Mother Susan invites listeners to “walk with Jesus” through Holy Week, drawing on John’s Gospel and the spiritual “I Want Jesus to Walk with Me.” Reflecting on the passion narrative written decades after Jesus’ death, she emphasizes that the crucifixion was not a surprise but the completion of Jesus’ steadfast mission amid the clash between Roman violent power and a covenant of love. She recounts Jesus’ purposeful entry into Jerusalem alongside Pilate’s intimidating military display, Jesus’ arrest and abuse, and Pilate’s role in the death sentence. Citing “God so loved the world” and Jesus’ words “It is finished,” she presents the cross as a paradox: a horrific death that becomes a sign of God’s overflowing love, reconciliation, forgiveness, and the opening to eternal life, urging silent vigil on Holy Saturday and reflection on how to live this gift.

00:00 Opening Prayer

00:32 Choosing Jesus to Walk With

01:28 John’s Passion Lens

03:13 Jesus’ Mission and Purpose

04:40 Palm Sunday Clash of Powers

07:01 Arrest and Pilate’s Trial

08:37 The Cross and It Is Finished

10:39 Paradox of the Cross

11:35 Holy Saturday Silence

11:58 What Will We Do

Rev. Madeline reflects on Maundy Thursday readings from 1 Corinthians and John, highlighting Paul’s words of institution for the Lord’s Supper and Jesus washing his disciples’ feet. She explains Paul’s correction of Corinthian abuses where the wealthy feasted while the poor went without, emphasizing the Eucharist as remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice and unity in the body of Christ. She describes foot washing as a shocking, menial act of love and service that the church reenacts, along with sharing bread and wine and stripping the altar, to enter Jesus’ final night. Sharing her own journey into the Episcopal Church, she stresses worship that engages head, heart, and body, praying these rituals immerse believers in Christ’s service, suffering, and love so resurrection glory can be known deeply at Easter.

00:00 Opening Prayer

00:18 Eucharist Remembered

01:50 Foot Washing Love

02:44 Rituals Shape Worship

03:34 Becoming Episcopalian

05:49 Entering Holy Week

06:55 Service and Grace

07:25 Becoming What We Receive

08:04 Stripping the Altar

09:21 Invitation to Participate

Mother Paige explains why this Palm Sunday lingers on Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem instead of rushing from palms to Passion and Eucharist, arguing that “Hosanna” means “save us,” not simply praise. She describes the scene as street theater and protest: Jesus’ humble ride on a young donkey fulfills Zechariah’s image of a peaceful king contrasted with Rome’s simultaneous procession of warhorses and chariots, representing the oppressive “Pax Romana.” The crowd’s cry “Hosanna to the Son of David” is a political threat not only to Caesar but also to religious authorities aligned with oppression. She urges continued reading in Matthew, noting Jesus then cleanses the temple, heals, and children repeat the chant, provoking leaders’ anger and helping spark the plot to kill him. Though Holy Week brings denial, betrayal, suffering, and death, she emphasizes these will not have the last word; God answers with love, mercy, grace, new life, and hope.

00:00 Opening Prayer

00:10 Why Palm Sunday Feels Different

01:19 Hosanna Means Save Us

02:40 A Protest in the Streets

02:50 Donkey Symbolism Explained

04:08 Two Processions Clash

05:13 Hosanna as Political Threat

06:17 Temple Cleansing Fallout

07:26 Holy Week Pain and Promise

Jesus Wept: Grief, Divine Empathy, and New Life in LentMother Paige reflects on John’s account of the raising of Lazarus as a Lenten Gospel that reveals Jesus as fully human and fully divine and teaches about grief. She notes how the story reverses John’s usual pattern by placing extended discourse before the sign, highlighting Martha’s theology of resurrection and the sisters’ anger that Jesus did not prevent Lazarus’s death. Emphasizing that “Jesus wept” in Greek conveys gut-wrenching sobs, she argues this shows divine empathy as part of God’s nature and that Jesus does not prevent people from facing death and grief. Moving toward Holy Week, she urges listeners to give themselves space to mourn personal and collective traumas (including September 11 and the pandemic), to identify “tombs” and “valleys of dry bones,” pray with Psalm 130, and invite God’s breath and Spirit for healing, grace, freedom, and new life.

