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A New Season
Sermons from Commons Church. Intellectually honest. Spiritually passionate. Jesus at the centre. Since 2014.
My prayer is that you might know that your journey and your wrestle and your wonder and your sacred lostness in the midst of it all. This is beautiful and it's welcome and it's holy. Welcome to the Commons cast. We're glad to have you here. We hope you find something meaningful in our teaching this week.
Speaker 1:Head to commons.church for more information. Welcome. My name is Jeremy, and welcome to our fourth birthday as Commons Church and the beginning of our fifth year here together as Commons. Now today, we are celebrating with four services here in Kensington and our new parish over in Inglewood. So it's an exciting day.
Speaker 1:And we have a great year planned as we continue to journey through this Jesus story that we've all been invited into together. However, I wanna begin our season together by acknowledging Calgary as the traditional territory of the Blackfoot and the people of the Treaty 7 region in Southern Alberta. This includes the Siksika, the Piqani, the Kainai, the Sutina, the Stoney Nakoda First Nations, including the Chiniki, the Bears Paw, and the Westleigh First Nations. Calgary is also home to the Metis Nation of Alberta region three, and it is a privilege for us to gather and worship in this space today. Now, today, we launch into a new season and a new year together.
Speaker 1:And hopefully, you have already had a chance to pick up a journal, maybe flip through it, and see a bit of where we are headed over the next twelve months. But before we jump into that today, I do want to highlight a few of the upcoming moments that we're looking forward to this year. This fall, we are gonna be receiving yet another refugee family. And you can see their photo in the journal, and we're helping them to get their feet under them here in Calgary. And then later this fall, as we move towards the Christmas season, we are gonna be expanding our refugee focus to new areas of the world where we're also seeking to do our part.
Speaker 1:And we'll have more information about that later this fall. And there are lots of ways you can get involved with refugee resettlement. You can head to commons.life for more information. But this year, we continue with our partnership with Hands at Work. We continue with International Justice Mission.
Speaker 1:And we continue to build new partnerships both here in Kensington and now also over in Inglewood. One of the things I'm really excited about this year is an expanded partnership with Louise Dean School, which is right across the street and helps mothers finish their high school. They are very literally our neighbors. And so we are going to be establishing this year some new scholarships for moms who finish their high school and want to go on to do post secondary education. So we're excited about that.
Speaker 1:And then while all that's happening, dinner parties are happening in the community, home groups are starting up, and Sundays, we will be diving into a whole new year of learning together. So next week, we jump into a short series called the problem with prayer. And we're gonna spend some time talking about prayer. What is it? How does it work?
Speaker 1:What exactly are we doing when we speak with God? Because honestly, there is much more mystery here than we sometimes pause to recognize. After that, we jump into a series called simply Joseph. And over the last few years, we've looked at Abraham, we've looked at Jacob. Well, now it's time to look at Joseph.
Speaker 1:And here, there are politics and family dynamics and surprising role reversals, and we'll dig into all of it. And then, after Christmas, as we start the New Year together, we're gonna talk about friendship. That might seem like an odd series. The thing is, finding friends and building friends, being a friend, maintaining friendships, all of this takes a lot of work. And last year, around that time, we talked about loneliness.
Speaker 1:Two years ago, we talked about forgiveness. Now we need to talk about this skill of discerning and investing and building into all of the different kinds of relationships and friendships that we need in order to thrive as human beings. Now, you can flip through your journal. You can see everything that is coming over the next twelve months. And we do it this way because we really want to create a robust encounter with the breadth of scriptures over the course of a year.
Speaker 1:The commons, we are fascinated by this complex and blue beautiful collection of texts we call the bible. It guides us. It challenges us. And frankly, sometimes it confounds us. But ultimately, what this book does is it invites us to encounter the way of Jesus.
Speaker 1:And so this is why we talk about keeping Jesus at the center. We want to be intellectually honest as we engage the text. And we wanna be spiritually passionate as we move through the city. But in the end, what we want to do is filter everything we see and do through the story of Jesus. Now, today, we're gonna set the stage for the coming year.
