Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Jesus at 2AM - A Humorous, Intelligent Look at the Bible, Church History & the Life of Faith

In this episode we arrive, alongside Israel, at Mt. Sinai where God gathers the whole of his people to receive the Ten Commandments. But rather than looking at the specific, nuanced meaning of each of the commandments (we recently did this in the series The Abundant Life), we focus here on the larger question of: why? Why does God's journey with his newly established people begin with a set of instructions about what thou shall and shalt not do?

Is God, in the end, one, giant rule-giver in the sky - testing individuals to see who qualifies to receive blessings here and now, or perhaps in the hereafter? Is faith mainly a moral act? (Many strains of Christianity have certainly argued for something quite close to this!) Or is there another purpose in these "commandments"? A purpose having far more to do with love and health than determining a person's moral goodness?

I, obviously, think the latter. Specifically, I think that the 10 commandments are ultimately about establishing love as Israel's fundamental way of being in the world. And in this sermon I will hope to make my case!

Have a thought? A comment? A question?  I’d love for you to get in touch! 

You can reach me anytime via the contact link at jesusat2am.com, by sending me email, chatting with me on BlueSky, or finding me on Facebook or Instagram. 

And while you're at it, might you be up for supporting the podcast? You’re tax-deductible gift to Canvas is a major help. As are your prayers, your online reviews, telling a friend or two!

Want to follow along with the biblical texts for this sermon? Here's the link: Exodus 19:1-6, 16-20:17 (NRSV)

Today we turn our attention to events immediately following the exodus - as Israel makes her escape from centuries of slavery in Egypt. For God has acted with mighty power to save, and our first imagination is that - under divine care - Israel will be safe evermore.

But as Israel flees into the Sinai desert, she soon discovers that Pharaoh is in pursuit with the full might of the Egyptian army. And as the Egyptian chariots approach, Israel finds herself trapped by the Red Sea. And has her toes touch the water, Israel - and we - are forced to learn an essential lesson of the life of faith: in this age, salvation is not so much a once-for-all event, but a process by which God continually rescues his beloved people.

If you've ever felt trapped in your own life and circumstances between the Red Sea in front and the Egyptian army behind, this is the sermon for you!

Have a thought? A comment? A question?  I’d love for you to get in touch! 

You can reach me anytime via the contact link at jesusat2am.com, by sending me email, chatting with me on BlueSky, or finding me on Facebook or Instagram. 

And while you're at it, might you be up for supporting the podcast? You’re tax-deductible gift to Canvas is a major help. As are your prayers, your online reviews, telling a friend or two!

Want to follow along with the biblical texts for this sermon? Here's the link: Exodus 14:5-29 (NRSV)

The exodus from Egypt becomes the gravitational center of the Old Testament as it forms Israel’s image of what it means to be saved! After centuries of suffering, God acts with incredible power to break the bonds of Israel’s slavery and leads her to new freedom under God’s direct care. It is a story of divine strength and mercy and directly foreshadows a larger salvation that is to come when God breaks the ultimate bonds of sin and death.

But…, the exodus also comes with immeasurable suffering as God’s deliverance for Israel is matched by God’s judgment upon Egypt – the death of the firstborn of every creature that has not be set apart for salvation. It is a horrific scene of divine violence, and it begs the questions: What are we to make of a God who would do such a thing? And how on earth do we reconcile this image of God with Jesus of the cross?

In this episode we’ll explore God’s saving mercy (Exodus), and the Passover and wrestle together with the God of rescue and of judgment.

Have a thought? A comment? A question? I’d love for you to get in touch! 

You can reach me anytime via the contact link at jesusat2am.com, by sending me email, chatting with me on BlueSky, or finding me on Facebook or Instagram. 

And while you're at it, might you be up for supporting the podcast? You’re tax-deductible gift to Canvas is a major help. As are your prayers, your online reviews, telling a friend or two!

Want to follow along with the biblical texts for this sermon? Here's the link: Exodus 11:1-10, 12:21-37 (NRSV)

After more than 400 years of slavery in Egypt, the cries of God’s people rise to heaven — and are heard! God’s response? A call to Moses from the burning bush and a revealing of the Divine name (“I AM”) – a name that speaks to far more than eternal existence, but of unending compassion and grace.

It is in this encounter that God reiterates the promise to save (making the Exodus something of a preview of salvation to come) and which reminds us again that we have a God who hears our pain, remembers the covenant with Abraham, and who acts not as a distant observer but as the One who is present with us in the midst of hardship.

Have a thought? A comment? A question? I’d love for you to get in touch! You can reach me anytime via the contact link at jesusat2am.com, by sending me email, chatting with me on BlueSky, or finding me on Facebook or Instagram. 

And while you're at it, might you be up for supporting the podcast? You’re tax-deductible gift to Canvas is a major help. As are your prayers, your online reviews, telling a friend or two!

Want to follow along with the biblical texts for this sermon? Here's the link: Exodus 2:23-3:15 (NRSV)

In this episode in our journey through the biblical story we come to the beginning of the book of Exodus where we find Israel in a very unexpected place - enslaved in Egypt. It’s a circumstance that begs the question: What has gone wrong??? For, as we have discussed in previous episodes, Israel is God’s elect – a people set apart for priestly office in the larger project of the salvation of the world. So how is it that God’s beloved community suffers such oppression (as Israel will be slaves in Egypt for 400 years!)? Has the covenant of election been annulled? Has God turned his back on the Abrahamic promise?

In a word, no. And this is an essential lesson of the life of faith: to be set apart to join with God in the project of salvation is not a license to escape hardship, but rather a call to live the fullness of the human experience.

Up for getting in touch? You can reach me anytime via the contact link at jesusat2am.com, by sending me email, chatting with me on BlueSky, or finding me on Facebook or Instagram. I’d love to hear from you.

And while you're at it, might you be up for supporting the podcast? You’re tax-deductible gift to Canvas is a major help. As are your prayers, your online reviews, telling a friend or two!

Want to follow along with the biblical texts for this sermon? Here's the link: Exodus 1:1-22 (NRSV).

Today we return to a fundamental theme in the biblical story, that of election – the idea that we belong to the community of salvation not by anything we do, but by the sovereign will of God. To be elect is to be chosen by God for salvation apart from any merit or effort or agreement on our part.

It’s often a difficult idea for 21st century westerners to swallow as we like to see ourselves as the captains of our own destiny. We imagine that if we are included in the community of salvation, it’s because we somehow earned it (at the very least by “having faith”). And if one is not included in the community of salvation, it must be because they are receiving just desserts.

But in scripture matters of election are not nearly so clear and clean as this, as we shall in our passage for today – the story of Jacob and his twin brother Esau. Esau, as the elder brother, ought be the primary heir not only of his father, Isaac’s, property, but of his blessing and of the covenant with God. And yet, it is Jacob – who schemes and calculates and who by abject manipulation and deception receives, both the birthright of the firstborn, but also the covenant blessing.

