Jesus At 2am - A Humorous, Intelligent Look At The Bible, Church History & The Life Of Faith

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 fu

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.

That individual humans are dearly loved by God is central claim of Christianity. And yet many of us go through periods where we question even this foundational idea. Are we loved? Really? And even when we believe - intellectually - that we are, coming to deeply accept and experience that love remains quite a struggle. But there are ways we can aid in the process of receiving love, practices that can undertake. For the next few episodes we will look at those, staring with hearing God say it again. The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Isaiah 43:1-7 (NRSV) It was preached on April 26, 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 Faceb

Having established the content of Christian hope - the present assurance of God's ultimate salvation (see ep. 292) - we turn now to the Christian obligation to be instruments of hope to others. Amidst suffering, even suffering inflicted upon us, as followers of Jesus we are called to embody hope, to reveal the way to love and peace and rest. Our means for accomplishing this? In a word: holiness - being distinctly Christian, distinctly loving. The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  1 Peter 1:1-16 (NRSV) It was preached on April 19, 2020 (Easter) 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.

For many of us right now, especially, hope can feel in short supply. Not just the amount of hope, but the content of hope. What are we actually hoping for? And what has Jesus got to do with it? What constitutes "Christian" hope? That we won't suffer? That we won't grieve? Die? Clearly that is NOT what the gospel promises (see "crucifixion"!). Is hope, then, limited only to the age to come? I trust that God will win in the cosmic end? Is there true, meaningful hope for today? Short answer: yes. The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Romans 8:1-27 (NRSV) It was preached on April 12, 2020 (Easter) 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

This remains a very difficult time, as crisis seems to mount upon crisis, pain upon pain, fear upon fear. And the question that confronts us is: How do we remain people of enduring hope, while honestly enduring suffering? When we don't seek false escape from pain, diminish it or deny it, but courageously face it, what gets us through? What genuine hope do we have? And how do we experience it? The short answer is: prayer. And prayer can be learned. In this episode we examine Ps. 118 as we learn how to pray deeply. The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Psalm 118 (NRSV) It was preached on April 5, 2020 (Palm Sunday) at Canvas Presbyterian Church (Irvine, CA). If you'd like to see the whole worship service, you can find it here. Or check out the Canvas Vimeo page for our video archive. 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, Twitte

What most of us want amidst suffering is for the pain to end - to be quickly delivered from our distress. And it is tempting to imagine that if God loves us, this must be what he desires as well - a quick and sudden end to our hardships. Perhaps that is the hope of faith, that if we are sufficiently obedient, God will prevent our suffering in the first place (or remove it quickly)? But the Bible makes no such promises. Indeed Jesus himself insists that we will face pain. So what then is our hope? And why? The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Romans 5:1-5 (NRSV) It was preached on March 29, 2020 at Canvas Presbyterian Church (Irvine, CA). If you'd like to see the whole worship service, you can find it here. Or check out the Canvas Vimeo page for our video archive. 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.

One of the hardest parts of enduring this crisis is coping with so much uncertainty: How long will it last? Who will be affected? What about the economy? Will there be a vaccine? Who should I trust for information...? The questions can be dizzying and tempt us in some moments to grasp at any hope offered, and at others, to nearly abandon hope. In this episode, we look at the biblical promises of hope - what God does (and does not) assure to his people - so as to ground ourselves in on the bedrock of truth and faith. It is in proper, nuanced hope that we find both comfort in our suffering and creative energy to bring transformation to our world. The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Isaiah 46:3-13 (NRSV) The "lemonade stand" photo was taken by professional photographer and Canvas family member Irene Bowers (thanks, Irene!). This sermon was preached on March 22, 2020 at Canvas Presbyterian Church (Irvine, CA). If you'd like to see the whole worship service, you can find it here. Or check out the

This is the first in an entirely ad hoc series on hope and transformation and how they fit together. It is born out of the pandemic that has swept our world, and my ponderings on what defines the Christian hope and how that hope can shape the world that emerges on this other side of this crisis. This sermon is from March 15, 2020 (the first week of California's social distancing order) and looks at the theological and practical sides of loving our world in the manner of Jesus. The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Matthew 5:1-16 (NRSV) If you'd like to participate in a virtual worship service at Canvas (Kirk's congregation), they are now available on the Canvas website and Vimeo page. Want more content from Jesus at 2AM?? Learn how to become a patron! Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find Jesus at 2AM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Isn't the main point of Christianity to be a good person (and thereby to secure my place in heaven)? I mean, if one is basically moral, reasonably charitable and occasionally saintly, doesn't that please the Almighty? Is the point to please the Almighty? Come to think of it, what IS the point of Christianity? If one were to boil it all down, what's the message of the gospel? In this episode we take up these questions and arrive at a vision of faith that goes far beyond ethics. The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Ephesians 2:1-10 (NRSV) If you'd like to participate in a virtual worship service at Canvas (Kirk's congregation), they are now available on the Canvas website and Vimeo page. Want more content from Jesus at 2AM?? Learn how to become a patron! Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find Jesus at 2AM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

