Purity: Glass of Wine, Glass of Urine

Purity: Glass of Wine, Glass of Urine

Advent 2015: Sexuality & Incarnation

Luke 8, Leviticus 15, Numbers 19

When you think of Advent and Christmas, what comes to mind?

Mangers? Sheep and oxen? Snow and hot chocolate? God with us?

All good answers. But we’ve talked about that stuff before! Let’s face it, after years and years (and years) of Advent, we could be tricked into thinking we’ve mined the depths of the season, and there is nothing left to discover.

But this, of course, would be a huge mistake… because there is always more to discover.

Advent is about the anticipation of GOD taking on FLESH. God coming entering into God’s creation, taking on our skin, purifying our world, and birthing something new in the midst of it.

And there’s something… deeply sexual about the whole thing!

So what if we explore that for Advent 2015? What might we learn about our relationship with God, with one another, with the creation and with our own bodies?

And how might it fill us again with wonder: Wonder at the Divine Mystery of the Incarnation!

This week we start with what it means to be pure and holy, and how it relates to sex, to God, and to Christmas!

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The Ethiopian Eunuch, or, "What Is To Prevent Me From Being Baptized?"

2015.04.19 - Kevin Makins - The Church Calendar

The Ethiopian Eunuch, or, “What Is To Prevent Me From Being Baptized?”

Acts 8, Leviticus 21, Deuteronomy 23

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

The very cool story about how the Spirit used a wealthy, powerful, gender/sexual minority foreigner to shape God’s people forever!

Also some updates on our current building, and the next steps for finding a more settled location to gather on Sundays.

The text:

Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a wilderness road.)  So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to this chariot and join it.” So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” He replied, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this:

“Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter,
   and like a lamb silent before its shearer,
       so he does not open his mouth.
In his humiliation justice was denied him.
   Who can describe his generation?
       For his life is taken away from the earth.”

The eunuch asked Philip, “About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?” He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.

The water was COLD.

“Touch the waters, and remember your baptism!”

Advent 2011: Ox

2011.12.11 - Kevin Makins - Advent 2011

Ox

Numbers 28, Leviticus 16, 1 Samuel 15, Amos 5, Hosea 6, Psalm 50, Genesis 22, Hebrews 10, Romans 12

The way you view the birth of Jesus depends a lot on where you’re standing.

For Advent this year we are going to look at the Christmas narrative from multiple perspectives, and ask the question: “how did each group view the incarnation?”

This week we look at the ox. What did the ox… think(?!)… about the incarnation?

The ox probably thought about the sacrificial system; all the stories he had heard about the altar growing up. He probably reflected on how so many of his friends ended up there, and wondered if this little child might change everything.

Apparently, the ox thought about all sorts of things.

Monologue written and performed by Alex Drumm

Music led by Andrew Huang - starts 1:03 in

both God and money: Dollar Dollar Bill Y'all

2011.06.05 - David Barker - both God and money: Dollar Dollar Bill Y'all

Leviticus 27, Numbers 18, Deuteronomy 14 & 26, 1 Corinthians 16, 2 Corinthians 8-9, 1 Timothy 5

Finally; the money sermon! 

How should the Christian give? What should we give? When should we give? What does the Bible say about giving to your local church?

What if I’m poor? What if I’m rich?

A sermon all about cash-money, and what it means to give to your community. 

Music led by Alex Drumm.