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SERIES: Thoughts on Prayers for ‘Thoughts and Prayers’ People

Readings: 1 Samuel 2: 1 - 10 

Message: Pt. 2 Mutiny and Mutuality

Synopsis: Certainly, by the time the phrase “thoughts and prayers” becomes the slogan equivalent of a lit candle at a vigil or a carnation at a memorial, we must ask ourselves, what do we mean when we tell someone, ‘we are prayin for ya,’ or ‘sending our thoughts your way’?

As a member of the Body of Christ, I think I speak for everyone when I say, I hope there’s more going on here than people consoling other people with their ‘thoughts.’ Let’s spend some time thinking about prayer.

SERIES: Thoughts on Prayers for ‘Thoughts and Prayers’ People

Readings: Isaiah 46: 1 - 11, The Message

Message: Pt. 1

Synopsis: Certainly, by the time the phrase “thoughts and prayers” becomes the slogan equivalent of a lit candle at a vigil or a carnation at a memorial, we must ask ourselves, what do we mean when we tell someone, ‘we are prayin for ya,’ or ‘sending our thoughts your way’?

As a member of the Body of Christ, I think I speak for everyone when I say, I hope there’s more going on here than people consoling other people with their ‘thoughts.’ Let’s spend some time thinking about prayer.

Series: Idol No More

Scripture: 2 Samuel 13: 1 – 20 (T^{he Message)}

Message: Pt. 4 - Sex

John Calvin once said, “the human heart is an idol factory.” It’s a perpetual forge of fabrications. A variation of the same: “One very difficult aspect of sin is that my sin never feels like sin to me. My sin feels like life to me – my heart is an idol factory, and my mind is an excuse-making factory.” Rosaria Champagne Butterfield Let's spend a month talking about idols - where they come from and why.

Series: Idol No More

Scripture: Luke 19: 1 - 9 

Message: Pt. 3 - Money

John Calvin once said, “the human heart is an idol factory.” It’s a perpetual forge of fabrications. A variation of the same: “One very difficult aspect of sin is that my sin never feels like sin to me. My sin feels like life to me – my heart is an idol factory, and my mind is an excuse-making factory.” Rosaria Champagne Butterfield Let's spend a month talking about idols - where they come from and why.

Series: Idol No More

Scripture: Daniel 2: 1 - 3, 19 - 23 

Message: Pt. 2 - Power

John Calvin once said, “the human heart is an idol factory.” It’s a perpetual forge of fabrications. A variation of the same: “One very difficult aspect of sin is that my sin never feels like sin to me. My sin feels like life to me – my heart is an idol factory, and my mind is an excuse-making factory.” Rosaria Champagne Butterfield Let's spend a month talking about idols - where they come from and why.

Series: Idol No More

Scripture: Exodus 20

Message: Series Introduction

John Calvin once said, “the human heart is an idol factory.” It’s a perpetual forge of fabrications. A variation of the same: “One very difficult aspect of sin is that my sin never feels like sin to me. My sin feels like life to me – my heart is an idol factory, and my mind is an excuse-making factory.” _{Rosaria Champagne Butterfield Let's spend a month talking about idols - where they come from and why.}

Advent Series: Re-Gift - Rediscovering the Symbolism of Christmas

Reading: John 1: 1 - 14 

Message: "Star"

Synopsis: No one in the original Christmas story is at home. Mary and Joseph and the Wise men from the East - all of them - are going to or going from some place or other. Even the starlight that guides them has traveled some distance before arriving in earth's field of vision. Neither is Jesus at home, or you or I. None of us is home yet.

Advent Series: Re-Gift - Rediscovering the Symbolism of Christmas

Reading: Luke 1: 5 - 25 

Message: "Tree"

Synopsis: While we are on the topic of Christmas traditions that seem completely arbitrary, what does the Christmas tree have to do with Jesus' birth? Who was the first to cut a balsam fir and drag it into the house as a symbol of the Christmas miracle? 

Advent Series: Re-Gift - Rediscovering the Symbolism of Christmas

Reading: Ephesians 2: 1 - 10 

Message: "Gift"

Synopsis: For Christians, "gifts" may seem like exactly the wrong reason to get excited at Christmas time. However, it may well be the most important word in the entirety of Scripture. The New Testament Greeks borrowed the word "gift" to begin talking about the gospel of grace, a completely 'other' concept in a world that knows only gifts that come with strings attached.

Advent Series: Re-Gift - Rediscovering the Symbolism of Christmas

Reading: Isaiah 60: 1 - 3 

Message: "Light"

Synopsis: So much of the contemporary Christmas season is a product of ‘lost in translation.’ Jesus was born; there shone a heavenly light, there was a star, soon three gifts arrived from wise strangers. Images that emerged as associations with the event became analogies to the event and then profound symbols of the event. Over time, those symbols were mythologized until what we have today, are mostly symbols of what were once powerful symbols. Let’s spend a month, peeling away the layers of wrap and refuse and rediscover the gift of Christmas symbolism.

