Comedians with Pastors Talking Bible

Send us Fan MailComedians with Pastors Talking Bible is the show where Pittsburgh stand-up comedians and ELCA pastors sit down with the week's gospel text — and see what happens when nobody's too precious about it.This week Abby Evans (@itsabbye) and Erick Williams (@comicaledubs) return as Resident Comic Theologians for a Short Take on John 17:1-11, the High Priestly Prayer — Jesus's long, looping, recursive prayer on the last night before the crucifixion. It's the 7th Sunday of Easter, the church where CPTB records is being sold to a Sheetz developer, and Jesus is praying in circles. Which, it turns out, might be the most honest thing anyone's ever done.Expect:Why the Trinity doesn't work on a logical level, and why that might actually be the pointThe High Priestly Prayer as Jesus's big showstopper — his "Defying Gravity," the number where the lights dim downA religion founded on the Big Lebowski, and why the cross ties the whole place togetherAbby's assembled crack legal team (Brittany, Alexis, Rebecca Canterbury, James J. Hamilton — different specialties, all bases covered)Whether Hamlet is the Lion King or the Lion King is Hamlet — Abby rules, decisivelyThe theological case that old church buildings are just holding cells for Spirit Halloween"Jesus is proof that sometimes you have to trust your friends even when they're talking in a way that's really annoying." — Erick Williams---Luke 24:44–53 (NRSVue)[44] Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” [45] Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, [46] and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day [47] and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. [48] You are witnesses of these things. [49] And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised, so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” [50] Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. [51] While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. [52] And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, [53] and they were continually in the temple blessing God.Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailA note to our audience: We're taking a week off from our normal mix of comedy and Bible study. We'll jump back into the readings next week. In the meanwhile, we're pleased to present...CPTB Special: Library After Dark Comedy Showcase (Part 1)A pastor walks into a library and tells jokes. The books didn't leave.This special episode takes you inside the room for Library After Dark, CPTB's debut comedy showcase at the Monroeville Public Library — an evening of standup that felt right at home among the stacks.Co-host Pastor Eric Damon steps out from behind the podcast mic and into the spotlight, opening the show with a 3am gas station story that only works if you're wearing a clerical collarAbby Evans follows with a set about books, birthdays, Mary Shelley, teaching special ed, and what it feels like when your students think you personally witnessed the 1900s"I'm the 1900s that watched Rugrats Take Paris on an orange VHS tape." — Abby EvansMore sets from the Library After Dark showcase are coming. The full show — including headliner Georgia Wartler — will be released as a complete special.Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailCPTB is a conversational, funny, and thoughtful take on this week's Bible readings — for preachers, church leaders, deconstructors, and curious listeners who still love scripture, even when they're not sure what to do with it. We explore the text with humor and theological depth, without certainty, outrage, or easy answers.What do cookies have to do with the resurrection? More than you'd think. Resident Comic Theologians Abby Evans (@itsabbye) and Erick Williams (@comicaledubs) join Pastors Eric and Bob for a short take on John 14:1–14 — the "I am the way, the truth, and the life" passage — and end up somewhere between funeral theology, grief policing, and Thomas asking Jesus to please just answer the question.Why "do not let your hearts be troubled" is one of the most misused lines in funeral historyThomas as the pragmatist apostle who does not sign documents without clarificationThe I AM tradition in John's gospel and why soldiers fell down at the arrest"If you ask anything in my name, I will do it" — and why pastors quietly skip that verseAbby's story about a priest who compared death to getting an oatmeal raisin cookie when you wanted chocolate chip"I believe you, Jesus. But at the time you said this, school shootings weren't a concept in anyone's mind." — Abby Evans---John 14:1–14 (NRSVue)"Jesus said to his disciples, 'Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.' Thomas said to him, 'Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?' Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.' Philip said to him, 'Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.' Jesus said to him, 'Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, "Show us the Father"? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.'"Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailCPTB is a conversational, funny, and thoughtful take on this week's Bible readings — for preachers, church leaders, deconstructors, and curious listeners who still love scripture, even when they're not sure what to do with it. We explore the text with humor and theological depth, without certainty, outrage, or easy answers.Jesus says he's the sheep gate. Then he says he's the shepherd. Confused yet?Comedians Teresa Roberts Logan (@laughingredhead) and Zach Funk (@zachfunkyeah) join Bob and Eric to work through John 10:1–10, and the question that won't go away is: who decided the church gets to decide who's a thief? Teresa brings her full ex-vangelical energy to the table — the damage being done in Jesus' name, the easily-offended fortress-church culture she walked away from, and Van Gogh's sermon on being a stranger on the earth. Zach wonders whether everything outside the gate might just be different flocks. Bob makes the case that the sheepfold was never meant to be a bunker. Eric offers a sermon nobody asked for but everyone needed: the real danger isn't the thief outside — it's becoming one yourself.Also: the mechanics of nailing your tongue to the roof of your mouth, a very small hammer, the disastrous children's sermon about recognizing your child's voice, and why you should never schedule bring-your-pet night right before dollar hot dog night."What if everything outside the gate isn't thieves? What if it's just different flocks?" — Zach FunkJohn 10:1–10 (NRSVue) "Very truly I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers." Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. So again Jesus said to them, "Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailCPTB is a conversational, funny, and thoughtful take on this week's Bible readings — for preachers, church leaders, deconstructors, and curious listeners who still love scripture, even when they're not sure what to do with it. We explore the text with humor and theological depth, without certainty, outrage, or easy answers.Abby Evans (@itsabbye) and Erick Williams (@comicaledubs) are back as Resident Comic Theologians for a Short Take on Luke 24 — the Road to Emmaus — and the room immediately clock what makes this story so deliciously strange: the Son of God spending several miles being briefed on his own death and resurrection, presumably holding in the cackle.Expect:Mormon missionaries knocking on the wrong door (it's Jesus's house, and now you're an undocumented squatter)"God-splaining" as a legitimate Christological categoryErick's reverse Masque of the Red Death read on the whole encounterA serious detour through what "inspired word of God" actually means for ELCA Lutherans, which somehow involves The Rose by Bette MidlerBob's digression transgression, and his failure to apologize for itAbby getting into sourdoughNotable tangent: The Blair Witch Project, the Dread Pirate Roberts, and the Waterboy's surprising film legacy."I'm not an ICE agent." — Jesus, probably---Luke 24:13–35 (NRSVue)[13] Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, [14] and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. [15] While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, [16] but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. [17] And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. [18] Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” [19] He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, [20] and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. [21] But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. [22] Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, [23] and when they did not find his body there they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. [24] Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see him.” [25] Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! [26] Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glHosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailCPTB is a conversational, funny, and thoughtful take on this week's Bible readings — for preachers, church leaders, deconstructors, and curious listeners who still love scripture, even when they're not sure what to do with it. We explore the text with humor and theological depth, without certainty, outrage, or easy answers.What does it take to convince someone they're going to hell? Apparently, a Billy Graham crusade, a youth retreat horror movie featuring a floating bloody head, or possibly just the right Konami code sequence entered on enough church crosses. This week Bob and Eric are joined by cartoonist-comedian Teresa Roberts Logan (@laughingredhead) and returning comic guest Zach Funk (@zachfunkyeah) to dig into John 20:19-31 — the appearance of the risen Jesus to the disciples, and the moment Thomas earns a nickname he'll never shake.Expect:Thomas the Twin — twin of whom, exactly?Why you can't call him DiddyThe Southern Baptist childhood-to-ex-vangelical pipeline, lived in fullWhat the Christian comedy circuit looks like from the insideThe Konami Code as soteriologySpiritual colorblindness as a framework for faithBob's favorite original joke (the Pontiff's Pilot)Kenneth Copeland, Billy Graham, and the difference between American Jesus and Bible JesusDon't miss: Eric's sidebar on what happens when Lutherans over-spiritualize the gospel — with a very specific historical example.