To be clear, the promise of inclusion does not pass to both sons, but only to Jacob. And it forces us to ask: What does it mean to be chosen? Is the covenant of salvation only for some and not for others? Does God willfully exclude some from redeeming grace? Are the boundaries of the chosen people fixed forever? …or might it be that, in the end, they are far wider than we imagine…?

Up for getting in touch? You can reach me anytime via the contact link at jesusat2am.com, by sending me email, chatting with me on BlueSky, or finding me on Facebook or Instagram. I’d love to hear from you.

And while you're at it, might you be up for supporting the podcast? You’re tax-deductible gift to Canvas is a major help. As are your prayers, your online reviews, telling a friend or two!

Want to follow along with the biblical texts for this sermon? Here's the link: Genesis 27:1-49 (NRSV).

Today we come to one of the most emotionally charged moments in all of scripture: God’s command to Abraham that he sacrifice his son Isaac – the heir to the covenant of salvation!

And even though God ultimately prevents Isaac from being killed, the divine intervention comes at the last possible moment.

And it leaves us wondering:  What was God doing?  Why would God put both Abraham and Issac through such trauma??? Was this some ancient near eastern practice we don’t know about? Or – as many of us assume - was it some obedience test for Abraham; a measuring of his commitment?  And if it was, ought we fear or even expect that God might test us in a similar fashion? (I think many people of faith live with the suspicion that God is going to demand we surrender that which we love most in this world.) Is that really who God is? Because what kind of God would do such a thing?

Or…, is there more to this story – a meaning that we can only see clearly through the lens of the fullness of scripture? Once we know the whole story, are able to look back and see a deep inner meaning in these events - a meaning that actually gives us great hope and prompts us to love? I think just maybe there is…

Up for getting in touch? You can reach me anytime via the contact link at jesusat2am.com, by sending me email, chatting with me on BlueSky, or finding me on Facebook or Instagram. I’d love to hear from you.

And while you're at it, might you be up for supporting the podcast? You’re tax-deductible gift to Canvas is a major help. As are your prayers, your online reviews, telling a friend or two!

Want to follow along with the biblical texts for this sermon? Here's the link: Genesis 22:1-19 (NRSV).

In our endeavor to understand the biblical story from Genesis to Revelation, we have come to the question that drives the entire narrative: Can the consequences of sin be reversed??? Or is humanity's fate sealed - doomed to a tragic existence in which everything adds up to nothing in the end?

Today we get the all-important answer: Yes, something can be done. And it comes in the form of a covenant - a one-sided contract in which God pledges himself to the work of reversing the curse of sin and bringing the divine blessing to all creation. It is one of the pivotal moments in the biblical story – and in human destiny! - as the salvation of the world hinges on a unilateral promise given to Abraham, and thru Abraham to all creation...

Up for getting in touch? You can reach me anytime via the contact link at jesusat2am.com, by sending me email, chatting with me on BlueSky, or finding me on Facebook or Instagram. I’d love to hear from you.

And I'd also love for you to check out Canvas! It's a wonderful congregation and there are many ways to get involved - even if you live at quite a distance.

Want to follow along with the biblical texts for this sermon? Here's the link: Gen. 11:27-12:3, 17:1-7; 15:1-17 (NRSV) .

In this episode we come to the Bible's version of The Flood Story - a story that was told by many Ancient Near Eastern cultures. Yet the Bible tells the story very, very differently. For in the Bible, the Flood Story is about far more than a hero and some animals on an ark. Indeed, at its heart, the biblical account is the story of what it means for a holy and loving God to be heartbroken by humanity’s sin—and yet to still refuse to give up on us. From divine wrath to divine promise, the Flood narrative is the story of a God who can rage! And who can also repent and forgive. And then make promises that point towards salvation.  

Up for getting in touch? You can reach me anytime at jesusat2am.com, by sending me email, chatting with me on BlueSky, or finding me on Facebook or Instagram. I’d love to hear from you.

And I'd also love for you to check out Canvas! It's a wonderful congregation and there are many ways to get involved - even if you live at quite a distance.

Want to follow along with the biblical texts for this sermon? Here's the link: Gen. 6:5-22, 7:11-24, 8:13-22, 9:8-17 (NRSV).

As we continue our journey through the biblical narrative from Genesis to Revelation we come to the essential element of plot: conflict. What has gone wrong? Why is God's good creation in need of salvation? 

The answer, of course, is given in highly symbolic terms invoving the Tree of Life, the Tree of the Fruit of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and, of course, a very wiley serpent. 

In this episode I’ll do my best to decode the symbolism and get to the heart of why creation is broken in the ways we all experience. Indeed, we'll look at the very nature of sin and evil as well as giving a hint as why divine love – particularly love enacted at the cross - is the only thing that can save us.

Up for getting in touch? You can reach me anytime at jesusat2am.com, by sending me email, chatting with me on BlueSky, or finding me on Facebook or Instagram. I’d love to hear from you.

And while you're at it, might you be up for supporting the podcast? You’re tax-deductible gift to Canvas is a major help. As are your prayers, your online reviews, telling a friend or two!

Want to follow along with the biblical texts for this sermon? Here's the link: Genesis 2:4-9, 15-17; 3:1-24.

Welcome to part 1 of our series Healing Eden - a detailed journey through the grand story of salvation, from Genesis to Revelation. And as you would expect, we begin at the beginning with the creation story, indeed the two creation stories in Genesis. 

But our goal is not simply to explain how the world began, but why the world began. For the creation story is a love story, told not in scientific detail, but in the mythic language of the Ancient Near East that reveals divine intention. And so we’ll uncover the deeper meaning behind light and darkness, sea monsters and sacred rest. And in the process, we’ll meet a God who speaks the universe into being with peaceful power, and we’ll find ourselves—humankind—created not by evolutionary accident, but in the very image of God so as to join God in love and creation.

For a big part of what it means to bear the image of God is to join in the work of creating. We can’t create ex nihilo (something from nothing). But God has clearly given us resources from which we are to become co-creators in the making of beauty, truth and goodness. So if you can, grab a cup of coffee, settle in, and prepare to be re-enchanted with the beginning of what really is the greatest story ever told—a story that starts not once, but twice upon a time…

Up for getting in touch? You can reach me anytime at jesusat2am.com, by sending me email, chatting with me on BlueSky, or finding me on Facebook or Instagram. I’d love to hear from you.

And while you're at it, might you be up for supporting the podcast? You’re tax-deductible gift to Canvas is a major help. As are your prayers, your online reviews, telling a friend or two!

Want to follow along with the biblical texts for this sermon? Here's the link: Gen. 1:1-2:24.

With this episode we begin an extensive and very personal-to-me new series titled, Healing Eden: The Story of Salvation from Genesis to Revelation.

And the series is exactly as it sounds: a detailed journey thru the biblical narrative as I try my hardest to reveal and clarify the fundamental story the Bible is trying to tell.

Despite its 66 books, written in 3 ancient languages, by a wide variety of authors and editors, across well more than 1,000 years, the Bible is trying to tell a singular story - that of God healing Eden, of setting his broken world to rights. It's a story that is about soooo much more than merely securing a place in "heaven," as salvation is not only a future event, but a here-and-now transformation in love.

