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

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!   Not already subscribed to the podcast? Here’s the quick link to iTunes! Want to connect? I’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mail here, or follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

"Love is the name of the game" rolls regularly off my tongue; but what does it look like in practice? In this episode we examine some of Jesus's seemingly extreme demands of his disciples and discover they are not a loyalty test, but rather a call to love with vitality and devotion. Such love requires risk, but it can (and will!) change the world. Included are a few examples of what we can do today to put love to work in our lives and the lives of others. The text for this episode is Luke 14:25-35 (NRSV). Not already subscribed to the podcast? Here’s the quick link to iTunes! Want to connect? I’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mail here, or follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Once again, Jesus disrupts dinner party decorum. In this case, it is to heal a man suffering terrible pain. A worthy cause, his Pharisee hosts, would agree. But this particular dinner was happening on the Sabbath, and, well...healings were "work" and should wait. Or should they? In this episode we get another look at Jesus's attempts to reveal the depth of the love of God (and the response of our love for neighbor it should provoke) and how deeply ambivalent we humans can be. The text for this episode is Luke 14:1-24 (NRSV). Not already subscribed to the podcast? Here’s the quick link to iTunes! Want to connect? I’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mail here, or follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The life of faith will have its share of sleepless nights. The question is whether we are having them for the right reasons. In this episode we look at Jesus's parable of the "narrow door" - a stern warning to those who, in their self righteousness, would never bother to question their citizenship within the Kingdom of God. But question they should, question we all should. NOT to foster undue fear, shame and/or anxiety, but so that - like an athlete in training - they might recognize the very real need to be ever on task, preparing or the critical work of the kingdom that is our true mission. In an effort to be especially practical, In the sermon I mention a Rule of Life we did at Canvas for Lent 2016. Here is a link to the .PDF file. If you want to hear more about the idea of Rule, you can listen to Ep. 131 of the podcast.  Or read more about Rule here. The text for this episode is Luke 13:22-35. Not already subscribed to the podcast? Here’s the quick link to iTunes! Want to connect? I’d love to hear from yo

Of one thing we can all be sure: the kingdom of God will upend expectations. Religious insiders will find themselves on the wrong end of rebuke while outsiders are welcomed as family. The lowly and humble will be raised up, while the strong discover their weakness; and the most most noble, royal work will be that of the gardener... In this episode regular guest preacher, Ian Farrell, examines a collection of short stories and parables in which Jesus reveals the stunning unpredictability of God's grace.  The text for this episode is Luke 13:1-21 (NRSV). Not already subscribed to the podcast? Here’s the quick link to iTunes! Want to connect? I’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mail here, or follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also..." This is not simply Jesus's way of warning about the stockpiling of earthly wealth, but rather an invitation to a more direct encounter with God. In this episode our regular guest preacher, Ian Farrell, explores the realm of the "sublime" - the encounter with God that is beyond words and yet of the greatest value.  The text for this episode is Luke 12:13-34 (NRSV). Not already subscribed to the podcast? Here’s the quick link to iTunes! Want to connect? I’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mail here, or follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

As tension with the Pharisees intensifies, Jesus steps more fully into his prophetic role - warning of impending disaster for those who refuse to repent of their present religious and political allegiances. But to be understood, these warnings (and assurances) must be heard in their proper context. In this episode we practice interpreting such passages from a variety of perspectives to hear what Jesus is - and isn't! - saying about life on the Jesus way. The text for this episode is Luke 12:1-12 (NRSV).   Not already subscribed to the podcast? Here’s the quick link to iTunes! Want to connect? I’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mail here, or follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Jesus accepts the dinner invitation of a prominent Pharisee - a meeting that immediately erupts in scandal, as Jesus forgoes the ritual washing expected by his host. It leads to Jesus declaring a series of "woes" - like those of the early Hebrew prophets - condemning the Pharisees for dedicating such energy to the tiniest details of ritual while managing to ignore the greatest commandment of all: to love. For those of us who've been in church a while, it is a reminder that religious action without love is no virtue.   The text for this episode is Luke 11:37-54 (NRSV) Not already subscribed to the podcast? Here’s the quick link to iTunes!   Want to connect? I’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mail here, or follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

