Romans: Living Sacrifice

Romans: Living Sacrifice

Chapter 12 marks a turning point Paul's letter. He moves his conflicting church readers to the how of the unity thing; how it works to be a body (different parts, all working together, belonging to one another) and what the love that fuels this will look like (the same kind of love for your friends, our church body members, and our enemies alike!) And he begins this instruction with one of the most poignant battle cries in all of scripture: what God wants from us is for us to offer our whole selves to him, and to not fall into worldly patterns of managing our human mess, but to let Him transform us.

Romans: The Way We Change

Romans: The Way We Change

The situation in the church in Rome was a stalemate, involving Jewish and Gentile Christians pointing fingers at each other over theological differences. Paul responds pastorally to their underlying question: who’s right and who needs to change? By Romans 8, Paul establishes that Jesus is right. He then makes the case that both groups (us included) need to change. Change comes by the Spirit. We are energized to live as the righteous people we already are. Righteousness is about how we relate to God and one another, it’s about how we share the table. The change that God wants to bring is an internal one that produces outward results most notable in our capacity to love and share. This kind of change is not just up to the Spirit; we are not passive in it, nor is obedience automatic – we participate. As we live by the Spirit, we’re reminded of our adoption into God’s family where we’re made new, all history, all curses, all regrets are done away with and we hear again God’s love for us. And nothing can separate us from his love.

Romans: Solution of Grace

Romans: Solution of Grace

Having established that all of humanity - Greek, Jewish, Pagan or otherwise - has at its heart the brokenness of sin. Paul then depicts the glorious act of God righting what was wrong. Sin is a cosmic, societal, but also particularly personal problem and it is far more than simply moral performance. In Jesus God becomes the lightening rod of all human sin, and in his body, he gives it what it deserves - annihilation. Jesus’ death is not a just death at the hands of God, it is an unjust death at the hands of sinful humanity. Jesus is what humanity was always supposed to be - innocent and perfect. And in his sinlessness he takes on humanity’s sin in his body to destroy it on the cross forever. God’s justice is then gloriously displayed in raising the innocent Jesus from the dead. Death cannot hold the guiltless God-Man. God makes a spectacle of all the powers of evil - personal, religious, societal, national and supernatural - exposing them for what they are and robbing them on the cross of their power. What this means to us is that God is not angry - he never was. God is love. And it means all our attempts to appease him through moral or religious performance are futile. None of us will be good enough, but he is. We can simply receive the gift of sin destroyed. And it means we can be changed. Jesus’ death is the defining emancipation of the whole universe. It sets us free from all the power of sin, death and the devil, and restores to us his image-bearing vocation - to be his people and do his work. 

Romans: Freedom from Judgement

Romans: Freedom from Judgement

For many people the opening chapter of Romans has appeared to be Paul having a judgmental screaming rant against the terrible disgusting immorality of people. And people have often written themselves into it as objects of his, and therefore God’s, disgust. But rather than Paul’s primary purpose being to beat up on pagan idolaters, ultimately his goal is to expose more pressing issues of judgmental attitudes amongst those he is writing to. Paul’s point is not to shame anyone. Rather he is simply but deftly exposing a universal truth: all of us have varying degrees of brokenness at our heart, and none of us is immune. Jesus, gloriously, wonderfully, kindly, lovingly, and powerfully has come to set us free from it all. He’s the only one who can do it. And he has done it. This is the extraordinary good news of the gospel.

Courage is Calling

Courage is Calling

It takes courage to be a Canaanite woman who crosses the border of Tyre and Sidon and approach a rabbi to ask for mercy. The story of the Canaanite mother who demonstrates faith in Jesus is a compelling narrative of courage. She believes in the identity and authority of Jesus over demons and disease so she courageously asks him to heal her daughter. When Jesus sees her persistent faith, he does as she wishes. It takes courage to call out for mercy. it takes courage to have faith in God’s vision for wholeness, flourishing, and justice. It take courage put faith into action and approach God for what we need. When we do, we become conduits for mercy.

Calling: Jesus the Prophet

Calling: Jesus the Prophet

Prophecy is what God wants to say to people. It is not so much about the future as it is the here and now. It is more forth-telling, than it is fire-telling. Jesus not only spoke but acted prophetically. His arrival in Jerusalem, his cleansing of the temple and his cursing of a fig tree were all dramatic prophetic actions packed with meaning. Jesus declared to the people of Jerusalem that he had arrived as the king of his kingdom and so offered a choice between siding with the failed religious rule of the time or with his new world order- the kingdom of heaven. We’re all called to eagerly desire the gifts of the spirit especially the gift of prophecy. And when we prophesy we’re doing the same as Jesus did- speaking the words of God which encourage people to orientate their lives around Jesus, who is for them and loves them and wants them to thrive.

