 15:1-2, 7-11 & Luke 15:11-32

God's vision for Sabbath has always reached beyond personal relaxation. Every seventh year Israel was called to release debts and care generously for those in need. Jesus paints the same picture in the parable of the prodigal son, where a forgiving father throws a feast instead of demanding repayment. God's rest transforms our hearts, freei...

In this message Pastor Nicole Eastwood (Assistant to the Bishop of FL-Bahamas Synod of ELCA) brought the Good News to both Nativity and St. John Lutheran congregations. Through Isaiah 56:1, 6-8, and Matthew 15:21-28, Pastor Nicole delivered a message rooted in God's mission of inclusive grace to all peoples. What do World Cup Football (soccer), the Canaanite woman of Matthew 15, two small congregations in Palm Beach county, and all...

Part 2 of 3 part series on Sabbath.

Genesis 2:1-3; John 15:9-15

The very first full day humanity experienced was not a workday—it was a day spent with God. Before Adam and Eve accomplished anything, they rested in God's presence. Jesus echoes that same invitation centuries later when he tells his disciples to abide in his love. Sabbath reminds us that our value comes not from what we produce but from whose we are. Rather than...

Part 1 of 3 part series on keeping the Sabbath.

Deuteronomy 5:12-15; Matthew 11:28-30; 12:9-14

Busy schedules, overflowing calendars, and constant demands leave many people exhausted. Yet long before burnout became a modern problem, God gave the Sabbath as a gift of freedom. Moses reminds Israel that Sabbath is rooted in liberation from slavery, while Jesus invites all who are weary to come to him for rest. When Jesus heals on the ...

Part four of four part series on The Lord's Prayer

Matthew 6:9-13 & Colossians 2:6-19

What does Jesus really mean when He teaches us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread”? Is it only about food, or is it about something much deeper? In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus invites us to trust our heavenly Father for everything we need. In Colossians, Paul reminds us to be rooted and built up in Christ, the One who...

Part three of four part series on The Lord's Prayer

Luke 11:1-13 & Hosea 1:2-10

What does it really mean to pray, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done”? Is it simply a hope for heaven someday, or an invitation to let God reign in our lives today? In Luke 11, Jesus teaches His disciples to pray with bold trust, while the prophet Hosea reveals a God whose kingdom is built not on power, but on relentless love,...

Part two of four part series on The Lord's Prayer

Matthew 6:5-13 & Psalm 138

What comes first when we pray? Before our needs, our worries, or our plans, Jesus teaches us to begin with God: “Hallowed be thy name.” But what does it mean to keep God's name holy? In Psalm 138, David praises God with his whole heart because God's steadfast love and faithfulness never fail. This Sunday, we'll discover that honor...

Part one of four part series on The Lord's Prayer

Luke 11:1-3 & Genesis 18:20-32

What kind of relationship does God want with us? In this week's scriptures, Abraham boldly speaks with God about the fate of Sodom, while Jesus teaches his disciples to pray, beginning with the simple yet profound words, “Our Father.” Neither passage portrays a distant or indifferent God. Instead, we encounter a God who invite...

REWIND! This podcast originally aired October of 2025.

Pastor Steve is with kids at Camp Lutherock in NC, and then on vacation. 

A new message will drop the week of Monday July 6, 2026.

2nd Timothy 1:1-14

Paul’s letter to Timothy is a personal message of encouragement. In the face of hardship and persecution, Timothy is reminded that his faith is a gift of God. He is encouraged to exer...

REWIND! This podcast originally aired January of 2025.

Pastor Steve is with kids at Camp Lutherock in NC, and then on vacation.

A new message will drop the week of Monday July 6, 2026.

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

In this scripture and message we hear Luke’s account of John’s baptism of Jesus. Jesus' baptism was God’s affirmation/anointing/kick off of God’s m...

Part three of three part sermon series on the Creeds. 

Acts 2:1-18 & Matthew 28:16-20

The disciples admittedly could not accomplish Christ’s mission by their own courage, wisdom, or strength. They needed the gift of the Holy Spirit. So do we. In Matthew, Jesus sends his followers into the world; in Acts, the Spirit equips them for the journey. Martin Luther reminds us in his explanation of the third article of the Ap...

Part two of three part sermon series on the Creeds. 

1st Cor. 1:18-25 & John 1:1-18

What kind of God enters the world not with power and prestige, but through vulnerability, flesh, and a cross? In John, the eternal Word becomes flesh and dwells among us. In Corinthians, Paul dares to proclaim a crucified Messiah—foolishness to some, scandal to others, yet the very wisdom and power of God. At the center of the Christi...

Part one of three of a sermon series on the Creeds

Genesis 1:1-5; Matthew 6:30-34

In the beginning, God spoke light into the darkness, bringing order where there was chaos and hope where there was uncertainty. In Matthew, Jesus reminds us that the God who clothes the lilies and feeds creation is already holding tomorrow in loving hands. Both texts invite us to trust that the same God who separated night from day still meets us in l...

Acts 1:6-14 & John 17:1-11

The disciples stood between promise and uncertainty. Jesus had ascended, and they did not yet know what would come next. So they gathered. They prayed. They waited together. In Acts 1:6–14, we are reminded that faith is not meant to be lived alone. When questions arise and the future feels unclear, God draws us into community for guidance, encouragement, and hope. Together, the disciples discove...

Acts 17:22-31 & John 14:15-21

What does it mean to share our faith in a world searching for meaning? In Acts Paul stands among people filled with questions, uncertainty, and spiritual longing. Rather than condemning them, he begins where they are and points them toward the God already near to them. We, too, live among neighbors, friends, and family members who are groping in the dark for hope, purpose, and belonging. Faith shar...

Building Blocks of Faith is an Easter series on the early church that teaches us the fundamentals of faith.

John 14:1-14

In a world full of uncertainty, questions rise naturally from anxious hearts. In John 14:1–14, even the disciples—confused and concerned—dare to ask Jesus what they do not understand. And Jesus meets them there, not with frustration, but with reassurance: “Do not let your hearts be trouble...

Building Blocks of Faith: Easter series on the early church that teaches us the fundamentals of faith.

Acts 2:41-47

What does it mean to truly live together? In Acts 2, the early believers didn’t just gather—they shared. Meals, resources, prayers, and praise flowed from a deep sense of belonging. They held all things in common, not out of obligation, but out of transformed hearts. And something beautiful happened: lives...