
Commons Church Podcast
Sermons from Commons Church. Intellectually honest. Spiritually passionate. Jesus at the centre. Since 2014.
Latest episodes

Mar 4, 2018 • 31min
One Last Thing: John 15 - Jeremy Duncan
Jesus’ last meal with his disciples and friends. The Synoptics offer a brief description of this event, but we’ll turn our attention instead to John’s gospel which extends the scene to five chapters. Here, the writer tells of how feet were washed, bread and wine were offered, and then Jesus began to speak. It was just hours until his arrest, and by noon of the next day he would be executed. And his disciples had no idea. What makes Jesus’ sayings here so compelling is the sense that he is pulling no punches. He’s laying it all out... he’s re-emphasizing his most important talking points...he’s promising that they’ll be okay...and then he prays for them. As we get ready for Easter this year, let’s delve into this final conversation and explore what mattered most to Jesus as he said goodbye and prepared for his passion.
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Feb 25, 2018 • 33min
One Last Thing: John 14 - Jeremy Duncan
Jesus’ last meal with his disciples and friends. The Synoptics offer a brief description of this event, but we’ll turn our attention instead to John’s gospel which extends the scene to five chapters. Here, the writer tells of how feet were washed, bread and wine were offered, and then Jesus began to speak. It was just hours until his arrest, and by noon of the next day he would be executed. And his disciples had no idea. What makes Jesus’ sayings here so compelling is the sense that he is pulling no punches. He’s laying it all out... he’s re-emphasizing his most important talking points...he’s promising that they’ll be okay...and then he prays for them. As we get ready for Easter this year, let’s delve into this final conversation and explore what mattered most to Jesus as he said goodbye and prepared for his passion.
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Feb 18, 2018 • 33min
One Last Thing: John 13 - Jeremy Duncan
Jesus’ last meal with his disciples and friends. The Synoptics o er a brief description of this event, but we’ll turn our attention instead to John’s gospel which extends the scene to five chapters. Here, the writer tells of how feet were washed, bread and wine were offered, and then Jesus began to speak. It was just hours until his arrest, and by noon of the next day he would be executed. And his disciples had no idea. What makes Jesus’ sayings here so compelling is the sense that he is pulling no punches. He’s laying it all out... he’s re-emphasizing his most important talking points...he’s promising that they’ll be okay...and then he prays for them. As we get ready for Easter this year, let’s delve into this final conversation and explore what mattered most to Jesus as he said goodbye and prepared for his passion.
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Feb 12, 2018 • 33min
Truth to Power - Part 3
Every culture and time needs a good prophet or two. We’re not talking about people who can predict the future, but people who can speak truth to power in creative, vibrant, and life-giving ways. People who look out for the purposes of God and the integrity of all humanity. Prophets paint a picture of what life should look like in the economy of God’s generosity and love. Amos is one such prophet. He worked from Judah with a message for Israel thirty years before its fall. The tradition says that in his day, he spoke warnings to the wealthy who built their kingdoms on the backs of the poor. This was an unsustainable arrangement with power and Amos was charged by the Divine to deliver that message. Let’s wonder together what it looks like to regain a prophetic edge. We are empowered to speak truth to the power of anything that holds more sway in our lives than it should. In this identifying and naming, we’ll nd ourselves living towards a vision like that in the last words of Amos – where we enjoy the generosity and the abundance of God.
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Feb 5, 2018 • 35min
Truth to Power - Part 2
Every culture and time needs a good prophet or two. We’re not talking about people who can predict the future, but people who can speak truth to power in creative, vibrant, and life-giving ways. People who look out for the purposes of God and the integrity of all humanity. Prophets paint a picture of what life should look like in the economy of God’s generosity and love. Amos is one such prophet. He worked from Judah with a message for Israel thirty years before its fall. The tradition says that in his day, he spoke warnings to the wealthy who built their kingdoms on the backs of the poor. This was an unsustainable arrangement with power and Amos was charged by the Divine to deliver that message. Let’s wonder together what it looks like to regain a prophetic edge. We are empowered to speak truth to the power of anything that holds more sway in our lives than it should. In this identifying and naming, we’ll nd ourselves living towards a vision like that in the last words of Amos – where we enjoy the generosity and the abundance of God.
