Progressive theology and engaging Sermons & podcasts from an affirming church in Richardson, Texas (just North of Dallas). We are intentional about our faith development: we ask questions, develop deep and lasting friendships, and work together to make a positive difference in our community. Nobody is perfect here, but being a part of this place brings out the best of us.
Arapaho UMC
Claim This Podcastby Arapaho UMC
4.8(11 reviews)
311 episodes
Updated Daily
Accepts GuestsHas SponsorsLocation 🇺🇸
Podcast Overview
Progressive theology and engaging Sermons & podcasts from an affirming church in Richardson, Texas (just North of Dallas). We are intentional about our faith development: we ask questions, develop deep and lasting friendships, and work together to make a positive difference in our community. Nobody is perfect here, but being a part of this place brings out the best of us.
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
7/1/2019
2 verified contact emails on file for Arapaho UMC
Pitch yourself as a guest, propose sponsorships, or reach out directly to the host.
Recent Episodes
July 26, 2026
Hope Is a Practice
<p>This sermon grows out of a challenge that has never fully let go: a conversation with a seasoned border activist — someone who had been accompanying immigrants and families through crisis for generations — who said plainly that as a faith leader, you do not have the right to give up hope. Not a comfort. A call. A weight. And an invitation to understand hope as something other than optimism or wishful thinking.</p><p><br></p><p>Drawing on Walter Brueggemann's concept of prophetic imagination — the vocation of holding open a future the empire insists is closed, of conjuring and proposing alternatives to the single story power wants to tell — this sermon makes the case that hope is not a feeling you wait to have. It is a discipline you practice. It is what you do when the feeling isn't there. It is lament that refuses to become despair. It is action that refuses to wait for certainty. It is showing up anyway.</p><p><br></p><p>The sermon names the cost of hope honestly — the exhaustion of holding it, the temptation to let it go, the grief that comes with caring about outcomes you cannot control. And it holds that alongside the long lineage of hope-practitioners in our tradition: the prophets who spoke to empty air, the women who came to the tomb on Sunday not knowing what they'd find, the activists and faith leaders who kept marching when there was no visible reason to.</p><p><br></p><p>Hope, we learn, is the posture of people who believe the story isn't over. It doesn't require certainty. It requires practice. And like any practice — prayer, Sabbath, generosity — it is something we can get better at, together.</p>
July 22, 2026
Today I Learned... From Our Youth About Love in Real Life
<p>Our youth went to Boerne, Texas, to help a community recover from a flood — and while they were there, it flooded. Plans changed. Then they changed again. (And again.) But somewhere between the mops, the flood buckets, and a gym turned into a shelter, something remarkable happened: love just kept showing up. In this week's message, Pastor Jonathan shares what he learned from watching our students serve, pivot, and even preach — four lessons about love in real life: love is flexible, love can hold what can't be fixed, love stays for the long haul, and love does it together. Along the way: a sweet neighbor who learned our kids' names, a word from Paul about grace being sufficient, and the reminder we all need — wherever you are, grace is there too.</p>
July 12, 2026
Today, I Learned… Methodists were Radicals
<p>Most people — including most Methodists — have no idea how subversive this tradition actually is. We tend to imagine ourselves as the sensible middle: not too loud, not too political, not too anything. And then you actually read the history. This sermon tells three stories that recover the radical roots of the movement we're part of.</p><p>Story One: John Wesley in the fields. Wesley didn't start by building institutions — he went outside them. Banned from pulpits, he took to open fields and coal mines and street corners to preach to the people the church had left behind. His class meetings — small groups of working-class people meeting weekly for mutual accountability, financial support, and shared prayer — were grassroots communities of transformation decades before anyone called it community organizing. The method was radical because the love was serious.</p><p>Story Two: Susanna Wesley in the kitchen. Long before her sons John and Charles changed the world, their mother was doing theology at the kitchen table. When her husband was away, Susanna began hosting theological discussions in her home — drawing dozens, eventually hundreds — in an era when women simply did not do such things. When challenged, she kept going. She didn't wait for permission to teach. She is, in many ways, the first Methodist preacher — and nobody gave her a license to do it.</p><p>Story Three: The Seneca Falls Convention. In 1848, the first Women's Rights Convention in American history — the gathering that launched the suffrage movement — was held at the Wesleyan Methodist Church in Seneca Falls, New York. Not a coincidence. The Wesleyan Methodist Connection had broken from the main Methodist body specifically over slavery and the full inclusion of women. The people who hosted that convention had been practicing radicalism for years.</p><p>The sermon lands on a contemporary question: if this is who we come from, what does it mean to be their heirs? The tradition doesn't ask us to admire the radicals from a safe distance. It asks us to pick up where they left off.</p>
311 total episodes available
Similar Podcasts
Discover related shows you might enjoy
Deep-dive analytics for Arapaho UMC
Frequently asked questions
Have a different question and can't find the answer you're looking for? Reach out to our support team by sending us an email and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.
- What is Arapaho UMC?
- How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates daily.
- Where can I listen to this podcast?
This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
- Does this podcast accept guests?
Information about guest appearances is not available.
Legal Disclaimer
Pod Engine is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected with any of the podcasts displayed on this platform. We operate independently as a podcast discovery and analytics service.
All podcast artwork, thumbnails, and content displayed on this page are the property of their respective owners and are protected by applicable copyright laws. This includes, but is not limited to, podcast cover art, episode artwork, show descriptions, episode titles, transcripts, audio snippets, and any other content originating from the podcast creators or their licensors.
We display this content under fair use principles and/or implied license for the purpose of podcast discovery, information, and commentary. We make no claim of ownership over any podcast content, artwork, or related materials shown on this platform. All trademarks, service marks, and trade names are the property of their respective owners.
While we strive to ensure all content usage is properly authorized, if you are a rights holder and believe your content is being used inappropriately or without proper authorization, please contact us immediately at hey@podengine.ai for prompt review and appropriate action, which may include content removal or proper attribution.
By accessing and using this platform, you acknowledge and agree to respect all applicable copyright laws and intellectual property rights of content owners. Any unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or commercial use of the content displayed on this platform is strictly prohibited.