The Nexus Podcast

What is Truth? (S15 Episode25)

Our trial, and the case against Christ, begins in earnest this Sunday. We enter the trial scene as Pilate is interrogating Jesus. Frustrated by Jesus’ demeanor before him, a question slips from Pilate’s lips. Ann Wroe calls it a question “too strange to have been invented.” In the middle of his dialogue with Jesus, Pilate blurts out, half to himself, “what is truth?” Did he mutter it scornfully? Was his question sincere? Did Pilate ask the question pensively or impatiently? And what does truth have to do with whether Jesus is a king or not?

The quizzical thing to me is that once uttered, the question disappears, and the story simply carries on. The weight of Pilate’s question is just left hanging in the air with no response or resolution. And it is here that I want to hit the pause button and have us imaginatively enter this courtroom drama.

What if there had been dialogue about Pilate’s question? What if, in trying Jesus for being a rival king, a team of prosecutors and defense lawyers had taken up that question, each side making their respective case? What would it be like to use “truth” as part of the case against Christ?

So, into the courtroom we go. The trial team of lawyers are ready, witnesses have been called. And so, I hope you will join us this Sunday, as quasi jurists, ready to hear the case against Christ as we explore, What is Truth?

The Case Against Christ (S15 Episode24)

Nexus friends, for the remainder of our Lenten season, I want to bring us a little courtroom drama by having us step into the most famous trial in all history: Jesus’ trial before Pilate. To that end, I have created a harmonized account of the trial, drawing from all four gospels, which you can read here. I would recommend reading it once a week leading up to Easter. It will give you a feel for the proceedings and a glimpse into Pilate’s struggle to play the role of both judge and jury at this fateful trial.

Mind you, the snapshot we have of the trial in the gospels is rather brief. So, I hope you won’t mind if I bring some artistic liberties and a little flair for the dramatic to the trial. 

That being said, trial proceedings begin this Sunday with us focusing on the man Pilate—an enigmatic figure torn between duty and conscience, power and truth. As we sit alongside Pilate, we will be confronted with the main charge against Jesus and an uncomfortable question that echoes through the ages: Is Jesus truly a King?

My hope is that with some vivid storytelling and deep reflection, we can wrestle honestly with the implications of that question. So, I hope you will join us this Sunday and through the rest of the Lenten season as we engage with this trial of all trials, and prepare for a journey that may leave us unsettled—but deeply transformed. Welcome to The Case AGAINST Christ.

Inner Space (S15 Episode23)

Last week, as we explored reaching out to others, we owned up to our hostility, while considering how reasonable it is to be guarded or defended. It’s a natural human response in a world that is often pretty hostile, especially these days.

And, as understandable as hostility is, Jesus leads us beyond - to where that sense of otherness becomes oneness. We are called to hospitality. So we move toward our hostility with trust, compassion, and curiosity; we live aware of our common human search for connection and belonging; and we work to offer space. 

This week we’ll explore what that space could look like. Is Martha Stewart our guru here, or might there be an even deeper kind of hospitality? We’ll look at scripture, hear some stories, and I’ll share some things that have made a big difference in my journey, including a cat video and a life-changing lesson learned from the most powerful Gospel Contemplation I’ve experienced to date. I hope you’ll be encouraged as we seek to create space for others in our hearts, our homes, our lives. 

Me Hostile?! (S15 Episode22)

This week marks the beginning of our new Lent series “Look Again”. I’ll also be continuing on with my mini-series inspired by Henri Nouwen’s book Reaching Out which explores the question, “What does it mean to live a life in the Spirit of Jesus Christ?” in the context of three movements of reaching out: 

1. How do we relate to our innermost self? (the movement from loneliness to solitude) 
2. How do we relate to our fellow human beings? (the movement from hostility to hospitality)
3. How do we relate to our God? (the movement from illusion to prayer)

This time, we consider our relationship with others. The life Jesus calls us to isn't lived in isolation but in community. Hostility impedes and even breaks connection, negatively affecting how we express love as we seek to serve, listen to, and care for those around us. 

Hostility is easy to find “out there” these days. But what about “in here”? Can we notice how hostility shows up in our own lives and hearts? If we can, what do we do with it? How much are our regular, natural patterns and impulses aligned with Jesus’ call? Is there a sweet spot between self-justification and self-rejection? 

Listen in as we face our own hostility - a starting point as we break down barriers in a way that may surprise you in order to create spaces of belonging and care.

A Narrow Path (S15 Episode21)

This Sunday we come to the finale of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Jesus concludes his sermon with a series of potent images. Gates, roads, trees, fruit, fire, foundations, rocks, sand. The challenge for us is that imagery is rarely neutral. And with these images, I have a hunch more than a few of us are carrying some baggage.

So, I want to start by exploring how subtitles in the Bible (put there by translators and publishers) often serve to skew messages in the Bible and how the interpretive key to this last passage is easy to find. Then, I want to introduce you to something called the Silver Rule. I think it may help some of us get our heads around what Jesus is asking of us here.

I am excited for this Sunday. We have been in the Sermon on the Mount since September, so in wrapping things up, I hope the closure we find truly leaves us with a deeper desire to find and follow the good and flourishing life Jesus is calling us to live.

