Commons Church Podcast

The church was vandalized a few weeks ago which was unfortunate but it did give us a good reason to talk about where our popular fascination with the number 666 comes from and why we should all stop worrying about the Antichrist. Revelation is not about the end times (it's about the end of time) and it is certainly not about anything as small as a one world government. If you want to read all of the footnotes head over to Academia.edu to read my work. Be warned it's kinda long and boring. https://www.academia.edu/36173393/A_GIRARDIAN_READING_OF_VIOLENT_IMAGERY_IN_REVELATION ★ Support this podcast ★

“It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question.” –Eugene IonescoA good question is a superpower.So why don’t we ask more questions? Maybe we are a bit egocentric—eager to impress with our own thoughts and stories. Perhaps we are apathetic— thinking we might be bored by the response. Or perhaps we just worry that we’ll ask the wrong question and be viewed as rude or incompetent.But often the biggest challenge is that we simply don’t understand how beneficial good questioning can be. If we did,we might end far fewer sentences witha period—and more with a question mark.Jesus loved a good question.Sometimes they seemed pretty straightforward. Sometimes they seemed to come straight out of left field. But Jesus’ questions always seemed to find a way to open up new unexplored avenues to consider. ★ Support this podcast ★

“It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question.” –Eugene IonescoA good question is a superpower.So why don’t we ask more questions? Maybe we are a bit egocentric—eager to impress with our own thoughts and stories. Perhaps we are apathetic— thinking we might be bored by the response. Or perhaps we just worry that we’ll ask the wrong question and be viewed as rude or incompetent.But often the biggest challenge is that we simply don’t understand how beneficial good questioning can be. If we did,we might end far fewer sentences witha period—and more with a question mark.Jesus loved a good question.Sometimes they seemed pretty straightforward. Sometimes they seemed to come straight out of left field. But Jesus’ questions always seemed to find a way to open up new unexplored avenues to consider. ★ Support this podcast ★

The gospels contain a few uncomfortable stories of demon possession. How do we read these stories as modern audiences? Should we accept them at a surface level? Do we chalk them up to ancient misunderstandings of mental health issues? Or can we explore to uncover the sophistication of ancient storytelling and look for the parables hidden in these texts? ★ Support this podcast ★

“It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question.” –Eugene IonescoA good question is a superpower.So why don’t we ask more questions? Maybe we are a bit egocentric—eager to impress with our own thoughts and stories. Perhaps we are apathetic— thinking we might be bored by the response. Or perhaps we just worry that we’ll ask the wrong question and be viewed as rude or incompetent.But often the biggest challenge is that we simply don’t understand how beneficial good questioning can be. If we did,we might end far fewer sentences witha period—and more with a question mark.Jesus loved a good question.Sometimes they seemed pretty straightforward. Sometimes they seemed to come straight out of left field. But Jesus’ questions always seemed to find away to open up new unexplored avenues to consider. ★ Support this podcast ★

“It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question.” –Eugene IonescoA good question is a superpower.So why don’t we ask more questions? Maybe we are a bit egocentric—eager to impress with our own thoughts and stories. Perhaps we are apathetic— thinking we might be bored by the response. Or perhaps we just worry that we’ll ask the wrong question and be viewed as rude or incompetent.But often the biggest challenge is that we simply don’t understand how beneficial good questioning can be. If we did,we might end far fewer sentences witha period—and more with a question mark.Jesus loved a good question.Sometimes they seemed pretty straightforward. Sometimes they seemed to come straight out of left field. But Jesus’ questions always seemed to find away to open up new unexplored avenues to consider. ★ Support this podcast ★

“It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question.” –Eugene IonescoA good question is a superpower.So why don’t we ask more questions? Maybe we are a bit egocentric—eager to impress with our own thoughts and stories. Perhaps we are apathetic— thinking we might be bored by the response. Or perhaps we just worry that we’ll ask the wrong question and be viewed as rude or incompetent.But often the biggest challenge is that we simply don’t understand how beneficial good questioning can be. If we did,we might end far fewer sentences witha period—and more with a question mark.Jesus loved a good question.Sometimes they seemed pretty straightforward. Sometimes they seemed to come straight out of left field. But Jesus’ questions always seemed to find away to open up new unexplored avenues to consider. ★ Support this podcast ★