Speaker 1:And then next week, we'll dive into our first series together. But first, let's pray together. God of all that is good in the universe, we meet this day as persons who desperately need your grace, who seek your love, and who marvel at the magnitude and beauty of your creation that surrounds us. You see the fragility of our faith and are buckling under to injustice, the adoption of patterns more convenient than compelling. And yet you continue to call us graciously forward into something more as we enter into this new season together.
Speaker 1:And summer gives way to fall and students head back to classrooms as workplaces swing into renewed rhythm. We pray that you would remind us of the delicate beauty of your self giving love. All so that we might then fill our neighborhoods, our schools, our workplaces, our homes, and indeed this place we gather today with lives that reflect the love of your son. Forgive us when we fall short, and invite us forward when we are fearful. Remind us of our place in your story.
Speaker 1:In the strong name of the risen Christ we pray. Amen. Okay. Today I wanna start by reading you a passage from first John in a moment, but we have quite a journey ahead of us because I wanna talk today about shared tools, hind parts, shaky footing, and the power of good words. First, however, let's read from first John chapter two.
Speaker 1:I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I am writing to you dear children because you know the father. I am writing to fathers because you know him who is from the beginning.
Speaker 1:I write to you young men because you are strong and the word of God lives in you and you have overcome the evil one. Now, we'll come back to this. But first, a story. You see, my son has just started kindergarten this week. He is five years old now, and he is now in big kid's school.
Speaker 1:Very exciting, and things are very different in our house than they were a year ago at this time. Last year, he was in preschool, and a couple days a week, I would lazily wake myself and then walk him literally across the street to his class at 9AM. Now, every single day, we are supposed to be up dropping him off by 8AM before we almost immediately turn around and pick him up for the afternoon. I mean, this half day kindergarten system is logistically difficult. But more than that, there is something that's interesting that's happening with my five year old as he is changing before my eyes.
Speaker 1:I had to do some work this summer around the house. Our front porch needed to be rebuilt, and so I asked Eaton if he wanted to help me with this. And he responded, I'm a big kid now. I can help. And I said, absolutely you can.
Speaker 1:You are a big kid. Let's do this. But we'll have to go to the garage and get some of my tools first. To which Eaton said, dad, I think we should call them our tools from now on. And I thought that was a little presumptuous, especially because I knew that seven minutes later he was going to lose interest and I would be the one working with our tools.
Speaker 1:But we went, we got our tools and we did some work and Ethan actually made a bookshelf out of some scraps. He was very proud of himself. In fact, I was a little proud of him as well. But there is something significant about the ways we include each other when we speak. Right?
Speaker 1:I mean, it's funny when my five year old says, dad, I think we should call them our tools from now on. But then it's not nothing when I say you're right, is it? And this is one of the things that is endlessly fascinating for me when we speak of God. That there are times when we speak with precision and clarity, and we try to discuss the details of the divine and parse the particulars of our theology. Don't get me wrong, I am very there for that.
Speaker 1:A lot of my energy is spent trying to make sense of this intersection between the physical world I inhabit and this spiritual world that I have a deep and growing awareness of. And you guys know me. I'm very happy to spend thirty weeks talking about the minutiae of Paul's letter to the Romans, and yet there is this essential element of faith that transcends the actual to speak about what's possible. That these are our tools now. And that you know the one who is from the beginning.
Speaker 1:You are strong. And that the word of God lives in you. That you have overcome all of the evil of the world. Because objectively to speak that way is fanciful. But spiritually, it's incredibly important that we learn to speak these ways.
Speaker 1:Ways that guide and encourage, shape and help to create the future that we hope for. You see, so much of spirituality is really about becoming aware of where we're going, and allowing that to shape how we see where we are right now in this moment. And to talk about that, I actually wanna jump to a story that may seem pretty bizarre and disconnected, but hopefully it will become clear as we speak. Because this is a story about God's hind parts. And if you didn't know that there was a story about God's hind parts, well then, you're welcome because there is.
