make makes for a good church – Jesus @ 2 am blogs and podcast

Turning Theology into Church 06: Generosity

February 26, 2015February 26, 2015Kirk WinslowLeave a comment

One of the surest signs an individual or community is following the Jesus way (of life) is that they possesses a thorough-going spirit of generosity. For them, it truly is better to give than to receive as they have every confidence that they will receive again. Gifts are not to be clutched and hidden, but freely shared, as it is only by so doing that the full measure of their value is found.

In this episode (which forms the heart of the following series), we examine the biblical call to generosity not mainly as a demand of obedience, but as a the natural outgrowth of gratitude – as a response to grace. In particular, we look at generosity in manners that go beyond the sharing of material goods. While the Bible certainly calls us to material generosity, the gifts God bestows upon us go far beyond finances and possession (e.g., compassion, justice, reconciliation…). It is as the church brings these to the world, that we experience for ourselves, the full joy of sharing in God’s project of love.

This is a sermon that was originally presented at Canvas (a Presbyterian church in Irvine, CA), November 23, 2014. To learn more about Canvas, click here!

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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!

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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!

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