In the Genesis poem of creation, God makes the world with words. God says light, night, sky, land, seas, sun, moon, birds, fish, animals, human beings. And it is all so good.Every day we make our world with words, too. Happy, sad, afraid, want, listen, hope, stop, heal. What we speak, we understand. What we want, we name. What we hope for, we shape with consonants and vowels. Words are powerful things.Faith is built with words, too. And if you have been a person of faith most of your life, you’ve spoken the language of faith, well, for what seems like forever. And maybe some of the faith vocabulary has become numb for you.But if you’re new to this Jesus story, maybe words get spoken around you and you find them strange, hollow, and opaque. So maybe you don’t feel numbness, just confusion.Let’s have a common conversation about the words of faith. Let’s speak Sunday all over again. ★ Support this podcast ★

In the Genesis poem of creation, God makes the world with words. God says light, night, sky, land, seas, sun, moon, birds, fish, animals, human beings. And it is all so good.Every day we make our world with words, too. Happy, sad, afraid, want, listen, hope, stop, heal. What we speak, we understand. What we want, we name. What we hope for, we shape with consonants and vowels. Words are powerful things.Faith is built with words, too. And if you have been a person of faith most of your life, you’ve spoken the language of faith, well, for what seems like forever. And maybe some of the faith vocabulary has become numb for you.But if you’re new to this Jesus story, maybe words get spoken around you and you find them strange, hollow, and opaque. So maybe you don’t feel numbness, just confusion.Let’s have a common conversation about the words of faith. Let’s speak Sunday all over again. ★ Support this podcast ★

In the Genesis poem of creation, God makes the world with words. God says light, night, sky, land, seas, sun, moon, birds, fish, animals, human beings. And it is all so good.Every day we make our world with words, too. Happy, sad, afraid, want, listen, hope, stop, heal. What we speak, we understand. What we want, we name. What we hope for, we shape with consonants and vowels. Words are powerful things.Faith is built with words, too. And if you have been a person of faith most of your life, you’ve spoken the language of faith, well, for what seems like forever. And maybe some of the faith vocabulary has become numb for you.But if you’re new to this Jesus story, maybe words get spoken around you and you find them strange, hollow, and opaque. So maybe you don’t feel numbness, just confusion.Let’s have a common conversation about the words of faith. Let’s speak Sunday all over again. ★ Support this podcast ★

In the Genesis poem of creation, God makes the world with words. God says light, night, sky, land, seas, sun, moon, birds, fish, animals, human beings. And it is all so good.Every day we make our world with words, too. Happy, sad, afraid, want, listen, hope, stop, heal. What we speak, we understand. What we want, we name. What we hope for, we shape with consonants and vowels. Words are powerful things.Faith is built with words, too. And if you have been a person of faith most of your life, you’ve spoken the language of faith, well, for what seems like forever. And maybe some of the faith vocabulary has become numb for you.But if you’re new to this Jesus story, maybe words get spoken around you and you find them strange, hollow, and opaque. So maybe you don’t feel numbness, just confusion.Let’s have a common conversation about the words of faith. Let’s speak Sunday all over again. ★ Support this podcast ★

In the Genesis poem of creation, God makes the world with words. God says light, night, sky, land, seas, sun, moon, birds, fish, animals, human beings. And it is all so good.Every day we make our world with words, too. Happy, sad, afraid, want, listen, hope, stop, heal. What we speak, we understand. What we want, we name. What we hope for, we shape with consonants and vowels. Words are powerful things.Faith is built with words, too. And if you have been a person of faith most of your life, you’ve spoken the language of faith, well, for what seems like forever. And maybe some of the faith vocabulary has become numb for you.But if you’re new to this Jesus story, maybe words get spoken around you and you find them strange, hollow, and opaque. So maybe you don’t feel numbness, just confusion.Let’s have a common conversation about the words of faith. Let’s speak Sunday all over again. ★ Support this podcast ★

