Spark Cast

Jesus begins the final week of his life by parading right into Jerusalem, the heart of power in Israel, during a huge festival. He rides in on a donkey, with a crowd of outsiders waving palm branches and championing him as their savior king. Within a few days, he’ll be arrested, interrogated, and executed. As we celebrate “Palm Sunday,” we explore why it all went down that way and what Jesus was t...

A very personal sharing of Kevin's journey, spiritually, vocationally, and philosophically, and Why Jesus continues to be not just compelling for him, but critical for the world.

In summary, this is the life of the Spirit.

Self-control is often thought of as just a perpetual “no” to our desires. But self-control is always about saying “no” to lesser desires in order to say “yes” to the greatest desire.

We have the choice to add to or subtract from the already existing conflict in the world. Gentleness is our choice to subtract from that conflict, a posture toward the world as a revolutionary strategy for transformation.

Faith as "belief" or "ascent to an idea" misses the mark of the faithfulness of God as our way of salvation. Faith as a follow-through can be seen. It is behavior, action, and trust.

From ancient Greece's Plato to Netflix's The Good Place, philosophers throughout the ages have debated the nature of what is "good." Is it an ideal for which we all strive? Is it a mere adjective? Perhaps it is actually not,...eh, "good" to want to pursue so much good? In contrast, the biblical narrative proposes that it is all, actually, very good.

The New Testament often calls on followers of Jesus to be kind, meek, humble, or submissive. But being told to be kind or submissive is often a tool used by those in power to maintain the status quo (e.g. against women, slaves, etc.). Is that Paul’s goal in encouraging kindness? To uphold the status quo? The kindness that the Spirit produces in us actually does the opposite—it subverts the status...

Patience is a much-needed trait in our world, and yet it is developed, not gifted. This fruit of the Holy Spirit comes not from awaiting a change in your circumstances, but through a change in us.

There may be no experience in the world that we want more, and have less of, than the experience of peace, of shalom. The word is everywhere describing something that is desired but missing – between nations, between people, between the good Earth and its inhabitants. What is peace as a fruit of the Spirit in a world so full of trouble, division, fear, and heaviness? What does it mean to be a pers...

We often think of Christian joy as feeling happy no matter what – Jesus has done so much for you, what do you have to feel bad about? That outlook jives neither with our experiences nor the experiences of the Biblical authors who wrote about joy. Joy, as a fruit of the spirit, is less about producing happy feelings and more about producing audacious judgments about the way the world is and ought t...

The ubiquity of the word “love” makes understanding difficult. Is love a “feeling,” a “commitment,” a “chemical neurotransmitter?” In trying to discern a definition of love, perhaps we ought to ask what this Galatians passage suggests about the "fruit" of love.

The letter to the Galatians—in which the "fruit of the spirit" is found—addresses a serious threat to the good news of Jesus. That threat will have serious consequences, not least of which it will promote a wholly "different gospel," one that is at odds with the love and grace of God.

Beginnings feel fresh and new. There's joy. But let us also embrace sadness as necessary for new creation. GROUP QUESTIONS: 1. Are we addicted to "joy" and "happiness?" Why or why not? 2. Does Christianity promote one over the other? What emotional experiences does Christianity prioritize? 3. What would life look like if we embraced the full scope of human emotions?

This is the audio from our online liturgical service. Merry Christmas everyone, and a happy new year! We'll see you in 2023!

This advent Sunday we are invited to pause to consider the “el” in the word “immanuEL.” As arrival is drawing near, we consider the long and deep history of what is understood as the presence of “God,” in Hebrew, “EL.”

While we expect kings to be born in luxury, this king is born in a cave, and his announcement is to shepherds. GROUP QUESTIONS: 1. Compare and contrast the luxury of then to the luxury of now. Have things changed? What's different? What's the same? 2. When you think of "good news" what do you think of? What category, or area of life is that thought? What category is the good news of Jesus in? 3. I...

This is not a gospel of gain or wealth. This is a gospel of trust. Mary’s song is one of remembrance of God’s promises of mercy and faithfulness to Israel, to Abraham and his descendants. And Jesus is how God is going to continue this covenantal song. GROUP QUESTIONS: 1. What are the traditional ways "songs" have been understood in Christian practice? How does that compare with these biblical song...

This Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent ... "Advent" means coming or arrival, and this is the time of year when we remember and anticipate Christ's coming into the world. GROUP QUESTIONS: 1. What expectations do you have for this advent season? 2. What does the "arrival" of Jesus mean? 3. Advent implies "not yet" but "is coming." What observations, feelings, or questions do you have in-between t...

The radical nature of God's love is a story of diversity and inclusion where everyone is welcomed and loved. It's a story of forgiveness with second chances and two hundredth chances where you don't ever lose your place and you are never finished. It's a story that reveals Jesus as Israel's long expected Messiah and that he indeed is the Son of God. GROUP QUESTIONS 1. What does "messiah" mean, bot...

The climax of the gospel according to John are when women who followed Jesus find his tomb empty just days after the government oversaw his execution. What follows is a series of bizarre and unprecedented encounters with Jesus. Then the way Jesus' followers try to make sense of these encounters offers us ways to make sense of Jesus' resurrection too. GROUP QUESTIONS 1. Imagine yourself going to "a...

The theme of kingship runs throughout our Scriptures. Every Sunday, we pray the words Jesus taught us, "Your kingdom come, your will be done." Who is our King? And where is this Kingdom? In whom do we place our trust and hope? Here we GROUP QUESTIONS 1. How do we translate ancient monarchies into modern democracies? How shall we think about "royal rule" in today's language and concepts? 2. In many...

In John 18, the trials and interrogations of Jesus intensify, and they culminate in a dialogue with Pontius Pilate, the governor of the Roman Province of Judea. But this trial, as it is told, is not simply about Jesus' violations against the Roman Empire. This is much more about a clash of kingdoms, of authorities, and of worldviews. At its most profound, this is an epistemological inquisition. In...

In John 17, Jesus prays that his followers will be united, but it doesn't take much to recognize that the Church is very much divided along social, political, and theological lines. Why are we divided, and how can Jesus's teachings on the Kingdom of God provide insights into how we might find common ground once again?

When Jesus speaks of sending the spirit when he departs, in addition to being a comfort, this spirit of truth is an Advocate, someone who will not just stand with you, but for you. Comfort, in this view is not mere sentimentality, but results from God's advocacy. GROUP QUESTIONS: 1. What kind of meaning does this teaching give to the "Trinity" in Christian understanding? 2. If God the Father, Son,...