The Gospel reading for Christ the King features a clash between Pilate and Jesus and raises the question of whether Jesus is a king and, if so, what his kingdom is. Peter Walsh, Elizabeth Garnsey, and John Kennedy explain the significance of this kingdom, the truth Jesus testifies to, and how his message has been a challenge to tyrants throughout history.Want to have your question or comment featured on the podcast? Leave a voicemail on our Rev'd Up hotline! Call (203) 442-5002.Learn more abo...

This week, some apocalyptic predictions from Jesus spark a debate on the podcast about whether the violence of the Bible is really divine judgement. Peter Walsh, Elizabeth Garnsey, and John Kennedy take a closer look at how Jesus' predictions about the temple falling were bad news in his time but good news in Mark's, how Christians underestimate the importance of these events, and how Jesus became the new temple.Want to have your question or comment featured on the podcast? Leave a voicemail ...

This week, Jesus has some harsh criticism for the scribes and high praise for a poor widow. Peter Walsh, Elizabeth Garnsey, and John Kennedy discuss how the widow's offering exposed temple corruption and the exploitation of those in need, and what it means for us today.Want to have your question or comment featured on the podcast? Leave a voicemail on our Rev'd Up hotline! Call (203) 442-5002.Learn more about St. Mark's at https://www.stmarksnewcanaan.org

This week's Gospel reading is packed with emotion! Peter Walsh, Elizabeth Garnsey, and John Kennedy break down all the reactions surrounding the death of Lazarus, including those of Jesus himself. What can we learn from the weeping and wailing of Mary and Martha, and what does this story teach us about death?Want to have your question or comment featured on the podcast? Leave a voicemail on our Rev'd Up hotline! Call (203) 442-5002.Learn more about St. Mark's at https://www.stmarksnewcanaan.org

The Very Rev. Andrew McGowan, Dean and President of Berkeley Divinity School at Yale University, joins "Rev'd Up for Sunday". This week's Gospel lesson brings up themes of faith and spiritual blindness. Peter Walsh, Elizabeth Garnsey, John Kennedy, and Dean McGowan take a closer look at just what Bartimaeus, the blind beggar, saw in Jesus and what this lesson reveals about his identity as the Messiah. Plus, listen to Dean McGowan reflect on what insights he has gained from reading Mark's...

The Very Rev. Robert Willis, Dean Emeritus of Canterbury Cathedral, joins "Rev'd Up for Sunday" as Peter Walsh, Elizabeth Garnsey, and John Kennedy bring the podcast to the Berkeley Center at Yale. This week's reading from Mark's Gospel stirs up questions about competition, service, and suffering. Plus, Dean Willis shares some interesting history about this passage and reflects on where his own ministry has taken him.Want to have your question or comment featured on the podcast? Leave a voice...

This week, Jesus tells a man he can inherit eternal life if he sells all his possessions...which is a request too far. Peter Walsh and John Kennedy explain why the real meaning of this story is less about money and more about attachment. Plus, they challenge some ideas like what "the eye of a needle" refers to and whether wealth is a symbol of God's blessing.Want to have your question or comment featured on the podcast? Leave a voicemail on our Rev'd Up hotline! Call (203) 442-5002.Learn more...

Christians have been divided over the subject of divorce for years. Many point to passages like this week’s Gospel lesson, but are things as simple as they seem? Peter Walsh, Elizabeth Garnsey, and John Kennedy lay out the culture Jesus was commenting on, if his views made him a feminist, and how this could be another example of him mending divisions in the world.Want to have your question or comment featured on the podcast? Leave a voicemail on our Rev'd Up hotline! Call (203) 442-5002.Learn...

Jesus offered some pretty drastic (and gory) advice for people to avoid stumbling in their behavior. From the sound of it, those who failed to do so would be sent to a place of “unquenchable fire”. Peter Walsh, Elizabeth Garnsey, and John Kennedy debate whether a loving God would actually send people to Hell and who the “little ones” are that Jesus was protecting.Want to have your question or comment featured on the podcast? Leave a voicemail on our Rev'd Up hotline! Call (203) 442-5002.Learn...

This week, we find Jesus' disciples arguing over who is the greatest, and he responds with a lesson in ambition. Peter Walsh, Elizabeth Garnsey, and John Kennedy lay out a theology of place and movement, examining what it means to leave everything behind to follow Jesus, and why we still struggle with needing to be the best.Want to have your question or comment featured on the podcast? Leave a voicemail on our Rev'd Up hotline! Call (203) 442-5002.Learn more about St. Mark's at https://www.st...

Why did Jesus have to die? If this seems a little baffling to you, remember that even his disciples had trouble understanding it. Peter Walsh, Elizabeth Garnsey, and John Kennedy discuss spiritual blindness, what it means to deny oneself, and if Jesus actually needed to suffer.Want to have your question or comment featured on the podcast? Leave a voicemail on our Rev'd Up hotline! Call (203) 442-5002.Learn more about St. Mark's at https://www.stmarksnewcanaan.org

"Rev'd Up for Sunday" turns 3! On this special episode, Peter Walsh, Elizabeth Garnsey, and John Kennedy discuss what we know about St. Mark, what makes his Gospel unique, what to think of this week's reading, and what stands out after 3 years of podcasting. There's a lot packed into one episode but the clergy are determined to have their cake and eat it too!Chapters00:00 Intro03:00 Who was St. Mark?10:58 Understanding Mark’s Gospel19:04 Jesus and the Syrophoenician woman32:06 Jesus heals the...