In the Genesis poem of creation, God makes the world with words. God says light, night, sky, land, seas, sun, moon, birds, fish, animals, human beings. And it is all so good.Every day we make our world with words, too. Happy, sad, afraid, want, listen, hope, stop, heal. What we speak, we understand. What we want, we name. What we hope for, we shape with consonants and vowels. Words are powerful things.Faith is built with words, too. And if you have been a person of faith most of your life, you’ve spoken the language of faith, well, for what seems like forever. And maybe some of the faith vocabulary has become numb for you.But if you’re new to this Jesus story, maybe words get spoken around you and you find them strange, hollow, and opaque. So maybe you don’t feel numbness, just confusion.Let’s have a common conversation about the words of faith. Let’s speak Sunday all over again. ★ Support this podcast ★

In the Genesis poem of creation, God makes the world with words. God says light, night, sky, land, seas, sun, moon, birds, fish, animals, human beings. And it is all so good.Every day we make our world with words, too. Happy, sad, afraid, want, listen, hope, stop, heal. What we speak, we understand. What we want, we name. What we hope for, we shape with consonants and vowels. Words are powerful things.Faith is built with words, too. And if you have been a person of faith most of your life, you’ve spoken the language of faith, well, for what seems like forever. And maybe some of the faith vocabulary has become numb for you.But if you’re new to this Jesus story, maybe words get spoken around you and you find them strange, hollow, and opaque. So maybe you don’t feel numbness, just confusion.Let’s have a common conversation about the words of faith. Let’s speak Sunday all over again. ★ Support this podcast ★

In the Genesis poem of creation, God makes the world with words. God says light, night, sky, land, seas, sun, moon, birds, fish, animals, human beings. And it is all so good.Every day we make our world with words, too. Happy, sad, afraid, want, listen, hope, stop, heal. What we speak, we understand. What we want, we name. What we hope for, we shape with consonants and vowels. Words are powerful things.Faith is built with words, too. And if you have been a person of faith most of your life, you’ve spoken the language of faith, well, for what seems like forever. And maybe some of the faith vocabulary has become numb for you.But if you’re new to this Jesus story, maybe words get spoken around you and you find them strange, hollow, and opaque. So maybe you don’t feel numbness, just confusion.Let’s have a common conversation about the words of faith. Let’s speak Sunday all over again. ★ Support this podcast ★

In the Genesis poem of creation, God makes the world with words. God says light, night, sky, land, seas, sun, moon, birds, fish, animals, human beings. And it is all so good.Every day we make our world with words, too. Happy, sad, afraid, want, listen, hope, stop, heal. What we speak, we understand. What we want, we name. What we hope for, we shape with consonants and vowels. Words are powerful things.Faith is built with words, too. And if you have been a person of faith most of your life, you’ve spoken the language of faith, well, for what seems like forever. And maybe some of the faith vocabulary has become numb for you.But if you’re new to this Jesus story, maybe words get spoken around you and you find them strange, hollow, and opaque. So maybe you don’t feel numbness, just confusion.Let’s have a common conversation about the words of faith. Let’s speak Sunday all over again. ★ Support this podcast ★

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.–2 Timothy 3:16–17We all know the Scriptures are “inspired” but what exactly does that mean?We know they are infused with beauty and we sense the divine in and through them in moments as we read. But at other times they all seem so... human. And maybe this paradox is at heart what it means to be inspired. The meeting of the Divine and the human, the nexus of Creator and creativity, the space where all of our self is brought before God and blessed and made new.In this series we want to talk about scripture and creativity. About gifting and community. About the Spirit of God that helps us become more ourselves. ★ Support this podcast ★

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.–2 Timothy 3:16–17We all know the Scriptures are “inspired” but what exactly does that mean?We know they are infused with beauty and we sense the divine in and through them in moments as we read. But at other times they all seem so... human. And maybe this paradox is at heart what it means to be inspired. The meeting of the Divine and the human, the nexus of Creator and creativity, the space where all of our self is brought before God and blessed and made new.In this series we want to talk about scripture and creativity. About gifting and community. About the Spirit of God that helps us become more ourselves. ★ Support this podcast ★