Series: Complete Disclosure

Message: 'until you make it'

Readings: Exodus 4: 1 - 13 

Series: Complete Disclosure

Message: 'if you stare at it long enough...'

Readings: Judges 2: 10 - 23 

Series: Complete Disclosure

Message: 'you think that's a problem...'

Readings: Acts 15: 1 - 6; 22 - 29 

Think of all the great church fights in history and the arguments you have entered into without having skin in the game; at least, not to the extent of those who actually had skin in the game. Acts 15 narrates one of those church fights and the outcome is surprising. It suggests to us that not all of our 'problems' have solutions, but they have context in larger, real problems in which God himself has skin in the game.

Series: Complete Disclosure

Message: 'in the year 2,000'

Readings: Matthew 21: 33 - 41; Mark 4: 26 - 29 

How does cultural change happen? Especially in an institution like 'church' in which the decline narrative has for some time been the de facto narrative, what methodology might be used to turn that story around? How did Jesus understand how cultural shifts in thinking come about?

Series: Thanksgiving Weekend

Reading: Luke 17: 11 - 18

• Consider, who has made a difference in your life? Perhaps it is someone who as yet has no idea the impact s/he has had on your life.
• Whose contribution to your life was not evident at the time but now, perhaps years later, seems abundantly clear?
• Is there someone in your life whose impact was wholly negative, and yet God used that person to make you who you are today, for His glory?

Series: Advance Polling [2]

Reading: Acts 5: 33 - 42 

Message: Is entrenched, angry and extreme the new political norm?

From the first lawn sign and billboard post, predictions of who will be first past the post. A month listening for that lone voice that is new and progressive and liberal, only to decide whether it’s New or Progressive or Liberal. From synonyms to semantics to splitting hairs, it all leads to a cross-hairs – an ‘x’ in a box on a ballot in a box. The story of every election.

Series: Advance Polling [1]

Reading: Psalm 72

Message: What makes this election different?

From the first lawn sign and billboard post, predictions of who will be first past the post. A month listening for that lone voice that is new and progressive and liberal, only to decide whether it’s New or Progressive or Liberal. From synonyms to semantics to splitting hairs, it all leads to a cross-hairs – an ‘x’ in a box on a ballot in a box. The story of every election.

Series: Reach

Reading: Luke 10: 25 - 37 

Message: 'Service'

A leading church growth guru (Ed Young, I think) once told an auditorium of ministers, “your church will need to be reminded of its reason for existence every 4 – 6 months.” Forget for a moment that this is true of all organizations and corporate entities, and forget that for some groups, this corporate amnesia settles in as little as 4 – 6 weeks, it stands to reason that we regularly revisit the questions, ‘who are we?’ and ‘what are we up to?’ Reach is that sermon series – the proverbial ‘mission-vision-white-board-flipchart-town-hall-meeting’ we’ve all been to so many times it gives us motion sickness and yet absolutely necessary if we are to know who we are and whose.

Series: Reach

Reading: 1 Corinthians 3

Message: 'Growth'

A leading church growth guru (Ed Young, I think) once told an auditorium of ministers, “your church will need to be reminded of its reason for existence every 4 – 6 months.” Forget for a moment that this is true of all organizations and corporate entities, and forget that for some groups, this corporate amnesia settles in as little as 4 – 6 weeks, it stands to reason that we regularly revisit the questions, ‘who are we?’ and ‘what are we up to?’ Reach is that sermon series – the proverbial ‘mission-vision-white-board-flipchart-town-hall-meeting’ we’ve all been to so many times it gives us motion sickness and yet absolutely necessary if we are to know who we are and whose.

Series: Reach

Reading: Matthew 7: 21 - 29 

Message: 'Faith'

A leading church growth guru (Ed Young, I think) once told an auditorium of ministers, “your church will need to be reminded of its reason for existence every 4 – 6 months.” Forget for a moment that this is true of all organizations and corporate entities, and forget that for some groups, this corporate amnesia settles in as little as 4 – 6 weeks, it stands to reason that we regularly revisit the questions, ‘who are we?’ and ‘what are we up to?’ Reach is that sermon series – the proverbial ‘mission-vision-white-board-flipchart-town-hall-meeting’ we’ve all been to so many times it gives us motion sickness and yet absolutely necessary if we are to know who we are and whose.

Series: Nominees for Biblical Character in a Supporting Role

Reading: Philemon

Message: Nominees include... Onesimus

Scripture, as history, is punctuated by the marks of individuals whose names and personalities we may never know well, but whose contributions we come to rely upon every day. What does it matter ‘who’ implored calm in the missile crisis, or engineered a solution to the nuclear meltdown, only that it happened, and the world exists today because of them. They are the ‘supporting roles’ in the grand drama and the Bible is full of them. Join us as we dig deep into the names and personalities of the bit-parts of salvation history.