Speaker 1:And how great is that that one, someone decided to write a story about this and two, someone decided to translate the Hebrew into hind parts when they brought it into English because come on, that's just kind of great. Now, we'll get to the good stuff in a moment here but we need to backtrack a little bit to gather up some of the context here. Back in the book of Exodus, which is the second book in your bible, what has happened is that the Hebrew people have been in slavery in Egypt. And, they have been breaking their backs, making bricks to keep the machinery of empire churning. And they cry out to God and God hears their cries.
Speaker 1:And so God has Moses come to lead them out of slavery to freedom. Now you have to understand that this movement from bondage to freedom and from captivity to liberty, this is the engine of the Hebrew scriptures. Everything finds its energy here. On theological Twitter this week, there was an argument about social justice and the social gospel and what this all means. Well, at its core, social gospel is simply a way of saying that God is at work renewing all things, everything.
Speaker 1:And that's why when Jesus shows up, he says, spirit of the Lord is on me and I am anointed to proclaim good news, gospel to the poor, freedom to the prisoner, sight for the blind, and to set the oppressed free. This is Jesus saying that he is here to fulfill the story the bible is predicated on. Ever since God heard the cries of slaves in Egypt and worked to change that social order. But, on the way back in Exodus, once the people are freed, they are understandably very grateful, but they're also really struggling to make sense of this God who has freed them. Because this God is very fundamentally different than so many of the ideas and images the gods they had become familiar with in Egypt.
Speaker 1:In Egypt, there were all kinds of different gods, and they controlled different things, and they had different representations and representatives. This god says that all people represent the divine. That everyone is made in the image of this god. That even the Egyptians who had enslaved them carry something of the divine image. So because of that, this god says that things like statues and idols, fancy golden cosplay masks for priests, all of that was unnecessary.
Speaker 1:More than that, it was destructive Because that reinforced the idea that God looked like some people and not like others. I mean this guy won't even tell them this God's name. When Moses asks, this God says, you can call me I will be who I will be. Sometimes we shorten that to I am, but let's be honest, that's kind of a strange name. And so here you are.
Speaker 1:A tiny little tribe of people wandering in the desert, living in the shadow of the empire who created the pyramids. And now you've got a god called I am who looks like your neighbor who sometimes shows up in a cloud and sometimes in fire and apparently he speaks to Moses. But the truth is you don't even know Moses all that well because he grew up with the Egyptians. So one day Moses goes to speak with this oddly named, weirdly conceptual God and you think to yourself, would it really hurt if we just threw a party like the good old days? This is the story of the golden calf.
Speaker 1:What happens is all the people come together and they melt down their jewelry and they fashion it into the image of a calf. This is a sign of fertility and blessing in the ancient world. And they hold a festival dedicated to Yahweh, to I am. And so the story of the golden calf isn't really about the Hebrews forsaking their God. It's a story about the Hebrews wanting to worship their God the way that they were used to.
Speaker 1:This is the thing about spiritual growth. It can be disorienting. Every time we come to see a new truth about the universe, there is a part of us that sings and leaps with joy and revels in that new freedom that we found. But then there's that part that just wants to go back to the way things were. Where things made more sense and they were simpler.
Speaker 1:Their God seemed safer. And this actually happens to a lot of us. Right? We grow up. We have new life experiences.
Speaker 1:We interact with new thoughts and ideas and people and the faith that once served us really well all of a sudden starts to crack. And at first, it's exciting. I mean, to realize that God is bigger than you ever imagined, but it's also a little scary, isn't it? That's what's happening to the Hebrews here. This God is amazing.
Speaker 1:This God is so big and this God is invested in the entire world and that's beautiful. But maybe just for a second, can we bring that all back down into something we can wrap our heads around and see and touch something that seems familiar even if it's just for a minute. Now, famously this is when Moses walks back into town and he sees the golden calf and he says, are you kidding me? You had one job. Don't make an idol.
