Oaks Parish

Scripture Text: Exodus 8 and Matthew 13:1-23Andy TobinQuotes for ReflectionDan DorianiThe parable of the sower continues to declare that many hear the Word and fail to respond to it. Surely most Israelites considered themselves faithful, but most were not. So too, the vast majority of Matthew’s readers believe, often erroneously, that God numbers them among his people. Yet if they hear the Word, disobey, and bear no fruit, they are not redeemed.Jay SklarIn sum the signs make clear that Israel—and the entire world—is to obey Yahweh reverently because of his power, confidently because of his faithfulness, and joyfully because of his love. . . . In light of this we do well to ask questions such as these: How might obedience show my belief in Jesus’ power? Are there commands of his I consider too hard to obey or steps of faith I am too afraid to take? What might obedience look like instead? And how might obedience show my belief in Jesus’ faithfulness and love? How can his faithfulness encourage me to obey boldly and to quiet my heart’s fears? How can his love serve as a bedrock of assurance out of which I am free to live with wild abandon to him, knowing he will never let me go? To know the Lord is the most grounding and freeing way to live, because we have been created to do these very things.Augustine of HippoGreat are You, O Lord, and greatly to be praised; great is Your power, and of Your wisdom there is no end. And man, being a part of Your creation, desires to praise You — man, who bears about with him his mortality, the witness of his sin, even the witness that You “resist the proud,” — yet man, this part of Your creation, desires to praise You. You move us to delight in praising You; for You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.Application Questions1. Think of a time when you were hard-hearted. How did God lead you to repentance?2. How have you seen the gospel bear fruit in your life recently? Thank God for his grace in your life.3. In what area of your life is God calling you to experience the freedom of repentance? What does the fruit of the Gospel look like in that area.

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck & Martha Van HoutenWeek 1 in our Lenten series, "Ashes to Glory"Exodus 2Matthew 9:1-17

Scripture Text: Exodus 2 and Matthew 9:1-17Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionC.S. Lewis, The Slip of the Tongue I say my prayers, I read a book of devotion, I prepare for, or receive, the Sacrament. But while I do these things, there is, so to speak, a voice inside me that urges caution. It tells me to be careful, to keep my head, not to go too far, not to burn my boats. I come into the presence of God with a great fear lest anything should happen to me within that presence which will prove too intolerably inconvenient when I have come out again into my “ordinary” life. I don’t want to be carried away into any resolution which I shall afterwards regret. For I know I shall be feeling quite different after breakfast; I don’t want anything to happen to me at the altar which will run up too big a bill to pay then.N.T. Wright, Matthew for Everyone So how could Jesus and his friends not celebrate? They were in the middle of God’s new work, an outpouring of mercy which was already upstaging the Temple itself. As the prophet Hosea (6.6) had seen long ago, what God really wants is mercy, not sacrifice. The times were indeed changing. God’s new world was being born, and from now on everything would be different. The question for us is whether we are living in that new world ourselves, or whether we keep sneaking back to the old one where we feel more at home.Thornton Wilder, The Angel that Troubles the Waters Without your wound where would your power be? It is your very remorse that makes your low voice tremble into the hearts of men. The very angels themselves cannot persuade the wretched and blundering children on earth as can one human being broken on the wheels of living. In love’s service only the wounded soldiers can serve.Application Questions1. Where do you see self-righteousness shaping the way people relate to one another today? What fruit does it produce—in our communities, our churches, even in ourselves?2. Can you identify a moment when God exposed self-righteousness in your own heart? How did He humble you and what grace did He give you in its place?3. If you were living more fully from mercy rather than self-righteousness, who might you move toward this week and what would that love look like?

Scripture Text: Deuteronomy 16:1-17 and Ecclesiastes 3:1-11Bryan Buck Quotes for ReflectionWendell Berry, “Damage” Novelty is a new kind of loneliness. Joan D. Chittister, The Liturgical YearLike a great waterwheel, the liturgical year goes on relentlessly irrigating our souls, softening the ground of our hearts, nourishing the soil of our lives until the seed of the Word of God itself begins to grow in us, comes to fruit in us, ripens in us the spiritual journey of a lifetime. So goes the liturgical year through all the days of our lives.The meaning and message of the liturgical year is the bedrock on which we strike our own life's direction. Rooted in the Resurrection promise of the liturgical year, whatever the weight of our own pressures, we maintain the course. We trust in the future we cannot see and do only know because we have celebrated the death and resurrection of Jesus year after year. In His life we rest our own.James K.A. Smith, How to Inhabit TimeTime’s relativity and the now’s porosity is lived out liturgically in the church’s worship. To be constituted as such a peculiar people requires a strange sort of synchronization of time. Like operatives launching a mission in a spy thriller, coordinating their watches so they’re all on the same time, the people of God synchronize their soul clocks in relation to the story that cycles and repeats in the liturgical calendar. In the liturgical calendar, we are indexed to the solar time of the Son who is the light of the city of God (Rev 21:23) Application Questions1. What is your favorite time of the year? Is there a core memory that marked this time in an embodied way? What does this say about the connection between practice and time? 2. Why is kairos-time so important for chronos-time? Think of an example of how this would play out in your life this week. 3. The season of Lent is marked by prayer, fasting, confession, reconciliation, and generosity. How can this mindset change your outlook on daily life over the next 40 days? How can God’s time cause you to flourish in a particular way in this season?

