The Nexus Podcast

The Final Chapter of the Story (S12 Episode26)

One final week in the book of Revelation which will take us to the book's final vision. For all the fantastical images of the book, with its cosmic rock opera battle, what is the book pointing us toward? John was of course writing to churches that were filled with melancholy and despair (which feels relatable these days). Some of these churches had suffered, some had simply given up and tried to get cozy with an empire no one thought could be resisted. To these weary and run-down churches, John the Revelator provides one final vision for them. That vision, for me, has long been a source of hope and inspiration. His vision has felt, over the years, like someone throwing me a life preserver whenever it feels like I am drowning. I love John’s final vision. His vision is deeply personal for me.
 
Of course, like the rest of the book, it is cloaked in imagery and symbolism.  We will have to talk about being lost while hiking, wade into the age old debate of whether the journey, or destination, is more important. We will also need to wade into the not-so-subtle sexual imagery of the vision.  I hope John’s final vision might do for your faith what it has done for mine.

Of Armageddon and Advertising (S12 Episode25)

McDonald’s, Colgate, Ikea: meet Revelation. The ancient book of Revelation shares a commonality with some of the most recognizable global brands today. Both know the power of symbols. Whether it is John writing a politically subversive message of lament and hope 2000 years ago, or contemporary marketing on billboards and in magazines, both know that images and symbols can convey stories, meanings, ideas and suggestions that go far beyond what is immediately obvious. So, as we continue into the operatic drama of the book of Revelation, we are going to look to advertising for some clues. 
 
The book of REvelation is a story of a cosmic battle between Jesus and empire, but as we move into the battle itself, we are confronted with some troubling imagery, images that have become synonymous with the book itself: Armageddon and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
 
For many, these scenes from Revelation point to a blood bath battle Jesus will wage at the end of the world. Of course, that raises a troubling question for anyone travelling the Jesus Path. If Jesus wages war in the end, does that mean the Jesus of the Sermon on the Mount and the whole love your enemy thing is abandoned? In the end, does Jesus realize that power and violence trump love and forgiveness? Does the Jesus of Revelation leave the Jesus of the gospels impotent and meaningless?
 
For those who are serious about deconstructing an unhealthy faith with the hopes of reconstructing a better one, getting Revelation right is important. That is the task at hand this Sunday as we dive into battle scenes of Revelation. 

Of Fugu, Lions and Lambs (S12 Episode24)

The book of Revelation, with its wild imagery and cryptic clues about the end of the world, can certainly capture the imagination.  “Experts” on the book work through maps and charts, speculate about who the anti-Christ might be, when the end will come, and what nation(s) Jesus will be fighting against at the great battle of Armageddon.
 
As we continue to try to unpack who God is by looking to Jesus, Revelation seems to present a problem, which is why we will dig into the book for three weeks (no maps or charts). Understanding this final book of the Bible is a necessary part of any faith deconstruction process.
 
To do that, we are going to have to do a little background work, but we will also need to talk animals: the fugu blowfish, the lion, and the lamb. Join us as we jump into what is unquestionably one of the weirdest, unsettling, and strange books of the Bible. However, also one of the most daring and beautiful books.

Jesus You’re Scaring Me (S12 Episode23)

There are some scary things about Jesus in the New Testament. First, his frequent references to being cut down and thrown into a fire. Second, the cryptic clues he apparently left us about “end times” in Matthew 24. Third, virtually everything about the book of Revelation. Finally, two of his stories: the parable of the sheep and goats, and the rich man and Lazarus.
 
These stories will be the focus of today's teaching.  They are littered with images and threats of hell.  These stories should startle us…just not in the way we think they should. We will conclude with a modern day parable about “Pharma Bro”.  

Where is the Wine? (Season12 Episode22)

For the past two weeks, we have looked at how Jesus helps us read and understand the Old Testament in more honest and life-giving ways. We spend this Sunday wrapping that up. But our series will be far from done. While the Old Testament contains many uncomfortable stories and passages, the Gospels themselves, and the book of Revelation in particular, gives us some puzzling and scary images of Jesus. What do we do with them?

Jesus does tell a story about a rich man suffering in hell, begging for a drop of water on his tongue. That freaks me out! Or consider that Jesus speaks more about hell than any other person in Scripture. That scares me. What about that oft quoted teaching of his about sheep and goats? That is disconcerting to say the least. And that doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of scary images we find of Jesus in the book of Revelation. Have you read that book recently? It reads as though someone had a bad acid trip and recorded their hallucinations. If there is one book that terrifies people, it is Revelation: beasts with seven heads, rivers of blood, some kind of final world war to end all world wars. I mean, solving the riddles of the Old Testament still leaves an honest believer with plenty of questions. We are headed to all of them, because we need to sort these things out once and for all.

Scratch That - Jesus Edits the Old Testament (S12 Episode21)

This Sunday, through a few stories, we continue exploring what Jesus reveals to us about God. Reconciling some of the ugly portraits we see of God in Scripture, with the God Jesus reveals to us, requires one of four options. This Sunday we explore the best of those options and speak to how Jesus read and interpreted the Old Testament. To do that, we'll look at some subversive stories within the Old Testament along with the bold and daring act Jesus performed in front of a hometown crowd. An act requiring much audacity.

The Ghost of Jonathan Edwards (S12 Episode20)

A new series begins today with three questions based on observations within the Nexus community:

1. Why do so many parents at Nexus have trouble talking to their children about faith?
2. Why do so many grown adults have trouble talking to their own parents about faith?
3. Why are so many people at Nexus in the process of deconstructing their faith?

The answer for all three of these questions is that many of us are haunted by a most disturbing ghost. There is something in our closets, our pasts, our upbringing that is behind these observations/questions.  It is time to bury this ghost and be done with it. 

Wonder (S12 Episode19)

Well, a New Year is just around the corner. It is a season where even the most skeptical among us can’t help but consider setting expectations for the year ahead.  This Sunday, an offering of hope and intention for this coming year. In short, it has everything to do with wonder.
 
There are lots of stops along the way, from a Christmas Eve busking concert, awkward Christmas presents, climbing mountains, the James Webb telescope, the mysterious hut on the dark side of the moon, and why NASA recently hired theologians for one of its recent projects. Lots of fun to be had along with some thoughts and reflections on music, art, nature, and the greatest mystery of all time.

The Gift of Presence (S12 Episode 18)

In the midst of our fatigue and never-ending bad news, we pause to celebrate, or at least reflect on, Jesus’ birth and the incarnation. Now, more than ever, we need to get this right. What exactly are we celebrating when we think of Jesus' birth and incarnation? Well, to get at that, we turn to two stories/analogies about incarnation. One is from Donald Miller, the other from Paul Harvey.  They both seem to miss the point of incarnation. Getting the promise and good news of incarnation right seems more important than ever, especially now, in our weary world. 

Waiting for Fire (S12 Episode17)

Advent is a season of expectation, of waiting, longing, and anticipation.  In this way we mimic those originally waiting for the Jewish Messiah to arrive when Jesus was born. But as Jesus has already come, what are we waiting for with Advent today? The short answer is…fire.
 
Through stories of problematic Advent calendars and Brad's encounter with a grizzly bear, we head on a wild survey of fire within Scripture and what it can teach us about Advent today. We will be touching down briefly in Genesis, Exodus, Daniel, Malachi, Luke, Hebrews, Corinthians and Revelation.