Series: Nominees for Biblical Character in a Supporting Role

Reading: Luke 8: 1 - 3 

Message: Nominees include... Joanna, Susanna & the others

Scripture, as history, is punctuated by the marks of individuals whose names and personalities we may never know well, but whose contributions we come to rely upon every day. What does it matter ‘who’ implored calm in the missile crisis, or engineered a solution to the nuclear meltdown, only that it happened, and the world exists today because of them. They are the ‘supporting roles’ in the grand drama and the Bible is full of them. Join us as we dig deep into the names and personalities of the bit-parts of salvation history.

Series: Nominees for Biblical Character in a Supporting Role

Reading: Hosea 1

Message: Nominees include... Gomer

^{Scripture, as history, is punctuated by the marks of individuals whose names and personalities we may never know well, but whose contributions we come to rely upon every day. What does it matter ‘who’ implored calm in the missile crisis, or engineered a solution to the nuclear meltdown, only that it happened, and the world exists today because of them. They are the ‘supporting roles’ in the grand drama and the Bible is full of them. Join us as we dig deep into the names and personalities of the bit-parts of salvation history.}

Series: Nominees for Biblical Character in a Supporting Role

Reading: 2 Samuel 9

Message: Nominees include... Mephibosheth

Scripture, as history, is punctuated by the marks of individuals whose names and personalities we may never know well, but whose contributions we come to rely upon every day. What does it matter ‘who’ implored calm in the missile crisis, or engineered a solution to the nuclear meltdown, only that it happened, and the world exists today because of them. They are the ‘supporting roles’ in the grand drama and the Bible is full of them. Join us as we dig deep into the names and personalities of the bit-parts of salvation history.

Series: Nominees for Biblical Character in a Supporting Role

Reading: Judges 11: 29 - 34 

Message: Nominees include... Jephthah

Scripture, as history, is punctuated by the marks of individuals whose names and personalities we may never know well, but whose contributions we come to rely upon every day. What does it matter ‘who’ implored calm in the missile crisis, or engineered a solution to the nuclear meltdown, only that it happened, and the world exists today because of them. They are the ‘supporting roles’ in the grand drama and the Bible is full of them. Join us as we dig deep into the names and personalities of the bit-parts of salvation history.

Series: I Want That

Reading: Matthew 6: 25 - 34 

Message: Pt. 3: freedom from worry

The Bible uses the words "work" and "rest" in general terms to describe the time in which you stress and worry and the time in which you experience peace of mind, respectively. But for most of us, "rest" does not bring peace of mind. In fact, we are worriers by nature and not by circumstance. For those people, the only cure for worry is to trust that God is doing as much (or more) through us and without us.... even while we sleep.

Series: I Want That

Reading: Matthew 18: 21 - 35 

Message: Pt. 2: a forgiving spirit

Every one of us has an awareness of the people we would least like to offend. Beware; if you are to cross one of those, you'd never hear the end of it. Where does vindictiveness come from, where does it get us, and more importantly, how does Christianity offer the 'only way out'?

Series: I Want That

Reading: Numbers 11: 18 - 34 

Message: Pt. 1: the Holy Spirit

Even believers look to the side of another's fence and wonder, ‘How did they get that? What are they doing right that I’m doing wrong?’ We cannot help but marvel (even envy) another’s deep and abiding peace, their unconscious and intuitive ability to make friends and connect with strangers, their willingness to let go of grudges and proceed forward in faith. In these instances, we are right to say of those things, ‘I want that!’ Even better, is God wants you to want those things. 

Communion: Why 'How' is the Same as 'Why'

Reading: 1 Corinthians 11: 17 - 34 

You could tell the Corinthian church was celebrating communion (Lord's Supper) because you could hear the arguments all the way down the street. Bad optics? Yes; to the casual outside observer including the Apostle Paul, the divisiveness of the Corinthian believers required a rebuke and re-think of their values and perspectives.

Series: John, Meet John... Hagee

Reading: Revelation 22: 1 - 7 

Message: March on Megiddo

There is only one more major piece in the puzzle called Revelation: identification of the Antichrist, and the battle of Armageddon. In other words, identify all our known or perceived enemies, drag them out on the cosmic battlefield, and give them their 'come-upins.' Historians can tell us how many people groups have waged war in the place called Armageddon. But historians will never be able to tell you if you are winning your own personal battles.

Series: John, Meet John... Hagee

Reading: Revelation 19: 11 - 16 

Message: The Righting of History

It's difficult for us to see history built inch by inch over millennia. Far easier it is to see the current events, to acknowledge once more 'how bad the world is' and then throw open Scripture to see what God has to say about our present dilemma. But current events don't tell the whole story or even half of it. Current events are re-written by an overarching narrative. And then the narrative shifts once more as God uses all things - both good and bad - to conform to His plan for justice and equity in the cosmos.