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.–2 Timothy 3:16–17We all know the Scriptures are “inspired” but what exactly does that mean?We know they are infused with beauty and we sense the divine in and through them in moments as we read. But at other times they all seem so... human. And maybe this paradox is at heart what it means to be inspired. The meeting of the Divine and the human, the nexus of Creator and creativity, the space where all of our self is brought before God and blessed and made new.In this series we want to talk about scripture and creativity. About gifting and community. About the Spirit of God that helps us become more ourselves. ★ Support this podcast ★

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.–2 Timothy 3:16–17We all know the Scriptures are “inspired” but what exactly does that mean?We know they are infused with beauty and we sense the divine in and through them in moments as we read. But at other times they all seem so... human. And maybe this paradox is at heart what it means to be inspired. The meeting of the Divine and the human, the nexus of Creator and creativity, the space where all of our self is brought before God and blessed and made new.In this series we want to talk about scripture and creativity. About gifting and community. About the Spirit of God that helps us become more ourselves. ★ Support this podcast ★

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.–2 Timothy 3:16–17We all know the Scriptures are “inspired” but what exactly does that mean?We know they are infused with beauty and we sense the divine in and through them in moments as we read. But at other times they all seem so... human. And maybe this paradox is at heart what it means to be inspired. The meeting of the Divine and the human, the nexus of Creator and creativity, the space where all of our self is brought before God and blessed and made new.In this series we want to talk about scripture and creativity. About gifting and community. About the Spirit of God that helps us become more ourselves. ★ Support this podcast ★

Take a moment to remember how many times you’ve been angry or irritated this week. No really, check in with yourself. Were you angry once, twice, two hundred times?Maybe something tiny triggered you. Maybe something massive enraged you. Maybe your anger feels so constant you don’t know life without it. The scriptures honour all of these layers, and when we lean in to listen to their words, we will find wisdom for all our anger.Like, there’s a way to be angry that gets to the heart of the matter. And there’sa creative force to our anger that can address injustice. And there is a need - yes, a need - to feel our anger all the way through so that it doesn’t become our worst enemy.So let’s not be afraid to tackle anger in this series. Let’s sit quietly enough to listen to what’s going on inside of us and imagine a world where anger doesn’t need to be hidden but can be harnessed to bring about the renewal of all things. ★ Support this podcast ★

Take a moment to remember how many times you’ve been angry or irritated this week. No really, check in with yourself. Were you angry once, twice, two hundred times?Maybe something tiny triggered you. Maybe something massive enraged you. Maybe your anger feels so constant you don’t know life without it. The scriptures honour all of these layers, and when we lean in to listen to their words, we will find wisdom for all our anger.Like, there’s a way to be angry that gets to the heart of the matter. And there’sa creative force to our anger that can address injustice. And there is a need - yes, a need - to feel our anger all the way through so that it doesn’t become our worst enemy.So let’s not be afraid to tackle anger in this series. Let’s sit quietly enough to listen to what’s going on inside of us and imagine a world where anger doesn’t need to be hidden but can be harnessed to bring about the renewal of all things. ★ Support this podcast ★

Take a moment to remember how many times you’ve been angry or irritated this week. No really, check in with yourself. Were you angry once, twice, two hundred times?Maybe something tiny triggered you. Maybe something massive enraged you. Maybe your anger feels so constant you don’t know life without it. The scriptures honour all of these layers, and when we lean in to listen to their words, we will find wisdom for all our anger.Like, there’s a way to be angry that gets to the heart of the matter. And there’sa creative force to our anger that can address injustice. And there is a need - yes, a need - to feel our anger all the way through so that it doesn’t become our worst enemy.So let’s not be afraid to tackle anger in this series. Let’s sit quietly enough to listen to what’s going on inside of us and imagine a world where anger doesn’t need to be hidden but can be harnessed to bring about the renewal of all things. ★ Support this podcast ★

It seems like we have a bit of a problem.St. James warned his friends that their words were like sparks that had the power to burn down a forest.The Jewish poets noted that while our mouths contain the power to bless and bring life, they also have the ability to destroy and harm.And the noted Persian mystic Rumi instructed his readers to shut up like an oyster shell because, well, their mouths were the enemies of their souls, he thought.Which just means that long before the internet gave us a place to record and play back EVERY SINGLE word, long before social media gave us the platform to spew anonymous hatred, and long before we coined terms like “over- sharing” to describe our inability to keep quiet, we’ve had issues with our mouths.So let’s open the text, and listen for a moment. ★ Support this podcast ★

