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

Understanding the Bible 21: Jesus and the Forgiveness of Sins

March 19, 2014March 19, 2014Kirk WinslowLeave a comment

An elemental consequence of sin is alienation – alienation between people, between humanity and creation, and, most profoundly, alienation between humanity and God (see part 2 of this series for more detail). And thus central to the project of salvation is reconciliation – bringing creation back to healthy, loving relationship, beginning with the relationship between God and his people.

In this episode we turn to this relational dimension of salvation and Jesus’s ministry of forgiveness. What we discover – I think – is not a God overflowing with rage, satisfied only by exacting punishment (as God is, sadly, too often described!), but a Father extending compassion to his beloved children. Just as Jesus heals broken bodies and broken hearts, so he heals the wounds of our own wrongdoing and restores the shalom for which we so desperately long.

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

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

Understanding the Bible 17: “Gospel” Explained

February 17, 2014February 18, 2014Kirk WinslowLeave a comment

What exactly is a gospel? And is there a right way to read them?

In this episode, we examine the gospel as a genre of biblical literature and discuss: their content, the events that occasioned their writing, and the manner of their composition. And we begin with fact that “gospel” (the Greek word is εὐαγγέλιον) did not originally refer to a genre at all. Rather, εὐαγγέλιον was news of victory, especially victory in battle. In the ancient world, runners would be sent from the front lines back to the threatened territories to give a report of the state of the battle. And nothing was better than to receive “gospel” – the announcement that our team had won! One might say that the city had been “saved”!

The evangelist Mark, the first one to compose a written account of Jesus’ life considered “authoritative” in the early church, opens his work with the word εὐαγγέλιον. And in so doing, he gives tremendous insight into his intent.

If you want a deeper understanding of Jesus – his life, ministry and teaching, this episode is essential listening!

(This episode is a sermon, preached at Canvas [Irvine, CA], 12 January 2014. To learn more about Canvas, click here!)

To subscribe to this podcast, simply click below:

Understanding the Bible 16: A New King of the Jews??? – Wise Men, Herod & Jesus’s Escape to Egypt

February 7, 2014March 26, 2014Kirk WinslowLeave a comment

A sermon from Canvas: 05 January 2014

The story of the magi is foundational to Matthew’s Gospel both historically and symbolically. Historically it places Jesus’s early life in the larger context of the reign of Herod the Great, and sets the stage for a confrontation between three kingdoms: Rome, Jerusalem, and the “kingdom of God” (a topic we will explore in much greater detail in the weeks to come). Symbolically, the recognition of Jesus’ kingship by “wise men” (literally “magi” – referring to astrologers of the Persian court) serves as the beginnings of the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham that through his decedents “all the families of the earth” would be blessed!

In this sermon, Rev. Ian Farrell explores both dimensions of this story, as well as Herod’s horrific “slaughter of the innocents” (the execution of children in the region of Bethlehem in an effort to prevent the new “king of the Jews” from ever being recognized). Sadly, such an act was well within the capacity of Herod, and surely Jesus would have known that others died while he escaped. How this shaped Jesus’ later ministry is not spelled out, but it sheds tremendous light on Jesus’ compassion for friend, foreigner and even enemy.