The TMP Podcast

God, who IS Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Trinity: Unity in multiplicity, multiplicity in unity.  This God creates humanity. God says, “Let US create humankind in our image”-Gen 1.26 We were created by the God of love for love. We were created by the Eternal Divine community for community.  Which is why it is such a problem when the first image bearer Adam does not have a suitable partner. God say...

Jesus is on his way to heal the daughter of Jarius when something unexpected occurs. A women who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, secretly touches Jesus’ cloak and she receives physical healing. Jesus seems to be aware of the secret miracle. Jesus stops walking and begins to ask, “Who touched me”. This is an odd question as there are crowds pushing around him on all sides. Still, Jes...

In the ancient world, nothing mattered more than your family. Your identity was grounded in the identity of your family of origin. This is why is it so shocking for Jesus ask the crowd, “who are my brothers and sisters”? Jesus was scandalizing his listeners by declaring that his mother and brother and sisters were not merely his biological kin, but included all those who did the will of God. He re...

“We follow Jesus”… In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus begins his ministry by being led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness for a time of testing. Jesus is tempted by the devil to turn stones into bread,   to seize control of the kingdoms of this world, and to jump off the temple to make a clear display of God’s power by the public rescue of angels. The devil tries to bring Jesus over to his side, by...

“…and share His Story” Jesus takes three disciples (Peter, John, and James) to the top of a Mount Tabor. While the disciples are asleep somethings mysterious happens. Moses and Elijah — these two giant figures from the Old Testament — conversing with a glorified Christ. Of course Moses the Lawgiver and Elijah the Prophet are representative figures signifying the Law and the Prophets. When Peter aw...

Gathering together for community is at the heart of what it means to be the people of God. But this is not limited to one particular location. The Psalmist will seek God “in the sanctuary”(Ps 63:2) and remember God “as they go to bed”. (Ps 63:6) This is speaks of the daily, weekly, and yearly rhythms of worship in the temple, and in their homes. Gathering together in community is essential for fol...

When God works in our world, God often looks for a partner. We see this most clearly in the story of Mary the mother of Jesus. Mary is invited to partner with God in bringing forth the Messiah Jesus. Her response is to say, “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.” (Lk 1:38) Mary’s posture of serving make space for Jesus to be born into our world. In the same way, we are invited...

Deconstruction was a term first coined by the philosopher Jacques Derrida in the 1960’s. Derrida’s use of the term was not about tearing down and building. Rather it meant becoming more mindful of the way we use words. Words themselves can privilege power, and we need to attend to the way words can shape narratives. In this teach we will deconstruct what we mean by the term deconstruction and disc...

Sociologists tells us that 43-45% of people will go through a major faith transition at some point in their life. And that’s any faith transition. So that can be from one Christian denomination to another denomination; that can be from belief to atheism; that can also be from secularism to some form of faith. 44% is a huge number. It has some folks raising the alarm against those who would begin a...

October 31… Halloween or All Hallows Eve. While most people think of pumpkins, costumes, and candy— there is another meaning of this calendar holiday: reformation. 504 year ago today, Martin Luther nailed his 95 thesis statements to the Wittenberg door and unknowingly launched a reformation in the Western Church. While this was a seminal event for Protestant Christians, it is just one example of h...

David asks in Psalm 24, “Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place?” Rather than leave the question unanswered, David replies in the next verse, “The one who has clean hands and a pure heart”. The call to a pure heart is the call to being people of Jesus. Yet, as we consider the church’s legacy in Canada— especially in connection with Indigenous peoples— we must name...

The Psalmist praises the faithfulness of God. It’s a faithfulness that “endures forever”v2. For the Psalmist, God’s love is shown through God’s faithfulness to an unfaithful people. Yet for many people, the picture they have of God that is anything but faithful. For some folks, God is only furious and angry at them. They believe the lie that God abandons sinners, and that they must earn their way...

Psalm 104 is a song capturing the heart of the two creation narratives we read in Genesis 1 +2. In this song we hear the repeated themes: (1) God is Creator of ALL things (including humans); (2) God, with grace, mercy and wonder has created an abundant and generous home for ALL things and (3) ALL things look to God for life! This psalm beautifully captures the “shalom” – the fullness of right, goo...

In the beginning, the earth was formless and void  (TOHU wa BOHU). This was a chaotic and negative scene. In the ancient world, it was the type of land that was desolate and could not have order. God steps in and creates order. God speaks light to the chaotic darknesses and the result is peace (shalom) and the thriving of all creation. It was good and very good. But in an instant, all that changed...

In the Gospel according to Mark, Jesus simply appears as a full-grown adult in the middle of the wilderness. But before Jesus can appear, someone has to prepare the way for him. So Mark begins his story, not with Mary and Joseph, but with a prophet, the first one anyone has heard in more than 400 years. Mark’s good news story begins with John the Baptist. Mark connects what John the Baptist is abo...

John opens his Gospel with ‘In the beginning…’a clear reference to the creation account in Genesis, and then John moves quickly to describe the life in Jesus as “the light of all humankind” (John 1:4). This light shines in the darkness and does not overcome it. John continues to weave this metaphor of light throughout his gospel— a metaphor that is found prominently in the Old Testament prophets....

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells his disciples that they are the light of the world. It’s a shocking statement when you consider that Jesus calls himself the light of the world in John 8:12. How could imperfect people like us ever be called the light? John Chrysostom, a fourth-century Jesus follower explained it like this: “Jesus’ disciples are called the light of the world because they ill...

The Psalmist writes….Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. To be wise is to number your days, count your steps, and consider your ways. The only alternative is that we waste the time we have left. And time is a precious commodity. You can’t buy more of it. One life to live, and it will soon pass What are you going to with the time you have left? Are you making the most o...

What is the good news? What is the gospel? For some folks the good news is only about how to get saved. For others the good news is about obtaining a ticket to heaven, or a strategy for health and wealth. There are all sorts of false gospels that try to lead us astray, much like the Galatians were led astray to a “different gospel.” Yet as we look to the Scriptures, we discover that the good news...

One of the most consistent themes in the New Testament is that Jesus is the Christ or King. Jesus is King and he proclaimed the gospel of the Kingdom. Jesus often said things like, “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15). For Jesus, the “good news” is the proclamation of the coming kingdom of God. In fact, the Bible summarizes the entire message of Jesus a...

When the Apostle Paul describes the Gospel he received, he writes, “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.” The Christ— Jesus our King— died to rescue us from sin. What is sin? Well the English word “sin” translates the Greek word hamartia, which means to miss the mark, to fail to hit the bull’s-eye, to be off target. Sin refers to any ways we fail to live the life of love for which...

A central meaning of the Gospel — as announced in the New Testament—is that Jesus is risen from the dead. As the Apostle Paul writes when he shares the gospel, “he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures”. (1 Cor 15:4) Resurrection is more than just good news about Jesus being alive. Resurrection is a seismic shift in all the fabric of the universe. Resurrection is the vindication...