Mentioned in this episode:A Million Little Ways by Emily P. FreemanQuestions or comments about this podcast episode? Click here to email us!

Scripture Text: Exodus 25:1-9, 31-40 and 1 Kings 6:11-13Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionPeter Marshall Mason, A Biblical Theology of Architecture? The church is not at all like a garage; it is more like a richly furnished home into which we may gladly invite our friends and neighbors.C.S. Lewis, Miracles The archaic type of thought which could not clearly distinguish spiritual ‘Heaven’ from the sky, is from our point of view a confused type of thought. But it also resembles and anticipates a type of thought which will one day be true. That archaic sort of thinking will become simply the correct sort when Nature and Spirit are fully harmonized. Phillip Graham Ryken, Exodus God is a great lover of beauty, as we can see from the collection of his work that hangs in the gallery of the universe. Form is as important to him as function. Thus it was not enough for the tabernacle to be laid out in the right way; it also had to be beautiful. There was beauty in the color of its fabrics, the sparkle of its gems, the shape of its objects, and the symmetry of its proportions. The tabernacle was a thing of beauty. God made sure of this by taking the unprecedented step of endowing its artists with the gift of his Spirit.Application Questions1. Have you ever worshiped in a space whose architecture deepened your sense of God’s presence? What stood out to you?2. Why do beauty and utility often feel in tension in church spaces? How might Oaks faithfully hold both together?3. What elements of our sanctuary help draw your attention toward God in worship?

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck and Martha Van HoutenQuestions or comments about this podcast episode? Click here to email us!

Scripture Text: Titus 3:3-8 and 1 Corinthians 10:14-22Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionMother Maria Skobtsova, The Second Gospel Commandment Does he not see in our ugliness, in our impoverished lives, in our festering sores, in our crippled souls-does He not see there His own divine image and a reflection of his eternal glory and eternal beauty? And so He will return to the churches and bring all those whom He has summoned to the wedding feast. The Westminster Confession of Faith, chapter 27 “Of the Sacraments” Sacraments are holy signs and seals of the covenant of grace, immediately instituted by God, to represent Christ, and his benefits; and to confirm our interest in him: as also, to put a visible difference between those that belong unto the church, and the rest of the world; and solemnly to engage them to the service of God in Christ, according to the Word. C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory In speaking of this desire for our own far-off country, which we find in ourselves even now, I feel a certain shyness. I am almost committing an indecency. I am trying to rip open the inconsolable secret in each one of you-the secret which hurts so much that you take your revenge on it by calling it names like Nostalgia and Romanticism and Adolescence; the secret also which pierces with such sweetness that when, in very intimate conversation, the mention of it becomes imminent, we grow awkward and affect to laugh at ourselves; the secret we cannot hide and cannot tell, though we desire to do both....The books or the music in which we thought the beauty was located will betray us if we trust to them;.... they are not the thing itself; they are only the scent of a flower we have not found, the echo of a tune we have not heard, news from a country we have never yet visited. Do you think I am trying to weave a spell? Perhaps I am; but remember your fairy tales. Spells are used for breaking enchantments as well as for inducing them. And you and I have need of the strongest spell that can be found to wake us from the evil enchantment of worldliness which has been laid upon us.Application Questions1. When have you dedicated yourself to a course of action that, at first didn't seem to have an impact, but imperceptibly changed you over time? What was that experience like and what was the result? Share with others or journal the details. 2. What questions arise for you regarding baptism and the Lord’s Supper? What clarity comes from the Scriptures? Discuss this with people in your Parish Community to gain further insight. 3. How have you experienced God's presence with you during baptism and the Lord's Supper? Share how that has impacted you in small or even large ways in your faith journey.