---John 20:19–31 (NRSVue)[19] When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors were locked where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” [20] After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. [21] Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” [22] When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. [23] If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” [24] But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. [25] So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” [26] A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” [27] Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” [28] Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” [29] Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” [30] Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailCPTB is a conversational, funny, and thoughtful take on this week's Bible readings — for preachers, church leaders, deconstructors, and curious listeners who still love scripture, even when they're not sure what to do with it. We explore the text with humor and theological depth, without certainty, outrage, or easy answers.On this Short Take episode of Comedians with Pastors Talking Bible, it's Easter Sunday — and the tomb is empty, the guards have fainted, and Jesus is already ahead of you in Galilee.Also, he's a little extra. He didn't have to show up to meet the women on their way to tell the disciples. Everything that needed to happen had already happened. He just wanted to.This week we're asking: why is Easter harder to commodify than Christmas? Who sent the women to preach the gospel first — and what does that mean? What is a participation trophy, and did Jesus earn one? And why, if you've never been to a Holy Week service, is this the week to find one?Also: Charles Dickens ruined Christmas. We have receipts.Join Pastor Bob Schaefer, Pastor Eric Damon, and resident comic theologians Abby Evans (@itsabbye) and Erick Williams (@comicaledubs) for a Short Take that somehow ends with everyone going "yaaaay."Matthew 28:1–10 (NRSVue)[1] After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. [2] And suddenly there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. [3] His appearance was like lightning and his clothing white as snow. [4] For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. [5] But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. [6] He is not here, for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. [7] Then go quickly and tell his disciples, 'He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.' This is my message for you." [8] So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to tell his disciples. [9] Suddenly Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. [10] Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers and sisters to go to Galilee; there they will see me."Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailComedians with Pastors Talking Bible is where standup comedians and ELCA pastors sit down to discuss the week's lectionary readings—the same passages that preachers around the world will proclaim the following Sunday. It's theology, comedy, and irreverence in conversation.This week: Palm Sunday—the reading that opens with triumph and closes with catastrophe. Pastor Bob sits down with returning guests Cassi Bruno (@cassi_dicci) and Lou Pastorius (@notorious_pastorius) to talk about what it means when Jesus enters Jerusalem looking like a king, then gets arrested. But here's where theology gets interesting: what if the cross is the triumph? What if God's idea of victory looks nothing like ours?Expect: Heated debates about burning phone books and nerf balls with magnifying glasses. An extended ASMR tangent that somehow becomes theological. Bob explaining why he preaches the entire passion narrative as a play. And a closing theological flourish on the word "eucatastrophe"—a good catastrophic event. (Yes, someone needs to tell you what that means, and yes, it matters.)Tangents: Mukbang. Misophonia. The psychology of childhood fire-starting. Jonathan Groff's theatrical spit."That is what triumph looks like—the cross, the grave, the stone rolled away."--Matthew 21:1–11 (NRSVue)[1] When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, [2] saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. [3] If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” [4] This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet: [5] “Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” [6] The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; [7] they brought the donkey and the colt and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. [8] A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. [9] The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” [10] When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” [11] The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailEvery week, CPTB brings together Pittsburgh stand-up comedians and Lutheran pastors to read scripture from the Revised Common Lectionary — no prep, no filter, no guarantees.Lazarus is dead. Four days dead. Stinky dead. Jesus knew it was coming, waited anyway, and now he's standing outside a sealed tomb asking people to roll the stone away. This is the most dramatic thing he's ever done — and he absolutely did not have to make it this dramatic.Expect:A brand new format: the whistle interruption system, road-tested on 45 verses of JohnWhy "this illness is for God's glory" is a theologically loaded thing to say out loudThomas the Twin as ride-or-die disciple, rehabilitated at lastThe trauma of being asked to open a tomb you know smells terribleJesus as vampire, per Abby Evans, and why she's not entirely wrongThe difference between resuscitation and resurrection — and why it matters heading into Holy WeekEric refusing to wrap things up with good news, because it's Lent 5 and Holy Week is right thereDon't miss: Erick Williams on the short-sighted irony of plotting to kill a man who can raise the dead."He's not going to do a David Lynch TV show. He was not in a coma. He's dead." — Pastor Eric Damon---John 11:1–45 (NRSVue) This one's too long to fit in our episode notes - grab your Bible and look it up!Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailThis week, returning guests Cassi Bruno (@cassi_dicci) and Lou Pastorius (@notorious_pastorius) join Bob and Eric for John 9 — the man born blind — and nobody in the room sees it coming. Jesus makes mud in a way that polite people don't repeat in public. The Pharisees are certain they can see. The blind man ends up being the only one who actually does. And somewhere in the middle of all of it, a comedian accidentally preaches the sermon.Expect:A very polite omission of how the mud was madeThe moment Bob realized he could NOT say what he was about to sayWhy Jesus may have healed on the Sabbath on purposeThe dangerous history of the phrase "the Jews" in John's Gospel — and why it mattersA room full of ADHD brains wrestling with the longest gospel reading of LentTwo kinds of blindness, and which one Jesus actually came to cureWhat happens when you wake up and the light is too bright to open your eyes all at onceAlso featuring: Eric's tractor cliff story, Bob's 1994 Concordia College beanie, Jonathan Groff's spray zone, and a ghost tour where Bob was definitely the problem.Pull quote: "If you know better, do better." — Lou Pastorius---John 9:1–41 (NRSVue)This one's too long to fit in our episode notes - grab your Bible and look it up!Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailCPTB is a conversational, funny, and thoughtful take on this week's Bible readings — for preachers, church leaders, deconstructors, and curious listeners who still love scripture, even when they're not sure what to do with it. We explore the text with humor and theological depth, without certainty, outrage, or easy answers.On this Short Take episode of Comedians with Pastors Talking Bible, we tackle one of the longest Gospel readings in the lectionary — the Woman at the Well.Jesus meets a stranger at a well, offers her living water, casually recites her entire romantic history, and redefines the nature of worship. She goes and tells everybody. The disciples are astonished that he talked to a woman. Classic Tuesday.But underneath the length and the strangeness, there's something quietly remarkable happening: a woman with no credentials goes back to her city and says "come and see" — and it's enough.Why does Jesus sound like he's dropping hints about being famous? What does living water have to do with Peter's drinking problem? And what would Jesus do at a Golden Corral?"Wave like holy hell and get everybody's attention — then duck, so they see Jesus behind you."Join Pastor Bob Schaefer, Pastor Eric Damon, and resident comic theologians Abby Evans (@itsabbye) and Erick Williams (@comicaledubs) for a Short Take that's sprawling, funny, and unexpectedly moving.---John 4:5–42 (NRSVue)[5] So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. [6] Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon. [7] A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” [8] (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) [9] The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) [10] Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” [11] The woman said to him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? [12] Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?” [13] Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, [14] but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” [15] The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.” [16] Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come back.” [17] The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband,’ [18] for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. WhHosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of Comedians with Pastors Talking Bible, Pastors Bob Schaefer and Eric Damon are joined by returning comics Harriet Riley (@harrietrileycomedy) and Lizzie Martin (@lizziemartin) to take on John 3:1–17 — the most famous passage in the Bible, and maybe the hardest one to say something fresh about.We start with a terrifying blue-eyed Jesus statue, a theological case for inserting Christ into the Dune universe, and Martin Luther's alleged deathbed quote (which we hope is real). Then the conversation gets personal: Lizzie on returning to the Catholic Church after a friend's death, Harriet on what it means to be a "diagnostic Christian," and the question of what you're really looking for when you go looking for God.When we finally hit the text, we dig into the wordplay Jesus uses to set Nicodemus up, the cultural baggage of "born again," Eric's infamous pulpit act-out (never again), and what it means that Jesus receives a hostile visitor with patience, sass, and real engagement. The episode lands on prayer — gratitude, lament, and whether telling God to get off his ass counts as a psalm. (It does.)It's Lent. The eyes are watching. Crazy-Eyed Jesus loves the world.---John 3:1–17 (NRSVue)[1] Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. [2] He came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with that person." [3] Jesus answered him, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above." [4] Nicodemus said to him, "How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born?" [5] Jesus answered, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. [6] What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. [7] Do not be astonished that I said to you, 'You must be born from above.' [8] The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." [9] Nicodemus said to him, "How can these things be?" [10] Jesus answered him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? [11] Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen, yet you do not receive our testimony. [12] If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? [13] No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. [14] And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, [15] that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. [16] For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. [17] Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to cHosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailCPTB is a conversational, funny, and thoughtful take on this week’s Bible readings — for preachers, church leaders, deconstructors, and curious listeners who still love scripture, even when they’re not sure what to do with it. We explore the text with humor and theological depth, without certainty, outrage, or easy answers.On this Short Take episode of Comedians with Pastors Talking Bible, we kick off Lent with the Temptation of Jesus in the wilderness.What voice should the devil have?What if he sounds suspiciously like Rick Sanchez?From belching cartoon villains to serious theological stakes, we explore what temptation really is — and why the devil doesn’t tempt Jesus with obviously evil things. Instead, he offers good things… twisted.Bread.Proof.Power.Why does Jesus say no? And what does that have to do with how we think about prosperity, spectacle, and political control today?It’s Lent.The stakes are real.The devil sounds reasonable.Join Pastor Bob Schaefer, Pastor Eric Damon, and resident comic theologians Abby Evans (@itsabbye) and Erick Williams (@comicaledubs) for a Short Take that’s irreverent, thoughtful, and maybe just a little dangerous.Matthew 4:1–11 (NRSVue)[1] Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil. [2] He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was famished. [3] The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” [4] But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” [5] Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, [6] saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’ ” [7] Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” [8] Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, [9] and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” [10] Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’ ” [11] Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailCPTB is a conversational, funny, and thoughtful take on this week’s Bible readings — for preachers, church leaders, deconstructors, and curious listeners who still love scripture, even when they’re not sure what to do with it. We explore the text with humor and theological depth, without certainty, outrage, or easy answers.In this episode, Pastors Eric Damon and Bob Schaefer are joined by comedians Lizzie Martin (@lizziemartin) and Harriet Riley (@harrietrileycomedy) for Transfiguration Sunday (Matthew 17:1–9). We start with civics, citizenship, and the weird emotional texture of living in anxious times — plus a little love for “spooky” church, ritual, and the kind of wonder that modern life keeps trying to sand down.Then we head up the mountain with Peter, James, and John, where Jesus goes full radiant glory, Moses and Elijah drop in like it’s a dream, and Peter tries to build… something. We talk about fear, mystery, the “messianic secret,” and why the good news might not be the spectacle at all — but Jesus coming close, touching his friends, and saying: “Get up. Do not be afraid.”---Matthew 17:1–9 (NRSVue)[1] Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. [2] And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became bright as light. [3] Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. [4] Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will set up three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” [5] While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” [6] When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. [7] But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” [8] And when they raised their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone. [9] As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailCPTB is a conversational, funny, and thoughtful take on this week’s Bible readings - for preachers, church leaders, deconstructors, and curious listeners who still love scripture, even when they’re not sure what to do with it. We explore the text with humor and theological depth, without certainty, outrage, or easy answers.---This wasn’t the episode we planned—but it was the episode we needed.In this very special edition of Comedians with Pastors Talking Bible, Pastors Bob Schaefer and Eric Damon are joined by our resident comic theologians, Abby Evans (@itsabbye) and Erick Williams (@comicaledubs), for an unfiltered conversation shaped by the moment we’re living in.We begin with the national situation weighing heavily on all of us—grief, anger, analysis, prophecy, and gallows humor all sharing the same table—and wrestle with what it means to live faithfully when normal life continues alongside violence, impunity, and fear. Along the way, we talk about the “dual state,” the misuse of law, and why pretending everything is fine is not a moral option.Then we turn to the Gospel reading—Jesus’ words about salt and light, the law and its purpose—and ask what they sound like in a world that feels increasingly on fire. What does it mean to fulfill the law? What is its telos—its true aim? And how do we keep preaching, laughing, and telling the truth without hardening our hearts or numbing our souls?This episode is heavier than usual. It’s also honest, pastoral, and still very much CPTB: scripture read seriously, humor used carefully, and faith held without outrage or certainty-for-show.It really is a very special episode.---Matthew 5:13–20 (NRSVue)[13] “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything but is thrown out and trampled under foot. [14] “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. [15] People do not light a lamp and put it under the bushel basket; rather, they put it on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. [16] In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. [17] “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. [18] For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. [19] Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. [20] For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailCPTB is a conversational, funny, and thoughtful take on this week’s Bible readings - for preachers, church leaders, deconstructors, and curious listeners who still love scripture, even when they’re not sure what to do with it. We explore the text with humor and theological depth, without certainty, outrage, or easy answers.---What does Jesus actually mean when he says “blessed”? And why does it sound so different from the way we usually use the word?In this episode of Comedians with Pastors Talking Bible, Pastors Bob Schaefer and Eric Damon are joined by comedians Johnny Traficante (@johnnytraficante) and Seth Queen (@sethqueen_comedy) to dig into the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount—those famous blessings that seem to land on the wrong people: the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, the persecuted.Along the way, we talk about doubt, agnosticism, nihilism, moral risk, and why real blessing has very little to do with luck, success, or being “hashtag blessed.” Johnny and Seth reflect honestly on where they’ve encountered God (and where they weren’t sure God was anywhere to be found), while Bob and Eric explore why Jesus’ blessings are descriptive, not prescriptive—and why that matters for people who are suffering and for people who think they’re doing just fine.Funny, reflective, and quietly challenging, this conversation is good news for anyone who has ever felt stuck in between, at the bottom of the barrel, or unsure what “blessed” is supposed to mean in real life.Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailCPTB is a conversational, funny, and thoughtful take on this week’s Bible readings - for preachers, church leaders, deconstructors, and curious listeners who still love scripture, even when they’re not sure what to do with it. We explore the text with humor and theological depth, without certainty, outrage, or easy answers.---What do you do when Jesus walks up and offers you something that isn’t fishing?In this Short Take episode of Comedians with Pastors Talking Bible, we turn to Matthew’s call story and sit with how strange it really is. Jesus starts his ministry in the wrong place, calls people with a wildly unclear job description, and somehow convinces fishermen to drop their nets and follow him immediately.Joined by our resident comic theologians Abby Evans (@itsabbye) and Erick Williams (@comicaledubs), we talk about bad neighborhoods, worse recruiting pitches, Zebedee left in the boat, and why discipleship has always been more weird than heroic. Along the way, we stumble into some surprisingly serious theology about calling, cost, baptism, and what actually makes ordinary things matter.Funny, thoughtful, and a little sideways—this one’s for preachers, deconstructors, and anyone who’s ever wondered why that pitch worked.---Matthew 4:12–23 (NRSVue)[12] Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. [13] He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, [14] so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: [15] “Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the gentiles— [16] the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.” [17] From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” [18] As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishers. [19] And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of people.” [20] Immediately they left their nets and followed him. [21] As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. [22] Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. [23] Jesus went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailCPTB is a conversational, funny, and thoughtful take on this week’s Bible readings - for preachers, church leaders, deconstructors, and curious listeners who still love scripture, even when they’re not sure what to do with it. We explore the text with humor and theological depth, without certainty, outrage, or easy answers.--This week we’re in John 1:29–42 (Second Sunday after Epiphany, Year C), where John the Baptist does the one job nobody wants: he points away from himself. “Look—here is the Lamb of God.” And somehow, that strange little sentence opens up a whole universe of meaning: sacrifice and innocence, Passover and mercy, and the unsettling idea that God’s power doesn’t show up as a flex.Joining us are comedians Johnny Trafficante (@johnnytrafficante) and Seth Queen (@sethqueen_comedy), and we talk Catholic “smells and bells,” the way liturgy gets into your bones, why Bible branding and grift feels so spiritually corrosive, and what it might mean to recover a model of strength that looks more like vulnerability than domination. Along the way, Jesus casually renames Simon to Cephas (because apparently that’s what you do when you’re the Messiah), and we find ourselves circling a paradox the church desperately needs right now: the Lion of Judah is also the Lamb—and the Lamb is how the Lion wins.As always: we’re pastors in the ELCA, we take scripture seriously, we don’t take ourselves too seriously, and we’re glad you’re here. Like, subscribe, share with a friend (or an enemy—if you must), and may the Holy Spirit do her thing in your life.Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailCPTB is a conversational, funny, and thoughtful take on this week’s Bible readings - for preachers, church leaders, deconstructors, and curious listeners who still love scripture, even when they’re not sure what to do with it. We explore the text with humor and theological depth, without certainty, outrage, or easy answers.--In this Short Take episode, we turn to the Gospel reading for the Baptism of Our Lord (Year A) and ask a surprisingly human question: what if Jesus didn’t actually hear the voice from heaven?As we dig into Matthew’s account of Jesus’ baptism, we talk about humility, doubt, belonging, and what it means to trust grace that sometimes comes to us through other people rather than directly from God. Along the way, we imagine Jesus with water in his ears, wrestle with John the Baptist as a “good doubter,” and reflect on baptism not just as a private spiritual moment, but as entry into a community that speaks love when we can’t hear it ourselves.Joining us are our resident comic theologians Abby Evans (@itsabbye) and Erick Williams (@comicaledubs), bringing performer instincts, cultural riffs, and just enough chaos to keep things honest.Whether you’re preaching this text, deconstructing inherited faith, or just wondering why this story still matters, you’re welcome here.If you enjoy the conversation, like, subscribe, and share CPTB with someone you think might actually enjoy it.--Matthew 3:13–17 (NRSVue)[13] Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. [14] John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” [15] But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. [16] And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw God’s Spirit descending like a dove and alighting on him. [17] And a voice from the heavens said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailWhat do you do with a gospel that doesn’t tell the Christmas story, starts before time, and keeps circling back on itself like it’s thinking out loud? In this episode of Comedians with Pastors Talking Bible, we dive into the opening of Gospel of John—a text that is beautiful, frustrating, poetic, and dense all at once.Pastors Bob Schaefer and Eric Damon are joined by Pittsburgh comedians John Bankart and Roy Gackle for a wide-ranging conversation that moves from Catholic choreography and church anxiety to mushrooms (the metaphorical kind), soundboards, and the long, strange history of Christian disagreement. Along the way, we wrestle with what John means when he calls Jesus “the Word,” why light and darkness still matter, and how words—holy ones included—can heal or harm.The conversation eventually lands where John does: grace and truth. What does it mean to speak faithfully in a world where scripture has been used both to liberate and to wound? How do we hold onto the beauty of these ancient words while being honest about the damage they’ve sometimes carried? And what does it look like to trust that the light still shines, even