"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.

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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!

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

Unlike the covenant with Abraham, the covenant at Sinai comes with stipulations - obligations which, if met, lead to blessing, but, if ignored, lead to punishment. The most critical of these stipulations we know as the 10 Commandments.

In this episode we examine what these commandments actually command and how they function in light of the larger Sinai covenant, in later Judaism, and in the church of the 21st century.

The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is: 

• Exodus 19:16-20:21 (NRSV)

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After 40 days in the wilderness, Israel arrives at Mt. Sinai. And it is there the next stage of their growth as God's people begins. It is at Sinai that she is consecrated, and there that God establishes a new covenant - a contract that binds Israel to obedience. YHWH will be her king and she will live out a unique identity in the world - distinct from all other peoples.

The question will become: What happens if Israel cannot fulfill her end of the deal?

The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is: 

• Exodus 19:1-25 (NRSV)

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Letting go of Egypt - saying goodbye to the past, to the familiar, to habit (however deadly it may have been) - is one of the most difficult tasks of the life of faith. And it is one of the primary purposes of the wilderness.

In this episode we find Israel 3-days into her exodus journey, already longing for the (comforts?) of Egypt and questioning - again - the goodness of God.

It is a deeply honest look at the human condition, as Israel discovers once more that her God is with her (and with us!).

The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is: 

• Exodus 16:1-30 (NRSV)

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Israel has been saved by the mighty hand of God!...only to find herself in the "wilderness." (Always in scripture, a place representing isolation, emptiness, and fear.)

It's not quite the picture of deliverance she had in mind. And yet, as Israel will discover, the wilderness is where the best spiritual formation happens.

It is there that we are forced to confront our complete dependence upon God and God alone. And it is in the wilderness that God meets us with compassion and with a new call to his service.

The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is: 

• Exodus 15:22-27 (NRSV)
   

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One of the great lessons Israel has to teach us is how to respond to salvation, what to do when we have been rescued. Israel's response? A psalm of praise.

But this is not just a song about the powers and virtues of God, giving The Almighty his due. Rather, the poem is a means of both expressing thanks and memorializing events. It allows Israel to deepen her relationship with God in the present and to rehearse the events of salvation in the future (as many moments of desperation are yet to come).

The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is: 

• Exodus 14:26-15:21 (NRSV)
   

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At last God makes good on his promise to save. Israel is set free from Egypt and flees into the desert...only to discover that she is quickly trapped between the Red Sea and the fast-approaching army of Pharaoh. And it is a situation everyone who sincerely follows God will face - the moment when, unless God personally intervenes on our behalf, we are most certainly doomed.

In this episode we join Israel on the shores of the Red Sea wondering if our faith has been a horrible miscalculation!

The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is: 

• Exodus 14:5-25 (NRSV)
   

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Few stories in scripture are more historically or morally questionable than the story of the Passover. Did YHWH truly put to death all the firstborn of Egypt??? And if so, how can we possibly consider God good, much less loving???

In this episode we examine the Passover, its place in Israel's salvation, and the instruction is provides for living as God's people.

The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is: 

• Exodus 11:1-12:13, 21-36 (NRSV)
   

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Before we can surrender to God's care and leading, we must first be (mostly) convinced that God is devoted to us and capable of securing our welfare. And in the ancient world, way a deity demonstrated both power and devotion was by means of partisan action - working demonstrably on behalf of their followers.

In this episode, we examine YHWH's plagues upon the Egyptians and what they are intended to reveal about the strength and faithfulness of Israel's God.

The biblical passages quoted in this sermon are: 

• Acts 1:6-8 (NRSV)
• Exodus 6:1-9; 7:14-25; 8:16-19 (NRSV)

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In the end, there is only one way to know for sure if God is active in the world and in your life: risk. Not random danger, but obedience to a call.

It turns out that God's revelation is often paired with a command to "go...," and to risk, and thereby to discover that God is present.

In this episode we look at God's appearance to Moses in the burning bush and the accompanying call to speak to both Israel and to Pharaoh - both sojourns into danger. But it is here that Moses learns "I am with you!"

