Commons Church 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 ★

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. ★ Support this podcast ★

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. ★ Support this podcast ★

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. ★ Support this podcast ★

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. ★ Support this podcast ★

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. ★ Support this podcast ★

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. ★ Support this podcast ★

When a story is true, not just in fact but in its connection to life as it really is, it becomes a source of life. We get carried along with gracious surprise, finding pieces of ourselves, and who God is for us. This fall we follow the story of Jacob, that conflicted and restless man who wrestled with God. One of our favourite theologians, Abraham Heschel, teaches us that the Bible is more about God’s search for us than our search for God. Jacob’s story is proof of that concept. For what we see here, in vibrant detail, is how God chases Jacob, pursuing him through his wanderings and failures until at the end of his story we see him fully caught by grace. He realizes all that has happened: “[Jacob] worshipped as he leaned on the top of his staff.” (Gen 47:31) This story has it all. The mystery of birth order, the stress of sibling rivalry, the common seeds of relational breakdown, the consequences of falsity, the hope of romance, the long years of labour, the burden of an unreconciled past, the glory of forgiveness, the life- changing effect of wrestling with God. It’s all here. ★ Support this podcast ★

When a story is true, not just in fact but in its connection to life as it really is, it becomes a source of life. We get carried along with gracious surprise, finding pieces of ourselves, and who God is for us. This fall we follow the story of Jacob, that conflicted and restless man who wrestled with God. One of our favourite theologians, Abraham Heschel, teaches us that the Bible is more about God’s search for us than our search for God. Jacob’s story is proof of that concept. For what we see here, in vibrant detail, is how God chases Jacob, pursuing him through his wanderings and failures until at the end of his story we see him fully caught by grace. He realizes all that has happened: “[Jacob] worshipped as he leaned on the top of his staff.” (Gen 47:31) This story has it all. The mystery of birth order, the stress of sibling rivalry, the common seeds of relational breakdown, the consequences of falsity, the hope of romance, the long years of labour, the burden of an unreconciled past, the glory of forgiveness, the life- changing effect of wrestling with God. It’s all here. ★ Support this podcast ★

life. We get carried along with gracious surprise, finding pieces of ourselves, and who God is for us. This fall we follow the story of Jacob, that conflicted and restless man who wrestled with God. One of our favourite theologians, Abraham Heschel, teaches us that the Bible is more about God’s search for us than our search for God. Jacob’s story is proof of that concept. For what we see here, in vibrant detail, is how God chases Jacob, pursuing him through his wanderings and failures until at the end of his story we see him fully caught by grace. He realizes all that has happened: “[Jacob] worshipped as he leaned on the top of his staff.” (Gen 47:31) This story has it all. The mystery of birth order, the stress of sibling rivalry, the common seeds of relational breakdown, the consequences of falsity, the hope of romance, the long years of labour, the burden of an unreconciled past, the glory of forgiveness, the life- changing effect of wrestling with God. It’s all here. ★ Support this podcast ★