And if we can grasp this truth, understand this overarching story, then the whole of scripture comes into vivid focus. Not only do the individual pieces make tremendously more sense, the book as a whole takes on a life-giving freshness that will change your life. At least it has changed mine.

In this opening episode we get a bit of a look at what the biblical story isn't, why what is often taught as the essence of Christianity is a good bit wrong, as well as some of my personal motivations for wanting to set the record straight. I hope you find it helpful!

Up for getting in touch? You can reach me anytime at jesusat2am.com, by sending me email, chatingt with me on BlueSky, or finding me on Facebook or Instagram. I’d love to hear from you.

And while you're at it, might you be up for supporting the podcast? You’re tax-deductible gift to Canvas is a major help. As are your prayers, your online reviews, telling a friend or two!

Want to follow along with the biblical texts for this sermon? Here are the links: Gen. 1:1-5, 26-31; John 1:1-5; 1 John 4:7-12; Rev. 22:16-16, 21-22.

Continuing our experiential examination of contemplative prayer in the Christian tradition, we turn this week to the great Doctor of the Church, St. Augustine of Hippo (d. 430 AD) and the form of meditation that has developed in the Augustinian school. (It's quite similar to Ignatian contemplation, but rather than seeking to place ourselves - by active imagination - into a biblical scene of the past, Augustinian meditation seeks to bring the scene itself into the present. It'll make more sense as you listen!)

As with the other episodes in this series, I highly encourage you actually engage in the meditation and not just listen while driving or dining or mowing the lawn. If you do, I think you'll find the experience very rewarding, mainly by having a moment or two of actual contact with God (and wouldn't that be cool)!

In the intro I mention some previous series on the spiritual life, so here are some quick links to Loving God 101, Loving God 201, Loving God 301 and 401.

And I really would love to hear if this series has been helpful (or not)! You can reach me anytime at jesusat2am.com, or send me email, chat with me on BlueSky, or come find me on Facebook or Instagram. I’d love to hear from you.

And while you're at it, might you be up for supporting the podcast? You’re tax-deductible gift to Canvas is a major help. As are your prayers, your online reviews, telling a friend or two!

And in case you'd like to follow along with the passage, you can find it here: Mark 1:29-39 (NRSV).

Thanks so much for listening and blessings upon you!

“How can I hear God’s voice?” “Would I recognize God’s voice if I heard it?” “How do I know if a sense of call is really from God?” These are some of the key questions of Christian spirituality. And thankfully, they are some of the very questions St. Ignatius of Loyola sought to answer (and did).

What we are really talking about is the practice of discernment – learning to distinguish the voice of the Lord from the countless other voices (internal and external) that fill our lives. It is to take it as a given (I believe very rightly) that God is consistently speaking – to us. And thus our work is to become skilled listeners. (This is in contrast to the common fear that God must be sought by heroic means – that God speaks only to those who have achieved some impressive measure of holiness, often by great sacrifice or spiritual rigor. It is not the case! Jesus – throughout the Gospels – is constantly seeking to be heard and understood by regular old  humans…)

In many ways, the great task of Christian prayer is to quiet our mind as much as we can, to identify the voices that are likely not the Lord, and then to see if we can hear through the din the still, small, loving, compassionate voice of God. And for this work, the practice of Ignatian contemplation is excellent.

In this episode we’ll take a brief look at the life of St. Ignatius of Loyola (it helps to understand how his method of contemplation developed) and then we’ll pray together with a guided contemplation. If you’ve not done it before, I hope you may find it quite a revolutionary experience!

If you enjoy the guided Christian meditation, you can find more of them on the Canvas website . And if you’d like to read the passage yourself while we pray together, you can find it here: Mark 1:21-28 (NRSV)

Up for supporting the podcast??? You’re tax-deductible gift to Canvas is a major help! As are your prayers, your online reviews, telling a friend or two and getting in touch! You can reach me easily at jesusat2am.com, or send me email, chat on BlueSky, or come find me on Facebook or Instagram (I'm slowly making my way back...), I’d love to hear from you!

 

Prayer - as in abiding, personal contact with God - is the very heart of the Christian life. And yet for most of us, the practice of prayer is a struggle (it often is for me as well). Indeed, “How can I feel closer to God?” is probably one of the most asked questions in Christian history. And the good news is: there is an answer! Actually, there are many answers. And in this short series we will examine (and experience) three of the best: the Benedictine answer, the Ignatian answer and the Augustinian one.

Today we begin with the Benedictine method of prayer, often know by its Latin name: lectio divina or “divine reading.” It is a very simple but very powerful process of praying the scriptures that can lead to us to a very intimate experience of God’s love and presence.

In this episode, we’ll explore the process of lectio divina, but even more importantly, we’ll practice it together (a form of guided meditation/prayer).  (As an added bonus you’ll get a short explanation of what makes a Presbyterian a Presbyterian and why we would benefit greatly by adopting some very “Catholic” practices!)

If you enjoy the guided Christian meditation, you can find more of them on the Canvas website . And if you’d like to read the passage yourself while we pray together, you can find it here: Mark 1:14-20 (NRSV)

Up for supporting the podcast??? You’re tax-deductible gift to Canvas is a major help! As are your prayers, your online reviews, telling a friend or two and getting in touch! You can reach me easily at jesusat2am.com, or send me email, chat on BlueSky, or come find me on Facebook or Instagram (I'm slowly making my way back...), I’d love to hear from you!

 

 

 

With this episode we conclude our short series on the abundant life – exploring what it means to live a fully human existence in a world that that can been very dehumanizing.

It's a series that has taken us deep into the 10 commandments, as I’ve been doing my best to make the case that far from being a checklist of restrictions, the 10 commandments are actually divine instructions for freedom—freedom from slavery, freedom from fear, freedom from our worst impulses, and esp. freedom the false gods we are so inclined to make for ourselves (and then worship in vain!). 

So today I want to go back to the beginning – to the story that started this whole endeavor: Jesus’ healing of the man born blind and to consider again what it means that God desires for us a life of abundance—full of breath, creativity, and joy. A life in which holiness not about repression, but as wholeness in love.

The texts for this sermon can be found here: John 9:2-10:10 (NRSV) and Exodus 20:1-20 (NRSV)

If you value the podcast and are able to support the community from which it comes, you can make a tax-deductible  contribution to Canvas Presbyterian Church here! (Thank you!!!)

For more sermon series, resources and means of contacting me, simply head to jesusat2am.com, send me email, or come chat on BlueSky.

To put it bluntly, if it’s the abundant life we seek, then covetousness has to go. Mainly because yearning for the things of others turns life into a constant competition that we can never win. Whatever we possess or achieve, we can always find someone with "more." And the tragic result is a never-ending experience of deprivation and a fundamental dissatisfaction with our life (not to mention a sense of increasting tension with others).

