Luke 1
October 16 2016
So let's dive right into the strangeness: what do logical, rational, modern people do with a virgin having a baby? And what does Mary teach us about being Jesus-people?
The church in our neighbourhood has a parade for Mary and it's pretty intense and awesome and odd.
Lectionary Reading is from Luke 10
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One of the most helpful resources I've found for learning about gentrification is the podcast "There Goes the Neighborhood"
Article quotes in the sermon (warning, very strong language) "The Hamilton Institute: This Is How We Welcome You"
I read this book a few weeks ago and it is one of the best, and most accessible, resources on the devil and spiritual warfare. It even ties in to the broader "powers and principalities" theme of the sermon. Click here to buy "Reviving Old Scratch" by Richard Beck.
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!
Click here to listen (right click and “save link as…” to download)
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!
Click here to listen (right click and “save link as…” to download)
(Oh boy, lots of bible in this one…) - Deuteronomy 7, Luke 6, Amos 3, 5, 9, Matthew 5, 1 Corinthians 5, Matthew 23
As we close off this sermon series we look at yet ANOTHER idea that is straight up offensive to us, and that we’ve all been hurt by: exclusion.
But the idea of exclusivity is actually a pretty robust theological theme in the bible. From beginning to end there is language that we would describe as… GASP!… exclusive?!
What do we do with this language? Is God for some, and not for others? Are all religions more or less the same? Should we ever be exclusive in our relationships or our commitments?
What does exclusivity have to do with the Christian faith?
Here is Kevin’s best attempt to kick off the conversation this week as we talk about how being a disciple is exclusive, and why that is both good and annoying!
Jesus was asked by rich ruler “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
His response? “Sell everything you have, give it to the poor, then come and follow me.”
Which is… a little uncomfortable for all of us wealthy Westerners.
If we’re going to follow Jesus it will cost us everything, but we will receive something more. We will receive something that has been with us from our very first breathe.
2014.12.21 - Leshia Knopf - The Church Calendar
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As the road to Christmas comes to a culmination, Leshia (our Pastoral Intern) takes us to visit Mary, the mother of Jesus.
And Mary gives herself a title that, to many of us, seems oppressive or wrong. She calls herself “God’s slave”.
How is THAT good news?
The text:
Luke 1:26-38
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. 36 And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
2014.05.04 - Kevin Makins - So What?
Evangelism: Why Does Good News Sound So Bad?
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Mark 1, Matthew 4, 28, Luke 10
Evangelism is when a Christian tells someone about Jesus with the goal of converting them. When I say “evangelism” or “convert” or “repent”, what do you think of?
Do you think of love, and grace, and hospitality, and mutuality? Or do you think of OTHER things?
Like soap-boxes, and protests, and debates, and arguments, and judgement, and fear, and hellfire?
The message of Jesus is supposed to be good news! How did good news start to sound so bad?
And here is the real question: is there a way to reclaim this good news?
Music is led by Aaron Craig and starts 55 minutes in.
Click here to listen (right click and “save link as…” to download)
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!)
2013.12.01 - COLOSSIANS REMIXED - Kevin Makins
SUBMISSION REMIXED / ADVENT HOPE
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Nothing says “the road to Christmas” like women submitting to their husbands and children doing what their fathers say. Well, ok, so it’s a bit of a weird text for for the first week of Advent. But what if the problem isn’t what the text is saying.
What if the problem is that we don’t have the same ears as the original recipients. What sounds like bad (or repressive) news to us was filled with hope to them.
And that hope is what the Kingdom of God is all about.
The text:
Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.
Targum written and read by Scott Fairley
2013.06.09 - Jamie Robertson - Back To The Future: Old Sermons That Shaped Us
Luke 18, Ezekiel 37
A sermon about the labels we put on others, and on ourselves, and the only label God puts on us.
2013.03.24 - Kevin Makins - Mustard Seeds.
Luke 19
Have you ever looked at some person or group who claim to be “Christian” and just thought:
“They just DON’T GET IT. How can I possibly share the same faith as THEM?”
If so, this is probably a sermon worth listening to. But can you do me a favour? If you’re going to start it, please listen all the way through. It only works as a whole!
Music led by Alex Drumm and Justine Lodder - starts 35 minutes in.
2013.03.10 - Kevin Makins - Mustard Seeds.
The Spiritual Discipline of Just Showing Up
Luke 14
“… the greatest spiritual discipline isn’t praying the daily office, or eating a vegan lifestyle. The greatest spiritual discipline is actually just showing up.”
Music led by Joel Cumby and Dave Hamilton - starts 38 minutes in.
2013.02.24 - Kevin Makins - Mustard Seeds.
Luke 13
This text is Jesus at his absolute coolest. He is just SO COOL in this text.
So cool.
A sermon about foxes, fire, selling security systems on the side of the road, tetrarchs, sin, and how annoying it is to name all your children “Herod.”
Music led by Rachel Van Oostveen - starts 42 minutes in.
2012.11.18 - Kevin Makins - This Isn’t Easy
Maybe You Won’t Want To Be In Heaven
Luke 18, John 10
Have you ever stopped to think that maybe you won’t WANT to be in heaven?
Music starts 35 minutes in.
2012.10.28 - Kevin Makins - This Isn’t Easy
Luke 16, James 2, Matthew 7
Why doesn’t God just prove himself beyond a shadow of a doubt?
Music starts 32 minutes in.
2012.10.21 - Kevin Makins- Liturgy: Why We Gather and Why It Matters
Luke 12, Luke 16
This was the one sermon that I desperately didn’t want to preach.
Because seriously… it’s weird to talk about money.
But Jesus was never afraid to talk about money. In fact Jesus knew that where our money is, our heart would be. And so we have to talk about money, because we need to talk about the heart.
So what is giving, and why is it an important part of our liturgy?
Also, I lost my notes this week… and so that was interesting… I must have REALLY NOT wanted to preach on money.
Music starts 46 minutes in.
2012.09.30 - Kevin Makins - Liturgy: Why We Gather and Why It Matters
Luke 22
The word of God is like a double edged sword… and sometimes if you swing a sword around without knowing how to use it, you might end up hurting someone.
This week we laughed a decent amount, Peter chopped a guys ear off, and we named the narratives we live in.
Music starts 54 minutes in.
2011.11.27 - Kevin Makins - Advent 2011
Luke 2, Isaiah 9
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?”
We begin with the shepherds, and explore the way they received this grace.
Along the way we also talk about failure, success, guilt, singing the wrong words out loud, and when people catch you farting…
Sorry about that last one…
Monologue written and performed by Alex Drumm
Music led by Joel Cumby - starts 54 minutes in
2011.11.13 - Kevin Makins - Soma: 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 3:10-17, Matthew 19, Luke 20, Hebrews 12, 2 Peter 3
An hour and fifteen minutes! That means this sermon is either really boring, or we were talking about something really important.
What is the reason people should follow Jesus? Where is this whole thing heading? What did the prophets, Jesus, and the early church expect God would do?
This week was an endurance run through Jewish expectation, a woman with 7 husbands, shaking things, bees, the foundation on which we stand, and “y'all”.
Oh, and we set some stuff on fire.
Music led by Alex Drumm - starts at 1:05