when understanding feels elusive?As always, there are laughs, detours, pastoral honesty, and moments of real vulnerability. If you’ve ever loved the Gospel of John, struggled with it, or just wondered why it feels so different from the rest—this one’s for you.May the Holy Spirit do her thing in your life.John 1:1–18 (NRSVue)[1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was in the beginning with God. [3] All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being [4] in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. [5] The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it. [6] There was a man sent from God whose name was John. [7] He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. [8] He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. [9] The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. [10] He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, yet the world did not know him. [11] He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. [12] But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, [13] who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. [14] And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. [15] (John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ ”) [16] From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. [17] The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. [18] No one has ever seen God. It is the only Son, himself God, who is close to tHosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailThe First Sunday of Christmas isn’t all angels, carols, and gentle joy. In this Short Take, pastors and comedians Erick Williams (@comicaledubs) and Abby Evans (@itsabbye) join the conversation as we sit with one of the hardest gospel readings of the season — the flight into Egypt and the slaughter of the innocents. It’s a text many preachers quietly dread, because it refuses to offer easy comfort or tidy resolutions.What do you preach when grief can’t be explained away, when joy feels premature, and when the Bible itself won’t let you rush past suffering? Together, we wrestle honestly with faith that doesn’t flinch, humor that knows when to step aside, and why sometimes the most faithful response isn’t to fix the pain, but to tell the truth and stay with it.Matthew 2:13–23 (NRSVue)[13] Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” [14] Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt [15] and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.” [16] When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the magi. [17] Then what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: [18] “A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.” [19] When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, [20] “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.” [21] Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. [22] But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. [23] There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He will be called a Nazarene.”Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailWhat does it mean to say yes when the cost is public scandal?In this Advent 4 episode, Pastors Bob Schaefer and Eric Damon are joined by comedians John Benkart (@johnbenkartcomedy) and Roy Gloeckle (@royjay.comedy) to wrestle with Matthew’s account of Jesus’ birth—the version that centers not on Mary’s announcement, but on Joseph’s quiet, risky obedience.Along the way, the conversation wanders (as it always does) through Catholic school memories, youth group survival strategies, church as therapy, bad choirs (said with love), ancient gossip, and whether the Bible ever allows God to act like Zeus (spoiler: no). Beneath the jokes, though, is a serious question Advent won’t let us dodge: Where is the good news in a story shaped by power, consent, and trust?We talk about:Joseph as a model of righteousness that protects rather than punishesWhy it matters that Jesus’ conception is not coerciveFree will, foreknowledge, and whether God waits for consentWhat it means when men step back and women speakAnd why God provides not just a Savior—but a family strong enough to hold scandal and tenderness at the same timeAs always, the Bible is taken seriously (but not literally in every word), Jesus is centered, and humor is treated as a legitimate theological tool.If you’re looking for Advent hope that doesn’t skip the hard parts—or if church language has ever made you flinch—you’re welcome here.Matthew 1:18–25 (NRSVue)[18] Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant from the Holy Spirit. [19] Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to divorce her quietly. [20] But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. [21] She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” [22] All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: [23] “Look, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.” [24] When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife [25] but had no marital relations with her until she had given birth to a son, and he named him Jesus.Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailSeason 3 kicks off with the return of our Resident Comic Theologians, Abby Evans and Erick Williams, as we dive straight into Matthew 11—the part where John the Baptist is in prison, Jesus sounds like Columbo, and nobody can agree how many Highlander films are canon.Along the way we cover:Advent, aka the spiciest, wokest liturgical calendar seasonWhy some churches still have a lone pink candle and whether that makes them hereticsMacduff, belly buttons, Adam’s abdominal scars, and other things absolutely not in the textJesus’s whole “go tell John what you see and hear” approach to evangelismWhether calling Jesus a capitalist or a socialist would make him flip a table (spoiler: yes)And in a surprisingly heartfelt turn, we explore what it means that John doubts, Jesus doesn’t shame him, and the kingdom of heaven keeps turning everything upside-down anyway.It’s theology, comedy, riddles, crickets, camel hair, and Erick insisting Jesus is basically the Riddler. (Will that preach? No. No it will not.)Season 3 is here, and we’re already off the rails in the best possible way.Matthew 11:2–11 (NRSVue)[2] When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples [3] and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” [4] Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: [5] the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with a skin disease are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. [6] And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.” [7] As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? [8] What, then, did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. [9] What, then, did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. [10] This is the one about whom it is written, ‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’ [11] “Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist, yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailIn the Comedians with Pastors Talking Bible Season 2 finale, we start with bidets and end with Bob in wedge heels. In between, comedians Harriet Riley (@harrietrileycomedy) and Cassi Bruno (@cassi_dicci) bring stories of improv, sarcasm, and church-gone-sideways as we dive into Luke 13 and a Jesus who heals on the Sabbath like a first-century chiropractor.Eric insults the guests (twice).Harriet tries to become a bishop.Jesus breaks social norms.It all builds to Bob’s unforgettable youth gathering tale that ends in a full teen-movie slow clap (see the photo evidence for yourself). Along the way we wrestle with what’s proper versus what’s right, why Sabbath is about freedom not fussiness, and how comedy and faith both thrive in the unscripted moments.Season 3 will be here after a short breather, but don’t worry — we’ve got great stuff lined up during the hiatus, including a (FREE!) live comedy showcase at the Monroeville Public Library on Wednesday, September 17 (watch for clips and full content here and on YouTube all fall), and maybe even an unexpectedly spicy sit-down with a bishop emeritus. This Week's Reading:Luke 13:10–17 (NRSVue)[10] Now [Jesus] was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. [11] And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. [12] When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” [13] When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. [14] But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the Sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured and not on the Sabbath day.” [15] But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it to water? [16] And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the Sabbath day?” [17] When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame, and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things being done by him.Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailIt’s our last Short Take of the season, and Luke 12:49–56 is bringing the heat — literally. Jesus says he came to bring fire to the earth and division to households, not peace. We unpack what that means without sliding into persecution cosplay, and why this isn’t just a “Buddy Jesus” moment but a glimpse of a stressed-out, fully human Messiah.Along the way, the conversation zigs: Strawberry Shortcake hair, Kim Possible vs. Wednesday Addams, Snickers ads for Jesus, and the cursed fig tree. Then it zigs again: Hebrew poetic parallelism meets the comedy “rule of threes,” Buddy Jesus meets the executed one, NOAA forecasts meet red skies at night.And finally, the zag: political scenic routes, the real work of reading “the signs of the times,” and why following Jesus’ way will always create some friction. It’s absurd banter up front, deep biblical wrestling in the middle, and a few good puns at the end — classic CPTB.This Week's Reading:Luke 12:49–56 (NRSVue)[49] [Jesus said,] “I have come to cast fire upon the earth, and how I wish it were already ablaze! [50] I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! [51] Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! [52] From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; [53] they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” [54] He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, ‘It is going to rain,’ and so it happens. [55] And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and it happens. [56] You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailThis week, our sacred text is drawn from Luke’s Gospel—an invitation to stay awake, gird one's loins, sell one’s possessions, and fear not. But when Bob insists on reading it in the King James Version, all theological decorum unravels. Eric breaks. Cassi drowns in a sea of “comeths.” Harriet, ever the Anglican, remains composed for nearly three verses.What follows is an hour of exorcisms, sheep-based theology, bribed sacraments, purse allegories, and one shockingly tender meditation on where Jesus keeps his treasure. (Spoiler: it might be you.)Our guests—comedians Harriet Riley (@harrietrileycomedy) and Cassi Bruno (@cassi_dicci)—bring impeccable chemistry, mischievous insight, and just the right amount of blasphemous glee. Between them:A childhood of mumble-singing in the Church of EnglandA Roman Catholic confirmation funded via NonnaAnd a shared improviser’s instinct to play with the unexpected.Bob confesses his shift from Drew Barrymore to Demogorgon crushes. Eric holds the line on foot-washing Christology. And together, we try (with some success) to answer the question: What’s the good news here, really?This Week's Reading:Luke 12:32–40 (NRSVue)[32] “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. [33] Sell your possessions and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. [34] For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. [35] “Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; [36] be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. [37] Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. [38] If he comes during the middle of the night or near dawn and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. [39] “But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. [40] You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailThis week on Comedians with Pastors Talking Bible: Short Take, our resident comic theologians Abby Evans and Erick Williams join Bob and Eric to face down one of Jesus’ sharpest parables—and things get weird fast. We’re talking Luke 12, where a man tries to rope Jesus into a family inheritance dispute and instead gets a barn-burning sermon on greed, mortality, and the dangers of talking to your soul like it’s your pet.Erick goes full spice mode with riffs on socialist God, Bill Maher impressions, and ergot poisoning conspiracies. Abby brings it back to earth with thoughtful insight (and a college roommate story). Bob reframes the parable’s economics with a sharp eye for what Jesus is really condemning. And Eric—well, Eric gives us his sorry face. (Don't miss the video.)Along the way:What is your soul’s name?Can greed wear a collar and talk about microphones?And does Jesus ever just not want to parent your sibling fight?Whether you come for the theology or stay for the absurdity, this one’s full of good grain and better laughs. Just don’t forget whose barn it’s in.Plus: Abby’s upcoming shows, Erick’s close call with pastoral ministry, and the biblical origins of “Eat, drink, and be merry”—spoiler: you’ve been quoting the bad guy.This Week's Reading:Luke 12:13–21 (NRSVue)[13] Someone in the crowd said to [Jesus], “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” [14] But he said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?” [15] And he said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” [16] Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. [17] And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ [18] Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. [19] And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ [20] But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ [21] So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailThis week on CPTB, we're joined once again by chaos chemists Tim Ross and Alex Stypula—because once clearly wasn’t enough. We talk Lego addiction, the linguistic challenges of translating the Bible into Klingon, and what prayer is actually for (besides soothing Tim’s persecution complex).Plus: Alex dreams of a Catholic Dune reboot, Eric accidentally makes a serious theological point, and Bob tries to keep the podcast from collapsing into a milk-fueled singularity.This Week's Reading:11 [Jesus] was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” 2 So he said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, may your name be revered as holy. May your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial.”, Perseverance in Prayer 5 And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.’ 7 And he answers from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything out of friendship, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs. 9 “So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 Is there anyone among you who, if your child asked for a fish, would give a snake instead of a fish? 12 Or if the child asked for an egg, would give a scorpion? 13 If you, then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailJesus stops by for dinner, and suddenly everyone’s got opinions. This week, Bob, Eric, Abby, and Erick dive into Luke 10:38–42 (the classic Mary and Martha showdown) and explore what hospitality really means—spiritually, socially, and awkwardly.Expect:A spicy takedown (and redemption) of performative hostingA surprising theological defense of love languagesJazz riffs on Jesus, chores, and whether Martha just needed a podcastAlso featuring: plastic-covered furniture, Lazarus Lincoln, sacramental sarcasm, and possibly too much kombucha.Pull up a chair (not the nice one), and let’s talk Bible.This Week's Reading:Luke 10:38–42 (NRSVue)[38] Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him. [39] She had a sister named Mary, who sat at Jesus’s feet and listened to what he was saying. [40] But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her, then, to help me.” [41] But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things, [42] but few things are needed—indeed only one. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailThis week, we welcome Alex Stypula and Tim Ross, the chaos chemists behind the Milks of the World podcast, for an episode that may or may not be sanctioned by NATO. Come for the theological hot takes, stay for the GI Joe lore, Gettysburg hippies, and Tim’s relentless persecution complex.We dig into Luke 10:25–37 (The Good Samaritan)—a parable so familiar it’s practically a bumper sticker. But how do you preach—or even hear—this story when it’s lost its teeth? Eric invokes princess theology to remind us that God loves the dragons, Bob takes issue with the Lawyer’s question, and our guests explore what it means to see someone with compassion… even if they’re dressed like a bootleg action figure and holding a working-class beer.Plus: an unexpected parable remix, a deeply chaotic gospel moment, and the argument for milk as the true ecumenical language.This Week's Reading:Luke 10:25–37 (NRSVue)[25] An expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” [26] He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” [27] He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself.” [28] And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.” [29] But wanting to vindicate himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” [30] Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and took off, leaving him half dead. [31] Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. [32] So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. [33] But a Samaritan while traveling came upon him, and when he saw him he was moved with compassion. [34] He went to him and bandaged his wounds, treating them with oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. [35] The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him, and when I come back I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ [36] Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” [37] He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailIn this Fourth of July weekend Short