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Jan 29, 2018 • 34min
Truth to Power - Part 1
Every culture and time needs a good prophet or two. We’re not talking about people who can predict the future, but people who can speak truth to power in creative, vibrant, and life-giving ways. People who look out for the purposes of God and the integrity of all humanity. Prophets paint a picture of what life should look like in the economy of God’s generosity and love. Amos is one such prophet. He worked from Judah with a message for Israel thirty years before its fall. The tradition says that in his day, he spoke warnings to the wealthy who built their kingdoms on the backs of the poor. This was an unsustainable arrangement with power and Amos was charged by the Divine to deliver that message. Let’s wonder together what it looks like to regain a prophetic edge. We are empowered to speak truth to the power of anything that holds more sway in our lives than it should. In this identifying and naming, we’ll nd ourselves living towards a vision like that in the last words of Amos – where we enjoy the generosity and the abundance of God.
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Jan 22, 2018 • 34min
Sex vs Intimacy - Jeremy Duncan
It’s good to be alone sometimes–we all need our space–but “lonely” is something else; something far more difficult to find our way out of. In 2000, Robert Putnam’s famous book Bowling Alone detailed the breakdown of community and civic society. Today studies show that “zero” is the most common number of confidants, reported by almost a quarter of us and in fact, the average number of people we feel we can talk to about ‘important matters’ has fallen to just two. Linked to depression, anxiety, interpersonal hostility, and increased vulnerability to health issues, loneliness is a real problem. And yet ironically it’s one that only an active engagement with vulnerability can begin to mend. We want to start this year by talking about what it means to be lonely, what it means to work towards health in our relationships, and how to push ourselves to appropriately begin the movement towards a more open existence in community.
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Jan 14, 2018 • 33min
Vulnerability vs Over-Sharing - Jeremy Duncan
It’s good to be alone sometimes–we all need our space–but “lonely” is something else; something far more difficult to find our way out of. In 2000, Robert Putnam’s famous book Bowling Alone detailed the breakdown of community and civic society. Today studies show that “zero” is the most common number of confidants, reported by almost a quarter of us and in fact, the average number of people we feel we can talk to about ‘important matters’ has fallen to just two. Linked to depression, anxiety, interpersonal hostility, and increased vulnerability to health issues, loneliness is a real problem. And yet ironically it’s one that only an active engagement with vulnerability can begin to mend. We want to start this year by talking about what it means to be lonely, what it means to work towards health in our relationships, and how to push ourselves to appropriately begin the movement towards a more open existence in community.
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Jan 8, 2018 • 32min
Alone vs Lonely - Jeremy Duncan
It’s good to be alone sometimes–we all need our space–but “lonely” is something else; something far more difficult to find our way out of. In 2000, Robert Putnam’s famous book Bowling Alone detailed the breakdown of community and civic society. Today studies show that “zero” is the most common number of confidants, reported by almost a quarter of us and in fact, the average number of people we feel we can talk to about ‘important matters’ has fallen to just two. Linked to depression, anxiety, interpersonal hostility, and increased vulnerability to health issues, loneliness is a real problem. And yet ironically it’s one that only an active engagement with vulnerability can begin to mend. We want to start this year by talking about what it means to be lonely, what it means to work towards health in our relationships, and how to push ourselves to appropriately begin the movement towards a more open existence in community.
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Dec 18, 2017 • 32min
Theotokos Part 3
Blessed Mother, Queen of Heaven, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Theotokos, Madonna, Mother of God, Mary of Nazareth. These are just a handful of the titles given to Mary, the mother of Jesus. If you’ve ever walked through a world class art museum you’ll know how varied the renderings are of Mary as an icon in Christian devotion. The mystic and theologian Bernard of Clairvaux wrote about Mary like this: “God’s decision to indwell in Mary and her consent to this decision made the incarnation, and therefore redemption, possible.” This Advent we’re exploring Mary’s story as it comes to us through four snapshots in the gospels, trusting that her narrative can walk with us in our Advent longing, waiting, and wondering. Advent, after all, means “coming.” What better way to prepare our hearts for the celebration of Christmas than to look to Mary, the woman who agreed to let God come through her so that God could come to us in Jesus.
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