Commons Church Podcast

If anyone is devout and a lover of God, let them enjoy this beautiful and radiant day. If anyone is a grateful servant, let them, rejoicing, enter into the joy of the Lord. If anyone has wearied themselves in fasting, let them now receive recompense. If anyone has laboured from the first hour, let them today receive their just reward. If anyone has come at the third hour, with thanksgiving let them feast. If anyone has arrived at the sixth, let them have no misgivings, for they shall suffer no loss. If anyone has delayed until the ninth, let them draw near without hesitation. If anyone has arrived even at the eleventh hour let them not fear on account of tardiness. For the Master is gracious and receives the last even as the first. He has mercy upon the last and cares for the first; to the one He gives, and to the other He is gracious. For Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in the tomb! –St. John Chrysostom (d. 407CE) ★ Support this podcast ★

The Roman soldiers joined in with the taunt, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself.” Luke 23:36 Everything about the cross event was bent to the task of pressuring Jesus toward self-preservation. The core essence of God’s character was under siege. The pivotal question of the ages hung before men and angels: Who is the Ruler of the universe? What is He really made of at heart? Will his love prove itself a sham under pressure, or will he plunge to the deepest depths of total self-giving for others? ★ Support this podcast ★

We are approaching Easter, the centre, the hinge-point of the Christian faith. The moment we stop and watch, realizing that what we witness is on our behalf, for our life and hope and future. And yet every year we realize that we need to tell and hear the story once more. Every year we find ourselves surprised by it, overwhelmed, and yet comforted in a way that’s hard to explain. Every year we are drawn back to humble worship, and the pledge of renewed commitment. We invite you to take time to embrace the story this year. After Palm Sunday join us for the Stations of the Cross on Tuesday, March 27 and Wednesday, March 28. The Kensington Parish will be open from 9AM to 9PM each day with a special booklet to walk you through the stations and guide your reflection and prayer. ★ Support this podcast ★

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. ★ Support this podcast ★

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. ★ Support this podcast ★

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. ★ Support this podcast ★

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. ★ Support this podcast ★

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. ★ Support this podcast ★

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. ★ Support this podcast ★

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. ★ Support this podcast ★