It's an important lesson brought to us by guest preacher Erika Karimi who started out as a Michigan based podcast listener and is now an ordained elder at Canvas and a regular part of our preaching rotation! (Maybe God has plans to use you at Canvas? Stranger things have happened!!)

The text for this sermon can be found here: Exodus 20:17 (NRSV)

If you value the podcast and are able to support the community from which it comes, you can make a tax-deductible  contribution to Canvas Presbyterian Church here! (Thank you!!!)

For more sermon series, resources and means of contacting me, simply head to jesusat2am.com, send me email, or come chat on BlueSky.

In this episode we turn to – you guessed it – the 9th commandment: You shall not bear false witness. It’s instruction that – like all the commandments – seems, at first glance, very simple and straightforward: When you are called as a witness in a trial, do not give false testimony.

But when we look a little deeper, we see that this commandment is filled with implications that I think are critical to explore if we are to live the abundant life – not the least of which is to recognize that in life, there will be conflict. Wrongs will be done. Harm will happen. There will be disputes that require adjudication. If life in the community of faith were easy, there’d be no need for a commandment about truth-telling.

Indeed, it turns out that truth-telling is key for a healthy community. And in fact, can be very healing when wrongs have been committed. Sometimes the only justice that can be granted is an honest accounting of what has transpired. But owning wrongs goes a long way towards making repair.

And yet there is another reason that the people of God are called to be honest brokers in all that we do – we bear witness to God himself, whom we believe raised Jesus from the dead! …a claim that strains credulity to its breaking point. If we want to be the least bit credible when it comes to bearing witness to Christ, we had best have a long reputation of integrity – intellectual and otherwise...

The text for this sermon can be found here: Exodus 20:16 (NRSV)

If you value the podcast and are able to support the community from which it comes, you can make a tax-deductible  contribution to Canvas Presbyterian Church here! (Thank you!!!)

For more sermon series, resources and means of contacting me, simply head to jesusat2am.com, send me email, or come chat on BlueSky.

This is part 10 of our series on the abundant life as we try to figure out what it looks like – in practice – to live fully, to live richly as a human.

It’s a search that has taken us deep into the 10 Commandments of all places - today to the 8th commandment and one of the most obvious lessons in life: You shall not steal. Seems clear enough: no robbing banks, no mugging anyone on the subway, go ahead pay for that pack of gum…

And yet…, theft isn’t just about what we take with our hands—it’s about what we take with our power, with our privilege and sometimes what we acquire with our silence. It’s about the ways we allow systems to profit at the expense of others and about the trust we break when we misuse what’s been placed in our care. From corporations exploiting workers to governments selling out the public good, stealing is everywhere. And if we’re honest? It’s probably closer to home than we’d like to admit.

But here’s the good news: we were never meant to live in scarcity, fighting for what we can get. God’s desire has always been for us to live fully, freely, abundantly—not by taking, but by giving.

The lesson of this and all the “Commandments” isn’t mainly about checking moral boxes—it’s about stepping into the kind of life that brings wholeness, justice, and joy, both for ourselves and for others.

The text for this sermon can be found here: Exodus 20:15 (NRSV)

If you value the podcast and are able to support the community from which it comes, you can make a tax-deductible  contribution to Canvas Presbyterian Church here! (Thank you!!!)

For more sermon series, resources and means of contacting me, simply head to jesusat2am.com or send me email here!

We continue our search for life and life abundantly, a search that has taken us to unexpected places, not least the 10 commandments – which has turned out to be far more than a list of religious rules, but a source of profound insight into what constitutes a fundamentally healthy life.

Today we turn to the 7th commandment: "You shall not commit adultery." And by we I mean “not me,” in that you have here another sermon from Ian (who has really been helping share the preaching load with me, which is a huge help and a big part of my no-burnout strategy!).

As you might expect, Ian’s first lesson is going to be: Don’t commit adultery. But there is much more to adultery than things sexual. I will let him explain the virtue of integrity...

The texts for this sermon can be found here: Exodus 20:13 (NRSV) and John 8:1-11 (NRSV).

If you value the podcast and are able to support the community from which it comes, you can make a tax-deductible  contribution to Canvas Presbyterian Church here! (Thank you!!!)

For more sermon series, resources and means of contacting me, simply head to jesusat2am.com or send me email here!

Today we arrive at the 6th Commandment: “You shall not murder…”  That, at least, is how the NRSV translates it. But as you’ll see, there is much, much more to the 6th commandment than not murdering someone. (Though not murdering is a darn fine place to start!)

The goal, however, is to go much farther than not taking life. Rather we are to honor the sacred gift of humanness and all the beauty that is inherent to human life. That is to say: if we want the abundant life, we begin by honoring humanity - our own and that and of everyone else.

In this episode I highly recommend checking out the meditation app Happier. (They are not sponsors, I have no financial stake..., it's just an app I love and think you might, too!)

If you'd like to check out the biblical text for this episode, you can find it here: Exodus 20:1-13 (NRSV).

If you value the podcast and are able to support the community from which it comes, you can make a tax-deductible  contribution to Canvas Presbyterian Church here! (Thank you!!!)

For more sermon series, resources and means of contacting me, simply head to jesusat2am.com or send me email here!

The 5th commandment tell us to "Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land the Lord your God is giving you." But what does "honor" truly mean? Is it obedience? Gratitude? Or something even deeper—a call to listen, to remember, and to carry forward the lessons of love and grace? 

Our world often teaches us to move fast, to leave the past behind, and to define ourselves solely by individual achievement. But the truth is, none of us walk this journey alone. We are all part of a story much larger than ourselves, one woven together by the people who have come before us and those who will come after us. Today, we’ll reflect on what it means to give weight to the past—not as a burden, but as a gift—and how that can shape the way we build a future rooted in love, connection, and abundance.

The text for this sermon can be found here: Exodus 20:12 (NRSV)

If you value the podcast and are able to support the community from which it comes, you can make a tax-deductible  contribution to Canvas Presbyterian Church here! (Thank you!!!)

For more sermon series, resources and means of contacting me, simply head to jesusat2am.com or send me email here!

Today we arrive at the 4th commandment: "Remember the Sabbath..."  And you get a sermon not from me (which is probably good because – as you might have guessed – I’m not great at Sabbathing!), but from our old friend, Rev. Ian Farrell – who is much better at Sabbath than I am.

 In this episode, Ian is going to make the case that Sabbath is not about the particular day we choose for rest, but about the attitude we carry about being a beloved child of God because of who we are, not what we do. It’s a lesson that we probably all understand at a superficial level. But letting our belovedness sink deep into our identity is a whole ‘nother matter…!

If you'd like to follow the sermon text, you can find it here: Exodus 20:8-11 (NRSV).

As a reminder, if you value the podcast and are able to support the community from which it comes, you can make a tax-deductible  contribution to Canvas Presbyterian Church here! (Thank you!!!)

For more sermon series, resources and means of contacting me, simply head to jesusat2am.com or send me email here!

Today we continue our journey through the Ten Commandments—not as a list of rules, but as a pathway to true freedom and flourishing, arriving at the 3rd commandment: "You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God."