Take, Bob, Eric, Abby, and Erick dig into Luke 10 and the radical, communal vision of mission Jesus lays out—no purses, no sandals, just go and be present. Along the way, the crew explores what the lectionary conveniently skips (spoiler: fire and brimstone), the heresy of Americanism, and the difference between John Wayne Jesus and real-deal discipleship. Also: lasagna theology, vampire communion, a surprising endorsement of paid labor by Jesus himself, and an actual comedy gig where clothes are optional. It’s all here. Even pants. Probably. This Week's Reading:Luke 10:1–20 (NRSV)[1] After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. [2] He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. [3] Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. [4] Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. [5] Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ [6] And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. [7] Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. [8] Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; [9] cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’[10] But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, [11] ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’[12] I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town. [13] “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. [14] But at the judgment it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. [15] And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades. [16] “Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.” [17] The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” [18] He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. [19] See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. [20] Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailComics Lou Pastorius (@notorious_pastorius) and Abby Evans (@itsabbye) are back to discuss the feast of Saints Peter and Paul. Topics include:Baby baptismsCosplay crucifixionsThe calls of Peter and PaulThis Week's Gospel:John 21:15–19 (NRSV)[15] When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” [16] A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” [17] He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. [18] Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” [19] (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.”Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailResident comic theologians Erick and Abby join us for a short take. Let's get to the point!This Week's Reading:Luke 8:26–39 (NRSV)[26] Then they arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. [27] As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs. [28] When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at the top of his voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me”— [29] for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds.) [30] Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” He said, “Legion”; for many demons had entered him. [31] They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss. [32] Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. [33] Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned. [34] When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country. [35] Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. [36] Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. [37] Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. [38] The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, [39] “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailComics Lou Pastorius (@notorious_pastorius) and Abby Evans (@itsabbye) join us just in time. Topics include:New people in church.God's praise kink.The mystery of the Trinity.This Week's Gospel:John 16:12–15 (NRSV)[12] “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. [13] When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. [14] He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. [15] All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailResident comic theologians Erick and Abby join us for a short take. Let's get to the point!This Week's Reading:Acts 2:1–21 (NRSV)[1] When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. [2] And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. [3] Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. [4] All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. [5] Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. [6] And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. [7] Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? [8] And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? [9] Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, [10] Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, [11] Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” [12] All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” [13] But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.” [14] But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. [15] Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. [16] No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: [17] ‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. [18] Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. [19] And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. [20] The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day. [21] Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailComics Vinny Palatucci (@vinnypalatucci) and Logan Gatensby are back for another round. Topics include:Running "the light" in comedy and preaching.The sexiness of Catholic worship.Jesus praying for his disciples.This Week's Gospel:John 17:20–26 (NRSV)[20] [Jesus prayed,] “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, [21] that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. [22] The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, [23] I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. [24] Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. [25] “Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. [26] I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailResident comic theologians Erick and Abby join us for a short take. Let's get to the point!This Week's Gospel:John 14:23–29 (NRSV)[23] Jesus answered him, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. [24] Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me. [25] “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. [26] But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. [27] Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. [28] You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I am coming to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. [29] And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe.Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailComics Vinny Palatucci (@vinnypalatucci) and Logan Gatensby join us on the pod. Topics include:Aristocratic animism.Heresies of heaven and hell.The pros and cons of being sheep.This Week's Gospel:John 13:31–35 (NRSV)[31] When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. [32] If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. [33] Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ [34] I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. [35] By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailBob is at the Festival of Homiletics this week. Too bad his gear (and the recording of this week's episode) is back home in Pittsburgh! We'll get the episode published by Friday morning. In the meanwhile, here's a little sample to tide you over.Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailResident comic theologians Erick and Abby join us for a short take. Let's get to the point!This Week's Gospel:John 10:22–30 (NRSV)[22] At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, [23] and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. [24] So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” [25] Jesus answered, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; [26] but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. [27] My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. [28] I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. [29] What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand.[30] The Father and I are one.”Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailComics Amanda Averell (@amandaaverell) and Zach Funk (@zfunkyeah) are back for another round! Topics include:Consensual hugs.The Veggie tales to Doctor Who pipeline.The roles of accountability and forgiveness in reconciliation.This Week's Gospel: John 21:1–19 (NRSV)[1] After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. [2] Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. [3] Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. [4] Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. [5] Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” [6] He said to them, “Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. [7] That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. [8] But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off. [9] When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. [10] Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” [11] So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. [12] Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. [13] Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. [14] This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. [15] When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” [16] A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” [17] He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. [18] Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else wiHosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailResident comic theologians Erick and Abby join us for a short take. Let's get to the point!This Week's Gospel:John 20:19–31 (NRSV) 19When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” 24But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” 26A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” 28Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” 30Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 31But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailComics Amanda Averell (@amandaaverell) and Zach Funk (@zfunkyeah) join us on the pod. We have a serious discussion about trauma and spirituality before talking about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.This Week's Gospel: Luke 24:1–12 (NRSV)[1] But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. [2] They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, [3] but when they went in, they did not find the body. [4] While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. [5] The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. [6] Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, [7] that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” [8] Then they remembered his words, [9] and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. [10] Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. [11] But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. [12] But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailResident comic theologians Erick and Abby join us for a short take. Let's get to the point!This Week's Gospel:Luke 19:28–40 (NRSV) 28After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, 30saying, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it.’ ” 32So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. 33As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34They said, “The Lord needs it.” 35Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. 37As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, 38saying, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!” 39Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, order your disciples to stop.” 40He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.”Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailComics John Henry Watt (@wattj) and Andy Bell-Baltaci (@andybb_) join us on the pod. Our topics include:Extreme Christian metalThe Bible and the Bechdel testThe difference between extravagant greed and extravagant generosity This Week's Gospel: John 12:1–8 (NRSV)1 Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 2 There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. 3 Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” 6 (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) 7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. 8 You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailResident comic theologians Erick and Abby join us for a short take. Let's get to the point!This Week's Gospel:Luke 15:1–3, 11b-32 (NRSV) 1Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. 2And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 3So he told them this parable:11 ... “There was a man who had two sons. 12The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.’ So he divided his property between them. 13A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. 14When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. 15So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. 16He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. 17But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! 18I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.” ’ 20So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. 21Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’22 But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; 24for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate. 25“Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. 26He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. 27He replied, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.’ 28Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. 29But he answered his father, ‘Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. 30But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!’ 31Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.’ ”Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailComics John Henry Watt (@wattj) and Andy Bell-Baltaci (@andybb_) join us on the pod. Our topics include:Strike breaking journalistsDining and dashing in the VaticanThe question of theodicyThis Week's Gospel: Luke 13:1–9 (NRSV) 1At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2He asked them, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? 3No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. 4Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.” 6Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. 7So he said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’ 8He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. 9If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’ ”Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailResident comic theologians Erick and Abby join us for a short take. Let's get to the point!This Week's Gospel:Luke 13:31–35 (NRSV) 31At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” 32He said to them, “Go and tell that fox for me, ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. 33Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.’ 34Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 35See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ”Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailComics Andrew Hilary (@andrewhilaryus) and Abigail Elias (@mr.abigailelias) are back for another round. This time our topics include:Observing the SabbathFasting for LentWhether the devil sounds like a character from Cow and Chicken This Week's Gospel: Luke 4:1–13 (NRSV) 1Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. 3The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” 4Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’ ” 5Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. 7If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’ ” 9Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ 11and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’ ” 12Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” 13When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us Fan MailResident comic theologians Erick and Abby join us to discuss Luke 9:28–43 (NET) 28Now about eight days after these sayings, Jesus took with him Peter, John, and James, and went up the mountain to pray. 29As he was praying, the appearance of his face was transformed, and his clothes became very bright, a brilliant white.30 Then two men, Moses and Elijah, began talking with him.31 They appeared in glorious splendor and spoke about his departure that he was about to carry out at Jerusalem.32 Now Peter and those with him were quite sleepy, but as they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 33Then as the men were starting to leave, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three shelters, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he was saying. 34As he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35Then a voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him!”36 After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. So they kept silent and told no one at that time anything of what they had seen. 37Now on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. 38Then a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son—he is my only child! 39A spirit seizes him, and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions and causes him to foam at the mouth. It hardly ever leaves him alone, torturing him severely. 40I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not do so.”41 Jesus answered, “You unbelieving and perverse generation! How much longer must I be with you and endure you? Bring your son here.” 42As the boy was approaching, the demon threw him to the ground and shook him with convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. 43Then they were all astonished at the mighty power of God. But while the entire crowd was amazed at everything Jesus was doing, he said to his disciples,Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.Join the community!Email us at [email protected] us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.More at linktr.ee/cptbpodMusic: Trickster by Phat SoundsFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-tricksterLicensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseScripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.