Smashed Windows & Turned Tables

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Saturday night, thirty anarchists dressed in black with their faces covered and stormed through a street in downtown Hamilton. They smashed business storefronts and parked cars to protest the changes in our city; specifically the gentrification of that street.

This was the same weekend we helped host a conference in which more than five hundred people, representing over thirty churches, talked about the changes facing our city; including gentrification and affordable housing.

And the gospel text for this week? Jesus destroying the temple.

What is a Christian response to a changing city? What should we make of smashed windows? And what does it have to do with the upside-down Kingdom of God?

To download the sermon, right click on the word download above, and click on "save link as..." - you can also download using a podcast app.

A Family of Unity vs. Empires of Uniformity

A Family of Unity vs. Empuires of Uniformity

Family Reunion
Acts 2, Genesis 11, John 17
Kevin Makins

To save a podcast, right click "save link as" on the word Download above.

Pentecost Sunday is all about the Holy Spirit coming to bring Unity, NOT Uniformity! 

And if unity is the sign that Christ is King, perhaps our churches should worry more about how to practice peace and reconciliation instead of how good the band is or how "correct" our theology is!

When the Stars Fall (A Very Ferguson Advent)

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2014.11.30 - Kevin Makins (with Jesse Korgemaa) - The Church Calendar

When the Stars Fall (A Very Ferguson Advent)

Mark 13

Click here to listen (right click and “save link as…” to download)

So I am immediately regretting this whole “following the church calendar and lectionary thing”.

May I present to you THE FIRST TEXT OF ADVENT 2014:

MARK 13:24-37

24 “But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25 and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26 Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory.

27 Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. 28 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates.

30 Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come.

34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. 35 Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, 36 or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”

___

So what in the world is this Jesus talking about? Is it the end of the world? The rapture? Nicolas Cage?

What do you mean the stars will fall and heavens are shaken? AND WHAT does this mean for us as disciples of Jesus?

And does this text have ANYTHING to do with Advent? Why did they pick this text (hundreds of years ago) to be read at the start of the road to CHRISTMAS?!

Please open your bible to Mark chapter 13, and let’s dive in.

You Can't Always Get What You Want - Church in the Wild

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2014.03.30 - Cindy Stover - Church in the Wild

You Can’t Always Get What You Want

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Jeremiah 29

Cindy Stover preaches on God’s eternally messy plan, making home in exile, and wait-how-did-I-end-up-living-in-downtown-Hamilton?!

REJECTED!

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2014.03.02 - Kevin Makins

REJECTED!

Click here to listen (right click and “save link as…” to download)

Luke 4, Romans 16

Kevin tells us two stories of rejection.

In Luke 4, Jesus goes to church, is rejected, and nearly murdered.

In January of 2014, Kevin and Meg went to Vancouver, were rejected, and got a nice polite letter.

Two very different endings, but a similar question can be asked about both: how should we respond in a culture of rejection?

(As an aside, this was our first week in a new gathering space, so there are some veiled, and not so subtle, allusions to that fact)

(As another aside, the church planting group Kevin talks about is in no way affiliated with the Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec/CBOQ, and do not reflect the values or blah blah blah of the CBOQ!)

GET BEHIND ME SANTA! - An Apocalyptic Advent

The Light of the World

2012.12.02 - Kevin Makins and Dave Witt - GET BEHIND ME SANTA!

An Apocalyptic Advent

Revelation 4, Revelation 17, Acts 19

You would not believe all the resistance we’ve faced getting ready for the Apocalyptic Advent this year. 

Part of that resistance is that for the first time in over two years, BOTH of the audio files that record the weekly sermon were corrupted. This, along with about a dozen other factors, gives us a sense that there may be some other powers at work in this whole thing. Powers that don’t like the idea of being exposed, which is what this whole sermon series is about.

But while the powers can corrupt our audio files, they can never silence our podcasting!

So Dave Witt and myself gathered in a local coffee shop to go over the basic ideas of what an Apocalyptic Advent looks like, and why we think it’s such a crucial tool for us to use this season.

Time to get apocalyptic!

Music led by Aaron Craig - starts 34 minutes in.

Soma: 1 Corinthians - Corporate Demons

Soma

2012.03.18 - Kevin Makins - Soma: 1 Corinthians

Corporate Demons

1 Corinthians 10:14-22, Ephesians 6, Revelation 2

This has quickly become one of the most debated and controversial topics we’ve ever had as a church! 

Paul makes a connection between Corinth’s idols, and demons, which leads us to ask “what are the demons today?” and “how should we engage with the powers?”

There are no simple answers, but it is a conversation we all need to have, and one that will require us to take action! 

Additionally, because of all the conversation this sermon started, we’ve added a B-Sides BonusCast to the end of the episode, with some further reflections.

This should be fun…

Music led by Tim Selles and Jeff Wynands - starts 51 minutes in.

B-Sides BonusCast starts 61 minutes in.

Soma: 1 Corinthians - Winning & Boasting (as strange as that sounds)

Soma

2012.03.04 - Kevin Makins - Soma: 1 Corinthians

Winning & Boasting (as strange as that sounds)

1 Corinthians 9, Philippians 2

Sort of a weird chapter this week. Paul starts off by getting all defensive about how pastors should get paid, and goes off on a sort of tangent about vineyards and soldiers and oxen…

And then he flips everything on it’s head and it all makes sense.

A sermon about rights, privileges, freedom, and just how much it costs to really be a Jesus disciple. 

Imaginarium: Imagining a Better City

Imaginarium2011.07.03 - Kevin Makins - Imaginarium: Imagining a Better City

Isaiah 65, Zechariah 8, Jeremiah 29, Philippians 3

The third and final sermon in our series on creativity and imagination. 

Christians can sometimes think that our ultimate hope is non-physical, other-worldly, and more or less disconnected from our experiences here and now. But the God of the bible is constantly reaffirming this world as good, sacred, and worth rescuing. 

God is always concerned with place - and specifically, with cities. If we are going to work for the good of our city, we are going to need to learn how to see it with fresh eyes.

And this will require imagination.

Music led by Joel Cumby and a rocking band - starts 45 min in.