For many of us, this commandment has been reduced to a simple rule about avoiding bad words or not using God’s name in vain.

But its meaning runs far deeper!  The 3rd commandment is about the profound significance of God’s name, about the power of prayer and and the dangers of distorting faith for personal or political gain.  To call on the name of the Lord wrongly is dangerous business. Whereas calling upon God rightly leads us into a life of deeper intimacy, integrity, and love.

The text for this sermon can be found here: Exodus 20:7 (NRSV).

If you value the podcast and are able to support the community from which it comes, you can make a tax-deductible  contribution to Canvas Presbyterian Church here! (Thank you!!!)

For more sermon series, resources and means of contacting Kirk, simply head to jesusat2am.com or send me email here!

In this episode we continue our look at what Jesus meant when he said he came to bring "life and life abundantly." It’s a study that has taken us not into the NT so much, but into the Old – specifically into the 10 commandment of all places. Indeed, today we look at the 2nd commandment “You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.” Which at first glance, sounds like a reiteration of the first commandment – have no other gods.

But I’m going to argue that this is not the meaning of the 2nd commandment at all! Rather the God of Israel wants no idols of him! And there is a very, very important reason why…and it leads back to Jesus. I’ll let the sermon fill in the gaps...

The text for this sermon can be found here: Exodus 20:2-6 (NRSV).

If you value the podcast and are able to support the community from which it comes, you can make a tax-deductible  contribution to Canvas Presbyterian Church here! (Thank you!!!)

For more sermon series, resources and means of contacting Kirk, simply head to jesusat2am.com or send me email here!

"I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me." It is the first commandment and it sounds...rather ominous. But if we take a moment to listen more deeply, what we discover is actually a call to radical freedom!

In a world of myriad deities, each with a slight power over the necessities of life, the stress of keeping each placated was never-ending (and exhausting!)...perhaps not so unlike our world today... And yet, at Mt. Sinai - after the lived experience of rescue from slavery - the God of Israel declares complete sovereignty over creation; meaning that the endless drive to keep the gods satisifed is entirely unnecessary. And the one God who calls for loyalty is the God who freely saves the objects of his perfect love. Maybe far from ominous, the first commandment is a gift of peace, hope and joy - the very heart of what it means to live life abundantly!

The text for this sermon can be found here: Exodus 19:1-6, 20:1-3 (NRSV).

If you value the podcast and are able to support the community from which it comes, you can make a tax-deductible  contribution to Canvas Presbyterian Church here! (Thank you!!!)

If you'd like to go back and find sermons and audio that Kirk presented at Canvas during his long hiaitus, simply head to the Canvas Sermon Archive.

For more sermon series, resources and means of contacting Kirk, simply head to jesusat2am.com or send me email here!

We continue our look at the abundant life by turning - quite unexpectedly! - to the 10 Commandments and consider the possibility that they are not meant to be the burden we so often imagine them to be, but are rather a gift pointing us to health, life and joy. They are, after all, the first instruction of a loving God to his chosen people. Perhaps love is more operative within the commandments than threat...? (Click here to see the 10 Commandments poster referenced in the sermon!)

The text for this sermon can be found here: Exodus 19:1-20:21 (NRSV).

If you value the podcast and are able to support the community from which it comes, you can make a tax-deductible  contribution to Canvas Presbyterian Church here! (Thank you!!!)

If you'd like to go back and find sermons and audio that Kirk presented at Canvas during his long hiaitus, simply head to the Canvas Sermon Archive.

For more sermon series, resources and means of contacting me, simply head to jesusat2am.com or send me email here!

 

We begin our look at the abundant life in Christ by examining what has gone wrong. Why do we find ourselves so taxed so often? Why does inner peace feel so ellusive, even though I have a genuine faith in God's goodness and love?

To answer these questions we turn to the Apostle John and also to the theological work of St. Augustine and his metaphor of the "two cities" in which Christians have our citizenship. (Augustine's "City of God" is one of the great works of literature, bar none!)

Join us as we explore both the theologial reasons we find ourselves caught in a world in conflict and the practical steps we can take to reclaim a life of abundance — one filled with love for God, self, and other - rediscovering the fullness of what it means to be human.

 It can help to follow along visually, so the text for this sermon can be found here: John 10:1-10 (NRSV).

If you'd like to go back and find sermons and audio that Kirk presented at Canvas during his long hiaitus, simply head to the Canvas Sermon Archive.

If you value the podcast and are able to support the community from which it comes, you can make a tax-deductible  contribution to Canvas Presbyterian Church here! (Thank you!!!)

For more series, resources and means of contacting me, simply head to jesusat2am.com or send me email here!

Yes, you read that correctly, the podcast is returning!! Returning on Wednesday, March 19, 2025 to be exact.

It has been a long two-and-a-half years... a break I never expected. But a pretty bad case of burnout hit me hard and it's taken some time to recover and build some new habits that make podcasting possible once again!

New episodes begin this coming Wednesday and each Wednesday thereafter - starting with a series on The Abundant Life, a very unexpected look at the 10 commandments.

If you want to catch the end of the series Hope in the Time of COVID, or Jesus and the Revoluion, they are always available in the Canvas sermon archive. There you can also find a (painfully long?) series that covers the entire Book of Acts if that sounds intriguing. 

And if you'd like to reach me (and I hope you will), the best ways right now are to send me email directly or come find me on BlueSky where I'm @Jesus-at-2AM. 

Thank you for ALL your generous support over the years and I'm excited to be back!

The divine rescue - of which the ministry of Jesus is the decisive act - is not merely to be understood as the securing of a heavenly afterlife for the faithful, but the restoration of a fallen creation. To be "saved" is to be set free, to be healed and to be counted a citizen of the "kingdom of God." 

But such freedom recognizes there we are presently captives, subjects of a hostile regime. There is an enemy that must be defeated. But identifying that enemy - the actual enemy - can be quite difficult.

In this episode we turn to the story of Jesus's "temptation" in the wilderness as Matthew helps us see that this is Evil's attempt at a negotiated victory. Why not accept some comfort here, some glory there and a whole lot of earthly power? All that is required is to let Evil continue it's work behind the scenes...

It's an offer Jesus managed to refuse..., but one we are quite often willing to accept in an instant. And the thing about deals with the devil is...there is never a deal.

It can help to follow along visually, so the text for this sermon can be found here --> Matthew 4:1-11 (NRSV)

If you value the podcast and are able to support the community from which it comes, you can make a tax-deductible  contribution to Canvas Presbyterian Church here! (Thank you!!!)

For more series, resources and means of contacting me, simply head to jesusat2am.com or send me email here!

God's Revolution to Restore All Creation begins with a cry to all Israel to prepare for war. But not the war Israel expected...

For decades tensions with Rome had been growing. Various political and religious sects (think Pharisees, Sadducees, et al.) were staking out their positions in the coming conflict. Swords and spears were beginning to be sharpened.

