Discovering Jesus

He is risen!

Have you ever wondered why, if Easter is the centre of our faith and of all human history, it can be difficult to get excited about going to church service and celebrating Jesus' resurrection? Today we compare Easter to some other traditions we enjoy, and how to be encouraged if Easter doesn't seem as exciting as we are told it should be.

This week we look at Jesus' famous saying that where we put our treasure, there our heart will be. We're going to see that this actually isn't Jesus' main point; most people already knew about this concept in Jesus' time, and the main point he is making for his ancient audience occurs a little later in his sermon. And when we see what Jesus' main point actually is, this sermon ends up being incredibly relevant for those of us who are in quarantine and find ourselves with little to no income and tight on money. Jesus first admonishes us for our lack of faith, but then right away encourages us to abide in God's love and learn to trust him. He never promises financial prosperity - in fact, Jesus often promises and even encourages the opposite for some - but he always points us toward the Father's love.

After destroying the Pharisees' reputation as credible Bible teachers, Jesus is now going to point out how even how they practice their faith is problematic and should not be followed. We're going to see how they failed to put God at the centre, and how we, although we often think we put God at the centre, regularly don't. 

We'll also look at how Jesus has a solution for our anxiety during this worldwide pandemic, as well as what it means to "die to self", since that seems to be exactly what the Pharisees were not doing but is the central idea to Jesus' concept of the Kingdom of Heaven. And as always, we will be asking ourselves the question, "Do I really want what the Kingdom is all about, or do I just think I do?"

Jesus has spent the last little bit of his sermon exposing the ways the Pharisees are leading the Jewish people astray with their bad theology, and he has been helping us become more self-aware about how we truly feel about his Kingdom. Today he is bringing that section to a close by lobbing one last bomb at the Pharisees and give us the chance to ask ourselves do we really want to know God, or do we just want to want to know God; and what should we do about that? Today we are going to also try and parallel the Kingdom of God with Kpop, it should be a lot of fun!

What does it mean to take God's name in vain? How did you swear in the Bible times? Why was Jesus so adamant about not taking vows or oaths, and why does that matter for us today, where most of us have never taken an oath in our lives? We look at these questions and find that, as always, what Jesus has to say is extremely relevant for us. Just like he has been doing, Jesus again invites us to become more self-aware of our faith and whether or not we truly desire his Kingdom.

As modern Christians, we can often forget that one of the hats Jesus wore was that of a rabbi. And as it turns out, because we are usually unfamiliar with the way rabbis taught and spoke, we can often misinterpret Jesus' teaching, especially when it comes to his moral teachings about anger and lust. 

Today we take a look at what Jesus was really saying as a rabbi in his Sermon on the Mount, as we try to redeem this passage that is so often used to drop legalistic burdens on the shoulders of Christians. Instead, we will find that Jesus is all about trying to make us more self-aware of whether or not we truly desire God's presence.

Often, we see the Pharisees' sin as being too legalistic about the law. But as it turns out, the Pharisees were known in Jesus' time for something far more sinister: loopholes. This week we learn about how the Pharisees created loopholes in the law and how Jesus is not so much about telling us what to do as making us self-aware of our true motives behind our faith. Also, what did Jesus really mean when he told his audience to be "salt and light"? All that and more in this week's sermon.

This week we begin exploring Jesus' longest and most famous speech. Less a sermon, and more a political rally, Jesus gives his vision of how to make Israel great again. As per usual, Jesus says things that make some people angry, and has a vision of government that is entirely opposite to how most think successful governments are run. It turns out, most of us are virtue signalling.

We will see how the so-called Beatitudes are not particular ways to get #blessed by God, but are actually scathing attacks on how people in Jesus' culture believed we ought to be good and successful people. There is much to learn from this speech Jesus gives, and we are excited to journey through it!

This Christmas we take a deep look at the pagan sorcerers that Matthew calls the "Magi" who came to worship Jesus in Bethlehem. We discover just how peculiar and unexpected their appearance is, and the numerous implications this has on a story that we know so well yet often don't take the time to truly meditate on. This Sunday we are challenged by God's passionate desire to see his Son glorified and worshipped, and our role to do the same.

This week we finish the book of Hebrews! We talk about why it matters that Jesus was crucified outside of Jerusalem, and why we might not be experiencing the full experience of faith we are promised over and over in the Bible.