With Special Guest Marie EmmettSources and Further Reading on Candlemas:The Liturgical Home: The Feast of the Presentation (Candlemas)The Presentation of Our Lord: The Message of CandlemasWhat is Candlemas and how to observe it (University of Notre Dame / McGrath Institute for Church Life)Sacred Seasons: A Family Guide to Center Your Year Around Jesus (by Danielle Hitchen)In this podcast series, we have a chance to explore how the historic Christian church has marked time for centuries through special seasons, feasts, and other noteworthy days - and how we can embrace the value and beauty of these liturgical celebrations in our own community.Music: “The Size of Grace” © Courtland UrbanoUpcoming Episodes of The Liturgical Feasts Podcast Series:March 17: The Feast of the Annunciation (3/25)May 12: The Feast of the Ascension (5/17)May 19: The Feast of Pentecost (5/24)May 26: The Feast of the Holy Trinity (5/31)

Scripture Text: 1 Peter 2:4-10 and Hebrews 10:19-25Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionTish Harrison Warren, Liturgy of the OrdinaryI need rituals that encourage me to embrace what is repetitive, ancient, and quiet. But what I crave is novelty and stimulation.James K.A. Smith, Desiring the KingdomBeing a disciple of Jesus is not primarily a matter of getting the right ideas and doctrines and beliefs into your head in order to guarantee proper behavior; rather, it's a matter of being the kind of person who loves rightly--who loves God and neighbor and is oriented to the world by the primacy of that love. We are made to be such people by our immersion in the material practices of Christian worship--through affective impact, over time, of sights and smell in water and wineN.T. Wright, Hebrews for EveryoneFaith isn’t something you can just drum up like that by your own efforts. It’s what comes when you are looking hard at the object of faith, namely Jesus – or, if you like, God seen in the light of, and in the face of, Jesus. The whole letter has been about Jesus, and about who we are as a result of who he is and what he’s done. Thinking that through, and holding firmly on to it, produces the complete assurance Hebrews is talking about.Application Questions1. What do you notice about the difference between cognitive and embodied learning? 2. Liturgy is defined as “the work of the people.” How do you paradoxically experience God’s grace while doing this “work.” 3. Why would Peter say that we are chosen to proclaim the excellencies of God? How does this aim change your relationship to God this week?

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck and Martha Van HoutenQuestions or comments about this podcast episode? Click here to email us!

Scripture Text: Psalm 115 and Romans 12:1-2Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionJames K.A. Smith, You Are What You Love The heart is the existential chamber of our love, and it is our loves that orient us toward some ultimate end or telos. It’s not just that I “know” some end or “believe” in some telos. More than that, I long for some end. I want something, and want it ultimately. It is my desires that define me. In short, you are what you love. William James, Psychology: The Briefer Course All our life, so far as it has definite form, is but a mass of habits - practical, emotional, and intellectual - systematically organized for our weal or woe, and bearing us irresistibly toward our destiny, whatever the latter may be.Martin Lloyd Jones, Authentic Christianity A man's god is that for which he lives, for which he is prepared to give his time, his energy, his money, that which stimulates him and rouses him, excites, and enthuses him.The Songs of Jesus, Timothy & Kathy Keller Idols are usually good things turned into ultimate things because we look to them to give us the significance and security that can come only from God. How can we “put away” our idols? Whenever you see your heart in the grip of some kind of temptation, anxiety, or fit of anger, ask: How are my feelings being caused by an inordinate hope for something to give me what only Jesus can? How does Christ give me so much more fully and graciously and suitably the very things I am looking for elsewhere?Application Questions1. Reflect on a personal passion in your life. How has this affection practically shaped your life for good or ill and what does this dynamic reveal? 2. Identify a love at work in your heart that rivals God. When you deconstruct the habit that supports this love what insight to you gain for its transformation? 3. Why is liturgy so good for keeping us in an abiding relationship with God?

Books and podcasts mentioned in this episode:Soul-Deep Beauty: Fighting for Our True Worth in a World Demanding Flawless by Melissa L. JohnsonImpossible Beauty podcastThe Seven-Storrey Mountain by Thomas MertonQuestions or comments about this podcast episode? Click here to email us!

Scripture Text: Genesis 1:1 - 2:3Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionMakoto Fujimura, Art and Faith: A Theology of Making God the Artist communicates to us first, before God the lecturer. Gordon J. Wenham, Sanctuary Symbolism in the Garden of Eden StoryThe garden of Eden is not viewed by the author of Genesis simply as a piece of Mesopotamian farmland, but as an archetypal sanctuary, that is a place where God dwells and where man should worship him. Many of the features of the garden may also be found in later sanctuaries particularly the tabernacle or Jerusalem temple. These parallels suggest that the garden itself is understood as a sort of sanctuary.Elisa Yukiko Weichbrodt, Redeeming Vision: A Christian Guide to Looking At and Learning from ArtThe Bible begins with God making a place, the garden of Eden, and it ends with a description of him restoring creation as the new heavens and the new earth. The creation mandate, God’s command to humankind in Genesis 1:28, is to “be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it.” The fall, however, breaks Adam and Eve’s relationship not just with God but with their own selves, each other, and the created world. The rest of the Old Testament is the story of a people looking for a “place.” They are displaced as slaves in Egypt and then wander in the wilderness. They gain and then lose their place in the promised land.Jesus, though, shows us that God’s good news is neither a single plot of land nor disembodied salvation for individual souls. In the incarnation, Christ affirms the importance of the particular.Application Questions1. What sort of beauty strikes and transforms you? Why does this particular type of beauty have this effect? 2. Fujimura writes, “God the Artist communicates to us first, before God the lecturer.” How does that influence your view of faith? 3. If the sanctuary is designed for beholding, how does that change your view of worship in the church?