The biblical passage for this sermon is: Exodus 2:23-3:22 (NRSV).

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Learning to see God in our own lives is much like learning to see God in the story of Moses's birth. At first glance, God appears quite absent - nowhere to be found as his people face great trial.

And yet, upon closer inspection, God's fingerprints begin to emerge everywhere. Where first we saw only indifference, slowly, deeply attentive care comes into focus. And we see that God has been active in our rescue all along.

In this episode we learn to see behind the scenes - where God is always at work.

The biblical passage for this sermon is: Exodus 2:1-15 (NRSV).

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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)!

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The journey of faith and surrender to God's leading begins not in strength, but in weakness, in captivity - slaves to forces too great for us to overcome. It is there that God meets us and declares again the promise of salvation.

In this episode we begin where the exodus began - with God's people enslaved to Pharaoh, crying out for deliverance. And we recognize this physical captivity as a symptom of our larger captivity to sin itself. And we also discover captivity will not have the last word!

The biblical passage for this sermon is: Exodus 1:1-22(NRSV).

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The ultimate work of the life of faith is to surrender ourselves to God, to entrust all that we are and all that we possess to his care and leading. The question is: HOW??? How do we overcome the countless resistances we have to placing ourselves in God's hands? The short, answer is: reluctantly. But there is hope! God has a long history of bringing broken humans into relationship with him. So in this series we begin at the beginning of that work, the exodus.

In this episode, we meet the God who saves.

The biblical passages referenced in this sermon are: 

• 1 Peter 2:9-10 (NRSV)
• Genesis 17:1-8 (NRSV)

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The purpose of studying what we don't believe is to define more clearly what we do - with the ultimate goal of obedience (and the healthy relationship with God, self and other that comes with it!).

In this series's concluding, hopefully non-heretical episode, we look at Jesus's call to put faith into action, and I offer some practical advice on writing a personal statement of faith (a more helpful exercise than you might imagine!).

Ready to work on your own statement of faith? You can download my Short Guide to Writing a Personal Statement of Faith HERE.

The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is: Matthew 7:15-27 (NRSV). 

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Protestantism brought much needed reform to the 16th century church, not least its call to return to the Bible as the primary source of authority.

But it wasn't long before debates raged about the interpretation of the Bible. And rather than resolve their differences, many Protestant determined to split from the others to form what they considered a truly faith church.

In this episode, we look at the habit of division has continued for 500 years - in direct contradiction of the Bible we claim to obey.

The biblical passages referenced in this sermon are:

• Ephesians 4:1-6 (NRSV)
• 1 Corinthians 5:11-13 (NRSV)
• Luke 5:29-32 (NRSV)
• Matthew 13:24-30 (NRSV)

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God is not an American. Nor an Italian, German, Brazilian, Australian...nor any other nationality. And yet, many a political state has woven into its cultural mythology the belief that God has set them apart to exercise divine authority on earth.

In this episode, Ian looks at the dangers of nationalism and the horrifying example of Nazi Germany.

He goes on to find hope in the bravely written Barmen Declaration, a stark reminder to the church that the Kingdom of God belongs to no nation.

Check out the Theological Declaration of Barmen HERE. 

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While some (distorted!) strains of Christianity seek to escape this age (cf., Gnosticism, Docetism, etc.), others dream of a comfortable life within it. Divine blessing takes the form of safety and secular - from protection against disease to owning luxury jets. This is "the prosperity gospel," and while it is hardly new, it has made quite a resurgence lately, especially in the US.

Here, Ian Farrell looks at the promise of divine blessing and a love that does not always lead to luxury.

The texts used in this sermon is: Psalm 23 (NRSV)
 

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What must I do to be saved (by Jesus)? Is there a prayer that must be said? A doctrine that must be affirmed? A morality that must be adopted? Good deeds that must be done?

The classical Protestant answer is: Grace alone! (...Which is generally followed by a prayer that must be said, doctrines believed, sins avoided and charity done.)

It is all part of the church's historic struggle with Semi-Pelagianism - the belief that we are saved by grace....mostly, with just a little extra effort required.

