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

For Paul there has only ever been one means of salvation: election. And to make his case, he appeals to the story of Abraham (Israel's patriarch), who received salvation as a promise, and for who responded in faith. In this episode we further examine the relationship between election and faith and what it means to have faith "reckoned as righteousness." It is also a look at God intent to include all creation in his plan of redemption. The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Romans 4:1-8 (NRSV) Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.  

Salvation by faith alone is one of the central pillars of Reformed theology - a doctrine based in no small measure on Paul's declaration in 3:28 "that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law." (This, of course, has only led to endless debates about what, then, constitutes "saving faith"). But what Paul meant and what the Reformers thought he meant don't totally align. In this episode we re-examine what, precisely Paul intended to communicate about the means of salvation. The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Romans 3:27-31 (NRSV) Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.  

The central claim of Christianity is that, in Jesus, God has accomplished all that is required for the salvation of the world. And, in particular, that this was accomplished through the cross and resurrection. It was there that Christ made atonement for this sins of the world. In this episode we look at the Paul's understanding of the atonement and do our best to explain how the death of one man accomplishes the the salvation of us all.   The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Romans 3:21-26 (NRSV) Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.  

At last we arrive at the announcement of salvation. Though humanity stands utterly mired in sin, God himself will provide the means of our salvation. In one act, God will both justly fulfill the covenant promise to Abraham, and accomplish the proper judgment of sin (and thereby overcome it). That act: the cross. In this episode (part 1 of 2 on the atonement) we put the pieces of Paul's argument together and see that the sacrifice of Christ is the end to which God had been working all along.    The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Romans 3:21-26 (NRSV) Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.    

Here Paul concludes the argument he has been developing for 2.5 chapters: everyone stands utterly guilty before God. There is no excuse to be made, no special status to be conferred, humanity is rightly deserving of God's just wrath. It is the news we must hear if we are to truly take in what comes next: grace! The sermon is brilliant and preached by our regular contributor, the Rev. Mike Regele. With this one you are in for an intellectual and spiritual treat!   The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Romans 3:9-20 (NRSV) Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.    

If Israel is humanity in microcosm, and Israel has not only failed in her covenant obligations, but the very signs of her belonging to God (circumcision and Torah) only further testify to her unfaithfulness, what hope is left of salvation? Surely the rest of humanity would fare no better were the covenant given to another. In this episode we look at the relationship between humanity's failure and God's faithfulness, and the real foundation of the salvation of the world... The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Romans 3:1-8 (NRSV) Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.    

Nothing was more elemental to Jewish identity, nor more distinguishing of the boundary between Jew and Gentile than circumcision. It was a mark, in the flesh, of one's belonging (or not) to the people of YHWH, long before obedience to Torah was possible. Yet Paul here Paul declares that even circumcision is of no special value in bringing one near to God. It is a circumcision of the heart that matters, not flesh. A declaration that opens to door for all humanity to share the inheritance of Israel. The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Romans 2:25-29 (NRSV) Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

In order to show us the fullness of what Jesus has accomplished at the cross, Paul takes us into an argument with his former self (the zealous Pharisee). The subject: Torah. For it was Israel's long-held belief that Torah served as something of a protection against sin and its full consequences. And that belief turns out to be an idol Paul must fully demolish (and he does) in order to then reveal the heights of Gods' grace. The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Romans 2:12-24 (NRSV) Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

In a move of rhetorical brilliance (as many in Romans are)! Paul takes the judgmentalism he has just provoked in his readers and turns it back upon themselves (i.e., us!). Whatever speck we may wish to pluck from our neighbor's eye, we must first contend with the plank in our own. But this is more than a morality lesson. As Paul moves deeper into an understanding of divine judgment, a paradox begins to form - justice, it seems, is a two-edged sword, simultaneously a means of salvation and of condemnation. The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Romans 2:1-11 (NRSV) Also referenced are these two images: Roman Rostra Today Roman Rostra (Artist's Recreation)   Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Few controversies have raised more ire and ugliness in the contemporary church than the debate about the place (or lack thereof) of homosexual relationships within the community of faith (and the larger culture). And at the center of that debate are Paul's words in Romans 1:18-32. In this episode we examine this highly charged passage - what Paul intended and how it both does and does not speak to the arguments the church is having today. The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Romans 1:18-32 (NRSV) Also referenced is Mike Regele's book, Science, Scripture and Same Sex Love. Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

"Paul, a slave of King Jesus, called to be an appointed messenger, set apart for the announcing of the news of God’s victory." With these words Paul opened his letter to the church at Rome and set the course of Christian theology. In this episode we examine Paul's letter opening in light of the literary conventions of his day and how he both adheres to cultural norms and radically transforms our understanding of the world around us. We also discover the mind of a genius and the heart of a saint.   The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Romans 1:1-17 (NRSV) Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.  