It seems like we have a bit of a problem.St. James warned his friends that their words were like sparks that had the power to burn down a forest.The Jewish poets noted that while our mouths contain the power to bless and bring life, they also have the ability to destroy and harm.And the noted Persian mystic Rumi instructed his readers to shut up like an oyster shell because, well, their mouths were the enemies of their souls, he thought.Which just means that long before the internet gave us a place to record and play back EVERY SINGLE word, long before social media gave us the platform to spew anonymous hatred, and long before we coined terms like “over- sharing” to describe our inability to keep quiet, we’ve had issues with our mouths.So let’s open the text, and listen for a moment. ★ Support this podcast ★

It seems like we have a bit of a problem.St. James warned his friends that their words were like sparks that had the power to burn down a forest.The Jewish poets noted that while our mouths contain the power to bless and bring life, they also have the ability to destroy and harm.And the noted Persian mystic Rumi instructed his readers to shut up like an oyster shell because, well, their mouths were the enemies of their souls, he thought.Which just means that long before the internet gave us a place to record and play back EVERY SINGLE word, long before social media gave us the platform to spew anonymous hatred, and long before we coined terms like “over- sharing” to describe our inability to keep quiet, we’ve had issues with our mouths.So let’s open the text, and listen for a moment. ★ Support this podcast ★

It seems like we have a bit of a problem.St. James warned his friends that their words were like sparks that had the power to burn down a forest.The Jewish poets noted that while our mouths contain the power to bless and bring life, they also have the ability to destroy and harm.And the noted Persian mystic Rumi instructed his readers to shut up like an oyster shell because, well, their mouths were the enemies of their souls, he thought.Which just means that long before the internet gave us a place to record and play back EVERY SINGLE word, long before social media gave us the platform to spew anonymous hatred, and long before we coined terms like “over- sharing” to describe our inability to keep quiet, we’ve had issues with our mouths.So let’s open the text, and listen for a moment. ★ Support this podcast ★

We’re here! Easter is the festival of festivals! The Queen of Feasts! This is the day we wait for. This is the day of new life. And with all we celebrate today, Easter is the day that shapes every day to come. So hear, repeat, and return to this prayer in the Easter season. It’s a beauty and it’s a benediction.***Beyond Easter we go singing.Having been seizedby resurrectionwe are full of tears and laughter.The way ahead is unknown. It will always be like that.but having danced in the light we will look for glory everywhere.–Ruth Burgess,The Iona Community ★ Support this podcast ★

We are approaching Easter, seen as the greatest festival in the church calendar. But, we’re not there yet. We have a week to go and an ancient path to follow.Egeria, a woman who was either a nun or an abbess from Spain or Gaul, left behind a diary from her time in the Holy Land (ca. 381-384). In it, she writes in detail about servicesin Jerusalem. On Palm Sunday, worshippers celebrate and rehearse the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Then the children gather palm branches and the people walk the road that leads to the cross. Hundreds of years later, we still do the same thing.This week, we celebrate with hosannas, but on Good Friday and Holy Saturday we will grieve. And our sorrow is the exact place resurrection comes. Thanks be to God.After Palm Sunday, join us on Maundy Thursday to walk through the Stations of the Cross, for services on Good Friday and then to celebrate Resurrection next week.Come and reflect on the season. ★ Support this podcast ★

It’s not always easy to see ourselves as we truly are. But stories can help. When we listen carefully to a story that is authentic to the human experience, we come to know ourselves in new ways. The book of Jonah is one such story. Despite its rather fantastical qualities, the story of Jonah is a real human tale. A story of human failure and divine grace, a story of the interplay between duty observed and plain disobedience. A story of the internal conflict between authentic honesty and dishonest selfishness. It’s all here, all of the meaning and the mess of life. But the thing that makes Jonah’s story most helpful to us is how everything, all of it, is placed before God. And really, this is the thing most true about our humanity, the thing we most need to educate our imaginations with: there is no other kind of life except that which is lived before God. Jonah is not a children’s tale. It is a very grown up tale that ends with a very serious question: what kind of person will you be? ★ Support this podcast ★