The (unusually high number of) texts used in this sermon are: John 12:44-47, Matt. 7:21-27, Rom. 4:1-5, James 2:18-24 and Acts 16:25-34 (NRSV).
 

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We seem to be experiencing a shift in contemporary western politics away from a competition of ideas in pursuit of the best solution to our problems and towards a tribalism that seeks power for its own sake and is more and more willing to regard (some) people as a means to a larger political end.

In this special sermon - preached 24 June 2018 - we examine again the meaning of kingdom citizenship and the allegiances it demands - particularly our loyalty to Jesus his command to compassionate love.

The texts for this sermon are: Deut. 24:14-22 and Matt. 25:31-46 (NRSV).
 

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Why should Christians regard themselves as bound to any sort of moral law? After all, the full defeat of sin has been accomplished in Christ. And our personal salvation is by grace alone. So why, being set free from the law, would one choose to still to obey it?

Indeed, might it not be a surest sign of trust in Jesus's sin boldly, proving my confidence in his love and power???

This is the antinomian (Gk: against-law) debate and it not only raged in the early church, but is alive and well today...

The texts for this sermon are: Romans 3:19-26 and 6:15-23 (NRSV).
 

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How are we to understand the forgiving and compassionate ministry of Jesus against the backdrop of Torah and some of the harsh punishments demanded by God of sinners?

An answer offered by Marcion of Sinope (2nd cent.) was simply that there exits 2 deities - essentially a harsh God of the Hebrews and a more compassionate God of Jesus. And while most of us would quickly reject Marcionism when presented this way, it turns out many of our views of salvation - and indeed our worship - are quite Marcionite!

The texts for this sermon are: Lev. 24:10-23 (NRSV), Matt. 5:38-48 (NRSV) and Rom. 7:4-25 (NRSV).
 

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"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)!

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When and where did evil begin? And is God responsible for it (if God created everything...)?

In this episode we look at one attempt to preserve God's innocence and the unintentional heresy that results from it: Manichaeism (the argument that good and evil have always been present, forces locked in perpetual combat).

What we discover is that such an attempt to get God off the hook only distorts our understanding of sin - what it is and how it must be defeated.

The text for this sermon is Gen. 1:26-2:3.
 

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When the going gets tough, the faithful get...incredibly tempted to build golden calves (i.e., to call upon pagan deities). Like Israel at Sinai, we don't intend to abandon the covenant God of Israel entirely. We just...want some immediate help and think another, more local deity might be willing and available.

In this episode we examine the heresy of syncretism - the mixing and matching of various deities to serve our purposes.

If you've ever worn your luck socks, you know what I mean. ;-)

The text for this sermon is Exodus 32:1-6 (NRSV).

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If the church has a favorite heresy, it is likely that of gnosticism - the belief that the main problem with the spiritual life is that we have bodies. They seem to be forever getting in the way of pure spiritual pursuits, dragging us back into the baser elements of our nature. If only we could rid ourselves of the flesh!

It was an idea first offered by Plato and has been incorporated into the church nearly from the beginning. In this episode we look in depth at gnosticism and why it is so dangerous.

The text for this sermon is Colossians 2:6-12 (NRSV).

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One of the best ways to learn good theology is to study historically bad theology - to see where we tend to go astray (after all, there are really only about 10 true heresies, we just manage to repeat them in every generation).

In this episode, I give a short introduction to the idea of "heresy" and then examine the first official heresy of the church: Arianism.

It was the debate over Arianism (325 AD) that led to the Nicene Creed and the first formal doctrine of the Trinity.

The text for this sermon is Luke 24:44-53.

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The Gospel of Luke ends with a series of new beginnings.

First, Jesus's reveals his resurrection to his disciples in a manner that would have constituted certain proof in the ancient world.

It is also a sign that the age of salvation has begun, and with it, a new mission for Jesus's disciples. Where once they were followers, now they are witnesses sent to every corner of the earth - a mission, it turns out, was always part of the plan of salvation!

And it is a mission to which we, too, are called.

The text for this sermon is Luke 24:36-53 (NRSV).

