The Nexus Podcast

When You Are Engulfed In Flames (S13 Episode25)

We continue to look to Jesus' cross as the 'forgiveness terrain' we are asked to make a way of life. This Sunday I want to dive into the ways we have been trained to adopt an infantile form of forgiveness and why what the Jesus Path asks of us is much more difficult, but also much more liberating. I trust you will find it to be an informative and meaningful teaching.

Caravaggio’s Head (S13 Episode24)

There are just over four weeks until we find ourselves at Good Friday and Easter, and as we continue to travel the Jesus Path, we find ourselves firmly within the hilly landscape of Jesus' cross. We will spend the next four Sundays traversing this terrain, paying close attention to how Jesus' cross is more than just an event in time, but a way of life we are called to follow.

To do that, we begin with a story—of a painter—and what he was looking for when he created his masterpiece, David with the Head of Goliath. His story mirrors our own and will take us into the uncomfortable realm of sin, and forgiveness. Those two words are uncomfortable to many, but such is the nature of walking a path. We don't get to choose where it heads, our task is simply to follow. The path now takes us there. But fret not friends, we won't be talking about sin in all the cliché and predictable ways we have become accustomed. Rather, I plan to give sin the treatment it deserves—earthy, gritty, perhaps even slightly crass, and irreverent. (As such, fair warning: This Sunday's sermon is PG-13 and contains language that may be inappropriate for pre-teenagers and that some might find offensive. Discretion is advised.)

Why the need for that? Quite frankly, I am tired of "sin" being ignored or triggering, so let's just talk honestly about it, in plain language. The Jesus Path takes us there so there is no point in trying to avoid it. After all, as the brilliant art critic Simon Schama says, "If we are ever to hope for redemption, we have to begin with the recognition that in all of us, the Goliath competes with the David." 

This Is Not The End (S13 Episode23)

Nexus friends, though quite rare, there are certain Sundays that come together so seamlessly and with such a sense of synchronicity that I can't help but suspect there is something more at play ;) This happens to be one of those unicorn Sundays.

Late last Sunday, I sat down to read the cards our community had submitted around what in our lives feels like death or suffering. The weight of those cards was palpable. On Monday, Dave and I batted around ideas, trying to figure out how to hold all that for this coming Sunday. Then on Tuesday morning, I noticed a text on my phone, from Kristen G., with a song recommendation for me. I clicked the link and as I sat listening, everything fell into place. I had spotted a goat on a cow. A few hurried texts between Dave, Kristen, and I, some invites to other musicians in our community, and voila, the whole of this coming Sunday seemed clear to us in a matter fifteen minutes! I can't overemphasize enough how rare that is!

There is something about this coming Sunday that feels urgent and timely to me. I am reluctant to oversell any Sunday, nor do I ever want to presume when and where God is at work, but I truly get the sense that there are some of us who NEED to hear and experience this coming Sunday. Most of my blurbs end with some kind of invitation and an expression of my hope that you will join us this coming Sunday. For this week though, I am ditching the soft sell in favour of something bolder. You NEED to be at Nexus this Sunday, especially if you submitted a card this past Sunday. 

When Love is Not Enough (S13 Episode22)

The season of Lent is upon us and with that, the landscape of the Jesus Path makes a dramatic turn. It is time to start a steep climb as we travel to meet Jesus at his mountain top transfiguration experience. This portion of the trail will have our legs, and lungs, screaming at us. It is not an easy climb and isn't for the faint of heart.

Yet, while the climb won't be easy, there is plenty to see and explore as we make our ascent. We will have to consider some of the most absurd laws that still exist in North America before discovering what sent Jesus on a death march. Then we will need to revisit one of Jesus' most famous parables looking for meaning beyond the obvious. Following that we need to chat briefly with Brené Brown, take ourselves back to a tragedy of the late 90s, then eavesdrop on the thousands of conversations that happen in therapy sessions every single day. Finally, we will arrive at our mountain top destination only to confront an uncomfortable truth about the Jesus Path: the path is taking you straight to your death—and that is somehow good news?!?!

The Path of Shame (S13 Episode21)

One final week exploring the dead-end side trails that tempt us off the Jesus Path before we start some real climbing for the season of Lent. For this final week of tempting serpentine side trails, we will be exploring the Path of Shame. 
 

I am hoping to take us into why this path of shame so often leads us nowhere, why I think this path is a particular temptation for people at Nexus, and what the apostle Paul did about his own sense of shame. Of course, I am no stranger to shame, so I will be bringing along a rather unpleasant experience of my own to share with you. All in all, I hope this will be both a fun and illuminating Sunday for each of us.

Do I Matter? (S13 Episode20)

The temptations of Jesus ask us to consider what kinds of serpentine side trails we are tempted to travel. This week I want to look at the Path of Despair, how we get lured onto it, and why it is such a dead end. Without a rival to compete with in life, so often our sense of feeling like we matter rests on our own sense of self-esteem. The problem is our self-esteem is like the weather, riding out changing highs and lows. We have a lot to unpack, and I am confident there will be plenty for us all to chew on. 

The Nemesis Path (S13 Episode19)

The temptations of Jesus ask us to consider what kinds of serpentine side trails we are tempted to travel. This week I want to look at the Nemesis Path, how we get lured onto it and why it is such a dead end. To do that, we are going to take some cues from the life of Peter. It should be a fun week. In fact, I only discovered the name of this path when Glenn Pascoe introduced it to me. So, I thought it would be fun for him to come along on Sunday and share a story with us all. It is always a good time when Glenn brings a reading.

Serpentine Side Trails (S13 Episode18)

As we continue to make our way on the Jesus Path, we come next to the desert terrain of Jesus' temptations. These temptations were calculated, cunning, and very real to Jesus. They were a challenge to his identity and mission. And so, as we travel the terrain of this portion of the trail, there is much to learn about the serpentine side trails we are often tempted to travel in life. For the next four Sundays, we will be making our way through this wilderness. This Sunday we begin by looking at what was so alluring about Jesus' temptations and why they often trip us up as well. I hope it will be a fun and thoughtful morning together.

The Goat on the Cow (S13 Episode17)

Friends, I have been looking forward to this one for a while. You see, there are some portions of the Jesus Path that are just wild and fun to me – and this is one of those weeks. It is time to dive into Jesus' baptism and how this event forms a way of life for us. To do that, I want to explore a series of four incredible stories that raise some tough to answer questions. So, come ready to put your thinking caps on, because I want to ask you what these stories mean—if they mean anything at all. How you respond to these stories will tell you a lot about how you see the world and will start to reveal to us the way God works and operates in the world.

The Fortune Teller (S13 Episode16)

Happy New Year all! 2023 is here and back on the Jesus Path we go. We spent part of Advent in the caves of Incarnation, learning to develop a relationship with land, our people, and especially those on the margins. Now it is time to really pull on our boots as we head out onto the path in earnest. But, before we start trekking, a reminder of the key ingredient on the Jesus Path and a healthy reminder for us all as we head into another year. To that end, we will be catching up with Jesus during a scene in the garden of Gethsemane, examining a painting whose moral lesson seemed lost on the museum that purchased it, looking into what happens when medical emergencies require morphine, and exploring what Paul Young refers to as "future tripping." I hope to see you Sunday for The Fortune Teller.