And at that time, on the banks of the Jordan (the boundry of the promised land), John the Baptist beckoned God's people to "repent!, because the Kingdom of God (the restoration of God's direct reign in creation) has come near." The battle, the rebellion, is about to begin. It is time to choose a side and pledge allegiance to a leader - to the prophet God will send...

It can help to follow along visually, so the text for this sermon can be found here --> Matthew 3:1-17 (NRSV)

If you value the podcast and are able to support the community from which it comes, you can make a tax-deductible  contribution to Canvas Presbyterian Church here! (Thank you!!!)

For more series, resources and means of contacting me, simply head to jesusat2am.com or send me email here!

At the heart of Jesus's ministry is the declaration that "the Kingdom of God has come near!" 

This is not merely a call for sinners to secure the afterlife, but the announcement that the fulfillment of the covenant of salvation is at hand! The God of Israel has arrived to depose the powers and principalities of this age and re-establish his reign over all creation. In short, the central proclamation of Jesus is a call to recognize - and join! - THE Revolution!

In this new series, we take a detailed look at the Gospel of Matthew to understand the nature of the revolution Jesus has come to lead and what it means to pledge our allegiance to a new king.

The text for this sermon is: Matthew 19:16-22 (NRSV)

And here is a link to Cotton Mather's quite distressing book: The Negro Christianized: An Essay to Excite and Assist that Good Work, the Instruction of Negro Servants in Christianity.

If you value the podcast and are able to support the community from which it comes, you can make a tax-deductible  contribution to Canvas Presbyterian Church here! (Thank you!!!)

For more series, resources and means of contacting me, simply head to jesusat2am.com or send me email here!

The one commandment I disregard without a second thought is the one about resting.

The irony, of course, is that I often ignore this divine call to honor the sabbath in what feels like the work of the Kingdom. And it has been more clear in the last two years than in most of my lifetime that there is work to be done. It is easy for good people to become overwhelmed with a sense of responsibility. 

Yet, the one with the greatest human responsibility of all, made public display of stopping, of resting...

So this episode is a look at Jesus's pesonal need for rest, and the reminder (which my recent life shows I have yet to learn!) that we must stop neglecting the work of resting for the Kingdom.

To read along or study further, the biblical text for this conversation can be found here: Mark 6:30-52 (NRSV)

And here is how to connect with Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) - the global relief agency of the Presbyterian Church USA. They do amazing work!

You can also now share in worship with Canvas from anywhere in the world via livestream!!!! We'd love to have you join us!

Want more content from Jesus at 2AM? Check out the website, where you can also learn more about how to become a patron.

Up for connecting??? I'd love to have you send e-mail!

 

No, your eyes do not deceive you...the podcast is back! (It never really left, but was definitely on leave of absence for a while...very sorry about that - some of the details are in the intro.)

Then it's on to part 18 of our series: Hope in the Time of Covid.

In this episode, we take a look at the difficult-yet-essential truth that the road to justice is paved in love. In this time when historic injustices are being revealed with painful clarity, we understand all the more the impulse of the oppressed to seek justice by means of violence. Even those of us who face little oppression can find ourselves shockingly enraged at minor transgressions against "what is right!" And we reflexively assume the person opposing us is the source of the wrong, our "enemy." If we can overcome them, we can achieve "justice." But that's not how true justice is ever established... 

And, if you're the type who likes to read along, the biblical text for this conversation can be found here: Ephesians 4:17-5:2 (NRSV)

Did you know you can now share in worship with Canvas from anywhere in the world via livestream? We'd love to have you join us!

You can also find a complete Canvas audio archive, links to the Canvas YouTube channel and much more on the Canvas website.

And for some very helpful resources on this subject, check out Canvas's Continual Learning series on Racial Justice

Want more content from Jesus at 2AM? Check out the website, where you can also learn more about how to become a patron.

Up for connecting??? I'd love to have you send e-mail!

Does the 21st century nation state of Peru play an essential role in salvation history? Short answer: Of course not. God loves Peruvians! But Peru the cultural/political body is not critical to the plan redemption.

So why do many American Christians suspect that the US, as a nation (or a cultural dimension of the nation), is a divinely ordained actor on the stage of cosmic salvation?

The (mistaken) answer is located deep in both church and American history, and needs to be corrected for the health of both.

If you'd like to follow along with the sermon text, the passage is:

• Genesis 12:1-3 (NRSV)

This sermon was preached on July 5, 2020 at Canvas Presbyterian Church (Irvine, CA).

If you'd like to share in the whole worship service or find previous sermons, they are available on the Canvas Vimeo page.  Or join us via live stream every Sunday morning at 10:30AM (Pacific Time)!

For some very helpful resources, here is a link to Canvas's Continual Learning series on Racial Justice

Want more content from Jesus at 2AM? Check out the website, where you can also learn more about how to become a patron.

Up for connecting??? I'd love to have you send e-mail!

How do I, as a white, well-educated, heterosexual, Protestant, cis male, who would never knowingly sanction racism of any sort, reflect on "systemic racism"?

For those of us who try hard to so very hard to be good people (defined in no small part by being not-racist!), the phrase can spark a reflexive defensiveness ("Not me!").

Yet the enduring effects of racism in our society are clear on many fronts - from "red lining," to access to education, to criminal sentencing, to...

So how do I, as trying-to-be-loving-Jesus-follower, think about my part in the "system"? Might I be an unwitting participant in oppression? Can I even ask myself the question? And what if yes...?

For my part, it has helped greatly to shift the focus a bit from the specific wrong of racism, to the larger category of sin. Do I imagine that as a fallen human, sin has the capacity to distort my sense even of myself, and to inspire a selfishness I of which I might not be aware, a blindness I might unconsciously wish to perpetuate?

For some very helpful resources, here is a link to Canvas's Continual Learning series on Racial Justice

And if you'd like to follow along with the sermon text, the passage is:

• 1 John 1:1-10 (NRSV)

This sermon was preached on June 28, 2020 at Canvas Presbyterian Church (Irvine, CA).

If you'd like to share in the whole worship service or find previous sermons, they are available on the Canvas Vimeo page.  Or join us via live stream every Sunday morning at 10:30AM (Pacific Time)!

Want more content from Jesus at 2AM? Check out the website, where you can also learn more about how to become a patron!

Up for connecting??? I'd love to have you send e-mail, or find

Hope is the belief that things can change for the better. And it is the question the gospel persistently sets before us: Are we naive in thinking that meaningful transformation is possible? And more naive still to believe that love is the means by which such transformation truly occurs?

These questions of hope, love and change are especially pressing as we face afresh the reality of historic racial injustice and ask if and how we can shape a better tomorrow.

Here we look at the story of Nicodemus, a Pharisee confronted with Jesus's insistence that he be "born again from above" - that is to say: to surrender what he thinks he knows, and let God show him what love can do (i.e., radically change a heart!).

Here's the link to Canvas's Continual Learning on Racial Justice

And if you'd like to follow along with the sermon text, the passage is:

• John 3:1-21, 7:45-52, 19:38-42 (NRSV)

This sermon was preached on June 21, 2020 at Canvas Presbyterian Church (Irvine, CA).