It’s not always easy to see ourselves as we truly are. But stories can help. When we listen carefully to a story that is authentic to the human experience, we come to know ourselves in new ways. The book of Jonah is one such story. Despite its rather fantastical qualities, the story of Jonah is a real human tale. A story of human failure and divine grace, a story of the interplay between duty observed and plain disobedience. A story of the internal conflict between authentic honesty and dishonest selfishness. It’s all here, all of the meaning and the mess of life. But the thing that makes Jonah’s story most helpful to us is how everything, all of it, is placed before God. And really, this is the thing most true about our humanity, the thing we most need to educate our imaginations with: there is no other kind of life except that which is lived before God. Jonah is not a children’s tale. It is a very grown up tale that ends with a very serious question: what kind of person will you be? ★ Support this podcast ★

It’s not always easy to see ourselves as we truly are. But stories can help. When we listen carefully to a story that is authentic to the human experience, we come to know ourselves in new ways. The book of Jonah is one such story. Despite its rather fantastical qualities, the story of Jonah is a real human tale. A story of human failure and divine grace, a story of the interplay between duty observed and plain disobedience. A story of the internal conflict between authentic honesty and dishonest selfishness. It’s all here, all of the meaning and the mess of life. But the thing that makes Jonah’s story most helpful to us is how everything, all of it, is placed before God. And really, this is the thing most true about our humanity, the thing we most need to educate our imaginations with: there is no other kind of life except that which is lived before God. Jonah is not a children’s tale. It is a very grown up tale that ends with a very serious question: what kind of person will you be? ★ Support this podcast ★

It’s not always easy to see ourselves as we truly are. But stories can help. When we listen carefully to a story that is authentic to the human experience, we come to know ourselves in new ways. The book of Jonah is one such story. Despite its rather fantastical qualities, the story of Jonah is a real human tale. A story of human failure and divine grace, a story of the interplay between duty observed and plain disobedience. A story of the internal conflict between authentic honesty and dishonest selfishness. It’s all here, all of the meaning and the mess of life. But the thing that makes Jonah’s story most helpful to us is how everything, all of it, is placed before God. And really, this is the thing most true about our humanity, the thing we most need to educate our imaginations with: there is no other kind of life except that which is lived before God. Jonah is not a children’s tale. It is a very grown up tale that ends with a very serious question: what kind of person will you be? ★ Support this podcast ★

It’s not always easy to see ourselves as we truly are. But stories can help. When we listen carefully to a story that is authentic to the human experience, we come to know ourselves in new ways. The book of Jonah is one such story. Despite its rather fantastical qualities, the story of Jonah is a real human tale. A story of human failure and divine grace, a story of the interplay between duty observed and plain disobedience. A story of the internal conflict between authentic honesty and dishonest selfishness. It’s all here, all of the meaning and the mess of life. But the thing that makes Jonah’s story most helpful to us is how everything, all of it, is placed before God. And really, this is the thing most true about our humanity, the thing we most need to educate our imaginations with: there is no other kind of life except that which is lived before God. Jonah is not a children’s tale. It is a very grown up tale that ends with a very serious question: what kind of person will you be? ★ Support this podcast ★

This is it.Back in Rome for a final time.Chapter by chapter, we’ve worked through this lengthy letter from the Apostle Paul. Along the way marking how his theology transformed as he grappled with the story of God in Christ.Along the way, we’ve grown, and we’ve continued to let the gracious way of Jesus alter the way we think of the Divine.How we look at each other. How we talk about faith.So, if you’ve been with us since the beginning, come along as we jump in where we left off and see how Paul wraps things up.And if you’re new to Commons, step a little closer to a text that’s shaped who we are and who we want to become. ★ Support this podcast ★

In Romans 16 Paul names a number of women in prominent roles within the early church. But then in his letters to Corinth and Timothy, he seems to take a different tone. What is going on here? Should we try to harmonize these passages? Here's a bit of a deeper dive. ★ Support this podcast ★