Stay Thirsty My Friends (S15 Episode20)

Friends, I am not sure when the good ol’ days were, but I think one could make a pretty strong case that they were between 2006 and 2016. Why those 10 years? Well, that is when Dos Equis beer was running their “Most Interesting Man in the World” ads.

I loved those ads. We were gifted lines about this most interesting man, like, “he once won a staring contest with his own reflection,” or “sharks have a week dedicated to him,” or “he can speak Russian…in French,” or “he once made a weeping willow laugh.” Those ads were delightful. But every ad ended the same way. The Most Interesting Man in the World would stare into the camera and say, “Stay Thirsty, My Friends.”

Jesus has now entered the home stretch of his Sermon on the Mount, and we come to a passage of Scripture that has flummoxed me for a long while. It is Jesus’ exhortation to ask, seek, and knock. Jesus promises that those who do will be answered, find what they are looking for, and have doors opened to them. What in the world might Jesus be getting at?

I am excited to dig into this passage with you all. To start, I want to tell you about the revelation I had this week about O.J. Simpson and black pickup trucks. Then, I want to introduce you to the Nobel Prize winner, Isidor Isaac Rabi, and the incredible reason he became a scientist. Then we will dig into the passage itself while exploring an oft missed part of Jesus’ teaching style. Finally, we will explore a most curious idea: WHAT we know may be less important than HOW we know. Oh yeah, and somehow The Most Interesting Man in the World ties into all of this.

We're At The Wrong Tree (S15 Episode19)

Folks, I have been both excited and nervous about this one for months. Finally, we arrive at Jesus' teaching and instructions around how we evaluate other people. “Do not judge” is one of Jesus’ most famous lines. But is it really that simple? I mean, a few verses later Jesus seems to contradict himself with talk of some people being like dogs, pigs, wolves, or sheep. It is time to get into the weeds with this one and it promises to be interesting. What does not “judging” others really mean?

Now, I think it goes without saying that when we consider judgmental people, resident curmudgeon and wordsmith, Glenn Pascoe, immediately comes to mind. And so, to showcase the pervasive temptation we all feel to cast judgment on others, I have asked Glenn to share about the many petty judgments that occupy his mind. I am sure that will be a treat for all of us, and no doubt take some of the pressure off.

From there, we are headed to the trees! It turns out that in considering what it means to evaluate others and discern wisely in life, Scripture provides us two modes of being by way of tree metaphor. And from what I can tell, we tend to spend much of our time at the wrong tree. Also, because I tend to be foolish, I then want to apply our learning by way of one of the most controversial topics of discussion happening today: transgender debates. Pray for me!

The Futility of Worry (S15 Episode18)

Friends, we have a bit of a different Sunday planned. St. Andrew's is hosting a Potato Soup Lunch at 11:30am in Iona Hall. We are invited to join them. It is a fundraiser for Presbyterian World Service & Development. You can learn more about the lunch below. But this means Iona Hall will be set up with tables and chairs for our service. This should be fun and afford us an opportunity to do things a little differently for one Sunday.

We are continuing through Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and the focus of attention turns to worry. According to the American Psychological Association, around 1 in 3 adults are habitual worriers. So, what can Jesus offer us around our propensity to worry?

The Seductive Power Of Mammon (S15 Episode17)

A few weeks ago, after my sermon on generosity, a visitor asked me if Nexus was a health and wealth gospel church. I confess, the question left me stunned and embarrassed. How horrible am I at communicating if someone walked away from Nexus thinking that? But, as luck would have it, Jesus returns to money in his Sermon on the Mount, so I have been gifted an opportunity to make it abundantly clear that Nexus is NOT a health and wealth gospel church.

You see, we have entered a new section of Jesus’ most famous sermon. It begins with talk about storing up treasures and why you can’t serve God and Mammon. I can’t wait to get into it, though, the journey will take us on an unexpected course.

So, we will begin by defining our relationship with money, before confronting the three questions no one has ever asked you. Then, we will need to talk sports app gambling, why the actor Jim Carey seems to have lost his marbles, Black Swan Events, a Dragons Den deal made on September 5, 2001, why one particular question at Chats & Chocolate seemed to stump everyone, why I feel the need to make a defense on behalf of the rich, and of course three practices for resisting the Mammon god. Phew, should be a fun, and I hope thoughtful, exploration of our relationship with money. 

The Secrets We Keep (S15 Episode16)

In this section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus has instructed us on how to pursue the flourishing life by way of properly practicing our virtues. This Sunday, Jesus gives instructions around fasting.

Now, it isn’t immediately obvious to the most casual observer how fasting contributes to spiritual formation. Which means of course, we will need to unlock this riddle by way of contemplation on the nature of dogs. So, that will be something.

But beyond the actual fasting question, there is something amidst Jesus’ instructions that is easy to miss. In terms of giving, prayer, and fasting, Jesus commends doing them all, in SECRET. Strange.

Secrets are a fascinating thing. I am going to need your help on Sunday unravelling a true mystery. When someone says to you, “I need to tell you a secret, but you can’t tell anyone,” does anyone truly mean ANYONE? Turns out, the nature of secrecy just might help us unlock a deeper layer of meaning in Jesus’ advice for finding the Good Life.

We are going to need to talk about secrets, why having a dog taught me about fasting, and, of course, why Sponge Bob SquarePants may hold the secret to secrets.