Calling: Jesus the Teacher

Calling: Jesus the Teacher

Jesus spent his whole ministry teaching his disciples and the crowds what it meant to follow him. In those day it was not uncommon to gather around a rabbi’s teaching, but what Jesus taught WAS uncommon. His kingdom doesn’t always sound like the solid ground we want to build our lives on, which is what the Wise and Foolish builder parable at the end of  Sermon on the Mount was supposed to illustrate. Do we want to believe that meekness, service, self-sacrificing and peacemaking are the key to following him? Loving our enemies? Not always our favorite, most easily applied parts of the gospel. And yet any path to unity that includes diversity must understand the real kingdom work of learning how to overcome our fallen, human, tribal conflict patterns, and find His path back to love. 

Calling: Jesus the Pastor

Calling: Jesus the Pastor

The term ‘pastor’ is Latin for poimén (poy-mane') meaning shepherd. The mixed imagery around Shepherds included symbolism for leaders and rulers. Moses is said to have led God’s people out of Egypt “like a flock”. Elsewhere, the Prophet Jeremiah attacks leaders who have mismanaged God’s flock and led the people astray. From writings in the Ancient Near East to Greek epics, shepherds were a common figure for rulers. But among God’s people, it wasn’t so much about ruling, it was about caring. When Jesus arrived he was moved with compassion for a helpless and troubled people who had no shepherd. He comes to be the good, perfectly ideal, and beautiful shepherd that we all need. He pastors us with personal care, intimate knowledge, and wise guidance. We belong to Jesus the Chief Shepherd from whom we learn how to exercise our pastoral calling. As we give ourselves over to God’s good shepherding, his care and compassion drive us into the fullness of life in him.

Calling: Jesus the Apostle

Calling: Jesus the Apostle

The word apostle derives from a greek word simply meaning ’sent out person’. In the first century Roman world it meant more than being a messenger, it connoted authority. An apostle was someone who spoke and acted on behalf of someone with power. As Christians we are all sent out, but those with an apostolic calling are those who tend to spend their lives breaking new ground, or planting churches, or starting fresh initiatives. They are the entrepreneurs of the church. Jesus was the archetypal sent one. His mission, as emphatically displayed at his Transfiguration, was to bring heaven and earth together. This is the mission of every apostle following Jesus. No less, no more. No less because the Christian faith is not about patiently waiting to escape this world and get to heaven. No more, because it is not about forcibly imposing God’s rule on the world. It is about continuing Jesus' mission to heal the sick, set the oppressed free, and proclaim the age of God’s goodness. To do this we need conviction - this comes from the assurance of our Father, our friends, and the Holy Spirit. In his power we can carry on, in part, the apostolic work of Jesus and see heaven come to earth.

Calling: Jesus the Evangelist

Calling: Jesus the Evangelist

The word evangelism derives from the greek word Evangelion - Good news. So an evangelist is someone who brings news. Evangelists are not primarily teaching, and they are not primarily prophesying, they are primarily announcing - that’s what you do with news. So if, for instance you tell someone who doesn’t yet believe that they are going to burn in the fiery fires of hell you are not evangelizing, because that is not good news. That’s bad news. If you teach someone who doesn’t yet believe about Christian sexual ethics that is also not evangelizing, because that is teaching. To evangelize is to announce something wonderful - Jesus. It’s as simple as that. Today we consider a couple of times Jesus does exactly that - announce himself to a world in need.

, ,

Advent: Destined for Joy

, ,
Advent: Destined for Joy

The announcement of Jesus’ arrival comes to an unlikely group: the shepherds. This rag-tag group were often looked down on, forgotten, and considered to be far from religious or noble. Yet the greatest announcement in the history of the world comes to them, not to the rich and powerful but to the lowly shepherds. It suggests to us that God hasn’t forgotten the least of us – to him, we are unforgettable. We are favored, not forgotten by the Messiah who ushers in the age of favor and forgiveness. When we grasp it, it causes joy in us to overflow. Joy that sustains in hardship. Joy that is rooted in God’s faithfulness. We were destined for joy.

, ,

Advent: God with Us

, ,
Advent: God with Us

When we’re able to strip back the overly-familiar parts of the story of Christmas it reveals the heart of the Christian faith. Something isn’t quite right with us and our world. We’re not always the people we want to be. And we’ve not always treated ourselves, other people and our world as we should. As silly as it may sound, is not our recent entertainment of going ‘full on goblin mode’, at least in part an admittance that everything else we’ve tried to bring happiness and self-actualisation hasn’t quite got us to where we want to go? Christmas says what we’re in need of is not something from within us, but something from without. It’s the story of God coming in search of his people. He’s come to love us into full existence. It’s only when we know his love revealed in the person of his Son Jesus that we won’t want to ever be anyone else again. And it’s his love that lifts us up into healing, forgiveness, purpose and meaning. He it is who we’re looking for. It’s why we celebrate. We’re not alone. God is with us.