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On a spring Friday, somewhere around the year AD 29, two kingdoms (Love and Evil) went to war - a battle brewing since the Garden of Eden. And Evil appeared to have won...briefly. And then it lost everything!

In this episode we arrive at proof of Love's victory - an empty tomb and a resurrected Jesus! It is also the moment of Luke's grand reveal (his whole narrative has been building to this).

It is a sermon about the first Easter, preached on Easter Sunday 2017.

The full text for this sermon is Luke 24:1-35 (NRSV).

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By every visible measure, Good Friday marked the moment love lost. In Jesus, God himself had entered into creation to free his people from their bondage to sin...and in their sin they (we!) crucified him.

In this episode we examine the events leading up to and including Jesus's death - events that surely prove Jesus failed. ...And yet, amidst Jesus's suffering and persecution, we see love at work. Indeed it might just turn out that this is what creation needed all along.

 The full text for this sermon is Luke 22:63-23:49 (NRSV).

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Never doubt the power of sin in the world. It led one of Jesus's closest friends to betray him. Led another to deny they'd ever met. It led Jewish authorities to demand an execution of one of their own, and caused the crowds to shout, "Crucify him!" of the one they'd cheered with "Hosanna!" less than a week before.

In this episode we walk with Jesus through his final night, beholding sin in all its power. And - in Jesus - we see love that will not surrender.

The text for this sermon is Luke 22:24-62 (NRSV).

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It is the night of Jesus's defeat (or so it would seem). He will soon be betrayed into the hands of his enemies and crucified. But there is one event left in his ministry - the celebration of the Passover (the symbol of Israel's release from her captivity and the night of her salvation).

In this episode we take a deep look at the Jewish Passover traditions and what they reveal about the last Supper and the events of Jesus's last night with his disciples.

Text for this sermon is Luke 22:1-13 (NRSV).

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Jesus's public ministry concludes with warnings of divine judgment upon Jerusalem. He foretells the destruction of the Temple and gives instructions to his followers as to how to survive the impending disaster.

And it is with these teachings that Jesus effectively seals his fate. His prophetic declarations have raised the ire of the religious leadership - challenging their authority - and, like many prophets before him, he will be put to death. It is a story about the end of the age...2,000 yrs ago.

Text for this sermon is Luke 20:21-21:28 (NRSV).

Here is a link to an artist's recreation of the (Herodian) Temple.

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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)!

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Teaching in the Temple, Jesus continues to press the question of loyalties - a direct provocation of the Jewish sect of the Sadducees (leaders of the Temple).

Text for this sermon is Luke 20:20-40 (NRSV).

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Having arrived in Jerusalem, Jesus very publicly travels to the Temple and begins to teach. It is a direct confrontation of and threat to the Sadducees (the Jewish sect governing the Temple). It is effectively Jesus's last stand.

Here on the mount where heaven and earth meet, Jesus will either persuade Israel to return to her first love, or he will seal his fate as a martyr.

In this episode we look at Jesus's teaching in the Temple and why it is that God's people will persecute their own messiah.

Text for this sermon is Luke 19:47-20:19 (NRSV).

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At last Jesus makes his entrance into Jerusalem - a scene loaded with symbolism of conquest and deliverance for Israel. Yet as we examine the story in detail, the foreshadowing of death and destruction come into view.

This is a heartrending passage - one filled with hopes that will be dashed. Kleenex is highly recommended.

Text for this sermon is Luke 19:29-46 (NRSV).

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As Jesus prepares for his final journey into Jerusalem, he tells the gathered crowd a terrifying story about a nobleman and his 3 slaves. And we'll just say that things do not end well for at least one of the slaves! (Really, really not well.)

Our challenge is to interpret the parable: Who is the nobleman?  Who are the slaves? And what lesson are we to learn???

In this episode we explore three options and discover there are no easy answers. But part of the work of maturity is learning to live with ambiguity.

Text for this sermon is Luke 19:11-28 (NRSV).

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Having just called his followers to an unbounded trust in God and love of other, Jesus now puts those very actions on display - healing a man who is blind, and forgiving the notorious sinner, Zacchaeus.