Series: John, Meet John... Hagee

Reading: Romans 8: 18 - 25 

Message: The Rupture

For some, the end times is dreadfully frightening. For others, it is weirdly exciting; a surivivalist gene kicks 'on' within us, and we begin to imagine how we might take care of ourselves and preserve our place in the world in the event of really tough times. In this way, 'end times' makes us consider issues of self-preservation. Is this how we should approach the topic? Is it not already human nature to think of oneself first? And would the Christian way in the world not be counter to such self-concern?

Series: John, Meet John... Hagee

Reading: Revelation 1: 1 - 9 

Message: Propheteering

In a world where evangelicals largely control the narrative, it would be helpful if the narrative were based on good intel. In this regard, what Christianity lacks is not merely transformation, but information; and there’s a lot of bad information out there. Biblical interpretations effect how we read history, make sense of current events; even our expectations of the future. So when preachers employ prophecy and revelation of the future, to wag the dog of today, we ought to wonder what consideration is given to the lessons of the past. John, meet John.

Series: Four Funerals and a Resurrection

Readings: John 20: 1 – 16; Revelation 11: 15 – 19

Message: The Heaven-Earth Overlap

Facts and meaning have a strange relationship - like art and reality - so that you don't quite know which is leading and which is following. Fact is: Jesus rose from the grave. But what does it mean? And when the meanings and symbols become more and more elaborate how do we make sense of it?

Series: Four Funerals and a Resurrection

Readings: Luke 22: 47 - 53

Message: [Pt. 4] "Zealot"

Zealot could describe anyone whose religio-political fervor borders on fanaticism. That there were zealots in Jesus' day, there can be no doubt; especially during Holy Week, and especially around Jesus from Palm Sunday to Passover. What was every one fanatic about? More importantly what are you fanatic about? Is what you are fighting for also worth dying for?

Series: Four Funerals and a Resurrection

Readings: Matthew 23: 1 - 12 

Message: [Pt. 3] "Monastic"

Most of us think about prayer as a divine attribute. It is about getting us closer to God in order to connect with him. So why is it, then, that if someone is praying in the gospels, it is Jesus everytime? Did he need to get closer to God? If you wish to push the divinity of Christ to its maximum value, Jesus did not need to pray so much as talk to himself. But Jesus was also human. What if prayer is about keeping us grounded in our humanity and prayerlessness is a sign that we've lost touch who who we are and what we are made of?

Series: Four Funerals and a Resurrection

Readings: Matthew 23: 1 - 12 

Message: [Pt. 2] "Rabbi"

Jesus took up the rabbinical tradition of the day and began rewriting it. Every rabbi's teaching was called his 'yoke,' and Jesus' yoke was light and easy. We have come to the conclusion that 'light and easy' means either 'simple' or 'non-existent.' That is not true. We carry a burden, too. But only one rabbi in history comes along beside us and shares the yoke.

Series: Four Funerals and a Resurrection

Readings: John 1: 43 – 51; Mark 6: 1 – 6

Message: [Pt.1] "Carpenter"

When we say things like, ‘Jesus died to save me from my sins,’ the focus is on who we are. We are sinners. The people who killed Jesus were not thinking about who we are. They killed Jesus because of who he is. He is a Jewish man who rose from humble beginnings to become a controversial and well-known public figure. He led a movement that united both contemplatives and activists, those who retreated from civic life and those most zealous to change it. Indeed, he had the potential to transform every corner of his society. Through his resurrection, he did.

SERIES: Automatic, for the People

Message: for the people

Reading: Mark 4: 26 - 29 

If things like gravity and entropy are automatics built into creation, it ought to make us curious, 'are there any automatic principles built into the kingdom of God?' Forget for a moment that not all believers are in agreement and what the kingdom is - kingdom of God, kingdom of heaven, thy kingdom come, coming, came (?) - instead, consider how the kingdom behaves. It grows according to principles all by itself; automatically.

SERIES: Automatic, for the People

Message: Automatic

Reading: Mark 4: 26 - 29 

If things like gravity and entropy are automatics built into creation, it ought to make us curious, 'are there any automatic principles built into the kingdom of God?' Forget for a moment that not all believers are in agreement and what the kingdom is - kingdom of God, kingdom of heaven, thy kingdom come, coming, came (?) - instead, consider how the kingdom behaves. It grows according to principles all by itself; automatically.

SERIES: One is a mammal with a big heart. The other is a prophet.

Message: Jonah Ch. 4

Reading: Jonah 4

Jonah may have multiple motivations for his actions in the story, because the Bible does not provide a singular clear motivation. It is, indeed, a deeply complex pathology at work that compels him to run from God and then later sabotage his own mission to Nineveh. The story concludes in an open-ended way: have we taken a vantage point by which to see God's grace or actively obscure it?

SERIES: One is a mammal with a big heart. The other is a prophet.

Message: Jonah Ch. 3

Reading: Jonah 3

Forget Compton or even Moncton; Nineveh was in a bad way. But given the tragectory of the narrative so far, we should not be surprised when Nineveh turns to God. The Book of Jonah holds out one greater element of suspense: it is Jonah himself who needs deep and abiding transformation in his life.

