Textual Intercourse

Unscripted sermons from a husband-and-wife co-pastor team from Fort Street Presbyterian Church in downtown Detroit. A space for ex-vangelicals, questioners, and the spiritually bruised.
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Unedited, unscripted sermons from a husband-and-wife co-pastor team from Fort Street Presbyterian Church in downtown Detroit. A space for ex-vangelicals, questioners, and the spiritually bruised who are curious about reinterpreting scripture. textualintercourse.substack.com

  1. Yesses and Nos

    6 JAN

    Yesses and Nos

    The story of Mary and Martha isn’t a personality quiz; it’s a priorities check. This sermon names the spiritual art of offering a true yes(which always includes a no), the courage to choose people over perfection, and how Jesus reorders our holiday hustle toward the “one thing” that won’t be taken away. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit textualintercourse.substack.com

    24 min
  2. The Hope of Christmas

    30/12/2025

    The Hope of Christmas

    Advent hope isn’t passive nostalgia; it’s path-building. Mark opens not with a manger but with John in the wilderness, calling us to prepare the way. This sermon uses a four-step trail-building guide (mark the route, clear the small stuff, reinforce weak spots, post signs) to name our Advent work—then points to Taizé’s Brother Roger as a peacemaker who kept pointing away from himself toward Christ’s new thing. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit textualintercourse.substack.com

    17 min
  3. Hope Don't Lie

    16/12/2025

    Hope Don't Lie

    Advent begins with Jeremiah’s promise to exiles: God will raise a righteous branch who brings justice and righteousness. This sermon contrasts airport-style optimism (“maybe 20 more minutes…”) with true hope—honest about the dark, stubbornly communal, and aimed at justice. With stories of labor, ordination, and the Stockdale Paradox. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit textualintercourse.substack.com

    16 min
  4. What's a Mob to a King?

    10/12/2025

    What's a Mob to a King?

    On Christ the King Sunday we don’t get a triumphant coronation—we get Jesus before Pilate. This sermon contrasts Pilate’s grasping for control with Jesus’ letting go, and asks what it would look like to loosen our grip on power, nostalgia, and image to receive the kingdom Jesus embodies. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit textualintercourse.substack.com

    21 min
  5. What do you have to give?

    02/12/2025

    What do you have to give?

    Joseph has no money and no freedom—yet he still practices stewardship. In prison he offers what he does have: attention, energy, and a God-given gift for interpreting dreams. This sermon widens stewardship beyond dollars to “everything on the table,” with a nod to Apollo 13 and the holy work of using what we have for the good of others. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit textualintercourse.substack.com

    15 min
  6. What would you die for?

    18/11/2025

    What would you die for?

    If our passion is mostly about protecting comfort, control, or the way we’ve always done it, we’ll end up guarding doilies while sending kids back into the streets. But if our passion is the common good—the house of prayer that welcomes and restores—then some plaques may get scratched, some tables may get repurposed, and, yes, some tables might get turned, but love will abide. Palm Sunday isn’t just palm branches; it’s a question: Will we hush the parade to keep the peace, or let creation sing and join Jesus in remaking his house for prayer and community repair? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit textualintercourse.substack.com

    27 min
  7. Don't Stop Believing

    12/11/2025

    Don't Stop Believing

    We often reduce belief to intellectual agreement: collect information, decide yes/no, done. Christians sometimes reinforce that with a single “decision moment” that proves faith forever. Decision matters—but John 3:16 lives inside a story: Nicodemus sneaks out at night to find Jesus. He already believes Jesus is from God, but he doesn’t yet trust Jesus with his whole life. Jesus calls him (and us) beyond agreement into trust—the kind you put your weight on. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit textualintercourse.substack.com

    19 min
  8. Inclusive Faith

    04/11/2025

    Inclusive Faith

    Post-exile neighbors show up ready to help rebuild the temple—“Let us build with you”—but are shut out. Isaiah answers with God’s counter-vision: a house of prayer for all peoples. There's a difference between tolerating people and truly including them—moving from “everyone’s welcome” to “we built this with you in mind.” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit textualintercourse.substack.com

    22 min
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About

Unedited, unscripted sermons from a husband-and-wife co-pastor team from Fort Street Presbyterian Church in downtown Detroit. A space for ex-vangelicals, questioners, and the spiritually bruised who are curious about reinterpreting scripture. textualintercourse.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Unscripted sermons from a husband-and-wife co-pastor team from Fort Street Presbyterian Church in downtown Detroit. A space for ex-vangelicals, questioners, and the spiritually bruised.
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    21
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Rev. Garrett Mostowski
  • Show Website
    Textual Intercourse