how to read the bible – Page 2 – Jesus @ 2 am blogs and podcast

Turning Theology into Church 05: Gratitude

February 6, 2015February 6, 2015Kirk WinslowLeave a comment

What sort of community should grow out of the biblical story? A grateful one.

In this episode we explore the concept of hesed – the Hebrew word usually translated as “steadfast love.” It is used throughout the Bible to describe the fundamental nature of God and is meant to explain why God is so committed to the work of salvation.

Why does God forgive? Because God loves? Why does God heal? Because God loves. Why does God bless? You get the idea…

In particular we will look at Psalm 136 as the poet pours forth reasons for thanksgiving by recounting God’s great acts of deliverance in Israel’s history. It is a moving work and one that reminds the reader that the proper response to grace is gratitude. No wonder, then, that centuries later Paul would regard thanksgiving as an essential mark of a healthy church (look again at Col. 3:12-17 – our text from last week).

If you are asking how to choose a church, be sure that gratitude is part of your answer!

This is a sermon that was originally presented at Canvas (a Presbyterian church in Irvine, CA), November 16, 2014. To learn more about Canvas, click here!

To receive future episodes automatically, simply subscribe by clicking below:

Turning Theology into Church 04: Ordaining Everyone

January 29, 2015January 27, 2015Kirk WinslowLeave a comment

For centuries, “Kingdom work” was synonymous with the stuff pastors do – preaching, sacraments, general church-running… This was the “eternal” work done for God, and the province of a small minority of God’s people who were “ordained” to the role. “Secular” work was what one did for money, not an equally important embodiment of Jesus’s ministry of restoration. But such a limited view of work-that-matters (and the idea of ordination) has come mainly to limit the church’s imagination and ignore the gifts of the majority of the people of God.

In this episode we examine Paul’s exhortation to “do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Col. 3:17) as a challenge the traditional definition of “godly work,” and take up again the biblical vision of vocation – the idea that everyone is called to a meaningful role in the project of salvation.

Perhaps it’s time we start formally ordaining people to all kinds of roles in the world, one of which might even be leading a congregation…?

This is a sermon that was originally presented at Canvas (a Presbyterian church in Irvine, CA), November 9, 2014. To learn more about Canvas, click here!

To receive future episodes automatically, simply subscribe by clicking below:

Turning Theology into Church 03: Embracing Conflict

January 27, 2015January 27, 2015Kirk WinslowLeave a comment

Conflict is the last thing anyone wants from their “church experience.” After all, we go to church to feel better, to get a little uplift to face the week, right? It’s the one place where we don’t have to deal with the typical human foibles of self-interest, pettiness, passive-aggression…right? I mean, sure, we may have minor disagreements, but the unspoken rule is that they remain unspoken!: “I promise not to mention what I can’t stand about you and there is nothing not-standable about me!”

But how could this possibly be true??? And think of the pressure it places on a community – to pretend that genuine conflicts aren’t a normal part of life.

To be sure, some conflicts are rooted quite obviously in our selfish interests and preferences, our pet peeves and sensitivities…. And to the degree that we can grow in love, such upsets will be quickly recognized and contained.

But conflict also exists because each of us brings genuinely different core values to our most intimate relationships. We each have perspectives we hold dear, values that are guaranteed to conflict with the values of others (who do not share our unique experience of life). We call them “values” for a reason: we value them deeply!

In any truly intimate community (as the church should be), conflict is inevitable. Passionate disagreements (and the emotions that go with them) are not always a sign of failure. Indeed, conflict can be a sign that deep bonds are forming (I now care about you enough to want you to share my values!).

If we recognize this, we can transform conflict from something to be avoided at all costs, to a genuine an opportunity to grow – to expand my experience (even if I don’t come to share the value).

Truly healthy churches – or any kind of relationship – are not those where conflict has been avoided (buried, denied, ignored…?), but rather places where conflicts of values do not become caustic to those involved. In this episode, we explore how the people of God can become sal and light in the world by learning and then teaching how to passionately differ, while being united in a love that transcends our differences.

This is a sermon that was originally presented at Canvas (a Presbyterian church in Irvine, CA), November 2, 2014. To learn more about Canvas, click here!

To receive future episodes automatically, simply subscribe by clicking below: