The Nexus Podcast

Voyage & Return (S16 Episode7)

Do you remember the first story that swept you off your feet? The one that carried you somewhere strange, only to bring you home seeing everything differently? This Sunday, we’re stepping into the Voyage & Return storyline: the kind of story that reminds us that sometimes you must leave home to truly find it. These are the stories of wandering and awakening, of losing your way and discovering grace in the most unexpected places.

From The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe to Castaway, from LOST to the ancient story of a son who runs and a father who waits, these tales echo with something deeply human. They name the restlessness in us all—the desire to go, the ache to belong, and the quiet hope that what’s lost can still be found. I want to explore this storyline with moments of mirth and thoughtful reflection, unpacking why sometimes we must travel through disorientation to recover what is most true.

At Nexus, this is more than an old plot line: it’s a mirror for the spiritual life itself. Many of us have ventured far from what once felt like home, only to discover that our journeys are not detours but invitations. Join us this Sunday as we trace the long road back toward meaning, mystery, and love—the kind of home where the light is always on, waiting for us to return.

The Quest (S16 Episode6)

Friends, “There’s a line where the sky meets the sea — and it calls me.” A little Moana wisdom for you there. You see, every so often, something stirs within: a whisper to leave the shore and set out toward something unknown but deeply worth finding.

This Sunday at Nexus, we’re diving into one of the great storylines of life — The Quest — the call to go, the companions who join us, and the road that changes everything. From Moana to Moses, from Frodo to the fishermen of Galilee, the Quest plotline invites us to leave the familiar and set out toward something of ultimate worth.

To that end, before Sunday, can I invite you to watch O Brother, Where Art Thou? It is a strange, soulful journey that might just open your eyes to the story beneath your own. It is a modern parable of three companions chasing a fortune they’ll never find, and yet stumbling into salvation all the same. Fair warning, there will be spoilers.

And when you arrive, make sure to spend time with our 16 Frames before and after the service — they are extra fun this week. We have designed them to be sixteen windows into the ways we are shaped and reshaped by the quests we take.

Every great story begins with a call, and this Sunday at Nexus, we’ll explore what happens when we dare to answer it. I hope to see you all on Sunday for The Quest.

Rags to Riches (S16 Episode5)

This week in our Narratology series: what do Cinderella’s slipper, Rocky’s gloves, and Harry Potter’s cupboard under the stairs all have in common? They’re reminders that the greatest stories don’t begin with crowns and castles but with ashes, obscurity, and a touch of ordinary. The “Rags to Riches” storyline has enchanted us for centuries—not because it promises wealth, but because it whispers that hidden lives can be holy ground, and that small beginnings might just be the birthplace of transformation.

This Sunday at Nexus, we are going to lean into this timeless plot line—not just in fairy tales and films, but in the Jesus story itself. From manger to resurrection, the path of Christ both fulfills and flips the “Rags to Riches” script: the way up is down, and the real riches aren’t possessions but purpose, belonging, and identity. I will hope you will join this week. Bring your curiosity and a sense of playfulness, because the storyline we’re exploring together might just turn “rags” into something far more dazzling than riches.

Overcoming the Monster (S16 Episode4)

Well, into our Narratology series we go, and to start, we begin with Overcoming the Monster. From our earliest days, humans have told stories about monsters: the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Enuma Elish, Leviathan, Perseus and Medusa - all are ancient overcoming the monster stories.

We are no less enthralled with these stories today: from the 1975 summer blockbuster Jaws (which you should watch before Sunday), to its contemporaries like A Quiet Place, Get Out, or Jurassic Park, we still love these stories. In fact, our 16 Frames at Nexus this Sunday will test your movie knowledge. Each frame will have a quote, and you must guess the Overcoming the Monster film it comes from.

There is a reason we love these stories and why humanity has always been obsessed with monsters. They speak to something deep within us: fear of what lurks in the shadows or under the surface, along with a conviction that even when chaos threatens, courage can rise.

Scripture echoes this plot line over and over again: from David facing Goliath, Esther standing against Haman, or Jesus entering the very jaws of death itself. In each case, the monster is not ignored, but confronted and undone. And the invitation of the Jesus Path is that this storyline is not just A story, but OUR story.

What are the monsters beneath the surface of your life—fear, shame, addiction, despair, or even the cultural forces that press in on us? This week we’ll explore how the Jesus story gives us courage not just to name them, but to resist them. Because every monster, no matter how fearsome, does not get the final word.

What's your Story? (S16 Episode3)

If I were to ask you about yourself, many of you would have little difficulty talking about your jobs, families, personalities, daily routines, Enneagram number, or likes and dislikes. But should I ask you, What’s your story?, I am inclined to think many of you might feel a little confused. I know I did the first time someone asked me that question. Is my story my biographical details? Do I have a story?

The trouble is, when our lives are without a story or plot, life can end up feeling like a string of days with no meaning. So, it is time for us to find our plot, which is exactly what the first series of our season, Narratology, was designed to help us do.

We humans are born storytellers. We shape moments into meaning by way of story. How we are shaped and formed as humans depends entirely on the stories we tell, believe, and live by. Hence, the challenge and invitation of this series is to discover how our own story might be part of something larger, something that gives coherence and purpose to who we are.

That’s where the Jesus story comes in. Scripture doesn’t present us with abstract formulas or dry facts—it tells a story. A story of creation and loss, of tragedy and rebirth, of monsters overcome and quests pursued. And here’s the hope: when the grand story of Jesus begins to weave into our own, our lives gain depth, direction, and redemption.

How Does Your Garden Grow? (Season16 Episode2)

Do you garden? I expect we represent a spectrum from avid to reluctant gardening enthusiasts. Some of us are pressing massive zucchinis into the hands of everyone we know, and others of us were cheering on the single, solitary cherry tomato that made it through the season before the squirrel got it. We might have huge gardens, we might garden in community gardens or containers on our patio. But chances are, if we own or rent property, we have a plot of land that is technically within our care, and thus, whether or not we work that ground, we are caring for it - for better or for worse. 

And if you were to design the garden of your dreams, what would it be like? Would it be vegetable heavy or more flower oriented? Would you choose hardy native plants, or tropical beauties that need to be taken inside to be shielded from the harsh Canadian winter? Maybe you prefer shrubs and grasses for steady, consistent shapes and colour. How much does your imagined garden overlap with the garden in your care? 

Whether or not we work in a physical garden, we are gardeners. We have been entrusted with the care and keeping of a metaphorical garden - ourselves - our hearts and minds and bodies. These gardens are being shaped and formed by forces within us and outside of us, both chosen and bestowed upon us. As we get into the overall theme that will take us through this 16th season at Nexus, we’ll pay attention to who and what is shaping us, and how we’re being influenced. We will consider what we are becoming and why. What are we growing? How do we best cultivate our garden? 

So let’s roll up our sleeves, grab a trowel, see what’s growing, and consider what we want to do about it. See you Sunday for great music, coffee and “How Does Your Garden Grow?” 

The One About The Door (S16 Episode1)

For this coming Sunday, I want to start the new season by reminding us of who we are and why the mission and purpose of Nexus remain the same as always. To do that, I will need to tell you about a little pilgrimage I took this summer and about a room I unexpectedly found myself in. This Sunday is about one artist’s story and why that story still resonates with me (and I hope us) 135 years later. 

A Beautiful Thing (S15 Episode35)

Now, to the final sermon of the year, A Beautiful Thing. In a world that prizes practicality, efficiency, and utility, the story of Mary pouring a small fortune’s worth of perfume on Jesus’ head, and his strong reaction to the gesture, stands in contrast to many of our cultural values.

“She has done a beautiful thing to me,” Jesus says of the act. On this final Sunday of the season, I want to explore why beauty matters deeply in the economy of God, and how even awkward, seemingly wasteful gestures can carry the most lasting impact. This is a story not about doing what is right or efficient—but about doing what is beautiful.

So, I hope you will join us as we reflect on the fleeting nature of time, the courage it takes to act on love, and the aroma that beautiful acts leave behind.

Whispers (s15 Episode34)

Friends, we have arrived at the penultimate episode of our season. I am excited for these last two sermons, and I hope they might set us up well for the summer before us.

This week, my sermon is driven by this question: Is there a way to tune our minds so that they become better receivers? The question is driven by a sort of epiphany I had a few years ago. While our minds are most certainly thought generators, they may also be thought receivers. I cannot recall if it was our beloved Murray who shared this with me, or the author Dale Allison. Regardless, I am sure these ideas sound a bit confusing. Even still, if our minds are receiving (not just generating) thoughts, well, is there a way to tune into certain frequencies, while ignoring others? I am as confused as you about all of this, which is why we must embark on a most interesting journey together on Sunday.

To puzzle this out, I have an assortment of tales and reflections to bring you: from rabbit ear antennas to Muhammad Ali, the Young and the Restless to Barack Obama, Crispers to the Tom Foolery ancient shepherds performed, and the young prophet Samuel hearing a voice to the Ivanpah Solar Power Facility (which happens to fry birds in mid-flight; mind you, that has no bearing on my sermon, but I thought you might like to know). Anywho, it is quite the trail we must travel together. 

Drenched (S15 Episode34)

Friends, I don’t have a lot of positive things to say about birds, but I will grant them this: some of their mating rituals are just hilariously fantastic (see flamingos or birds of paradise). The choreography is mesmerizing; their movements flamboyant and fun to watch. Of course, acts like these are not exclusive to birds. In the animal kingdom, from birds to elephants, rituals are found everywhere in nature.

And yet, no creature is as ritualized as we Homo sapiens. Rituals are a human universal, with ceremonial practices serving many important functions.

This Sunday, I want to take us into one of the most unique rituals of the Christian faith: baptism. Of course, back in the day, ritualistic washing or immersion rituals were present and practiced in various cultures and religions outside of Christianity. Even today, the “cold plunge” has echoes of a baptism ritual. Yet, by and large, baptism is almost an exclusively Christian ritual. Why? Why is it important? What does it mean and communicate?