Scripture Text: Matthew 11:25-30Bryan Buck

With Special Guests Sean and Lori JacksonClick here to download liturgy and celebration ideas for The Feast of Epiphany!Sources and Further Reading on the Feast of Epiphany:Epiphany and Epiphanytide: A Rookie Anglican GuideEpiphany: What it Means and Why it MattersEpiphany (Brittanica)In this podcast series, we have a chance to explore how the historic Christian church has marked time for centuries through special seasons, feasts, and other noteworthy days - and how we can embrace the value and beauty of these liturgical celebrations in our own community.Music: “The Size of Grace” © Courtland UrbanoUpcoming Episodes of The Liturgical Feasts Podcast Series:January 27: Candlemas (or the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord) (2/1)March 17: The Feast of the Annunciation (3/25)May 12: The Feast of the Ascension (5/17)May 19: The Feast of Pentecost (5/24)May 26: The Feast of the Holy Trinity (5/31)

Scripture Text: Psalm 119:25-32 and Hebrews 4:12-13Pat Roach

Scripture Text: Ezekiel 37:24-28 and Matthew 1:22-23Bryan Buck

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck and Martha Van HoutenQuestions or comments about this podcast episode? Click here to email us!

Scripture Text: Micah 5:2-5 and Matthew 2:13–23Bryan BuckApplication Questions1. From his early days, Jesus was subject to the harsh and cruel powers of the world. How does that change the way you go to him in prayer?2. Matthew is careful to note how Jesus fulfills the Old Testament Scriptures. How does that emphasis lead you to adore Jesus?3. How can the sovereignty of God make a difference in how you view uncertainty in your life?

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck and Martha Van HoutenQuestions or comments about this podcast episode? Click here to email us!

Scripture Text: Isaiah 35:1-10 and Luke 2:1-20Bryan BuckApplication Questions1. As we see with the shepherds, God is concerned for the “least of these” in society. How does God’s heart change your own heart? 2. Reflect on a time when you felt poor in spirit and God entered in. How did you grow in Christ through this experience? 3. How does the gospel sustain joy no matter the circumstance?

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck & Martha Van HoutenQuestions or comments about this podcast episode? Click here to email us!

Scripture Text: Philippians 1:3-11 and Matthew 2:1-12Bryan BuckApplication Questions1. Dignitaries from afar traveled to worship Jesus while those who were near failed to acknowledge him as King. What do you take away from this paradox?2. Jesus is King for all peoples. How does this shape your life with him?3. How can the story of the Magi give you perspective where you feel weary?

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck & Martha Van HoutenQuestions or comments about this podcast episode? Click here to email us!

Scripture Text: Jeremiah 33:14-16 and Matthew 1:18–25Bryan Buck

The Oaks Parish PodcastMartha Van Houten and Special Guest Marie EmmettOur visual art reflections will begin on the first Sunday of Advent, November 30th. Sign up for our weekly email here to receive all the details about using the art in reflection throughout the week.

Scripture Text: Galatians 6:1-10Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionOaks Parish Vision Oaks Parish pursues gospel-centered renewal through parish ministry, walking alongside our city, region, and world. This renewal is embodied in the beauty of liturgical worship, mission rooted in people and place among the least and lost, and relational discipleship that forms us into the image of Christ.C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves To love at all is to be vulnerable. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together The Christian, however, must bear the burden of a brother. He must suffer and endure the brother. It is only when he is a burden that another person is really a brother and not merely an object to be manipulated. The burden of men was so heavy for God himself that he had to endure the Cross. God verily bore the burden of men in the body of Jesus Christ. But he bore them as a mother carries her child, as a shepherd enfolds a lost lamb that has been found. God took men upon himself and they weighted him to the ground, but God remained with them and they with God. In bearing with men God maintained fellowship with them. It is the law of Christ that was fulfilled in the Cross. And Christians must share in this law. They must suffer their brethren, but, what is more important, now that the law of Christ has been fulfilled, they can bear with their brethren.Phillip Graham Ryken, The Reformed Expository Commentary The Holy Spirit does not produce this fruit for our private enjoyment. True spirituality is not an individualistic quest for self-fulfillment—the kind of thing one has to climb to the top of a pillar to discover. The life of the Spirit flourishes for the sake of others. It is not experienced in private, primarily, but exercised in public. Therefore, it does not grow in isolation, but within the community of faith. Spiritual life is meant to be shared. It is less like a fruit tree hidden away somewhere in a secret garden, and more like one that grows in a public park.Application Questions1. Recall the central issue facing the Christians in Galatia. What can we learn from this letter for our own time?2. What part of this text feels most challenging to a self-centered faith? 3. How can Paul’s admonition to bear both “one another’s burdens” and “one’s own load” help you navigate a current situation?