In this episode, regular contributor, Ian Farrell, explains - with incredible humor and historical insight! - the nuances of this moving set of stories. It is an sermon not to be missed!

Text for this sermon is: Luke 18:35-19:10 (NRSV).

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In the strange alchemy of the Kingdom of God, the first shall be last, the way to be rich is to be poor, and the height of maturity is the faith of a child.

In this episode we look at Jesus's responses to parents seeking his blessing upon their children (over the disciples' objections!) and to a powerful man's question about how to enter the kingdom of God (he is told to sell everything!). It turns out they have much in common, and both have to do with coming to God in weakness and need.

Text for this sermon is: Luke 18:15-34 (NRSV).

The book I mention in the intro is Chasing Francis by Ian Morgan Crom. It's a good-for-your-soul kinda read. 

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According to Jesus, prayer is an essential element of the life of faith, love and relationship with God. And yet for most of us - the original disciples included - prayer is both a struggle and a mystery. Often we pray and "nothing happens."

So does prayer affect anything? Is there some special formula to prayer we are missing, some technique we must be taught?

In this episode we examine two of Jesus's parables on prayer, and learn something about the importance of annoying God into submission.

The text for this episode is Luke 18:1-14 (NRSV).

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The great theologian Johnny Cash once wrote: "You're so heavenly minded you're no earthly good."  Only Jesus said it better.

In this episode we look at the temptation to be so focused on the hereafter that we miss the presence of the kingdom of God in the here and now (and our call to embody it!).

It's no minor risk - a point Jesus drives home with references to such disasters as the great flood in the days of Noah, or the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah! (Surely there's a gospel song in there somewhere...)

The text for this episode is Luke 17:20-37 (NRSV).

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What does it look like - in practice - to love self? And is such love truly godly? (Isn't love of self was the very definition of selfishness, and that love of God and others are the true virtues?)

In this episode we look at Jesus's encounter with 10 lepers who take the risk to ask for mercy (always a safe bet with Jesus), and discover that love of self leads to God and ultimately to others. It's a profound look at healing and how we are transformed by compassion.

The text for this episode is Luke 17:11-19 (NRSV).

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Maturity in the life of faith requires the ability bear unresolved tension, to live amidst truths that seems to contradict each other.

In this episode we examine three (more) declarations of Jesus that - at first read - appear terribly uncharitable. But as we study more closely, we discover a depth of love and grace we would never have seen had we not been forced into paradox.

The text for this episode is Luke 17:1-10 (NRSV).

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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).

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How ought we interpret Jesus's call to decisive loyalty (and the warnings that accompany them)? Is eternal, conscious torment truly the punishment that awaits the disloyal?

In this episode we examine one of Jesus's most disturbing parables, indeed one of the texts from which the church historically derived the picture of hell.

And while such anguish may not be what Jesus intends to express, he is very much calling people to a decision: We must choose towards which age we direct our lives, and the choice matters.

The text for this episode is Luke 16:14-31 (NRSV).

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The Bible is filled with warnings about the dangers of wealth - a danger stemming from wealth's capacity to make promises.

From political power to personal security to utter self-sufficiency, wealth claims it can set us free from anxiety and fill our hearts with meaning. And it's a lie.

In this episode we look at Jesus's parable of the "Dishonest Manager." What we discover is that just as our loves will shape our habits, so our habits shape our loves. We would be wise to choose our habits carefully. 

The text for this episode is Luke 16:1-13 (NRSV).

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We have all had times of wandering very far from God; sometimes as an act of rebellion, other times as capitulation to sin. Sometimes circumstances overwhelm us and we find ourselves lost on the path of life. Whatever the cause, we have all found ourselves in a "foreign land," wondering what hope remains.

In this episode we look at 3 parables of lostness and the relentless passion of God to find. And when found, boundless welcome that follows.

If you've ever wondered if one can stray too far from God - so as to be lost forever - the short answer of Jesus seems to be: no. :-)

The text for this episode is Luke 15:1-32 (NRSV).

And - as mentioned in the intro - if you'd like to support the podcast and the ministry of Canvas, here's the quick link to give online. It's a huge help to us and tax-deductible!

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