This is it.Back in Rome for a final time.Chapter by chapter, we’ve worked through this lengthy letter from the Apostle Paul. Along the way marking how his theology transformed as he grappled with the story of God in Christ.Along the way, we’ve grown, and we’ve continued to let the gracious way of Jesus alter the way we think of the Divine.How we look at each other. How we talk about faith.So, if you’ve been with us since the beginning, come along as we jump in where we left off and see how Paul wraps things up.And if you’re new to Commons, step a little closer to a text that’s shaped who we are and who we want to become. ★ Support this podcast ★

This is it.Back in Rome for a final time.Chapter by chapter, we’ve worked through this lengthy letter from the Apostle Paul. Along the way marking how his theology transformed as he grappled with the story of God in Christ.Along the way, we’ve grown, and we’ve continued to let the gracious way of Jesus alter the way we think of the Divine.How we look at each other. How we talk about faith.So, if you’ve been with us since the beginning, come along as we jump in where we left off and see how Paul wraps things up.And if you’re new to Commons, step a little closer to a text that’s shaped who we are and who we want to become. ★ Support this podcast ★

This is it.Back in Rome for a final time.Chapter by chapter, we’ve worked through this lengthy letter from the Apostle Paul. Along the way marking how his theology transformed as he grappled with the story of God in Christ.Along the way, we’ve grown, and we’ve continued to let the gracious way of Jesus alter the way we think of the Divine.How we look at each other. How we talk about faith.So, if you’ve been with us since the beginning, come along as we jump in where we left off and see how Paul wraps things up.And if you’re new to Commons, step a little closer to a text that’s shaped who we are and who we want to become. ★ Support this podcast ★

This is it.Back in Rome for a final time.Chapter by chapter, we’ve worked through this lengthy letter from the Apostle Paul. Along the way marking how his theology transformed as he grappled with the story of God in Christ.Along the way, we’ve grown, and we’ve continued to let the gracious way of Jesus alter the way we think of the Divine.How we look at each other. How we talk about faith.So, if you’ve been with us since the beginning, come along as we jump in where we left off and see how Paul wraps things up.And if you’re new to Commons, step a little closer to a text that’s shaped who we are and who we want to become. ★ Support this podcast ★

Swipe Right is a phrase that entered the common lexicon through the arrival of Tinder, an app designed to help people skip past the hard work of investing in the kind of healthy mature relationships we all really long for.But here’s the truth; healthy relationships are a matter of life-and-death importance because we are far more than sexual beings; we are human beings with all that is entailed.In this series, we intend to move past sermons on dating and relationships and talk about what it means to be a human with a brain, and a body and a soul and how all of these aspects inform our experience of love, sexuality, and relationships. ★ Support this podcast ★

Recap: 2:11Polished Ivory: 10:33Black and Beautiful: 15:14Sex Drives: 23:10Reintegration: 27:32Swipe Right is a phrase that entered the common lexicon through the arrival of Tinder, an app designed to help people skip past the hard work of investing in the kind of healthy mature relationships we all really long for.But here’s the truth; healthy relationships are a matter of life-and-death importance because we are far more than sexual beings; we are human beings with all that is entailed.In this series, we intend to move past sermons on dating and relationships and talk about what it means to be a human with a brain, and a body and a soul and how all of these aspects inform our experience of love, sexuality, and relationships. ★ Support this podcast ★

Community Stuff: 1:07Reading the Story: 4:48Sexy Songs: 16:04When Things End: 22:32Moving Forward: 27:33Swipe Right is a phrase that entered the common lexicon through the arrival of Tinder, an app designed to help people skip past the hard work of investing in the kind of healthy mature relationships we all really long for.But here’s the truth; healthy relationships are a matter of life-and-death importance because we are far more than sexual beings; we are human beings with all that is entailed.In this series, we intend to move past sermons on dating and relationships and talk about what it means to be a human with a brain, and a body and a soul and how all of these aspects inform our experience of love, sexuality, and relationships. ★ Support this podcast ★