With Special Guest: Jane OlsonClick here to download liturgy and celebration ideas for The Feast of Christ the King!Sources and Further Reading on the Feast of Christ the King!The Liturgical Home: The Feast of Christ the KingThe Liturgical Home: Ordinary Time (Ashley Tumlin Wallace)In this podcast series, we have a chance to explore how the historic Christian church has marked time for centuries through special seasons, feasts, and other noteworthy days - and how we can embrace the value and beauty of these liturgical celebrations in our own community.Music: “The Size of Grace” © Courtland UrbanoUpcoming Episodes of The Liturgical Feasts Podcast Series:December 30: The Feast of Epiphany (1/6)January 27: Candlemas (or the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord) (2/1)May 12: The Feast of the Ascension (5/17)May 19: The Feast of Pentecost (5/24)May 26: The Feast of the Holy Trinity (5/31)

Sermon Text: Romans 15:1-7Dr Alan CarterClick here to download the 35 references for "one another-ing" in Scripture that Dr Carter mentions in his sermon.

Scripture Text: 2 Corinthians 3:17-4:18Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionOaks Parish Vision Oaks Parish pursues gospel-centered renewal through parish ministry, walking alongside our city, region, and world. This renewal is embodied in the beauty of liturgical worship, mission rooted in people and place among the least and lost, and relational discipleship that forms us into the image of Christ.Athanasius of Alexandria, On the Incarnation He became what we are that he might make us what he is.C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory The sense that in this universe we are treated as strangers, the longing to be acknowledged, to meet with some response, to bridge some chasm that yawns between us and reality, is part of our inconsolable secret. And surely, from this point of view, the promise of glory, in the sense described, becomes highly relevant to our deep desire. For glory means good report with God, acceptance by God, response, acknowledgement, and welcome into the heart of things. The door on which we have been knocking all our lives will open at last.N.T. Wright, Paul for Everyone: 2 Corinthians The gospel isn’t about a different god, someone other than the world’s original creator, but about the same creator God bringing new life and light to his world, the world where death and darkness have made their home and usurped his role. Paul summarizes God’s command in Genesis 1, in order to say: what happened to me that day, what happened to you when you believed, and what happens whenever anyone ‘turns to the Lord’, is a moment of new creation.Application Questions1. If the aim of discipleship is to become like Jesus, how does this change your personal aspirations and outlook on life? 2. How is the Holy Spirit is working in your soul right now to restore your image unto God? 3. What is one practice this week that can help you more readily join Christ in the unseen and eternal?

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck and Martha Van HoutenQuestions or comments about this podcast episode? Click here to email us!

*We apologize that the first couple minutes are missing from the beginning of this replay, but jump right in for the majority of the sermon!Scripture Text: Luke 11:1-13Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionOaks Parish VisionOaks Parish pursues gospel-centered renewal through parish ministry, walking alongside our city, region, and world. This renewal is embodied in the beauty of liturgical worship, mission rooted in people and place among the least and lost, and relational discipleship that forms us into the image of Christ.John Onwuchekwa, Prayer: How Praying Together Shapes the ChurchThe first two words of the Lord’s Prayer—’Our Father’—reminds us that prayer also involves others. We are not just individuals relating to God, but part of a community with the same Father. This makes prayer a collective exercise.N.T. Wright, Luke for EveryoneWhat counts is persistence. There are all sorts of ways in which God isn’t like a sleepy friend, but Jesus is focusing on one point of comparison only: he is encouraging a kind of holy boldness, a sharp knocking on the door, an insistent asking, a search that refuses to give up. That’s what our prayer should be like. This isn’t just a routine or formal praying, going through the motions as a daily or weekly task. There is a battle on, a fight with the powers of darkness, and those who have glimpsed the light are called to struggle in prayer – for peace, for reconciliation, for wisdom, for a thousand things for the world and the church, perhaps a hundred or two for one’s own family, friends and neighbours, and perhaps a dozen or two for oneself.J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on LukeThe time and way in which our prayers shall be answered are matters which we must leave entirely to God. But we need not doubt that every petition which we offer in faith shall certainly be answered. Let us lay our matters before God again and again, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year. The answer may be long in coming, as it was in the cases of Hannah and Zacharias (1 Samuel 1:27; Luke 1:13). But though it tarries, let us pray on and wait for it. At the right time, it will surely come and not tarry.Quotes for Reflection1. Why does prayer seem so difficult at times? How do the parables in verse 5-13 reveal the gospel’s influence for prayer?2. How does your view of prayer change when you see it as a communal rather than merely an individual exercise?3. How have you seen Jesus shape your heart because of prayer?