How do you hold to tradition and piety while bringing new people and new beliefs into the mix? That’s the struggle the Pharisees found themselves contending with as they got some pushback from Jesus. Peter Walsh, Elizabeth Garnsey, and John Kennedy discuss the dangers of tribalism and take a brief look at the different vices Jesus warned about. Want to have your question or comment featured on the podcast? Leave a voicemail on our Rev'd Up hotline! Call (203) 442-5002.Learn more about St...

In this week's Gospel lesson, people are really struggling with what Jesus has to say, and some are even walking away. Peter Walsh, Elizabeth Garnsey, and John Kennedy discuss belief, the strangeness of religious teachings, and the scandalous nature of Jesus' words.Want to have your question or comment featured on the podcast? Leave a voicemail on our Rev'd Up hotline! Call (203) 442-5002.Learn more about St. Mark's at https://www.stmarksnewcanaan.org

In this week's Gospel reading, Jesus says to eat his flesh and drink his blood, which certainly raised some eyebrows among those who took these words literally. Peter Walsh, Elizabeth Garnsey, and John Kennedy offer their own views on the Eucharist, the cross, and eternal life. They also highlight why we need to be as shocked by Jesus' words today as the people he encountered.Want to have your question or comment featured on the podcast? Leave a voicemail on our Rev'd Up hotline! Call (203) 4...

John's Gospel still has a lot more to say about bread this week. More specifically, the "Bread of Life". Peter Walsh and John Kennedy lay out why Jesus' words are both profoundly simple and difficult to understand, how he brings a new development and consciousness for humanity, and what he offers for the spiritually hungry.Want to have your question or comment featured on the podcast? Leave a voicemail on our Rev'd Up hotline! Call (203) 442-5002.Learn more about St. Mark's at https://www.stm...

People want to know where Jesus ran off to after his feeding of the 5,000. When they finally catch up with him, he offers a far more satisfying kind of bread. Peter Walsh, Elizabeth Garnsey, and John Kennedy talk about the spiritual sustenance Jesus offers, his vision for the people being one, and why we need the Eucharist along with reconciliation.Want to have your question or comment featured on the podcast? Leave a voicemail on our Rev'd Up hotline! Call (203) 442-5002.Learn more about St....

In this week's Gospel text, we see two of Jesus' most famous miracles: the feeding of the 5,000 and walking on water. Peter Walsh and John Kennedy reveal how these signs echo the story of Moses, what they say about Jesus, and why Jesus would walk away from the crowds at the peak of his Galilean ministry.Want to have your question or comment featured on the podcast? Leave a voicemail on our Rev'd Up hotline! Call (203) 442-5002.Learn more about St. Mark's at https://www.stmarksnewcanaan.org

A lot of people want the help or attention of Jesus in this week's Gospel lesson, and he has a simple piece of advice for his disciples...rest. Peter Walsh and John Kennedy discuss the importance of rest as a spiritual discipline, how we adjust to our increasingly busy world, and which word is used more than any other to describe Jesus' emotional state.Want to have your question or comment featured on the podcast? Leave a voicemail on our Rev'd Up hotline! Call (203) 442-5002.Learn more about...

Don't lose your head over this episode! This week, the Gospel moves away from Jesus and his disciples for a flashback about the beheading of John the Baptist and the evil plot that caused it. Peter Walsh and Elizabeth Garnsey explore how the story of John & Herod foreshadows Jesus & Pilate, and how this stands as a cautionary tale of power and corruption.Want to have your question or comment featured on the podcast? Leave a voicemail on our Rev'd Up hotline! Call (203) 442-5002.Learn ...

With all the miracles Jesus has been doing, you'd expect his hometown to have a little more faith in him. Elizabeth Garnsey and John Kennedy reflect on why Jesus was a hometown zero (instead of a hero), how the Church can still be blind to God working through new people, and even what Jesus recommends for a Summer packing list.Want to have your question or comment featured on the podcast? Leave a voicemail on our Rev'd Up hotline! Call (203) 442-5002.Learn more about St. Mark's at https://www...

Jesus was pretty in demand! On his way to one healing, he finds himself in the midst of another! Peter Walsh, Elizabeth Garnsey, and John Kennedy explain the importance of these two events being sandwiched together, how this story is a joining of Jesus' power and compassion, and what this reveals about the impoverished and the privileged.Want to have your question or comment featured on the podcast? Leave a voicemail on our Rev'd Up hotline! Call (203) 442-5002.Learn more about St. Mark's at ...

Many of us are familiar with the story of Jesus calming a raging storm, but is this really just a story about weather? Peter Walsh, Elizabeth Garnsey, and John Kennedy highlight Mark's Christology, the Hebrew symbolism of chaotic waters, and what this story means to a community in distress.Want to have your question or comment featured on the podcast? Leave a voicemail on our Rev'd Up hotline! Call (203) 442-5002.Learn more about St. Mark's at https://www.stmarksnewcanaan.org

If you've ever wondered what the kingdom of God is like, Jesus offers some parables to explain. Peter Walsh, Elizabeth Garnsey, and John Kennedy unpack why the images Jesus chose would have been so important to Mark's audience, where Christianity has twisted this kingdom imagery, and what our role in the kingdom might be.Want to have your question or comment featured on the podcast? Leave a voicemail on our Rev'd Up hotline! Call (203) 442-5002.Learn more about St. Mark's at https://www.stmar...