I know that as a Christian I am called to sanctification - to a life shaped ever more into the image of Jesus, in short, to a life of sinning less and loving more. And in some areas of my life, I see progress! But in other areas...not so much. Indeed in some facets of my life, I see almost no inner change at all, despite genuine effort. What gives? Do I just need to try harder? Really? (Frankly, much of me is ready to give up and just make peace with a besetting sin or three.) So what does actual sanctification look like??? How do I work with besetting sins? And is there an option for change beyond sloth (i.e., surrender) at one end of the spectrum and scrupulosity (never-ending guilt and anxiety) at the other??? The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Matthew 25:14-30 (NRSV) Want more content from Jesus at 2AM?? Learn how to become a patron! Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find Jesus at 2AM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Does prayer work? By which we mean, does prayer change anything? Is it supposed to change things? Change external circumstances? Or merely the disposition of the pray-er? And if God knows all that we need and loves us dearly, does his help depend on our prayers or the prayers of others??? In this episode our beloved Ian Farrell takes up the topic of prayer - a practice with which he is intimately familiar - and offers his insights on the purpose of prayer and the means by which prayer affects us and others. The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  John 16 (NRSV) And here's the link to Jordan Seng's Miracle Work. Read at your own risk! ;-)    Want more content from Jesus at 2AM?? Learn how to become a patron! Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find Jesus at 2AM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Few words in the Christian vocabulary evoke more discomfort than "evangelism" - sharing the story of Jesus in hope that another will join the community of faith. In the 21st century, such efforts can feel relationally disrespectful and intellectually...crazy. Oughtn't we let everyone have their beliefs, not seek to influence them? And do we really expect people to believe in God? The Trinity? The resurrection? Yet one cannot be a follower of Jesus and not hear the call to "make disciples." What to do...??? In this episode our beloved Rev. Ian Farrell shares his wisdom on the work of sharing our faith - thoughtfully, kindly, respectfully, and...authentically. The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  John 17 (NRSV) Want more content from Jesus at 2AM?? Learn how to become a patron! Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find Jesus at 2AM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Pop culture overflows with visions of "heaven" - from floating cities with streets of gold to childlike cherubim to the white robed "saved" joyfully playing the harp unto eternity... But these images have little to do with the actual biblical portrait of life in the age to come. In this episode we examine what scripture intends to communicate about New Creation, a world set right. And, even more importantly, how this vision of salvation calls us to life today. The images referenced here: 01 The Billboard 02 Heaven/Hell Diagram 03 (Florence) Baptistry Hell 04 Heaven? 05 Heaven 2? (Raphael) The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Revelation 21:1-22:7 (NRSV) Want more content from Jesus at 2AM?? Learn how to become a patron! Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find Jesus at 2AM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Of all the subjects we choose to avoid, death is probably first on the list! We fear it for ourselves, and perhaps even more, we fear the pain of the loss of those we love. But at the heart of the Christian life is a discussion about death and our hope in the face of it. In this episode we examine that hope and the courage it gives us to live generously. Specifically we'll look at the tragedy of death, our confidence in the resurrection, and what happens in the time in between... The biblical passages referenced in this sermon are:  Genesis 3:22-24 (NRSV) Ecclesiastes 3:18-22 (NRSV) Romans 6:3-5 (NRSV) 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (NRSV) Want more content from Jesus at 2AM?? Learn how to become a patron! Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find Jesus at 2AM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Name a hot topic - from abortion to refugee resettlement to gender identity - and someone in the church will declare "what the Bible says" about the matter. (And where there are 2 Christians there are usually 3 passionate, dissonant conclusions!) So how do we determine what scripture is trying to say? Or, to put it another way, how do we build a theology? How do we move from individual passages to a clear sense of God's intent? Here we'll take slavery as a case study and see what scripture is trying to say. The biblical passages referenced in this sermon are:  Exodus 6:5-6, 20:8-11(NRSV) Colossians 3:9-11, 22-4:1 (NRSV) Want more content from Jesus at 2AM?? Learn how to become a patron! Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find Jesus at 2AM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

We begin this series on deep questions with a discussion of the Bible as a source of fundamental truth? Is there any reason to believe it is more authoritative on matters of God than other religious books? Or any books at all? In this episode we look beyond the Bible's self-description as "God's word" and examine the experience of those who wrote it, and our own deep experience of life to see if there is an elemental resonance between the story scripture intends to tell and what we know of life in this age. The biblical passages referenced in this sermon are:  2 Tim. 3:16-17 (NRSV) Luke 22:54-62 (NRSV) John 21:15-19 (NRSV) Acts 4:1-20 (NRSV) Want more content from Jesus at 2AM?? Learn how to become a patron! Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find Jesus at 2AM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Once again, Isaiah speaks of the birth of a child in connection with Israel's deliverance. But unlike the the prophesy of chapter 7 (see Ep. 278), the child described is nearly impossible identify in Isaiah's original context. Indeed, the whole of the poem moves fluidly between past, present and future, as though all three ages are existing beside each other, and all are being saved by means of a coming king. It is a very unique poem, even for ancient prophesy, and one pointing very much to a messiah. The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Isaiah 9:1-7 (NRSV) As you know, our shout-out city for this episode is the nation of Australia - currently suffering devastating wildfires. If you would like to contribute to recovery efforts, here is a link to the Australian Red Cross donation page.   Want more content from Jesus at 2AM?? Learn how to become a patron! Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find Jesus at 2AM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

"Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Immanuel." Most of us know these words by their appearance in Matthew's telling of the Christmas story, where we tend to focus mainly on the "virgin" part- as though Matthew's point is to demonstrate that Jesus's birth is miraculous. But Matthew's intent goes much deeper, and to understand it we must first hear what Isaiah was saying in his time and place. And when we do, we get an even deeper glimpse of just how much God is with us. The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Isaiah 7:10-17 (NRSV) To see the map to which Kirk refers, click here. What to listen to Kirk's Advent/Christmas playlist? Check out Christmas at 2AM on Spotify! Want more content from Jesus at 2AM?? Learn how to become a patron! Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find Jesus at 2AM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.