If you'd like to share in the whole worship service or find previous sermons, they are available on the Canvas Vimeo page.  Or join us via live stream every Sunday morning at 10:30AM (Pacific Time)!

Want more content from Jesus at 2AM? Check out the website, where you can also learn more about how to become a patron!

Up for connecting??? I'd love to have you send e-mail, or find

"How does one appease a deity? Gain a favor? Avert a curse?" Such questions stood at the center of Ancient Near Eastern religion (and of many cultures since...). And thus great effort has been dedicated to rituals and ceremonies and strict adherence to divine instructions.

So what does the God of Israel want from his people? What are our instructions? (And is our purpose to gain a blessing or escape a punishment??)

In this episode we turn to the OT prophet Micah's succinct articulation of God's answer.

If you'd like to follow along, the passage is:

• Micah 6:6-8 (NRSV)

This sermon was preached on June 14, 2020 at Canvas Presbyterian Church (Irvine, CA).

If you'd like to share in the whole worship service or find previous sermons, they are available on the Canvas Vimeo page.  Or join us via live stream every Sunday morning at 10:30AM (Pacific Time)!

Want more content from Jesus at 2AM? Check out the website, where you can also learn more about how to become a patron!

Up for connecting??? I'd love to have you send e-mail, or find

As those called to share in God's project of restoration, justice is at the heart of our work.

But what does the Bible mean by "justice"? The term easily conjures feelings and images not shalom (peace), but punishment - that divine justice is defined by the reward of the righteous and the proper condemnation of the wicked. (This is where much of the "law and order" language we hear in connection to politics arises!)

But a closer look reveals God's concern is not judgment but compassion. Above all, to be people of divine justice is to be those who ensure the shalom of the least and lowly...

The racial justice resources mentioned in the intro can be found here.

If you'd like to follow along, the passage is:

• Luke 11:37-54 (NRSV)

This sermon was preached on June 7, 2020 at Canvas Presbyterian Church (Irvine, CA).

If you'd like to share in the whole worship service or find previous sermons, they are available on the Canvas Vimeo page.  Or join us via live stream every Sunday morning at 10:30AM (Pacific Time)!

Want more content from Jesus at 2AM? Check out the website, where you can also learn more about how to become a patron!

Up for connecting??? I'd love to have you send e-mail, or find Jesus at 2AM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Essential to the life of faith is recognizing that hope is rooted in reality, in what is actually possible. The gospel has no room for fairy tales or wishful thinking, only for what can be accomplished in this time and place.

And thus the work of maturity is to expand our vision for what is possible with God (short answer: healing, peace and restoration). The difference is subtle, but critical.

In a world that is hurting deeply (and this sermon was preached during the rapidly growing COVID crisis, only days after the death of George Floyd), the way forward is to see, as best we can, the world through Jesus's eyes - to see with compassion all the brokenness of the human condition and the in-our-midst process by which love is transforming the broken.

If you'd like to follow along, the passage is:

• Luke 5:12-16 (NRSV)

This sermon was preached on May 31, 2020 at Canvas Presbyterian Church (Irvine, CA).

If you'd like to share in the whole worship service or find previous sermons, they are available on the Canvas Vimeo page.  Or join us via live stream every Sunday morning at 10:30AM (Pacific Time)!

Want more content from Jesus at 2AM? Check out the website, where you can also learn more about how to become a patron!

Up for connecting??? I'd love to have you send e-mail, or find Jesus at 2AM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

At the cross, Love and Evil went to war - the final confrontation between God and sin. And the question is: Who won? (It would be good to know, as the answer changes everything about how we live!)

The New Testament, of course, argues passionately that Easter is the proof of God's victory, and as a result, the entire course of history has been transformed. But has it? And if, indeed, it has, how might we experience the change for ourselves? What are we to do to both share in and further the triumph of Love?

Today we turn to a critical passage in Paul's letter to the church at Corinth.

Here are the links I mention in the intro:

• The biblical passage is: 1 Cor. 15:1-22, 30-34, 50-58 (NRSV)
• Here's a link to the map.
• And here is a link to our Good Friday Stations of the Cross worship service (it's wonderful, truly!).

This sermon was the conclusion of a larger series titled Again & Again that was a joint project of Canvas Presbyterian Church and two other congregations. You can find the whole series on our Canvas Vimeo page, and, if you'd like, subscribe to receive future worship services!

Want more content from Jesus at 2AM? Check out the website, where you can also learn more about how to become a patron!

Up for connecting??? I'd love to have you send e-mail, or find Jesus at 2AM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

APOLOGIES for being away so long. No...really. I'm sorry for the extended absence (more in the intro).

But at last we continue in our look at hope in the time of COVID, and particularly how we make good use of a crisis.

So far we've looked at the essential first step of faith: allowing ourselves to be loved. Now we take the beginning of step two: recognizing that Jesus's manner of love - indeed his whole way of being - is a radically new road. And it calls us to a radically new worldview.

As I mention in the introduction, one dimension of Canvas's work in these last few months of which I am very proud, is our Continual Learning series on the church and the LGBTQ+ community. It's a core value of Canvas that we are always growing in our understanding, and one very important intersection between the larger culture and the church is engagement around members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community. As a congregation that is inclusive and affirming, we felt compelled to deepen our understanding of the LGBTQ+ experience, and thus, created two extended learning series on the subject. The resources we collected and discussed are hardly the final word on any of the topics, but in the hope of continuing the conversation and growth, I truly encourage you to take a look at what we managed to put together. You can find the whole collection here.

As for this sermon...

The biblical passage upon which the sermon is based is:

• Luke 6:17-36 (NRSV)

It was preached on May 24, 2020 at Canvas Presbyterian Church (Irvine, CA). If you'd like to see the whole worship service, you can find it here. Or subscribe to the Canvas Vimeo page for our video archive or to see future worship services!

Want more content from Jesus at 2AM? Check out the website, where you can also learn more about how to become a patron!

Up for connecting??? I'd love to have you send e-mail, or find Jesus at 2AM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The ultimate lesson of Advent, indeed the ultimate lesson of the whole of scripture and the life of faith, is love - the pure, open, unending and unconditional, freely-given love of God. It is the simplest of insights, and yet we can go decades - even as confessing Christians - without truly seeing it...truly.

And so this is a sermon about exactly that: the love of God, as plainly as I can make it. It's not a Christmas sermon per se, but there is much within it about discovering Jesus (again). I hope it's of help!

Here's a quick link to translation of Augustine's Confessions I've been raving about!

And the biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:

• John 14:18-31, 15:12-17 (NRSV)

It was preached on December 20, 2020 at Canvas Presbyterian Church (Irvine, CA). If you'd like to see the whole worship service, you can find it here. Or subscribe to the Canvas Vimeo page for our video archive or to see future worship services!

And know that we'd LOVE to have you join us for Christmas Eve worship! The service will be live at 4:30PM PST on Dec. 24th.  You can find it on the Canvas website or on our Vimeo page.