Speaker 1:All you had to do was not do anything. And somehow you messed that up. And so he's carrying these fancy new rules with him that he just got from God and they're carefully carved into tablets of stone and he smashes them on the ground and throws a temper tantrum and marches back out to complain to God. But look at what happens when Moses goes back to God. This is Exodus chapter 33.
Speaker 1:Moses said to the Lord, you've been telling me lead these people but you haven't even let me know who you will send with me. You said I know you by name and you found favor with me but if you're pleased with me then please teach me your ways so that I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember this is your nation after all. And so the Lord replied, my presence will go with you. I will give you rest.
Speaker 1:Moses said, if your presence does not go with us, then please don't send us out from here. No one will ever know that you're pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us. And what else will distinguish us from all the other people on the face of the earth? And the Lord said to Moses, I will do the very thing you've asked because I am pleased with you and I do know you by name. But Moses said, then show me your glory.
Speaker 1:Now, understand that a big part of the story here is that Moses goes directly to God. And he says, like, I'm having trouble with this. I need some help. And there's something holy in that honesty. But understand that this is Moses looking for exactly the same thing that the Israelites were.
Speaker 1:He's having trouble making sense of this God. He wants a God he can see. He wants a God that he can wrap his head around and touch. A God that makes a little more sense and functions a little more practically in the real world. And maybe you can relate.
Speaker 1:You've had a moment where you realized that God was much bigger than you once imagined. And it was good, and it was beautiful, but then all of a sudden you realize it's also kinda like the floor was falling out from under you. I mean, it's so freeing to realize you don't need to believe that anymore. But if you don't believe that, then what do you believe? And it's almost like Moses has had his mind blown to this incredible encounter with God, but then he sees his community struggling with what it all means and wanting to return to something that seemed more familiar.
Speaker 1:He recognizes that somewhere deep inside, he kinda wants that too. Amazingly, God listens to Moses. And God empathizes with Moses, and God says to Moses, look, there's no going back. And now that you know me, you can't unknow me. You might think that you want to, but you won't really ever be able to pretend that things are the way that they were.
Speaker 1:But here's what we'll do. I will cause all of my goodness to pass in front of you. And I will proclaim my name, I am, in your presence. And I love this that when God wants to show up, God says, all of my goodness will be there. It's almost as if the closer we get to the divine, the gooder it all becomes.
Speaker 1:I think that's because the closer we get, the more clearly we see who God really is. But God says I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy. And I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. And Moses I do have compassion for you. And so the Lord said, there's a place where you can stand on a rock that's near me.
Speaker 1:And when my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and I will cover you with my hand until I pass by. And then I'll remove my hand and you will see my back, but my face must not be seen. No. This is the NIV. And here God says, you can see my back, but this is where some older translations have hind parts and that's awesome.
Speaker 1:But this is really fascinating to me. Because obviously God doesn't have hind parts or a back or a face for that matter. And all of this is theater that's created for Moses. And I love that. This is essentially God saying, Moses, we can't go back to the way things were.
Speaker 1:And I don't want you trying to imagine me as a man in your image anymore, but it's not like I'm gonna leave you out there on your own either. What if I meet you somewhere in the middle? And the bible is actually full of this push pull dynamic where God condescends to speak in language that makes sense to us. Even while God is consistently, gently pulling us farther ahead, closer than we ever imagined possible to the gracious heart of the divine. In fact, there's even a rabbinic interpretation of this passage that says that when the bible speaks of God's hind parts, what it really means is where God just was.
Speaker 1:As if God says, I'll remove my hand and let you see where I've been. As if faith is actually really about this constant journey to keep up with the God who keeps moving forward. And sometimes the most faithful thing that we can do is to become aware of where God was. And maybe that sounds familiar to you. Maybe your ideas about God have been shifting and reformulating, and maybe your faith has been rocked and things have seemed incredibly shaky of late.