At first reading, it seems we have met a different Jesus! The preacher of grace and welcome has become a prophet of condemnation, declaring such things as: "Whoever is not with me is against me," and, "This generation is an evil generation..." How do we explain this change in tone? Why the threats of judgment? And what's so wrong with the crowds asking for a "sign" to verify Jesus's authority? In this episode we examine Jesus's battle with evil and our role in a cosmic conflict. The text for this episode is Luke 11:14-36 (NRSV) Not already subscribed to the podcast? Here’s the quick link to iTunes! Want to connect? I’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mail here, or follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Does prayer make a difference in the universe? Really? Reeaally? Jesus's answer is: yes. And he offers all those who would be his followers instruction in how to pray, and, even more importantly, what the purpose of prayer is. It's a transformative lesson for any and all of us who seriously wonder prayer affects anything, and why our prayers so often seem unanswered. The text for this episode is Luke 11:1-13 (NRSV). Not already subscribed to the podcast? Here’s the quick link to iTunes! Want to connect? I’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mail here, or follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

"Love is the name of the game" is a phrase you hear frequently around here, and it's true. But when love becomes a commandment, there is a temptation to turn love into duty, in which obedience to duty takes on a life of its own. In this episode we examine the story of two sisters, Martha and Mary. Martha obeys convention to love Jesus properly. Mary flagrantly violates every social norm to love Jesus passionately. Which one do you think Jesus affirms most? And what does it teach us about the life of faith? The text for this episode is Luke 10:38-42 (NRSV) Not already subscribed to the podcast? Here’s the quick link to iTunes! Want to connect? I’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mail here, or follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The parable of the Good Samaritan is often taught as a morality tale about the importance of compassion (with overtones implying that such acts of generosity are means by which one secures a place in the heavenly afterlife). But Jesus's intent goes far deeper! In this episode we examine central command to love and the human temptation to draw boundaries that divide the lovable from the not-so-much. And we discover that God's embrace knows no bounds. The text for this episode is Luke 10:25-37 (NRSV). Not already subscribed to the podcast? Here’s the quick link to iTunes! Want to connect? I’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mail here, or follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The 70 disciples who were sent to bear witness to the gospel and embody the ministry of Jesus now return with an astonishing report: it worked! To their amazement, God has given them the power and resources they were promised, such that "even the demons submit to us." It is a lesson every disciple must learn time and again. And as we do, we discover that the gap between heaven and earth is far narrower than we expect! God is not afar off, nor is "heaven" at a distance. Rather, in Jesus, heaven and earth overlap, and those who follow him have signs of the kingdom everywhere around them. In this episode we examine the depth of God's faithfulness to his people and just how close heaven is to earth. The text for this episode is Luke 10:17-24 (NRSV). Not already subscribed to the podcast? Here’s the quick link to iTunes! Want to connect? I’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mail here, or follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

