Redemption Church KC Sermon Podcast

1. In his teaching about Genesis 3’s story of and reflection on the acquisition of wisdom, Tim pointed out that, in Western culture, we often think of freedom as a lack of constraints. This state, however, is actually one of chaos. Instead, Tim said that freedom is finding limits that help us to express our true humanity. Spend a moment considering your own sense of what freedom means and is.&nbsp...

1. Tim taught about the Hebrew behind our English translations of Genesis 2,  breaking down the true meanings of “ha adam” (the human” and “ezer kenegdo” (delivering opposite.) He taught about how the entrenchment of patriarchy in culture led to unsuitable and inappropriate translations of these terms and fueled the proliferation of patriarchal ideas about exclusion based on gender in Christi...

1. In contrasting the creation narratives & cosmologies of other Ancient Near Eastern (ANE) cultures with those of Genesis’ writers, Tim pointed out that the Biblical narrative is unique in two key ways: * First, the gods in the other cultures emerge from nature, but the Hebrew God exists wholly apart from the creation &  * Second, the creation acts in the other ANE narratives origina...

Tim Suttle

Tim Suttle

1. One big idea from Cole’s sermon today, reflected in the work of Karen Armstrong, is the idea that “the gods we shape, shape us.” In other words, part of the theological work of mankind involves the creation and articulation of images and understandings of God. And those concepts, as they evolve alongside the cultures and contexts in which they exist, have an influence on the spiritual communiti...

1. Today, Tim set up his discussion of Jesus’ new command (John 13:34) by sharing about the concept of pleasure v. enjoyment. This slide outlines what he shared: In light of this concept, Tim taught that the reason the original 613 commands of the law couldn’t transform the Israelite people was that they worked against human nature. We’re wired to seek continual opportunities for enjoyment, often...

1. One of Tim’s slides read, “we get to re-narrate our own stories & decide what meaning they will have for us.         We can’t change the events of our past; we can change their meaning.”  How does this idea strike you? Does it intuitively make sense? Does it challenge any ideas you may hold about the meaning of events in our stories? Or about the nature of our...

1. Tim juxtaposed religion that packages the cross and resurrection with certitude, as a solution for the puzzle of our “sin problem” and a faith that engages with the cross and resurrection as “a mystery of how God can be born into the world through us.” He discussed the ways in which this happens on both personal and societal levels. We lack insights that, in our present form, are simply be...

Tim Suttle

1. After talking about Mary’s over-the-top and unreasonably lavish display of love for Jesus in John 12, Tim said that this text invites us to think about what opportunities would have been missed if Mary had cared about all the social taboos she was ignoring in her actions, and had not anointed Jesus’ feet.  Take a minute to really think through the scene and the moment. What do you think wo...

1. Early in his sermon, Tim said, “to be human is to be self-alienated.” He was speaking about the unavoidable universal experience of humans disavowing (or, sort of, ignoring and being in denial about) parts of ourselves that don’t fit with the projected images of ourselves that we embrace as our self-concept. He went on to say that to be human is to be a bundle of contradictions - even to oursel...

1. Discussing the passage for today ’s se rmon, Luke 13:1-9, Cole noted that Jesus seems to think the crowd expects Jesus to have “a take,” and that they may expect Jesus to respond to the story they share as either a violent revolutionary or as an elite Roman-sympathizer. Jesus, though, responds in a different and unexpected way, moving toward neither position. Do you find it difficult to avoid t...

Lent 02: Go Tell That Fox Tim Suttle Download

1. Tim taught that the word often translated as “the devil” in the “Temptations of Christ” narratives is a combination of two Greek words that, together, mean, “to throw through, in order to divide.” So, “diabolos is what we call anyone whose intent is to divide or cause division between God, self, other, and the world.” Building on that concept, Tim later said, “the world God imagines for us cann...

1. In his message today abou t the Transfiguration, after talking about Moses & Elijah’s experiences with the shining glory of God, Tim said, “nobody could see God, but they could see where God had been.” Take a moment to consider whether or not you’ve had an experience (or experiences) in which you’ve had this same sense - that you can see the evidence of God having been present in an extraor...

1) In today ’s se rmon, Tim told a story originally told by Douglas Rushkoff about a group of billionaires seeking wisdom about how to prevent problems after what they called “the event,”basically the apocalypse. When you’re in a place of fear, and considering worst case scenarios, what is “the event“ for you? Why do you think that is? What kinds of plans do you tend to make in your mind should “t...

1. When you think of Jesus, what descriptive words come to mind? If someone asked you, “what is Jesus like?,” what would be some of the things you’d say? Then take a moment to revisit the scriptures Mandy preached over today , Luk e 6:17-26. How do his words come across to you? How, as you absorb Jesus’ teaching, would you describe Jesus in this moment, as he confronts the crowd with proclamations...

1. Tim talked about Peter’s response to Jesus after, heeding Jesus’ illogical directives, he and his partners catch literally more fish than their nets and boats can hold.  For this first question, you’re invited to take the time as a group to imagine a personalized scenario similar to that in to day’s passage. It may take some time, and you may need to encourage each other if you’re str...

1. In Luke 4:21, Jesus says that the Isaiah 61 scripture from which he read was fulfilled “ today ” for his listeners, in their hearing. Cole pointed out that he says “ today ,” rather than  tomorrow , or at the cross, or at the time of the resurrection.  What do you make of that “ today ?” If we’re taking Jesus at his word, how do you understand that idea? What was going on that day tha...

1. In the system of the Jubilee year (also referred to as “the year of the Lord’s favor”), land, debts, and finances were to be redistributed back to an equitable baseline as orignally described in Torah. Tim taught that in inherent in this arrangement was the reality that, “nobody could ever become so rich that they could control the whole system, and make Israel serve their purposes.” We might b...

1. Much of Tim’s sermon today talk ed about reframing the way we understand John’s presentation of Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana. What is it like for you to think about understanding the story, its symbols, and John’s presentation of the event in a new way? What had your understanding of that story been before this week’s sermon? How do you feel about the idea that a story a...

1. In his sermon today , Tim shared a quote from Heraclitus: “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.” Later, of this quote, Heraclitus also said, “not that all things are changing so that we cannot encounter them twice, but that some things stay the same only by changing.” Tim then said, “to be human is to be the kind of thing that can sta...

1. Near the beginning of his sermon, Andy talked about the essential nature of setting in any story, and how our stories are inherently linked with their setting and context. Think a little bit about the stories of your own life that are either prominent right now or have been in the story arc of your life so far. Share a bit about the stories that come to mind and the ways in which the setting an...

Tim Suttle