SERIES: Baptism Service

Message: YES

Reading: 2 Corinthians 1: 12 - 24 

To us, 'yes' is just a word and most words are empty. Especially at a time when we are highly cautious about making commitments and signing contracts, our 'yes' is rather more a, 'let's see how it goes.' God's 'yes' is different. It is anything but empty; rather, it calls forth into existence the very thing to which he is signalling affirmation. God's 'yes' is a reality that can be seen, held and relied upon.

SERIES: One is a mammal with a big heart. The other is a prophet.

Message: Jonah Ch. 2

Reading: Jonah 2

We would expect big things from Jonah's 'belly-of-the-whale-ordeal.' And indeed, when Jonah begins to pray to God, we get what we had hoped for - humility, submission, repentance. The only problem is: Jonah prayed that prayer thinking he had drowned and gone to the realm of the dead. Is that not exactly what he wanted and asked for? Is it like God to give a disobedient prophet exactly what he wanted and asked for?

SERIES: One is a mammal with a big heart. The other is a prophet.

Message: Jonah Ch. 1

Reading: Jonah 1

It seems strange that the Book of Jonah falls within the Biblical category of ‘prophecy.’ Prophets call people and nations into submission before God. Jonah does very little of that. In fact, he lives in active disobedience to God; submitting to nothing and no-one. There we discover that Jonah is himself the ‘prophecy;’ a tale of caution to all readers about pride and despair and the only hope: of being found humbled and at peace before God.

SERIES: Jesus Genes (Advent series)

Message: Pt. 4 - my brothers and my sisters

Reading: Matthew 13: 53 - 55; Mark 3: 31 - 35 

By about the 4th C, the church had rubbed out of history Jesus' childhood family in favor of the doctrine of the perpetual purity of Mary - that Mary remained a virgin throughout her life, even in the act of giving birth on Christmas. What it means, is Jesus did not grow up with any other children in the house. That is simply not true. The Bible describes his 1/2 brothers and sisters and they remain, to this day, both the medium and the message of gospel good news.

SERIES: Jesus Genes (Advent series)

Message: Pt. 3 - what say you, Joe?

Reading: Matthew 1: 16 - 25 

Joseph contributes a "still, silent center" to the story of Christ's birth. In fact, he enters and exits Scripture without ever uttering even a syllable. Imagine the courage and conviction of one who married under strange circumstances (Mary was already pregnant), was visited by angels, and moved his family in haste to Egypt to escape Herod, and yet did all of that without recording a word in the Bible. God does not promise that we will always get the last word. He promises himself and honors those who obediently follow his call.

SERIES: Jesus Genes (Advent series)

Message: Pt. 2 - that ole dvd

Reading: 2 Samuel 7: 11b - 17, Matthew 1: 1 - 17 

What is surprising is not so much how David's life turned out; the meteroric rise and equally meteoric falls that characterise his life - that deadly ricochet between pride and despair with which we are so familar. It is that when we open the New Testament story of Jesus Christ, the Bible is still clinging to David. His name lights up Matthew ch. 1 like a Christmas tree! What is God telling us that a person like David can figure so promently in Jesus family tree?

SERIES: Jesus Genes (Advent series)

Message: Pt. 1 - my four moms

Reading: Matthew 1: 1 - 17 

Comparing Matthew and Luke’s attempt at genealogy reveals discrepancies: names (generations) go missing, the ordering gets goofed up, women appear out of nowhere and against the tradition. The question is not ‘who is right?’ (Matthew or Luke) but, ‘why is creative license employed?’ – for what purpose or end? It is, of course, to tell us who you need to be to end up in Jesus’ family tree.

SERIES: Does Christianity Still Matter?

Message: Pt. 3 - Truth be Told

Reading: Luke 12: 13 – 24, 29 – 32 (The Message)

"One of the most famous quotes of 2017 suggested, 'these are the alternative facts.' Certainly by the time we begin arguing Christianity has a factual basis, we may expect push-back. 'Those may be your facts, but those are not my facts.' In a world reduced to mere subjective opinion, can anything really be known for sure?"

SERIES: Does Christianity Still Matter?

Message: Pt. 2 - Lost and Found

Reading: 1 Chronicles 17: 1 - 15 

"Lost in the vastness of the multi-verse, human beings do what human beings have always done: gone in search of God; finding Him and figuring out how to relate to Him is the project of organized religion. Christianity bears one marvelous and unexpected distinctive: this God comes in search of us, through the presence of Immanuel, 'God with us.'"

SERIES: Does Christianity Still Matter?

Message: Pt. 1 - The Big Booming Voice 

Reading: Job 38: 1 - 11, 31 - 33

"The mysteries of creation give testimony to the need for a creator. Christianity provides the most sensible creation narrative, not despite of science, but because of it. Creation and Creator are key pieces in a narrative that gives meaning and vocation to all human beings."

