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The Dark Before the Dawn (Advent 2017), Part 02 – Israel on Trial

December 20, 2017December 20, 2017Kirk WinslowLeave a comment

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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)

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The Dark Before the Dawn (Advent 2017), Part 01 – The False Hope of False Gods

December 9, 2017December 20, 2017Kirk WinslowLeave a comment

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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 (southern Israel)
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!

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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.

Click here to download this episode.

Advent 4 – Peace of Mind and Peace on Earth

December 21, 2016December 21, 2016Kirk WinslowLeave a comment

How one over-busy pastor remembers that you can’t be a part of peace on earth until you find peace within (and with God).

In this episode I take a pretty personal look at what to do when the internal angst is up, satisfaction with the state of the world is low and prayer feels impossible. Short answer is: back to basics – show up, meditate on the Gospels (make St. Ignatius proud) and wait for God to speak…

For me, the help came with a look at the story of the annunciation (Luke 1:26-38), aided by the painting of same by Leonardo da Vinci. It was there I was reminded of the gentleness of God (in the form of a bowing Angel Gabriel), who brings about peace on earth not with the sword (in the manner of every tyrant…ever), but with an infant….