Epiclesis

Our friend Dr. Carl Peters was back in the Ancient-Future Faith studio to talk about Holy Week. Palm Sunday, the cursing of the fig tree, driving out the money changers, Maundy Thursday-- do those important events have deeper meaning? Join us for this encouraging look at our Christian heritage and reconnect to the wonder of Holy Week.

There seems to be a pandemic of nihilism these days among young people. What do you say to the person who has lost their faith, talks of suicide, wonders about the silence of God, or sees no meaning of any kind in life? So often, Christians seem to have nothing to say. But maybe not saying anything at all is the very best place to start.

One cultural critical has said that the kind of secularism and atheism we experience in America today is not a conclusion but a mood. "And if secularism is not a conclusion but a mood," Justin Earley writes, "we cannot disrupt it with an argument. We must disrupt it with a presence."

Pastor Chris' heartfelt sermon included a confounding passage in John's gospel, an extended (and important) quote from Columbanus, and a pivotal scene from the movie "Silence."

Snakes! God sent fiery serpents into the wilderness camp of the Children of Israel. Many of them were bitten and some died. The remedy? Looking up. God had Moses make a bronze serpent so that the people could look up at it, in faith, and be healed. Why a serpent? And why did Jesus use that event in the desert as an example when Nicodemus came to Him at night to ask if Jesus was the Anointed One? Join us in the wilderness of a Lenten journey and find out!

Can disruption actually be a good thing? On this third Sunday of Lent, we explore 3 traps of Lenten discipleship and spirituality that people often fall into. Using  John 2:13-22 as our lens, we unpack how Jesus was a disrupting force, how the response of the Jewish leaders tells us everything we need to know about their discipleship and spirituality, and what the Lord truly desires from us this Lenten season.

Dr. Jill Ford was the guest on this edition of Ancient-Future Faith to talk about her work at All Nations Christian College in Ware, England. Her passion for the arts and intercultural worship led her to complete a doctoral degree from the Institute for Worship Studies, and she is now busy at work preparing students for cross-cultural missions. What is intercultural worship and why is it important? Join us!

What is the work of the devil? What are his twisted purposes for the world? Scripture tells us that he has been sinning since the beginning, and he seeks to murder and destroy. So why would Jesus rebuke Peter and call him Satan? Could we, too, Christ's disciples unwittingly join Satan in his purposes for the world? Join us for a Lenten sermon that calls us to deny ourselves, take up our crosses, join Christ in his sufferings, and die with Him.

On this first Sunday of Lent, Pastor Chris examined the temptation of Jesus. Why did God send Jesus-- the Ultimate Adam-- into the desert, even before He began active ministry? The desert can be place of temptation and trial, but it can also be a place of intentional transformation. Are you willing to let God use a desert to transform you?

Do you have a passion for the Lord's Table, or for walking out your baptism? Pastor Chris walks us through one of the most pivotal moments in the ministry of Jesus, then asks us to see what happens at Table as Transfiguration. Doing so leads to passion for the Table and the baptismal life.

Dr. Jennifer Harris was on hand to talk about hospitality in the age of Covid. How can we be hospitable, how can we "be present," in times like these? And, by the way, is there such a thing as "multitasking"? Join us for a conversation about true, Christian hospitality.

Here's another episode of “60 Seconds with Robert Webber,” a regular audio feature here at Epiclesis.

In this installment, Bob sums up his teaching on how the Emmaus Road story is a template for worship, and a journey that he himself has been on his whole life, with a look at what happens at Table.