SERIES: 12 personalities, 24 footprints, 36 months, 1 road

Message: the Little'ns

Reading: Matthew 10

SERIES: 12 personalities, 24 footprints, 36 months, 1 road

Message: the Andrew Effect

Reading: John 1: 35 - 42, John 6: 1 - 14 

SERIES: 12 personalities, 24 footprints, 36 months, 1 road

Message: without the stuffing

Reading: Luke 17: 11 - 19 

SERIES: 12 personalities, 24 footprints, 36 months, 1 road

Message: AKA

Reading: John 1: 29 - 42 

SERIES: 12 personalities, 24 footprints, 36 months, 1 road

In technical terms, discipleship involves a three-year immersive internship under the wings of a Teacher who may as well have the entire Bible memorized, so overwhelming is his knowledge and wisdom. You and I would say, "I can't drop what I'm doing to follow this Teacher; that's too great a commitment." Except that this Teacher knows us, gets inside of us, and moves us with motivations that are not burdensome but winsome. 

Message: Crossing Over

Reading: Mark 1: 9 - 20 

SERIES: 12 personalities, 24 footprints, 36 months, 1 road

Message: On Foot

Reading: Genesis 1: 26 – 31

Labour Day Weekend

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3: 11 - 15 

Message: Live. Laugh. Labour.

Series: Holy Hyperbole

The snake is an odd choice for a role model. It is such an obvious symbol in the Bible that we would expect Jesus to curse the snake, not commend it. That is true, except with regard to its shrewdness; the snake demonstrates cunning, craft and deliberateness. And those same things put to use for the Kingdom will gain a net yield and a commendation from the King.

Message: Shrewd as Snakes

Reading: Matthew 10: 1 - 16

Series: Holy Hyperbole

Jesus locked gaze with a woman who was clearly in need and when he finally opened his mouth to speak to her, he said the word, 'dog.' To be very clear, Jesus' interaction with this particular individual today would have sparked a #hashtag movement. The interesting thing is: she wasn't offended. Nor was it Jesus' intention to offend her, but to offend those who would either overhear this conversation or read about it later. 

Message: Dog Under the Table

Reading: Matthew 15: 21 - 39

Series: Profession of Faith

"Every church has two rites of passage - a baptism and a dedication. In our tradition, often the baptism happens at infancy and the dedication (or profession of faith) as a rite of adulthood so that by the time the full responsibility of life, with its work and worries arrives, we have long forgot about the meaning of baptism. Jesus puts it into perspective by introducing us to a gardener who goes about his work with the steady trust and reliance of a child."

Scripture: Psalm 127; Mark 4: 26 - 29 

Message: The Gardener and the Worrier

Series: Long Time Listener, First Time Caller

Both literalists and non-literalists can agree that a talking snake is an example of 'anthropomorphism' - the attribution of human characteristics to an animal or thing. The thing we are referring to, of course, is the invisible spiritual realm. What does the Bible say about evil in our midst and what kind of response should this elicit in us?

Scripture: Matthew 16: 13 - 28 

Message: [Pt.7] Spiritual Realm?

Series: Long Time Listener, First Time Caller

It is hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of God - such a narrow gate for people who carry with them so much stuff - that is, until they get good at letting go. Money is just one thing - perhaps the scariest thing - to imagine letting go of. But we know from experience that hangups about money often go much deeper, revealing hidden hurts and areas of vulnerability in our lives. How do we let go of those?

Scripture: Mark 10: 17 - 31 

Message: [Pt.5] Sell Everything?

Pentecost is one of those things, we may imagine, that resulted from being in the right place at the right time. Before he ascended, Jesus left specific instructions: 'be in the holy city in a few days or you will miss out.' However, we know that missing out on Pentecost is not simply about being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Spiritual revival is at one in the same time a gift, a miracle, a mystery, and not for the faint of heart.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 14: 18 - 33 (The Message)

Message: No Pentecost without a Cost

Series: Long Time Listener, First Time Caller

Standing on this side of Easter, the question would seem to apply to Jesus: "where were you Easter weekend? As someone who has come back from the dead, tell us, what is it like?" That is, after all, the question we would ask of anyone who has peeked over the line between life and death and returned to talk about it. What does the Bible say about the destination beyond?

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4: 13 - 18 

Message: [Pt. 4] Intermediate State?

Series: Long Time Listener, First Time Caller

"Promises have fallen on hard times; they are both meaningless in the context of our political disillusionment, and so intensely meaningful that we fear forever-commitments made through promises. God does not suffer from either our disillusionment or fear of commitment. He makes promises to us as old as time and as relevant as ever. The Bible refers to God's vows as covenants."

Scripture: Genesis 15

Message: [Pt. 3] Covenant?

