Jesus at 2AM - A Humorous, Intelligent Look at the Bible, Church History & the Life of Faith

Today we continue our journey through the Ten Commandments—not as a list of rules, but as a pathway to true freedom and flourishing, arriving at the 3rd commandment: "You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God." For many of us, this commandment has been reduced to a simple rule about avoiding bad words or not using God's name in vain. But its meaning runs far deeper! The 3rd commandment is about the profound significance of God's name, about the power of prayer and and the dangers of distorting faith for personal or political gain. To call on the name of the Lord wrongly is dangerous business. Whereas calling upon God rightly leads us into a life of deeper intimacy, integrity, and love. The text for this sermon can be found here: Exodus 20:7 (NRSV). If you value the podcast and are able to support the community from which it comes, you can make a tax-deductible contribution to Canvas Presbyterian Church here! (Thank you!!!) For more sermon series, resources and means of contacting Kirk, simply head to jesusat2am.com or send me email here!

In this episode we continue our look at what Jesus meant when he said he came to bring "life and life abundantly." It's a study that has taken us not into the NT so much, but into the Old – specifically into the 10 commandment of all places. Indeed, today we look at the 2nd commandment "You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth." Which at first glance, sounds like a reiteration of the first commandment – have no other gods. But I'm going to argue that this is not the meaning of the 2nd commandment at all! Rather the God of Israel wants no idols of him! And there is a very, very important reason why…and it leads back to Jesus. I'll let the sermon fill in the gaps... The text for this sermon can be found here: Exodus 20:2-6 (NRSV). If you value the podcast and are able to support the community from which it comes, you can make a tax-deductible contribution to Canvas Presbyterian Church here! (Thank you!!!) For more sermon series, resources and means of contacting Kirk, simply head to jesusat2am.com or send me email here!

"I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me." It is the first commandment and it sounds...rather ominous. But if we take a moment to listen more deeply, what we discover is actually a call to radical freedom! In a world of myriad deities, each with a slight power over the necessities of life, the stress of keeping each placated was never-ending (and exhausting!)...perhaps not so unlike our world today... And yet, at Mt. Sinai - after the lived experience of rescue from slavery - the God of Israel declares complete sovereignty over creation; meaning that the endless drive to keep the gods satisifed is entirely unnecessary. And the one God who calls for loyalty is the God who freely saves the objects of his perfect love. Maybe far from ominous, the first commandment is a gift of peace, hope and joy - the very heart of what it means to live life abundantly! The text for this sermon can be found here: Exodus 19:1-6, 20:1-3 (NRSV). If you value the podcast and are able to support the community from which it comes, you can make a tax-deductible contribution to Canvas Presbyterian Church here! (Thank you!!!) If you'd like to go back and find sermons and audio that Kirk presented at Canvas during his long hiaitus, simply head to the Canvas Sermon Archive. For more sermon series, resources and means of contacting Kirk, simply head to jesusat2am.com or send me email here!

We continue our look at the abundant life by turning - quite unexpectedly! - to the 10 Commandments and consider the possibility that they are not meant to be the burden we so often imagine them to be, but are rather a gift pointing us to health, life and joy. They are, after all, the first instruction of a loving God to his chosen people. Perhaps love is more operative within the commandments than threat...? (Click here to see the 10 Commandments poster referenced in the sermon!) The text for this sermon can be found here: Exodus 19:1-20:21 (NRSV). If you value the podcast and are able to support the community from which it comes, you can make a tax-deductible contribution to Canvas Presbyterian Church here! (Thank you!!!) If you'd like to go back and find sermons and audio that Kirk presented at Canvas during his long hiaitus, simply head to the Canvas Sermon Archive. For more sermon series, resources and means of contacting me, simply head to jesusat2am.com or send me email here!

We begin our look at the abundant life in Christ by examining what has gone wrong. Why do we find ourselves so taxed so often? Why does inner peace feel so ellusive, even though I have a genuine faith in God's goodness and love? To answer these questions we turn to the Apostle John and also to the theological work of St. Augustine and his metaphor of the "two cities" in which Christians have our citizenship. (Augustine's "City of God" is one of the great works of literature, bar none!) Join us as we explore both the theologial reasons we find ourselves caught in a world in conflict and the practical steps we can take to reclaim a life of abundance — one filled with love for God, self, and other - rediscovering the fullness of what it means to be human. It can help to follow along visually, so the text for this sermon can be found here: John 10:1-10 (NRSV). If you'd like to go back and find sermons and audio that Kirk presented at Canvas during his long hiaitus, simply head to the Canvas Sermon Archive. If you value the podcast and are able to support the community from which it comes, you can make a tax-deductible contribution to Canvas Presbyterian Church here! (Thank you!!!) For more series, resources and means of contacting me, simply head to jesusat2am.com or send me email here!