Speaker 1:And yet somehow, absolutely in your bones you know that God has been present to you in some unspeakable way even when the ground was falling away. Like, maybe some of the language that you were given, doesn't seem to work very well anymore. And maybe some of the walls that you were once very comfortable within seem kind of restrictive now. And maybe you can't quite express it, but you know somehow that the universe is good and that love sits at the center of it all. And things are strange, but you know that forgiveness is better than holding on to old wounds and pains.
Speaker 1:And you know that there's more power and grace than there ever was going to be in keeping people at arm's length. Maybe you know that you're a little bit lost right now, but you also know that God is love. And that nothing you could ever do could ever be powerful enough to change that even in the slightest. Maybe like Moses things have shifted and everything is new and it's scary and old ground is falling away and yet somehow your foundation in who God is and what God has done and your trust in the way that Jesus is saving the world right now, all of that is somehow stronger than it's ever been before. As if maybe God has met you somewhere in the middle of all of your confusion.
Speaker 1:Because that is what we call faith. And that brings me back to first John chapter two. I'm writing to you dear children because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name. I'm writing to you fathers because you know the one who started it all. I write to you young men because you are strong and the word of God lives in you and you have overcome everything that has ever wounded or injured or stopped you from becoming what you were meant to be.
Speaker 1:Because if faith is about losing everything we thought we knew to embrace a story that is too big to comfortably wrap our head around, then we're gonna need these types of sacred voices that remind us to live out of where we're going. You see, when God says, Moses, it's okay. Let me show you something familiar. And when I say to my son, it's okay. Let's go get our tools.
Speaker 1:And when John writes and says, you are strong and you have already overcome anything that the world could ever throw at you, the point here isn't about precision because God never had hind parts to show us in the first place. The point is the reminder of the story that we have embarked on with God that God is always one step ahead of us. See what John knows as an old aged pastor coming to the end of his career is that this is what church is for. That we come to this room disoriented and discombobulated as Moses did, and we remind each other about what we want to believe about the universe. That we come.
Speaker 1:We share a meal at this table, and the person who is absolutely convinced that Christ is present to them as they crush that grape stands beside the one who is struggling to hold on to any semblance of belief, and somehow both of us are healed in that moment. And we speak good words, not just about what we see in each other, but about what we believe about each other. We learn to speak the truth in love, which is so much more than just a statement about what is, but is instead the divine voice of everything that we might one day become in Christ. Because that's what faith is. That we would become hopelessly lost in pursuit of the God who is always one step ahead.
Speaker 1:And so today, as we begin this new season together, My prayer is that you might know that your journey and your wrestle and your wonder and your sacred lostness in the midst of it all. This is beautiful and it's welcome and it's holy. That you might sense God's spirit meeting you somewhere in the middle with something familiar today. Even as you hear new words of strength and life and honor and spirit spoken over you in this moment. And all of this, so that you might be then heard speaking good words to those who need it near you.
Speaker 1:If God has met you in the middle, then what that means is that you are strong, and you have already overcome all the things that seek to tear you down and pull you back. Because you are a child of the divine even when you struggle to remember that for yourself. Let's pray. God, as we begin this new season together, We throw ourselves into the journey of discovering you. Might we, like Moses, pursue you even to the places that seem unfamiliar and scary.
Speaker 1:Might we know that you are bigger than we can make sense of. Might we know that you are more beautiful than we can imagine. Might we know that we are never going to be able to wrap our arms and our mind and our eyes around you, and yet you are so gracious to meet us in the middle. With something familiar that encourages us to keep moving one step closer and closer to you. God, for those of us who are feeling very lost, like a language and the things that worked for us before have fallen away and we're not sure what ground we stand on.
Speaker 1:Would you remind us that you are love? That grace is real, that forgiveness is powerful, and that we are welcome in your presence. For those of us who have immersed ourselves in that story, would you remind us to speak well? So that we might be heard speaking good words to those who need them. The truth in love not just as a statement of what is, but as a statement of everything that could be.
Speaker 1:In the strong name of the risen Christ we pray. Amen.