What do your prayers sound like at this time of year? Please God, make time stand still so I can get readyfor Christmas. Please God, help me find a parking spot at the mall. Or, more seriously, Please God, turn this Christmas chaos into something calm.Advent is a season of waiting, expectation, and hope. It doesn’t mean that all longings are realized, though.And even as the story of Jesus begins with the angel announcing the birthof the Saviour to Mary and the world, everyone in the story is given a voice. And those voices are heard in five prayers, traditionally called “A Pentad of Prayers.” Five prayers named after the Latin word for the start of each prayer.The Fiat mihi - Let it be with me ...The Magnificat - My soul magnifies ... The Benedictus - Blessed be the Lord ... The Gloria in excelsis - Glory to God in the highest ...The Nunc dimittis - Now dismiss your servant ...Which prayer will guide you through this season? Let’s find out, together. ★ Support this podcast ★

What do your prayers sound like at this time of year? Please God, make time stand still so I can get readyfor Christmas. Please God, help me find a parking spot at the mall. Or, more seriously, Please God, turn this Christmas chaos into something calm.Advent is a season of waiting, expectation, and hope. It doesn’t mean that all longings are realized, though.And even as the story of Jesus begins with the angel announcing the birthof the Saviour to Mary and the world, everyone in the story is given a voice. And those voices are heard in five prayers, traditionally called “A Pentad of Prayers.” Five prayers named after the Latin word for the start of each prayer.The Fiat mihi - Let it be with me ...The Magnificat - My soul magnifies ... The Benedictus - Blessed be the Lord ... The Gloria in excelsis - Glory to God in the highest ...The Nunc dimittis - Now dismiss your servant ...Which prayer will guide you through this season? Let’s find out, together. ★ Support this podcast ★

What do your prayers sound like at this time of year? Please God, make time stand still so I can get readyfor Christmas. Please God, help me find a parking spot at the mall. Or, more seriously, Please God, turn this Christmas chaos into something calm.Advent is a season of waiting, expectation, and hope. It doesn’t mean that all longings are realized, though.And even as the story of Jesus begins with the angel announcing the birthof the Saviour to Mary and the world, everyone in the story is given a voice. And those voices are heard in five prayers, traditionally called “A Pentad of Prayers.” Five prayers named after the Latin word for the start of each prayer.The Fiat mihi - Let it be with me ...The Magnificat - My soul magnifies ... The Benedictus - Blessed be the Lord ... The Gloria in excelsis - Glory to God in the highest ...The Nunc dimittis - Now dismiss your servant ...Which prayer will guide you through this season? Let’s find out, together. ★ Support this podcast ★

What do your prayers sound like at this time of year? Please God, make time stand still so I can get readyfor Christmas. Please God, help me find a parking spot at the mall. Or, more seriously, Please God, turn this Christmas chaos into something calm.Advent is a season of waiting, expectation, and hope. It doesn’t mean that all longings are realized, though.And even as the story of Jesus begins with the angel announcing the birthof the Saviour to Mary and the world, everyone in the story is given a voice. And those voices are heard in five prayers, traditionally called “A Pentad of Prayers.” Five prayers named after the Latin word for the start of each prayer.The Fiat mihi - Let it be with me ...The Magnificat - My soul magnifies ... The Benedictus - Blessed be the Lord ... The Gloria in excelsis - Glory to God in the highest ...The Nunc dimittis - Now dismiss your servant ...Which prayer will guide you through this season? Let’s find out, together. ★ Support this podcast ★

In a world that, moves faster and faster each year, the season of Advent becomes even more important. Waiting, anticipating, lamenting and journeying these are part of the beauty that ultimately awaits us. ★ Support this podcast ★

What do your prayers sound like at this time of year? Please God, make time stand still so I can get readyfor Christmas. Please God, help me find a parking spot at the mall. Or, more seriously, Please God, turn this Christmas chaos into something calm.Advent is a season of waiting, expectation, and hope. It doesn’t mean that all longings are realized, though.And even as the story of Jesus begins with the angel announcing the birthof the Saviour to Mary and the world, everyone in the story is given a voice. And those voices are heard in five prayers, traditionally called “A Pentad of Prayers.” Five prayers named after the Latin word for the start of each prayer.The Fiat mihi - Let it be with me ...The Magnificat - My soul magnifies ... The Benedictus - Blessed be the Lord ... The Gloria in excelsis - Glory to God in the highest ...The Nunc dimittis - Now dismiss your servant ...Which prayer will guide you through this season? Let’s find out, together. ★ Support this podcast ★