Commons Church Podcast

PART TWO:  Opinions have a way, over time, of being fossilized, and that's a real danger as we enter into a new year, imagining all of the possibilities for change and growth. When your opinions get stuck, they become narratives, no longer just statements about how we view the world, but now stories that tell us how we must view the world. And this is why the practice of continually letting go is...

PART ONE: Letting Go Opinions have a way, over time, of being fossilized, and that's a real danger as we enter into a new year, imagining all of the possibilities for change and growth. When your opinions get stuck, they become narratives, no longer just statements about how we view the world, but now stories that tell us how we must view the world. And this is why the practice of continually lett...

At its heart, this season holds the mystery of how God became human. And if it’s true, the story of Christmas celebrates the full extent of divine fragility. If it’s true, it asserts a bold claim: that God stands in solidarity with our shared experience. This is a solidarity for life’s deepest valleys and soaring heights. For its lush and flourishing places and also those dry and forgotten places...

At its heart, this season holds the mystery of how God became human. And if it’s true, the story of Christmas celebrates the full extent of divine fragility. If it’s true, it asserts a bold claim: that God stands in solidarity with our shared experience. This is a solidarity for life’s deepest valleys and soaring heights. For its lush and flourishing places and also those dry and forgotten places...

At its heart, this season holds the mystery of how God became human. And if it’s true, the story of Christmas celebrates the full extent of divine fragility. If it’s true, it asserts a bold claim: that God stands in solidarity with our shared experience. This is a solidarity for life’s deepest valleys and soaring heights. For its lush and flourishing places and also those dry and forgotten places...

At its heart, this season holds the mystery of how God became human. And if it’s true, the story of Christmas celebrates the full extent of divine fragility. If it’s true, it asserts a bold claim: that God stands in solidarity with our shared experience. This is a solidarity for life’s deepest valleys and soaring heights. For its lush and flourishing places and also those dry and forgotten places...

Mark 5 Buckle up for a metaphorical ride across Lake Kinneret, where we scrutinize Jesus' encounter with a man tormented by demons. This tale gets eerie, political, and ultimately heartfelt. As we delve into the metaphorical representation of possession, Jesus' role in pacifying the storm and emancipating the man from his demons becomes more apparent. When our narrative returns to the familiar sid...

Mark  We explore the contrasting approaches of Jesus and the Pharisees, as described in the second narrative package of Mark. In this section of Mark, Jesus begins to confront his religious critics, the Pharisees, who, despite their liberal ideologies, were often at odds with Jesus. We discuss an enlightening debate between Jesus and the Pharisees about prioritizing faith over tradition, a topic t...

Mark 4 We explore the contrasting approaches of Jesus and the Pharisees, as described in the second narrative package of Mark. In this section of Mark, Jesus begins to confront his religious critics, the Pharisees, who, despite their liberal ideologies, were often at odds with Jesus. We discuss an enlightening debate between Jesus and the Pharisees about prioritizing faith over tradition, a topic...

Mark 2+3 We explore the contrasting approaches of Jesus and the Pharisees, as described in the second narrative package of Mark. In this section of Mark, Jesus begins to confront his religious critics, the Pharisees, who, despite their liberal ideologies, were often at odds with Jesus. We discuss an enlightening debate between Jesus and the Pharisees about prioritizing faith over tradition, a topi...

Mark is generally considered to be the earliest of the four gospels we have in our Bibles. In fact, the consensus is that Mark served as a reference for what Matthew and Luke would later write. Mark is fast-paced, moving quickly through Jesus’ life, probably offering our first look at the historical Jesus. And in that look, we see a Jesus who is focused on the practical concerns of those he serves...

Mark is generally considered to be the earliest of the four gospels we have in our Bibles. In fact, the consensus is that Mark served as a reference for what Matthew and Luke would later write. Mark is fast-paced, moving quickly through Jesus’ life, probably offering our first look at the historical Jesus. And in that look, we see a Jesus who is focused on the practical concerns of those he serves...

The start of season ten! Sometimes, I can hardly believe it’s been that long. And while we are still a year away from our tenth anniversary, it seems like a good time to go back and ground ourselves in some core ideas. For years now, we have included some of our foundational theological narrative on the first page of the journal. In this series, we will dive into each of the six statements that ha...

The start of season ten! Sometimes, I can hardly believe it’s been that long. And while we are still a year away from our tenth anniversary, it seems like a good time to go back and ground ourselves in some core ideas. For years now, we have included some of our foundational theological narrative on the first page of the journal. In this series, we will dive into each of the six statements that ha...

The start of season ten! Sometimes, I can hardly believe it’s been that long. And while we are still a year away from our tenth anniversary, it seems like a good time to go back and ground ourselves in some core ideas. For years now, we have included some of our foundational theological narrative on the first page of the journal. In this series, we will dive into each of the six statements that ha...

The start of season ten! Sometimes, I can hardly believe it’s been that long. And while we are still a year away from our tenth anniversary, it seems like a good time to go back and ground ourselves in some core ideas. For years now, we have included some of our foundational theological narrative on the first page of the journal. In this series, we will dive into each of the six statements that ha...

The start of season ten! Sometimes, I can hardly believe it’s been that long. And while we are still a year away from our tenth anniversary, it seems like a good time to go back and ground ourselves in some core ideas. For years now, we have included some of our foundational theological narrative on the first page of the journal. In this series, we will dive into each of the six statements that ha...

“....Happiness is not an ideal of reason but of imagination”  –Immanuel Kant Two years ago, we had a blast doing a series like this...and we think you did too. So, we’re bringing happiness back. In part, because this is a practice of community. To share stories. To make meaning. To brighten faces. But also because it’s a practice of imagination. To shape futures. To inspire choices. To chart new p...

“....Happiness is not an ideal of reason but of imagination”  –Immanuel Kant Two years ago, we had a blast doing a series like this...and we think you did too. So, we’re bringing happiness back. In part, because this is a practice of community. To share stories. To make meaning. To brighten faces. But also because it’s a practice of imagination. To shape futures. To inspire choices. To chart new p...

“....Happiness is not an ideal of reason but of imagination”  –Immanuel Kant Two years ago, we had a blast doing a series like this...and we think you did too. So, we’re bringing happiness back. In part, because this is a practice of community. To share stories. To make meaning. To brighten faces. But also because it’s a practice of imagination. To shape futures. To inspire choices. To chart new p...

“....Happiness is not an ideal of reason but of imagination”  –Immanuel Kant Two years ago, we had a blast doing a series like this...and we think you did too. So, we’re bringing happiness back. In part, because this is a practice of community. To share stories. To make meaning. To brighten faces. But also because it’s a practice of imagination. To shape futures. To inspire choices. To chart new p...

This one is about Anthony Bloom *** The Christian tradition has always recognized certain individuals as playing an important role in its formation and development. These people are often singled out - their stories recorded - their contributions remembered. From Paul to Ignatius, and from Julian of Norwich to Teresa of Calcutta, we call them saints. Saints are often memorialized by the places the...

This one is about Mary Oliver *** The Christian tradition has always recognized certain individuals as playing an important role in its formation and development. These people are often singled out - their stories recorded - their contributions remembered. From Paul to Ignatius, and from Julian of Norwich to Teresa of Calcutta, we call them saints. Saints are often memorialized by the places they’...

This one is about Amy-Jill Levine *** The Christian tradition has always recognized certain individuals as playing an important role in its formation and development. These people are often singled out - their stories recorded - their contributions remembered. From Paul to Ignatius, and from Julian of Norwich to Teresa of Calcutta, we call them saints. Saints are often memorialized by the places t...