00:00 Opening Prayer

00:14 Why Lazarus Matters

01:01 John’s Gospel Clarity

02:09 Grief and the Sisters

02:47 Discourse Before the Sign

04:26 Jesus Wept Ugly Cry

06:17 Divine Empathy in Bethany

08:28 Learning to Grieve

08:53 Collective Trauma Unprocessed

10:56 Preparing for Holy Week

12:26 Valleys of Dry Bones

13:03 Breath of God and Freedom

Father Frank Munoz, a San Diego Sheriff’s chaplain, recalls responding to a missing three-year-old who was later found asleep in an SUV, using the incident to illustrate human blind spots and the difficulty of seeing ourselves as God sees us. He connects this to the Gospel story of Jesus healing the man born blind, noting that the disciples and Pharisees miss the miracle’s meaning by focusing on blame, credentials, and rules rather than healing. He argues that many are spiritually blinded by distorted religious messages portraying God as vindictive and the author of tragedies, rejecting phrases like “acts of God” or calling suffering “God’s will.” He affirms that the miracle stories reveal a loving God who desires healing, abundant life, and transforming grace, accessed through simple childlike faith.

00:00 Missing Child Callout

01:10 Found Safe and Sound

02:05 Our Spiritual Blind Spots

02:44 Childlike Faith and Prayer

04:11 Gospel of the Blind Man

04:42 Pharisees and Misread Miracles

06:31 Bad News Religion Critique

07:46 Rejecting Tragedy as Gods Will

09:07 The God I Don't Believe In

10:09 Good News God Heals

11:41 Grace and Healing Within

12:54 Embrace Faith to Heal

13:44 Final Blessing Amen

Rev. Madeline reflects on Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, emphasizing how culturally transgressive it was for a Jewish leader to speak publicly with a woman—especially a Samaritan amid longstanding animosity between Jews and Samaritans—and noting the well’s scriptural associations and the disciples’ astonishment. She highlights that John’s Gospel frames the meeting as necessary (“he had to go through Samaria”), not for geography but for Jesus’ boundary-crossing mission. In this encounter the Samaritan woman and Jesus come to know one another, and she recognizes him as the Messiah in John’s first unmistakable “I am” statement, echoing God’s revelation to Moses. The sermon challenges human-made barriers that prevent connection and teaches that God knows no boundaries, revealing glory in every person, comforting and challenging believers to find Jesus where they think he isn’t supposed to go.

00:00 Opening Prayer

00:19 Why Encounters Matter

01:58 A Scandalous Meeting

04:03 Why Samaria Matters

05:36 Messiah Revealed

06:46 Breaking Human Boundaries

09:03 Comfort and Challenge

09:54 Closing Blessing

Mother Paige reflects on John 3:16 and God’s love for the whole world, paired with the call of Abram and Sarah to be blessed in order to bless every family on earth. She emphasizes that faith is an active verb shown in lived action, not merely intellect, doctrine, or a formulaic prayer, and that Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness. Noting the broader context of Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus, she highlights the choice people make to love darkness rather than light and invites listeners, especially in Lent, to examine how their lives reflect God’s love and to “pivot” practices when needed. She urges gentleness with questioning Nicodemus, whose arc includes continued inquiry, later defense of Jesus, and presence at his burial, and encourages ongoing questions and repeated choosing of love and light.

00:00 Opening Prayer

00:12 God Loves the World

01:02 Abram Called to Bless

01:50 Faith as Action

02:46 Light Versus Darkness

03:59 Lent as a Pivot

05:12 Nicodemus Questions

05:49 Born From Above

06:53 Choosing Love and Light

Kathy Wilder, Executive Director of Camp Stevens, thanks St. Peter’s for ongoing support and shares a story from the 2007 Camp Stevens fire, including meeting a firefighter who had once been a camper through a foster care partnership and whose experience at camp helped shape her life and career after incarceration. Wilder connects the story to Jesus’ wilderness temptations, framing the temptations as reflections of power and empire, and relates them to current realities including ICE raids, genocide in Palestine, antisemitism, school shootings, and attacks on transgender people. Citing the Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers, she contrasts Empire’s fear with God’s love and urges choosing love. Wilder offers three practices: “revolutionary patience” (attributed to the Rev. Carter Heyward and discussed after the 2024 election), “see no stranger” (from Valerie Kaur and a Sikh tenet) with a call to stay curious and seek common ground, and embracing change—an ethic she learned from Peter Bergstrom and that helped Camp Stevens rebuild after the fire and adapt through the pandemic, leading to a new vision statement, “envisioning a world of wholehearted belonging.” She shares personal news that she and her wife, the Rev. Hannah Wilder, are moving to Reno where Hannah will serve as rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Sparks, and she offers gratitude and a farewell to St. Peter’s, closing with a traveler’s prayer about being swift to love and to be kind.

00:00 Welcome and Camp Stevens

00:52 The 2007 Camp Fire

02:03 A Firefighter’s Transformation

04:28 Jesus in the Wilderness

05:26 Empire vs Love Today

06:50 Stephanie Spellers Quote

08:45 Three Practices for Courage

08:54 Revolutionary Patience

10:29 See No Stranger

11:30 Embrace Change at Camp

12:49 Moving to Reno Goodbye

14:22 Traveler’s Prayer Closing