advent sermons – Page 2 – Jesus @ 2 am blogs and podcast

Advent 2014, Part 3: Sharing Joy

April 11, 2015April 11, 2015Kirk WinslowLeave a comment

My goddaughter teaching me what joy looks like.

This episode is particularly personal to me.

“Joy” is not a primary Winslow trait. Hard work, honesty, responsibility, service to others…these are virtues I know well. And to the degree that the Bible calls Christians to “rejoice,” I did my best to be optimistic for Jesus (whatever that means). Often what it really meant was biting my tongue less and less effectively as other Christians exhorted people in suffering to trust that “God has a plan” (as though this insight renders grief and pain irrelevant).

Yet joy is a genuine part of the Christian life. One I have slowly – and somewhat recently – come to know. Far from naive positivity or annoying, face-slap-inspiring, religious peppy-ness, joy is the inner state of one who has come to experience (albeit imperfectly) the reality of salvation (having your arse delivered in such a way you know it shall be saved again, once and for all).

Michelle on our way home from MD Anderson

It is a truth the New Testament is at pains to express and one that can radically transform hearts.

In the end, joy is the product of God’s gift of salvation and thus a true treasure that only the community of salvation can give away.

This is a sermon that was originally presented at Canvas (a Presbyterian church in Irvine, CA), December 14, 2014. To learn more about Canvas, click here!

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Advent 2014, Part 2: The Gift of Intimacy with God

April 9, 2015April 11, 2015Kirk WinslowLeave a comment

Does God know I exist? Does he know the circumstances of my life? Does he hear me when I pray? Does he care???

Such questions go back to the dawn of time and for most of human history, the answer has been: no. The gods may exist, but their concern for humans was minimal! Mostly the deities dwelled in a realm far removed from daily life (think Mt. Olympus), and if they paid any attention to humans at all, it was primary to receive honor and/or sacrifice. Zeus had no interest in making human friends, only in preserving power and receiving the glory that was his due.

How different is the God of Abraham! As we have seen (Understanding the Bible series), the entire biblical story is one of God’s love for humanity and the desire for intimate, individual connection.

In this episode, Ian Farrell examines the intimacy God seeks with us and how we can deepen it. Intimacy with God is both a gift we receive and a truth we are called to proclaim in word and deed.

This is a sermon that was originally presented at Canvas (a Presbyterian church in Irvine, CA), December 7, 2014. To learn more about Canvas, click here!

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Advent 2014, Part 1: Generous Hope

March 24, 2015April 7, 2015Kirk WinslowLeave a comment

What has Nietzsche to do with Christmas? And what has either to do with rock bands, HIV and clean water? In a word: hope.

Having just described generosity as one of the highest virtues of the church, one of the surest signs that a community is following Jesus, we turn now to the content of that generosity – what we have to give away. The list is lengthy, of course: resources, talent, energy, creativity… But there are a few gifts that only the church can give. And thus we have a special obligation to give these unique blessings in as much abundance as possible.

Today we explore hope – the sure and certain hope of resurrection to eternal life and the restoration of all things. For the biblical authors, hope is not a verb (to be hopeful), but a noun (the possession of those who recognize that the tomb was empty that Easter morning). Christians are not those who life with optimism. They are the ones who know how the last chapter of history is written and live in light of God’s already-determined victory. And as such, we carry on the mission of bot declaring and embodying that hope to the world.

In addition to a look at the book of Hebrews, we have a guest appearance from Jake Smith of the non-profit, Blood:Water Mission (an exceptional charity!) to give (one) very tangible look at how we can bring hope to hopeless places.

This is a sermon that was originally presented at Canvas (a Presbyterian church in Irvine, CA), November 30, 2014. To learn more about Canvas, click here!

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