The Liturgical Feasts Podcast SeriesMartha Van Houten & Special Guest Ben BishopClick here to download liturgy and celebration ideas for The Feast of All Saints!Sources and Further Reading on the Feast of All Saints:The Homely Hours: Preparing for All Saints' DayAll Saints' Day: A Rookie Anglican GuideThe Liturgical Home: Ordinary Time (Ashley Tumlin Wallace)All Saints' Day (Brittanica)A Saint a Day: 365 True Stories of Faith and Heroism (Meredith Hinds)In this podcast series, we have a chance to explore how the historic Christian church has marked time for centuries through special seasons, feasts, and other noteworthy days - and how we can embrace the value and beauty of these liturgical celebrations in our own community.Music: “The Size of Grace” © Courtland Urbano

Scripture Text: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-20Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionEugene Peterson, The Contemplative PastorWe are not dealing with abstractions. The gospel is lived before it is preached. People are not changed by ideas but by persons who embody the truth of those ideas.B.B. Warfield, Selected Shorter Writings, vol 2The great test of every ministry is love: not eloquence, nor zeal, nor orthodoxy, but that Christlike affection which seeks not its own but the good of others.Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life TogetherThe Christ in his own heart is weaker than the Christ in the word of his brother; his own heart is uncertain, his brother’s is sure. That also clarifies the goal of all Christian community: they meet one another as bringers of the message of salvation.Henri Nouwen, Gracias! A Latin American Journal, 1983More and more, the desire grows in me simply to walk around, greet people, enter their homes, sit on their doorsteps, play ball, be known as someone who wants to live with them. It is a privilege to have the time to practice this simple ministry of presence.Application Questions1. Recall someone who has been influential for your relationship with Jesus, what did you appreciate about this person? 2. How does American Christianity compare with the ministry that Paul and others shared with the believers in Thessalonica?3. What can you change about your life so that God can use you more fully in the lives of others? How will you begin making that change?

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck & Martha Van HoutenQuestions or comments about this podcast episode? Click here to email us!

Scripture Text: Luke 5:1-11Bryan Buck*We apologize 10-15 seconds are missing from the beginning of this replay, but jump right in for the majority of the sermon!Quotes for ReflectionOaks Parish VisionOaks Parish pursues gospel-centered renewal through parish ministry, walking alongside our city, region, and world. This renewal is embodied in the beauty of liturgical worship, mission rooted in people and place among the least and lost, and relational discipleship that forms us into the image of Christ.Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship The call goes forth, and is at once followed by the response of obedience. The disciple simply burns his boats and goes ahead. He acts as he does because he has recognized the call as the call of Christ.N.T. Wright, Luke Peter clearly had a sense that life was never going to be the same again, that he was going to face new demands and challenges; but he couldn’t help being swept off his feet by what had happened.Darrell Bock, The NIV Application Commentary on LukeWhat Peter does not realize is that admitting one’s inability and sin is the best prerequisite for service, since then one can depend on God. Peter’s confession becomes his résumé for service. Humility is the elevator to spiritual greatness.J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on LukeWe need not doubt that a practical lesson for all Christians is contained under these simple circumstances. We are meant to learn the blessing of immediate, unhesitating obedience to every plain command of Christ. The path of duty may sometimes be hard and disagreeable. The wisdom of the course we propose to follow may not be apparent to the world. But none of these things must move us. We are not to confer with flesh and blood. We are to go straight ahead when Jesus says, “Go!” We are to do a thing boldly, unflinchingly, and decidedly when Jesus says, “Do it!” We are to walk by faith, and not by sight, and believe that what we don’t see now to be right and reasonable we shall see hereafter.Application Questions1. Reflecting on your own spiritual journey, how did you sense Jesus calling you to follow him?2. Darrell Bock writes that, “admitting one’s inability and sin is the best prerequisite for service.” How does this statement cause you to reimagine Christian faith?3. Can you recall a time when saying yes to God cost you something, yet led to a deeper joy on the other side?

The Liturgical Feasts Podcast Series with Martha Van HoutenOaks Parish (Portland, OR)Music: “The Size of Grace” © Courtland UrbanoIn this podcast series, we have a chance to explore how the historic Christian church has marked time for centuries through special seasons, feasts, and other noteworthy days - and how we can embrace the value and beauty of these liturgical celebrations in our own community.Upcoming Episodes of The Liturgical Feasts Podcast Series:November 18: The Feast of Christ the King (11/23)December 30: The Feast of Epiphany (1/4)January 27: Candlemas (or the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord) (2/1)May 12: The Feast of the Ascension (5/17)May 19: The Feast of Pentecost (5/24)May 26: The Feast of the Holy Trinity (5/31)

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck & Martha Van HoutenQuestions or comments about this podcast episode? Click here to email us!