Series: Long Time Listener, First Time Caller

"Fortune cookies and horoscopes offer wisdom in such generalities that it applies to all people, everywhere, all the time. For Christians, that message is: 'today you will need to forgive someone.' In a world where retribution is the first law of human nature, forgiveness is a challenge for all believers, everywhere, in all times. Why is it so hard and what will help us re-engage the process of forgiveness?"

Scripture: Matthew 18: 21 - 35  

Message: [Pt. 2] Forgive?

Series: Long Time Listener, First Time Caller

"Long time listener, first time caller would probably describe most of you. You have listened to sermons for a long time just as some preachers have preached for a long time. This time the tables are turned and it's you on the air, choosing the music; your voice, shaping the content and conversation. One of you called in this request: what is canon? Who decided which writings should be considered sacred and therefore gain entrance into the Bible? And did that person choose wisely?"

Scripture: Luke 24: 27 - 35; Hebrews 4: 12 - 13 

Message: [Pt. 1] Canon?

Series: Easter Sunday

"The disciples spent much of Easter weekend in a locked room. This would be called the “bottle episode” in the unfolding drama of the Easter story. It’s a long scene with little movement as each of the disciples comes to terms with what happened on Good Friday. But when they emerge from the locked room, they are a group transformed with faith and power and boldness. Only one thing explains this transformation: something happened in that locked room – an encounter with the risen Christ."

Scripture: John 20: 19 - 31 

Message: 'The Other Resurrection'

Series: Controversy was the Crime

"Every generation wishes to believe that we were the only ones who had to walk to school uphill both ways; we were the ones who worked the hardest, complained the least, and never had anything handed to us. And now you can understand how the generation of his day reacted to Jesus – after everything that they had worked for it seemed Jesus was just handing it out for free. "

Scripture: Matthew 20: 1 - 6, 13: 24 - 30 

Message: Pt. 4 'Every Generation'

Series: Controversy was the Crime

"They found themselves on the wrong side of history. Like coal miners in the 21st Century, history passed by the religious people of the 1st Century. But not without a fight; one that reached its climax in the death of Christ. Jesus scandalized their religious rituals and traditions in order to place history on the side of those who embrace relationship instead; relationship with Christ, and one another."

Scripture: Hebrews 10: 1 - 18 

Message: Pt. 3 'Kicking at the Obstacles'

Series: Controversy was the Crime

"Zach Morris was a preppie, Ferris Bueller was a troublemaker. Every high school has its distinct cliques and clans but that is not ideal - it is, after all, high school. Jesus united twelve individuals each from very different walks of life and formed something the world had never seen - a discipleship movement capable of far greater drama, beauty and transformation, than if we all remained in one clique or clan."

Scripture: Mark 3: 13 - 19, 31 - 35 

Message: Pt. 2 'Kin, Clan, Clique'

Series: Controversy was the Crime

Scripture: John 2: 13 - 25 

Message: Pt. 1 'Temple'

Scripture: Nehemiah NIV Introduction; Nehemiah 1

Message: 'not just another brick in the wall'

Series: Emoji

Scripture: Luke 7: 36 - 50 

Message: Pt. 4 'Love'

Series: Emoji

Scripture: John 11: 17 - 37 

Message: Pt. 3 'Grief'

Series: Emoji

Scripture: Psalm 103

Message: Pt. 2 'Fear'

Series: Emoji

Scripture: Genesis 18: 9 - 15; 21: 1 - 7 

Message: Pt. 1 'Laughter'

New Year's Eve 

Scripture: Esther 4: 9 - 17 

Message: 'time' for Esther

Series: Follow the Star

Scripture: Luke 2: 1 - 7 

Message: making space

Series: Follow the Star

Scripture: Matthew 1: NIV Introduction, excerpts

Message: the whole holy family

Series: Follow the Star

Scripture: 2 Peter 3

Message: the other advent

Series: Follow the Star

Scripture: Revelation 12

Message: cosmic Christmas

Scripture: NIV Introduction: The Book of Job; Job 2: 1 - 20 

Message: ‘The Book of Job'

SERIES: "500" - top three ideas, 500 years later

Scripture:  1 Peter 1: 22 – 2: 3; 2 Peter 3: 14 – 18

Message: ‘always reforming'

SERIES: "500" - top three ideas, 500 years later

Scripture: Ephesians 1

Message: ‘loved you first'

SERIES: "500" - top three ideas, 500 years later

Scripture: Isaiah 40: 6 - 31

Message: ‘sovereignty'

SERIES: Sibling of the Seven

Scripture: Revelation 3: 14 - 22

Message: ‘three taps'

SERIES: Thanksgiving

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 5: 13 - 20 

Message: ‘beyond reason'

SERIES: Sibling of the Seven

Scripture: Revelation 3: 1 - 6

Message: ‘asleep in Sardis'

SERIES: Sibling of the Seven

Scripture: Revelation 2: 12 – 29

Message: ‘how did we end up here?'

