The Social Jesus Podcast

Herb Montgomery
  • 5.0 (6)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Daily

A podcast where we talk about the intersection of faith and social justice, and what a first-century, Jewish, prophet of the poor from Galilee offers us today in our work of love, compassion and justice.

  1. 6d ago

    Welcoming Prophets and the Justice Implications of a Cup of Cold Water

    Matthew 10:40-42 In this context, the “little ones” are those who possess little social power, little wealth, and little protection. They are people whose dignity and worth are often overlooked. For communities committed to following Jesus, the final portion of our reading this week is a call to cultivate practices of hospitality, mutual aid, and care. It reminds us that transformative change begins with seeing and valuing those whom others ignore. Feeding the hungry; welcoming immigrants; rejecting misogyny and racism; supporting marginalized communities including our LGBTQ family, friends, and neighbors; visiting the sick; and standing with those harmed by injustice are all modern expressions of offering “even a cup of cold water to these little ones." For more go to renewedheartministries.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    20 min

  2. Jun 18

    The Cost of Compassion

    Matthew 10:24-39 Our passage this week is a warning against allowing loyalty to tribe, nation, class, or family to override loyalty to the ethics of justice and compassion. Throughout history, movements for abolition, civil rights, labor rights, LGBTQ rights, and peace have often divided households because they challenged deeply rooted social norms. Taking up the way of love and justice means accepting the cost of doing so. It means standing with the marginalized even when doing so brings criticism, rejection, or loss. Jesus teaches that true life is found not in preserving our comfort and privilege, but in surrendering ourselves to the work of justice, restitution, and the transformation of society: making our world a safe, compassionate, just home for everyone. For more go to renewedheartministries.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    21 min

  3. Jun 11

    The Harvest Is Great, the Laborers Few

    Matthew 9:35-10:8 This passage also teaches that justice requires action, not mere sympathy. Jesus doesn't simply feel sorry for the crowds around him. He heals their diseases, restores marginalized people to community life, and commissions disciples to continue the work. The vision of justice in Matthew’s Gospel is therefore participatory: followers of Jesus are called to become “laborers” in the harvest. That means confronting suffering wherever it appears, whether through poverty, racism, gender privilege, LGBTQ phobias, economic inequality, violence, or exclusion. Compassion without action is incomplete. For more go to renewedheartministries.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    21 min

  4. Jun 4

    A Tax Collector, A Marginalized Woman, and A Sleeping Girl

    Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26 These stories also speaks powerfully to us, today. Many people still live at the edges of society because of illness, poverty, gender, disability, race, orientation, or stigma. Our passage reminds readers that justice is not merely charity or private compassion. Justice involves restoring dignity, breaking systems of exclusion, and creating communities where those once considered “unclean” or unwanted are fully welcomed and valued. Matthew’s Gospel presents Jesus as one who transforms not only bodies but social realities as well. Juxtaposing these two stories together was intended to teach the practice of a preferential option for those pushed to the margins of society. For more go to renewedheartministries.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    21 min

  5. May 28

    The Great Commission, Doubt, and Post-Colonialism

    Matthew 28:16-20 Recovering Matthew’s commission from its colonial misuse requires repentance, listening to marginalized voices, and separating the message of Jesus from the history of empire that too often claimed to speak in his name. A healthy, life-giving understanding of the Great Commission sees these words in Matthew not as a justification for seeking control over others but as a call to solidarity with them. It calls Christians to confront systems that crush human dignity and to participate in healing, liberation, and restoration. It means nurturing communities shaped by diversity, compassion, economic sharing, nonviolence, truth-telling, and radical welcome. For more go to renewedheartministries.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    20 min

  6. May 21

    Lessons from Pentecost

    Acts 2:1-21 The Pentecost story reveals that the Spirit of God is not confined to the powerful, the privileged, or the religious or political elite. People from many nations hear the good news in their own languages, and the Spirit breaks barriers of culture, class, and exclusion. In Acts, this Spirit goes on to create a community where resources are shared, poverty is eradicated, dignity is regained and restored, and no one is left invisible. Pentecost is therefore not only a spiritual event but also a social vision: a world transformed by radical inclusion, collective care, and courageous truth-telling. And it still calls to us today to resist our present-day systems of oppression and create communities in our context that embody justice, compassion, and liberation for all people. In our language today, we would say the Spirit is poured out on all people regardless of sex, class, ethnicity, orientation, gender identity, or social status. Peter’s use of Joel points toward a community where liberation, mutual care, and shared participation replace domination and exclusion. For more go to renewedheartministries.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    17 min

  7. May 14

    Luke’s Ascension Story and Our Justice Work Today

    Luke 24:44-53 Change may arise from the margins, as Matthew suggests, where new possibilities are imagined from entrenched power. At the same time, as Luke presents, transformation can also engage the center, reshaping unjust systems from within before extending outward. The early Jesus movement, as remembered through both of these two lenses, is rooted in overlooked places on the margins and in direct interaction or even conflict with the centers of society. In whichever place or social location we find ourselves today, both endings encourage us as we continue, on the margins outside of systems or within them, working together to shape our world into a just, compassionate, safe home for all of us. For more go to renewedheartministries.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    20 min

  8. May 7

    The Promise of the Holy Spirit

    John 14:15-21 Our reading also challenges performative or superficial approaches to justice. It is not enough to claim love or alignment with a cause. The call is to sustained, faithful action. Love that keeps commandments is persistent, even when the work is difficult, slow, or costly. It resists apathy and refuses neutrality in the face of oppression. And the promise of being loved and accompanied also offers sustenance. Justice work can be exhausting and disheartening, but this passage roots that labor in deeper relationship. It reminds practitioners that they are not alone; their work participates in a larger movement of Divine love unfolding in the world. Ultimately, this teaching in the gospel of John reframes justice work as a spiritual practice. To love is to act, and to act in love is to encounter the Divine. The work of justice is not separate from faith. It is one of the primary ways that love becomes visible, transformative, and real. For more go to renewedheartministries.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    19 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

A podcast where we talk about the intersection of faith and social justice, and what a first-century, Jewish, prophet of the poor from Galilee offers us today in our work of love, compassion and justice.

Information

  • Creator
    Herb Montgomery
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    114
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2024 The Social Jesus Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Social Jesus Podcast

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