, ,

Advent: Peace

, ,
Advent: Peace

We don’t always do the church calendar thing, but sometimes it does seem to know a thing or two. Advent is all about allow ourselves to enter into the time of waiting that was the Hebrews existence for hundreds and hundreds of years. They know the messiah was coming to be the Prince of Peace, but they weren’t expecting the way he came to do it. We are not promised a peaceful life (ie - a life free of violence, persecution, conflict of tribulation) but we are promised the peace of his presence, that surpasses all understanding.

,

Advent: Hope in the Dark

,
Advent: Hope in the Dark

This is the first Sunday of Advent. This time of year we reflect and celebrate the arrival of Jesus. He came into the world not to judge it but to renew it. The time leading up to his arrival was a dark one characterized by rebellion, injustice and a longing for wholeness. In the mist of this less than ideal scenario we read of Jesus’ coming as the one who brings light into the darkness. He does this in our lives, he runs into the darkness. His embodied presence and creative power means that we’re not overtaken by it because his light shines on us. This is our hope and it grows as we worship the One who can never be put out by the darkness.

,

Giving & Vision Pt. 2

,
Giving & Vision Pt. 2

We’re called to be generous with our money. This week we consider the specific subject of giving money to the church. The New Testament knows nothing of solitary Christianity: to be a Christian is to be the church. It is you and you are it. We cannot escape it (as much as we might like!). So giving to the church is about giving to something we are intrinsically part of. It is a cognitive dissonance to hold back part of ourselves from who we are. There’s more: the church is not just us and ours, it’s also Christ’s. He is the head of the church. When we give to the church we are investing in Jesus. And we are investing in his eternal, infinite, perfect kingdom. There is no better use of money. His kingdom is one of beautiful powerful unified diversity. When we give we are giving to promote and grow the full representation of the people of God- where everyone matters and all have a role to play. The more we operate and develop in our God-given gifts, the more the church looks like and does the things of Jesus.

,

Giving & Vision Pt. 1

,
Giving & Vision Pt. 1

Twice a year we dedicate two services to the subject of money and generosity. Jesus’ proclamation at the beginning of his ministry was to announce God’s age of favor for humankind. He has come to make us happy. But, in contrast to what culture has often proclaimed, Jesus knows that happiness and wealth are not intrinsically linked. In his parable of the talents, Jesus teaches that all money belongs to God which he distributes as he wishes. Our job is to hold lightly to what we have been given, not compare what we receive to others, but use it all for the building of God’s kingdom, and give it back to him. The more we do so the more we will receive from God - not financially, but in terms of kingdom-building responsibility. This is where we enter into God’s rest and experience his joy, favor and happiness.

,

If Jesus is Supreme, You'll be Prayerful

,
If Jesus is Supreme, You'll be Prayerful

Paul’s final call to the Colossians is to stay devoted to prayer. As modeled by Jesus, prayer isn’t a boring religious duty, but a natural outgrowth of love for God. In this talk, we’ll dig into what prayer is, how we need the Spirit to do it, and why it can transform a community.

,

If Jesus is Supreme, You'll be Alive

,
If Jesus is Supreme, You'll be Alive

Our friend and co-founder Alice returned to us from London (not for long, but we’ll take what we can get) to speak about what peace and submission look like in Jesus-centered community. In Paul’s day, power imbalances between husband and wives, slaves and masters and parents and child may have looked a little different to how they do today, but the driving force behind them remain the same; we give up power we follow Jesus. And when we do so we always win.

,

If Jesus is Supreme, You'll be Free

,
If Jesus is Supreme, You'll be Free

The rules of human wisdom lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence, says Paul at the end of Colossians 2. Only Jesus, and what he has done, can solve the problem of your flesh. This weeks talk examines how mystics and aesthetics have, throughout the ages, gone to great lengths to receive more of god, which raises the question, why is it that when we are weakest, we are strong? This one is for those of us who feel stuck and backed into corners right now. Be encouraged.

If Jesus is Supreme, You'll be Full

If Jesus is Supreme, You'll be Full

The letter of Colossians was written to a people pulled in many directions by tricksters and gnostics saying the same thing: “You only have half of what you need. You’re half full.” Truthfully, life and the world can often press this same message upon us. Is it true? Its the age-old message that can lead us to fill ourselves with things we need when in reality, Jesus is the antidote for any sense of emptiness we may have. Jesus makes empty people full. This is what he’s done from the very beginning. He invites us to live full in him but it means we need to make him the center. As we do, he grows us and we become more full of his life, love, and joy.