The Nexus Podcast

A Costly Peace (S11 Episode29)

For Good Friday we will explore the meaning of the cross.  For many of us its primary meaning was forgiveness of sins. In this message, Brad explores what that actually means through sharing a most remarkable and difficult story.  The story of two warring nations and the price they were willing to pay to find peace with one another. The story helps us come to terms with the meaning, the scandal, and the foolishness of the cross. 

Dead Man Walking (S11 Episode28)

To mark the beginning of Holy Week Brad takes us from Jesus' radical experience on top of a mountain to a story he told while on his death march to Jerusalem. Along the way, via stories of Therapist's couches, Columbine, home renovations and hurting the ones we love, we are drawn into the saving mystery of death and resurrection.
 

Prison Break (S11 Episode27)

In this message, Kimberlee Walker is taking us for a deep dive into the story of a particularly dramatic prison break. An earthquake leaves the prison Paul and Silas are chained in completely leveled. Every prisoner is free from their chains, the doors to their cells wide open.  Kim compares the traditional justice model with restorative justice principles and ask us not only to consider applying them to our prison systems but to our own communities and relationships.
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Shipwrecked (S11 Episode26)

This Sunday marks 1 years since our community went online in response to COVID 19.  Brad marks our 1 year anniversary with the tale of a shipwreck.  Acts 27 tell of a harrowing ordeal at sea that Paul faced while being transported as a prisoner to Rome. And this story has all the drama…an ill-advised journey, wicked weather, tensions on board, sailors trying to escape, prisoners about to be executed, a crash on a reef, desperate people swimming for their lives, and for good measure, a toxic snake bite. 
 

Of Place and Prison (S11 Episode25)

Melissa's talk "Of Place and Prison" helps us understand the significance of place and how that relates to prison by bringing us into a most curious story from the book of Acts. Imprisoned for talking about Jesus, the disciples are dramatically set free and then proceed to keep doing what they were doing. The religious leaders debate their next move in dealing with these heretics. Into the mix, a man named Gamaliel steps forward with a most interesting proposal.

A Modest Proposal for Ending the Marriage Wars (S11 Episode 24)

Building on John's message from last week, Brad delves into the Marriage Wars in which the Church has become entangled.  He starts with a tough question and ends with some suggestions for a way out.  

Death of the Couple (S11 Episode23)

This week, John Benjamins is taking us into one of the most troubling and shocking stories of the New Testament. It is the story of a couple who lies and drops dead because of it. It is the story of Ananias and Sapphira.  In a compelling talk, John asks us to examine the ways we use the family structure to establish division and social hierarchy.  

Questions of Marriage (S11 Episode22)

Prompted by an email from a young adult at Nexus, Brad addresses the question of how to think through dating/marriage when the person you are with does not share your faith.   He explores Paul’s most extensive writings on marriage, the ‘unequally yoked’ passage, and most importantly, how marriage and community connect and overlap.

Howling: When God, Wolves & Humans Laugh (S11 Episode21)

Brad claims that this is the most fun he's had doing a sermon in a long time.  It has to do with wolves and humans and God – howling and laughter, bonding and defiance, and equipping us with one of the greatest tools for resilience in the face of struggle. 

Tongues of Fire (S11 Episode20)

Pentecost of course marks the coming of the Holy Spirit, the gift Jesus had promised his followers. It is one of the most pivotal moments in the history of the Christian Path.  You see, after Pentecost, everything about the Jesus Path would start to become more and more clear. Things start clicking for Jesus' disciples. Pentecost would become the epicentre of the Jesus Path revolution and it all starts with a much-anticipated gift.  A gift that launches what Willie Jennings calls "the revolution of the intimate."