The Words of Life: Salt and Light
The Practice Church Podcast
During his ministry, Jesus repeatedly referred to himself as the Bread of Life. His words would have stirred echoes of the Torah: “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” Just as bread sustains the body, the words of the LORD nourish the soul. Yet, Jesus’s teachings were not always easy to digest. His words could be unsettling and paradigm-shifting, turning long-held beliefs on their heads. Some who heard him turned away. But Simon Peter recognized the truth. When others left, he confessed, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the...
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The Words of Life: Beatitudes
The Practice Church Podcast
During his ministry, Jesus repeatedly referred to himself as the Bread of Life. His words would have stirred echoes of the Torah: “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” Just as bread sustains the body, the words of the LORD nourish the soul. Yet, Jesus’s teachings were not always easy to digest. His words could be unsettling and paradigm-shifting, turning long-held beliefs on their heads. Some who heard him turned away. But Simon Peter recognized the truth. When others left, he confessed, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the...
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Walking in the Parables: The Good Samaritan
The Practice Church Podcast
Parables are a significant part of Jesus’s teaching. These brilliant stories paint a picture of life in the kingdom, teaching us about God, ourselves, and the Lord’s presence and activity in the world. But they are not easy. Rather than give us simple platitudes and truisms, Jesus challenges us with parables. They are intended to draw us in. Jesus wants us to wrestle with them, to walk around with, meditate and have conversations about them. In this series, we will dig into the context of parables from Luke’s Gospel. We will consider the picture Jesus is painting of God’s kingdom, and...
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Walking in the Parables: The Mustard Seed and the Yeast
The Practice Church Podcast
Parables are a significant part of Jesus’s teaching. These brilliant stories paint a picture of life in the kingdom, teaching us about God, ourselves, and the Lord’s presence and activity in the world. But they are not easy. Rather than give us simple platitudes and truisms, Jesus challenges us with parables. They are intended to draw us in. Jesus wants us to wrestle with them, to walk around with, meditate and have conversations about them. In this series, we will dig into the context of parables from Luke’s Gospel. We will consider the picture Jesus is painting of God’s kingdom, and...
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Walking in the Parables: The Widow and the Unjust Judge
The Practice Church Podcast
Parables are a significant part of Jesus’s teaching. These brilliant stories paint a picture of life in the kingdom, teaching us about God, ourselves, and the Lord’s presence and activity in the world. But they are not easy. Rather than give us simple platitudes and truisms, Jesus challenges us with parables. They are intended to draw us in. Jesus wants us to wrestle with them, to walk around with, meditate and have conversations about them. In this series, we will dig into the context of parables from Luke’s Gospel. We will consider the picture Jesus is painting of God’s kingdom, and...
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Walking in the Parables: The Minas (Talents)
The Practice Church Podcast
Parables are a significant part of Jesus’s teaching. These brilliant stories paint a picture of life in the kingdom, teaching us about God, ourselves, and the Lord’s presence and activity in the world. But they are not easy. Rather than give us simple platitudes and truisms, Jesus challenges us with parables. They are intended to draw us in. Jesus wants us to wrestle with them, to walk around with, meditate and have conversations about them. In this series, we will dig into the context of parables from Luke’s Gospel. We will consider the picture Jesus is painting of God’s kingdom, and...
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Walking in the Parables: The Soils
The Practice Church Podcast
Parables are a significant part of Jesus’s teaching. These brilliant stories paint a picture of life in the kingdom, teaching us about God, ourselves, and the Lord’s presence and activity in the world. But they are not easy. Rather than give us simple platitudes and truisms, Jesus challenges us with parables. They are intended to draw us in. Jesus wants us to wrestle with them, to walk around with, meditate and have conversations about them. In this series, we will dig into the context of parables from Luke’s Gospel. We will consider the picture Jesus is painting of God’s kingdom, and...
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Walking in the Parables: The Great Banquet
The Practice Church Podcast
Parables are a significant part of Jesus’s teaching. These brilliant stories paint a picture of life in the kingdom, teaching us about God, ourselves, and the Lord’s presence and activity in the world. But they are not easy. Rather than give us simple platitudes and truisms, Jesus challenges us with parables. They are intended to draw us in. Jesus wants us to wrestle with them, to walk around with, meditate and have conversations about them. In this series, we will dig into the context of parables from Luke’s Gospel. We will consider the picture Jesus is painting of God’s kingdom, and...
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Walking in the Parables: The Lost Sons
The Practice Church Podcast
Parables are a significant part of Jesus’s teaching. These brilliant stories paint a picture of life in the kingdom, teaching us about God, ourselves, and the Lord’s presence and activity in the world. But they are not easy. Rather than give us simple platitudes and truisms, Jesus challenges us with parables. They are intended to draw us in. Jesus wants us to wrestle with them, to walk around with, meditate and have conversations about them. In this series, we will dig into the context of parables from Luke’s Gospel. We will consider the picture Jesus is painting of God’s kingdom, and...
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Practice: An Atonement Examen (Christ's Influence)
The Practice Church Podcast
At the heart of the gospel is a story of Christ's redeeming work. How we understand this story impacts who we understand God to be, how we see ourselves, and how we relate with God. In this series, we will consider what Jesus accomplishes in his life, death, and resurrection, and we will seek to live in the fullness Christ’s atoning work. This week, we reflected on the atonement story that invites us to consider the life of Jesus in addition to his death and resurrection. How does the heart of God expressed in Christ invite us to be formed by God to live a cruciform life like Jesus? This...
info_outlineAs we walk through the season of Lent, we will craft and practice experiments in living a Jesus-shaped life. We live in the influence of a world teaching us to put ourselves first and seek our own safety, comfort, wealth above all else, but the Christ Hymn in Philippians 2 teaches the way of Jesus is one of self-emptying, self-giving love. How can we engage the traditional practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving as a way of opening ourselves to be formed by Jesus to be like Jesus for the sake of the world?
This week, we considered the practice of prayer. Rebecca invited us to consider the space from which we pray. How can we pray from a secure place of belonging, a place of resting in God's love and delight in us? And how might this prayer free us to put others first and follow the way of Jesus in self-emptying, self-giving love?
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