As Canvas celebrates our 5th anniversary, we return to our very first sermon - an articulation of the mission, vision and core values we felt called to embody. It's an inside look at the first days of a new church plant, and why we have shaped our community in the manner we have. Whether you are thinking of starting something new, considering making adjustments to an ongoing ministry or simply want to know why Canvas has such unique personality, here's why we do what we do. The text for this sermon is Matthew 5:1-16 (NRSV). Not already subscribed to the podcast? Here’s the quick link to iTunes! Want to connect? I’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mail here, or follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Finally, we come to the joy of Christmas! For weeks we have been examining Israel's fall from her priestly office, and with it the fear that God's project of salvation might be forever lost. But the God of love will not be thwarted, and last we learn how God will fulfill the covenant of with Abraham - God will become human, to carry out Israel's obedience himself! In this episode we look at the Jesus's birth as told in the Gospel of Matthew, and how all the pieces of Israel's story come together in him. The text for this Christmas Eve sermon is Matthew 1:18-25 (NRSV). Not already subscribed to the podcast? Here’s the quick link to iTunes! Want to connect? I’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mail here, or follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Israel's (and thus humanity's) situation has gone from bad to worse. The "trial" we witnessed in part 2 has become a verdict and sentence: exile (a symbol God may be abandoning the promise of salvation!). After all "What more was there to do [for Israel]" that had not already been done? What advantage had not been given? What blessing withheld? And still she could not fulfill her pledge of priestly service. In this episode we examine the depth of Israel's fall and the fear that salvation may never come. The text for this sermon is:  Isaiah 5:1-17 (NRSV) Want to support the podcast??? You can give a tax-deductible donation to Canvas as a one-time gift or pledge to the Canvas budget. Your gift in any amount is a huge help to us! Not already subscribed to the podcast? Here’s the quick link to iTunes! Want to connect? I’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mail here, or follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Is God really a harsh judge, hovering in the heavens ready at any moment to accuse and punish? In this episode, we find ourselves jurors as God indeed places Israel on trial. And yet, even as God makes his case (airtight we might add), we hear not the rage of a king before a traitor, but the pain of a father who wants nothing but that his foolish children would recognize that they are chasing after the things that will profit them nothing. It's a painful look at human folly and the constancy of God's love. The sermon text is Jeremiah 2:4-13, 26-28 (NRSV)   Want to support the podcast??? You can give a tax-deductible donation to Canvas as a one-time gift or pledge to the 2018 budget. Your gift in any amount is a huge help to us! Not already subscribed to the podcast? Here’s the quick link to iTunes! Want to connect? I’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mail here, or follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Few words terrify the typical Christian like "evangelism." It instantly conjures images of hellfire preachers on corners or, worse yet, the awkwardly forced conversation about Jesus with a "non-believing" friend (ugh!). It's worth noting that Jesus did neither of these, nor asked it of his disciples. Jesus did, however, send. He sent ill-equipped, nervous followers to carry the good news of the presence of kingdom of God, and to bless whatever instances of grace they might find already at work. In this episode we look at this call to go and to bless; and hopefully discover it is quite a gift to be sent. The passage for this week is Luke 10:1-16 (NRSV). Here is a link to the map I mention early in the sermon.   

Interrupting your regularly scheduled sermon from Luke with a sermon for Advent... Advent is the season of preparation for Jesus's coming, a time to remember his birth in Bethlehem, yes, but primarily a time to remember that Jesus is coming again. In short, it is a time to get in touch with our need for a savior. In this episode we join the story of Israel in the days after the settling in Canaan, and the slow turn away from YHWH to the Canaanite gods of Baal and Astarte. It's a painful reminder of our human impulse to worship our prosperity. The sermon text is Judges 2:6-23 (NRSV) Here are links to the images I mention in the sermon: Idol of Baal (Louvre) Idol of Astarte (Louvre) Example of Canaanite idols found in ancient Judah Other Canaanite idols found in ancient Jewish homes (Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition). Want to support the podcast??? You can give a tax-deductible donation to Canvas as a one-time gift or pledge to the 2018 budget. Your gift in any amount is a huge help to us! Not already subscribed t

As Jesus "sets his face toward Jerusalem" (i.e., resolves to force a confrontation with the religious authorities), the conflict that will lead to his crucifixion begins to take shape. It starts with a rejection of Jesus as he seeks to enter Samaria (located between the regions Galilee and Judea) and continues with Jesus's rejection of some would-be followers. In this episode regular J@2AM preacher, Rev. Mike Regele examines this very complex sequence (Luke 9:51-62), and put on a master class in exegesis (the scholarly work of interpreting a passage) and why such work is essential to our proper understanding of the biblical story!