Commons Church Podcast

Preparing for Christmas is often all about excess.

Getting the Christmas presents. Preparing the splendid meals. Packing the tree with so many ornaments that the branches bend under the weight
of them all. Excess can be beautiful. Party-worthy, even. But what about the years when you can’t afford Christmas extravagance? What if you just don’t have the energy for it all? What about the years when you don’t have enough?

The cast of characters in the Christmas story invites us to see that God works with limitations. In fact, it seems to be God’s preferred way. Mary was not wealthy enough to be the Mother of God. Joseph was not informed enough to be the father who would raise this boy. The shepherds are not respected enough to be visited by angels. The Magi are not in the know enough to understand the gift this Messiah brings.

And still, this is the season where we welcome limitation. Where enough sometimes really is enough.

1. Don't try to stay busy
2. Feel what you feel
3. Don't be afriad

Preparing for Christmas is often all about excess.

Getting the Christmas presents. Preparing the splendid meals. Packing the tree with so many ornaments that the branches bend under the weight
of them all. Excess can be beautiful. Party-worthy, even. But what about the years when you can’t afford Christmas extravagance? What if you just don’t have the energy for it all? What about the years when you don’t have enough?

The cast of characters in the Christmas story invites us to see that God works with limitations. In fact, it seems to be God’s preferred way. Mary was not wealthy enough to be the Mother of God. Joseph was not informed enough to be the father who would raise this boy. The shepherds are not respected enough to be visited by angels. The Magi are not in the know enough to understand the gift this Messiah brings.

And still, this is the season where we welcome limitation. Where enough sometimes really is enough.

Preparing for Christmas is often all about excess.

Getting the Christmas presents. Preparing the splendid meals. Packing the tree with so many ornaments that the branches bend under the weight
of them all. Excess can be beautiful. Party-worthy, even. But what about the years when you can’t afford Christmas extravagance? What if you just don’t have the energy for it all? What about the years when you don’t have enough?

The cast of characters in the Christmas story invites us to see that God works with limitations. In fact, it seems to be God’s preferred way. Mary was not wealthy enough to be the Mother of God. Joseph was not informed enough to be the father who would raise this boy. The shepherds are not respected enough to be visited by angels. The Magi are not in the know enough to understand the gift this Messiah brings.

And still, this is the season where we welcome limitation. Where enough sometimes really is enough.

Originally part of an online interactive lecture.

We believe in a God who wants us to know that we are welcome.
 The narrative arc of the gospel—from creation to a restored earth—keeps expanding to include individuals, families, tribes, kingdoms, and finally, the multitudes of nations. 

God never stops making more room. 

Last year we talked about different ways our hospitality reflects our room— making God. This year we want to
 build on that conversation and explore God’s vision for what we create as we gather. How we move from isolation into connectedness, from caring for some 

to caring for the whole. Peter Block writes that the hard part of building community is that it is always a custom job. It is born of local people, with unique gifts, deciding what to create together. 

How do we show up for each other, you and I?
 How do we build relatedness one room at a time? 

God, how can I make a bit more room? 

As I see it there are a number of options within Christianity:
1. some people go to heaven, some people go to hell
2. some people go to heaven, some people go to the grave
3. some people go to heaven, some people go through hell

0:00 Introduction
07:10 Biblical Arguments for Universalism
14:41 Biblical passages for Hell
19:46 Theological Arguments for Universalism
21:35 Theological Arguments Against Universalism
25:25 Theological Arguments Against Hell
29:02 Who is Most Moral?

We believe in a God who wants us to know that we are welcome.
The narrative arc of the gospel—from creation to a restored earth—keeps expanding to include individuals, families, tribes, kingdoms, and finally, the multitudes of nations. 

God never stops making more room. 

Last year we talked about different ways our hospitality reflects our room— making God. This year we want to
 build on that conversation and explore God’s vision for what we create as we gather. How we move from isolation into connectedness, from caring for some 

to caring for the whole. Peter Block writes that the hard part of building community is that it is always a custom job. It is born of local people, with unique gifts, deciding what to create together. 

How do we show up for each other, you and I?
 How do we build relatedness one room at a time? 

God, how can I make a bit more room? 

We believe in a God who wants us to know that we are welcome.
 The narrative arc of the gospel—from creation to a restored earth—keeps expanding to include individuals, families, tribes, kingdoms, and finally, the multitudes of nations. 

God never stops making more room. 

Last year we talked about different ways our hospitality reflects our room— making God. This year we want to
 build on that conversation and explore God’s vision for what we create as we gather. How we move from isolation into connectedness, from caring for some 

to caring for the whole. Peter Block writes that the hard part of building community is that it is always a custom job. It is born of local people, with unique gifts, deciding what to create together. 

How do we show up for each other, you and I?
 How do we build relatedness one room at a time? 

God, how can I make a bit more room? 

“It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question.” –Eugene Ionesco
A good question is a superpower.
So why don’t we ask more questions? Maybe we are a bit egocentric—eager to impress with our own thoughts and stories. Perhaps we are apathetic— thinking we might be bored by the response. Or perhaps we just worry that we’ll ask the wrong question and be viewed as rude or incompetent.
But often the biggest challenge is that we simply don’t understand how beneficial good questioning can be. If we did,
we might end far fewer sentences with
a period—and more with a question mark.
Jesus loved a good question.
Sometimes they seemed pretty straightforward. Sometimes they seemed to come straight out of left field. But Jesus’ questions always seemed to find a way to open up new unexplored avenues to consider.