Scripture Text: John 15:1-17Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionOaks Parish Vision Oaks Parish pursues gospel-centered renewal through parish ministry, walking alongside our city, region, and world. This renewal is embodied in the beauty of liturgical worship, mission rooted in people and place among the least and lost, and relational discipleship that forms us into the image of Christ.Thomas Merton, New Seeds of ContemplationHe abides in us by His love, and we in Him by our faith. The secret of the life of the soul is not activity but union: not achievement but grace, not a program but a Person.John Calvin, Commentary on the Gospel of JohnThe vigor of the branches depends on the root, so that it is only by the communication of the root that the branches live. In the same way, the life of the soul depends on Christ alone, so that without him men are like withered and useless sticksD.A. Carson, The Gospel of JohnJesus insists that his own obedience to the Father is the ground of his joy; and he promises that those who obey him will share the same joy–indeed, that his very purpose in laying down such demands is that their joy may be complete (cf. 1 Jn. 1:4). What is presupposed is that human joy in a fallen world will at best be ephemeral, shallow, incomplete, until human existence is overtaken by an experience of the love of God in Christ Jesus, the love for which we were created, a mutual love that issues in obedience without reserve. The Son does not give his disciples his joy as a discrete package; he shares his joy insofar as they share his obedience, the obedience that willingly faces death to self-interest.Application Questions1. Looking back on your walk with Jesus, how have relationships—whether mentors, friends, or community—helped you abide in Christ and bear fruit?2. Think of a season when your faith felt dry or withered. How did that experience reveal your need to remain connected to Jesus as the true vine?3. Where do you sense resistance to Jesus in your life right now? How might remembering that he has chosen and loved you free you to trust and follow him more fully?

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck and Martha Van HoutenQuestions or comments about this podcast episode? Click here to email us!

Scripture Text: Matthew 25:31-40; Ephesians 2:1-10Pat RoachQuotes for ReflectionLucian of Samosata, late 2nd CenturyThese deluded creatures [Christians], you see, have persuaded themselves that they are immortal and will live forever, which explains the contempt of death and willing self-sacrifice so common among them. It was impressed on them too by their lawgiver [Jesus] that from the moment they are converted, deny the gods of Greece, worship the crucified sage, and live after his laws, they are all brothers. They take his instructions completely on faith, with the result that they despise all worldly goods and hold them in common ownership. So any adroit, unscrupulous fellow, who knows the world, has only to get among these simple souls and his fortune is quickly made; he plays with them.Application Questions1. When in your life were you either least or lost? How did God meet you there? Who did God send to help?2. Who are the least and lost in your spheres of influence?

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck and Martha Van HoutenQuestions or comments about this podcast episode? Click here to email us!

Scripture Text: Luke 10:1-12Andy TobinQuotes for ReflectionPaul MillerHere’s my point: When the Spirit of Jesus becomes the captain, the ship itself begins to change. Instead of a professional and program-driven ministry, the saints are energized and equipped for mission. This takes enormous pressure off pastors. The entire dynamics of the congregation are reshaped around mission—which many are already doing! Saints are natural dreamers, enticed by the Spirit to work and live in daring ways; but without an encourager calling them to greatness and pulling them out of the doldrums, that all withers, and passion never takes flight. But when it does, then prayer becomes critical, because the saints need help. When the power train is connected to kingdom vision and passion, all heaven breaks loose. J.C. RyleBut we ought not to confine our Lord's instructions to ministers alone. They ought to speak loudly to the consciences of all believers, of all who are called by the Holy Ghost and made priests to God. They ought to remind us of the necessity of simplicity and unworldliness in our daily life. We must beware of thinking too much about our meals, and our furniture, and our houses, and all those many things which concern the life of the body. We must strive to live like men whose first thoughts are about the immortal soul. We must endeavour to pass through the world like men who are not yet at home, and are not overmuch troubled about the fare they meet with on the road and at the inn. Blessed are they who feel like pilgrims and strangers in this life, and whose best things are all to come!Dorothy SayersLet the Church remember this: that every maker and worker is called to serve God in his profession or trade – not outside it. The Apostles complained rightly when they said it was not meet they should leave the word of God and serve tables; their vocation was to preach the word. Bu the person whose vocation it is to prepare the meals beautifully might with equal justice protest: It is not meet for us to leave the service of our tables to preach the word. Application Questions1. To what people and place has God called you?2. How might prayer become more central to your engagement in mission?3. What does mission in word and deed look like in your life?