Yes, you read that correctly, the podcast is returning!! Returning on Wednesday, March 19, 2025 to be exact. It has been a long two-and-a-half years... a break I never expected. But a pretty bad case of burnout hit me hard and it's taken some time to recover and build some new habits that make podcasting possible once again! New episodes begin this coming Wednesday and each Wednesday thereafter - starting with a series on The Abundant Life, a very unexpected look at the 10 commandments. If you want to catch the end of the series Hope in the Time of COVID, or Jesus and the Revoluion, they are always available in the Canvas sermon archive. There you can also find a (painfully long?) series that covers the entire Book of Acts if that sounds intriguing. And if you'd like to reach me (and I hope you will), the best ways right now are to send me email directly or come find me on BlueSky where I'm @Jesus-at-2AM. Thank you for ALL your generous support over the years and I'm excited to be back!

The divine rescue - of which the ministry of Jesus is the decisive act - is not merely to be understood as the securing of a heavenly afterlife for the faithful, but the restoration of a fallen creation. To be "saved" is to be set free, to be healed and to be counted a citizen of the "kingdom of God." But such freedom recognizes there we are presently captives, subjects of a hostile regime. There is an enemy that must be defeated. But identifying that enemy - the actual enemy - can be quite difficult. In this episode we turn to the story of Jesus's "temptation" in the wilderness as Matthew helps us see that this is Evil's attempt at a negotiated victory. Why not accept some comfort here, some glory there and a whole lot of earthly power? All that is required is to let Evil continue it's work behind the scenes... It's an offer Jesus managed to refuse..., but one we are quite often willing to accept in an instant. And the thing about deals with the devil is...there is never a deal. It can help to follow along visually, so the text for this sermon can be found here --> Matthew 4:1-11 (NRSV) If you value the podcast and are able to support the community from which it comes, you can make a tax-deductible contribution to Canvas Presbyterian Church here! (Thank you!!!) For more series, resources and means of contacting me, simply head to jesusat2am.com or send me email here!

God's Revolution to Restore All Creation begins with a cry to all Israel to prepare for war. But not the war Israel expected... For decades tensions with Rome had been growing. Various political and religious sects (think Pharisees, Sadducees, et al.) were staking out their positions in the coming conflict. Swords and spears were beginning to be sharpened. And at that time, on the banks of the Jordan (the boundry of the promised land), John the Baptist beckoned God's people to "repent!, because the Kingdom of God (the restoration of God's direct reign in creation) has come near." The battle, the rebellion, is about to begin. It is time to choose a side and pledge allegiance to a leader - to the prophet God will send... It can help to follow along visually, so the text for this sermon can be found here --> Matthew 3:1-17 (NRSV) If you value the podcast and are able to support the community from which it comes, you can make a tax-deductible contribution to Canvas Presbyterian Church here! (Thank you!!!) For more series, resources and means of contacting me, simply head to jesusat2am.com or send me email here!

At the heart of Jesus's ministry is the declaration that "the Kingdom of God has come near!" This is not merely a call for sinners to secure the afterlife, but the announcement that the fulfillment of the covenant of salvation is at hand! The God of Israel has arrived to depose the powers and principalities of this age and re-establish his reign over all creation. In short, the central proclamation of Jesus is a call to recognize - and join! - THE Revolution! In this new series, we take a detailed look at the Gospel of Matthew to understand the nature of the revolution Jesus has come to lead and what it means to pledge our allegiance to a new king. The text for this sermon is: Matthew 19:16-22 (NRSV) And here is a link to Cotton Mather's quite distressing book: The Negro Christianized: An Essay to Excite and Assist that Good Work, the Instruction of Negro Servants in Christianity. If you value the podcast and are able to support the community from which it comes, you can make a tax-deductible contribution to Canvas Presbyterian Church here! (Thank you!!!) For more series, resources and means of contacting me, simply head to jesusat2am.com or send me email here!

The one commandment I disregard without a second thought is the one about resting. The irony, of course, is that I often ignore this divine call to honor the sabbath in what feels like the work of the Kingdom. And it has been more clear in the last two years than in most of my lifetime that there is work to be done. It is easy for good people to become overwhelmed with a sense of responsibility. Yet, the one with the greatest human responsibility of all, made public display of stopping, of resting... So this episode is a look at Jesus's pesonal need for rest, and the reminder (which my recent life shows I have yet to learn!) that we must stop neglecting the work of resting for the Kingdom. To read along or study further, the biblical text for this conversation can be found here: Mark 6:30-52 (NRSV) And here is how to connect with Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) - the global relief agency of the Presbyterian Church USA. They do amazing work! You can also now share in worship with Canvas from anywhere in the world via livestream!!!! We'd love to have you join us! Want more content from Jesus at 2AM? Check out the website, where you can also learn more about how to become a patron. Up for connecting??? I'd love to have you send e-mail!