Want even more content from Jesus at 2AM? Check out the website, where you can also learn more about how to become a patron!

Up for connecting??? I'd love to have you send e-mail, or find Jesus at 2AM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

If any emotion has been in short supply this year, it's joy.

And yet Advent calls us to return to this central experience of the Christian life, whatever our momentary circumstances.

Today we hear from Banning Cantarini, a young and gifted preacher, who takes a look at how one of our most beloved carols of Christmas was written amidst serious suffering, and why coming to Jesus is cause for rejoicing.

This is no call to deny pain or paint a happy face on hardship. Rather, it is a reminder of grace.

The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:

• Luke 2:8-15 (NRSV)

It was preached on December 13, 2020 at Canvas Presbyterian Church (Irvine, CA). If you'd like to see the whole worship service, you can find it here. Or subscribe to the Canvas Vimeo page for our video archive or to see future worship services!

And know that we'd LOVE to have you join us for Christmas Eve worship! The service will go live at 4:30PM PST on Dec. 24th.  You can find it on the Canvas website or on our Vimeo page.

Want to hear more from Banning (I highly recommend it!). You can find more of his sermons here.

If you would like make a (United States) tax-deductible contribution to Canvas, please click here! And thank you!

Want even more content from Jesus at 2AM? Check out the website, where you can also learn more about how to become a patron!

Up for connecting??? I'd love to have you send e-mail, or find Jesus at 2AM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Peace is the theme of the 2nd week of Advent and one of the central promises of the Bible.

And yet for many of us, true peace - both inward and in creation - is very elusive.

How can we find inner calm when so much of the world is hurting? Would we not have to turn a blind eye to suffering? Indeed, is not the way to peace on Earth the labor of God's people?

Today we look again at Psalm 46 and a deep lesson on the nature of peace and and the means by which we can truly experience it (memory and faith).

The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:

• Psalm 46 (NRSV)

It was preached on December 6, 2020 at Canvas Presbyterian Church (Irvine, CA). If you'd like to see the whole worship service, you can find it here. Or subscribe to the Canvas Vimeo page for our video archive or to see future worship services!

I truly do hope you will accept my invitation to join Canvas for some or all of our upcoming events. Just click here to see what's up next!

And here is the link to my Christmas at 2AM Spotify playlist!

If you would like make a tax-deductible (US) contribution to Canvas (thank you!), please click here!

Want even more content from Jesus at 2AM? Check out the website, where you can also learn more about how to become a patron!

Up for connecting??? I'd love to have you send e-mail, or find Jesus at 2AM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

We begin Advent 2020 with a look (by our beloved Rev. Ian Farrell) at a Jewish official named Sosthenes.

Originally mentioned in the book of Acts, he took part in bringing charges against Paul in Corinth, charges that could have had dire consequences. And when the case is thrown out of court, Sosthenes is attacked by his own. Seems the last we’d hear of him...until he co-writes 1 Corinthians.

It turns out people can change - a lot! And that’s not a bad reason for hope in a broken world!

The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:

• Acts 18:12-17, 1 Corinthians 1:1-3 (NRSV)

It was preached on November 29, 2020 at Canvas Presbyterian Church (Irvine, CA). If you'd like to see the whole worship service, you can find it here. Or subscribe to the Canvas Vimeo page for our video archive or to see future worship services!

As I mentioned in the intro (given that Advent 1 is the beginning of the Christian new year), now is the perfect time to begin or renew the habit of praying the daily office. If you'd like more info on the office, I wrote a short start-up guide here.  And there is much more about the practice in the Loving God 201, Part 6 episode (#101) on the subject!

Want more content from Jesus at 2AM? Check out the website, where you can also learn more about how to become a patron!

Up for connecting??? I'd love to have you send e-mail, or find Jesus at 2AM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

If you find yourself having to learn the same lesson of faith a thousand times, following Jesus closely and then wandering off aimlessly, believing and not believing, trusting and doubting...this is the episode for you. And you happen to be in good company - namely Jesus's first disciples!

Today we look at the general ineptitude of the original apostles and how clearly their impressive fallibility reveals the unconditional love of God.

The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:

• Matthew 15:29-16:20 (NRSV)

It was preached on May 17, 2020 at Canvas Presbyterian Church (Irvine, CA). If you'd like to see the whole worship service, you can find it here. Or subscribe to the Canvas Vimeo page for our video archive or to see future worship services!

Want more content from Jesus at 2AM? Check out the website, where you can also learn more about how to become a patron!

Up for connecting??? I'd love to have you send e-mail, or find Jesus at 2AM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Who truly belongs to the family of faith; how wide is the circle of God's people? 

This was one of the most contested debates in the early church, and remains so 2,000 years later.

In this All Saints Day episode, we take up the question of inclusion and why Canvas has published a formal statement of our full embrace of those of every race, ethnicity, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, socio-economic status who call on Christ as Lord.

As I mention in the intro, Canvas is currently engaged in a Continual Learning series on the church and the LGBTQ+ community. To find the resources we are exploring and join in our Zoom conversations about them, please click here!

The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is: 

• Deuteronomy 10:12-22 (NRSV)

It was preached on November 1, 2020 at Canvas Presbyterian Church (Irvine, CA). If you'd like to see the whole worship service, you can find it here. Or subscribe to the Canvas Vimeo page for our video archive or to see future worship services!

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Continuing our look at the practice of being loved by God, we read the story of Jesus encounter with a young mother desperate for healing of her daughter.

Everything about their meeting is a violation of cultural expectations, and the scene is wrought with emotion. And in this meeting - where hope meets love - we see in stark relief the boundless love of God for each and every person, no matter how distant from God they may seem (or feel).

The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is: 

• Matthew 15:21-28 (NRSV)

It was preached on May 10, 2020 at Canvas Presbyterian Church (Irvine, CA). If you'd like to see the whole worship service, you can find it here. Or subscribe to the Canvas Vimeo page for our video archive or to see future worship services!

Want more content from Jesus at 2AM? Check out the website, where you can also learn more about how to become a patron!

Up for connecting??? I'd love to have you send e-mail, or find Jesus at 2AM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Continuing our look at the practice of being loved - the work we can do on our side of the relationship to receive what God has already given us - we look, again, to Jesus.

But we do so not so much in an effort to follow or obey, but simply to (re)discover his heart: What drives Jesus? What motivates his action? If Jesus is God incarnate, what does his life reveal about the essential nature of the Lord? And how might insight into the depths of Jesus's love change us?

The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is: 

• Mark 1:32-2:17 (NRSV)

It was preached on May 3, 2020 at Canvas Presbyterian Church (Irvine, CA). If you'd like to see the whole worship service, you can find it here. Or subscribe to the Canvas Vimeo page for our video archive or to see future worship services!

Want more content from Jesus at 2AM? Check out the website, where you can also learn more about how to become a patron!

Up for connecting??? I'd love to have you send e-mail, or find Jesus at 2AM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.