In this episode we look not at Paul, but at the city to which he wrote - the capital of the greatest empire the world had ever known. It was a time of stability and strength and Rome was in the mood to make promises - not least the promises of justice, glory and peace (the Pax Romana). If only one would pledge loyalty to the empire, the benefits would be manifold. It's to the center of this world that Paul will write to declare a new kingdom - one with similar promises and competing loyalties.  The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Romans 1:7 (NRSV) To see the images referenced in the sermon, click the title: Statue Base reading "SPQR" The Roman Forum at Dusk An Artist's Reconstruction of the Roman Forum Ara Pacis   Want to connect?  You can send e-mail here. Or find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.  

We are all familiar with nativity scenes- Mary and Joseph tend to the infant Jesus as animals and shepherds look on, and in the distance we see traveling magi, bearing their gifts, following a star... It's a peaceful scene filled with both love and wonder. And it bears some resemblance to the biblical story. But the birth of Jesus is a fundamentally disruptive event that stirs both the cosmic and political orders, and brings hidden truths to light. And revelation is a powerful thing... The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Matt. 2:1:12 (NRSV) Want to connect?  You can send e-mail here. Or find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

We all have seasons in life in which we are waiting...: Waiting on the next chapter to unfold, waiting something to make sense...waiting for God to take action! The wait can be excruciating at times, especially when we feel that God is silent. In this episode we look at what to do in those moments - namely the Jesuit practice of "contemplating" scripture, a means by which we learn to hear God's word to US. Want more on the contemplation stuff? Find it in my Loving God 101 series, parts 11 and 12.   The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Luke 2:21-35 (NRSV) Want to connect?  You can send e-mail here. Or find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

We all carry an picture of God - his power, nature, "personality"... Mine was, for many years, an academic one, formed with the Latin words of the long-dead philosophers we studied in school. And that image did great things for my GPA! Until, one day, that same picture rendered me useless to a scared, 6-yr-old cancer patient. As she saw it, cancer was proof of God's anger. When I said, "I don't think God is like that." She said, "Then what is God like...?" And it has taken me 20-years to find my answer.  The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Luke 2:8-20 (NRSV) Want to connect?  You can send e-mail here. Or find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Amidst the wait for God's salvation, one can begin to doubt that it will ever come. Perhaps we have believed in vain? Or trusted in a promise that will not be fulfilled? I think the thought crosses the mind of every person of faith. So where do we go when we need assurance? Where do we look for signs of God's present love? In this episode we examine one poet's answer in the form of Psalm 139. It turns out to be quite persuasive....   The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Psalm 139 (NRSV) Want to connect?  You can send e-mail here. Or find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Advent is a pensive season, a time of active reflection on our need for a savior. And that reflection on a needful world can, at times, lead to the false conclusion that the true life of faith is one of mild depression - sharing the pain of the world with only a distant hope of redemption. But that is not God's intent! There is much joy to be found even in a broken creation and in this episode we examine one poet's experience of it - a psalm of blessing and rejoicing in a God who is presently saving! The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Psalm 103 (NRSV) Want to connect?  You can send e-mail here. Or find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Peace is an endangered species. From the violence of war, to our conflicted politics, to the internal battle for rest and quiet within our self, peace feels more elusive than ever. And in quest to find it, to have it, we are tempted to believe that the way to peace inwardly is to first establish peace outwardly. When the chaos and hostility have been tamed out there, I can finally rest in my soul. When in fact the opposite is true. Peace out there begins with peace in me. And that peace comes only from God. In this episode we look into one of the Bible's greatest visions of peace and gain a sense of the shalom that God intends for his creation. And as we study, we find ourselves being shaped by the words themselves, in such a way that when we have slowed ourselves and read the poem (Ps. 23), we often find that we have become more peaceful. It is a wonderful look at the power of scripture to both inform and transform the human soul. The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Psalm 23 (NRSV)  Want to

Hope is essential to a life of love. But it can be hard to come by, especially when so much that matters to us is outside of our control. In this episode we look honestly at the difficulty of hope and how we regain it. In particular, we turn to the psalms (a constant guide to connection with God), and how one Hebrew poet found his way back to comfort and assurance in the goodness of God. If you'd like to read the e-mail sent to the Canvas congregation about the practice of the daily office, just CLICK HERE. The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Psalm 33 (NRSV)   Want to connect?  You can send e-mail here. Or find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

We have already witnessed a radical transformation in Paul - from zealous persecutor of the church to faithful Christian. But there is more to come. Paul is called by God to be an apostle (lit. "a sent one"), not to his fellow Jews, but specifically to the Gentile world. It is a mission that revolutionizes his theology, and reveals for him a depth of God's salvation he could never have otherwise imagined. In this episode we examine the Gentile mission and its essential role in the saving of the world.   The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Ephesians 3:1-13 (NRSV) To see the map referenced in the sermon, CLICK HERE.   Want to connect?  You can send e-mail here. Or find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.