Passages Craig S. Brown

Greed continues to plague the human condition. For thousands of years human beings have often been gripped by their fear of loss and security. This fear gives rise to the practice of greed which sees the "self" as the center. In this week's episode, Jesus begins to open us up to the power of greed in our lives and how we might be set free.

The Gospels record a significant amount of Jesus' teaching on money. Over all of these centuries, very little has changed in our relationship with wealth. This week's episode explores how money can become a great resource when it serves us as we serve the God who gives all things.

Passing on a legacy is complicated. For parents, it often means sharing the learnings from one's successes and failures. When King David draws close to his own death, he pauses to share some important words with his son Solomon. Like any parent, David wants his son to learn from his father, for good or ill.

Being a child or being a parent is filled with joy and challenges. We have all experienced moments when we wished things between our parents or children were different. What is it like to have a perfect parent? This week's episode explores what it means for us to have joy and freedom as children of God.

The coming of the Holy Spirit marks an unprecedented change in how God is at work in the world. Rather than speaking through a single prophet or even through Jesus, God now comes in the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is "distributed" to the followers of Jesus so that many might embody the word and works of Jesus. The Spirit is what makes the church truly alive.

Jesus offers his followers some important parting words before his ascension. Not only does he tell them that everything they have seen and heard has been according to the scriptures but, he also makes them witnesses to proclaim the message. By listening to Jesus' words in this text we better understand our work to worship, wait, and witness.