SERIES: Sibling of the Seven

Scripture: Revelation 2: 8 - 11, 3: 7 - 13 

Message: ‘the that' 

SERIES: Sibling of the Seven

Scripture: Revelation 2: 1 - 7 

Message: ‘your first love'

SERIES: Confined, but not solitary. Fastened, but free. From jail, with joy, love Paul.

Scripture: Philippians 4

Message: ‘the missing word and the secret'

SERIES: Confined, but not solitary. Fastened, but free. From jail, with joy, love Paul.

Scripture: Philippians 3: 1 - 14 

Message: ‘Listicles and Other Rubbish'

SERIES: Confined, but not solitary. Fastened, but free. From jail, with joy, love Paul.

Scripture: Philippians 2: 19 - 30

Message: ‘Elder Epaphroditus'

SERIES: Canada Day 150

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 7: 11 - 22 

Message: the invisible Canada

SERIES: Confined, but not solitary. Fastened, but free. From jail, with joy, love Paul.

Scripture: Philippians 2: 1 - 18 

Message: ‘running (better) on empty'

SERIES: Confined, but not solitary. Fastened, but free. From jail, with joy, love Paul.

Scripture: Philippians 1: 12 - 30 

Message: ‘Paul's Cell Group’

SERIES: Confined, but not solitary. Fastened, but free. From jail, with joy, love Paul.

Scripture: Philippians 1: 1 – 11

Message: ‘Ragtag in Philippi’

SERIES: ‘What do we really mean when we say _______?’

Scripture: Acts 2: 14 - 41

Message: repent

SERIES: ‘What do we really mean when we say _______?’

Scripture: Luke 17: 20 - 25 

Message: kingdom

SERIES: ‘What do we really mean when we say _______?’

Scripture: Genesis 3

Message: sin

SERIES: ‘What do we really mean when we say _______?’

Scripture: Luke 4: 14 - 30

Message: good news

SERIES: ‘What do we really mean when we say _______?’

Scripture: Ephesians 2: 4 – 10; Luke 15: 25 – 32

Message: grace

SERIES: Easter

Scripture: John 20: 1 - 16

Message: the only remaining theory

SERIES: Parable and Passion

Scripture: Matthew 22: 1 - 14 

Message: not looking like that, you won't

SERIES: Parable and Passion

Scripture: Matthew 13: 31 – 35

Message: it’s gotta start somewhere

SERIES: From Parable to Passion

Scripture: Luke 13: 1 – 9

Message: give it time

SERIES: From Parable to Passion

Scripture: Matthew 21: 28 – 46

Message: beyond the road paved with good intentions

SERIES: From Parable to Passion

Scripture: Matthew 21: 33 – 46

Message: where’s the fruit?

SERIES: The Doomsday Clock

Reading: Revelation 12

Message: the view from Meggido

SERIES: The Doomsday Clock

Reading: NIV Intro: Revelation; Revelation 1: 1 – 3; 22: 16 – 21

Message: life in the last days

SERIES: The Inner Cynic

Reading: Ecclesiastes 12: 1 – 8

Message:Pt.6: before I sign-off

SERIES: The Inner Cynic

Reading: Ecclesiastes 9: 1 – 12

Message: Pt. 5: who could have predicted?

SERIES: The Inner Cynic

Reading: Ecclesiastes 4: 4 – 12

Message: Pt. 4: your hands

SERIES: The Inner Cynic

Reading: Ecclesiastes 3

Message: Pt.3: for all a time and a time for all

SERIES: The Inner Cynic

Reading: Ecclesiastes 1: 12 – 2: 11

Message: Pt. 2: the grand undertaking

SERIES: The Inner Cynic

Reading: Ecclesiastes 1: 1 – 11

Message: when there’s nothing new under the sun

SERIES: “From Fullness to Emptiness (and Back Again)”

Reading: Ruth 4: 1 – 13

Message: the first Christmas in Bethlehem

SERIES: “From Fullness to Emptiness (and Back Again)”

Reading: Ruth 3: 1 – 13

Message: cross the threshing floor

SERIES: “From Fullness to Emptiness (and Back Again)”

Reading: Ruth 2: 1 – 10

Message: the door

SERIES: “From Fullness to Emptiness (and Back Again)”

Reading: Ruth 1: 1 – 18

Message: in anticipation of the last word

SERIES: Year of the Yubel

Scripture: Luke 15: 11 – 24

Message: [Pt. 2] The New Yubel

SERIES: Year of the Yubel

Scripture: Luke 4: 14 – 30

Message: [Pt. 1] Time to Sound the Yubel

SERIES: BIG

Reading: Romans 12: 1 – 8 (The Message)

Message: Pt. 4: Big Reform

Series: BIG

Message: Pt. 3: Big Book

Scripture:  Luke 10: 25 – 29

SERIES: BIG

Message: Pt. 2: Big Gifts

Scripture: Ephesians 2: 1 – 10

SERIES: BIG

Reading: Isaiah 45

Message: Pt. 1: Big God