Scripture Text: Revelation 4Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionJames K.A. Smith, You Are What You LoveWe are oriented by our longings, directed by our desires. We adopt ways of life that are indexed to such visions for life, not usually because we “think through” our options but rather because some picture captures our imagination. C.S. Lewis, The Weight of GloryAt present we are on the outside of the world, the wrong side of the door. We discern the freshness and purity of morning, but they do not make us fresh and pure. We cannot mingle with the splendours we see. But all the leaves of the New Testament are rustling with the rumour that it will not always be so.David A. Desilva, Unholy Allegiances The focal point of the cosmos, the center from which all things are to be measured, is not in Ephesus or Pergamum, where our congregations live and move and go about their daily business. Nor is the center of the cosmos in Rome, where the great power brokers and shapers of the political scene wield their influence, but in the realm beyond ours. John’s visions begin at the center of John’s universe, at the very throne of God (4:2).George Elden Ladd, RevelationHere is a great mystery, which the New Testament affirms but does not explain because it involves ineffable realities at the point where God's spiritual world intersects man's historical world. Christ's worthiness and ability to break the seals of the scroll of human history and destiny are dependent on the victory he won in his incarnate life. If he had not come in humility as suffering Savior, he could not come as conquering Messiah.Application Questions1. Can you think of a time when you were blown away by something beautiful? How did it affect you? Why do you think it can sometimes feel hard to experience God in that same way?2. Many younger people today are coming back to the church because they’re longing for something transcendent. Why do you think that longing runs so deep? What might that mean for us at Oaks?3. God wants worship to be something set apart from everything else in our lives. Why do you think that matters to Him? What parts of our worship service or sanctuary help you step into His holy presence?

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck & Martha Van Houtenwith Special Guest, Karen Howells, Director of Discipleship at Oaks ParishClick here to find a parish community near you!

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck and Martha Van HoutenQuestions or comments about this podcast episode? Click here to email us!

Scripture Text: Jeremiah 29:4-7; 1 Peter 2:11-12Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionOaks Parish Vision Oaks Parish pursues gospel-centered renewal through parish ministry, walking alongside our city, region, and world. This renewal is embodied in the beauty of liturgical worship, mission rooted in people and place among the least and lost, and relational discipleship that forms us into the image of Christ.Andrew Rumsey, ParishThe Church is primarily concerned not with ‘the world’ becoming ‘the Church’ but with the world finding its true place by virture of the Church’s action and presence. The Church has no need to extend its own territory into the world: rather, as yeast workign through a batch of dough, it seeks to effect the transformation of the whole-not, plainly, that the batch should all become yeast. In this parochial ecclesiology, where the local congregation is a transforming agent-a means not an end-the nature and condition of society is of the greatest interest. Rodney Stark, The Cities of GodThe power of Christianity lay not in its promise of otherworldly compensations for suffering in this life, as has so often been proposed. No, the crucial change that took place in the third century was the rapidly spreading awareness of a faith that delivered potent antidotes to life’s miseries here and now! The truly revolutionary aspect of Christianity lay in moral imperatives such as “Love one’s neighbor as oneself,” “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” and “When you did it to the least of my brethren, you did it unto me.” These were not just slogans. Members did nurse the sick, even during epidemics; they did support orphans, widows, the elderly, and the poor; they did concern themselves with the lot of slaves. In short, Christians created “a miniature welfare state in an empire which for the most part lacked social services.”14 It was these responses to the long-standing misery of life in antiquity, not the onset of worse conditions, that were the ‘material’ changes that inspired Christian growth. But these material benefits were entirely spiritual in origin. Support for this view comes from the continuing inability of pagan groups to meet this challenge.Application Questions1. How does God’s commitment to humanity and His world reshape the way you respond to the challenges of our city?2. In what ways do you feel most at home in Portland, and in what ways do you need to remember that you are a sojourner and exile here? How might that shape the way you live in your parish?3. How can our Parish Communities become places where people truly experience the glory of life in Christ?

The Oaks Parish Podcast // Bryan Buck and Martha Van HoutenQuestions or comments about this podcast episode? Click here to email us!

Scripture Text: Romans 12:1-2Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionOaks Parish Vision Oaks Parish pursues gospel-centered renewal through parish ministry, walking alongside our city, region, and world. This renewal is embodied in the beauty of liturgical worship, mission rooted in people and place among the least and lost, and relational discipleship that forms us into the image of Christ.Lesslie Newbigin, The Gospel in a Pluralist Society The Christian story provides us with such a set of lenses, not something for us to look at, but for us to look through.Tim Keller, Center Church Community shapes our ethics and the spoken and unspoken rules that guide our behavior. Far more of the biblical ethical prescriptions are addressed to us as a community than as individuals. The Ten Commandments were given to Israel at Mount Sinai to form them into an alternate society that would be a light to the nations. The call of Romans 12:1 – 2 to “offer your bodies as living sacrifices” is usually interpreted as a call to individual consecration, but it is actually a demand that we commit ourselves to a corporate body and not live as autonomous individuals any longer. All of Romans 12, in fact, should be read as a description of this new society.N.T. Wright, Paul for Everyone At the centre of genuine Christianity is a mind awake, alert, not content to take a few guidelines off the peg but determined to understand why human life is meant to be lived in one way rather than another. In fact, it is the way of life of ‘the present age’ which often involves the real human immaturity, as people simply look at the surrounding culture, with all its shallow and silly patterns of behaviour, and copy it unthinkingly.Application Questions1. In your mind, why is it helpful for the local church to have a clear vision? 2. How can you see the difference between worldly sacrifice and gospel-empowered sacrifice?3. As you look at the challenges of our city, what is one way that the gospel can lead you to a different mindset?