Giving freely, sacrificially, and without hesitation—that is a kind of generosity most of us expect only from family. When the Spirit is at work, the church becomes family.

Image Credit: Floris van Dyck

What holds the church together? Common interests? Affection? A welcoming atmosphere? Or is it something deeper; something entirely outside of the self; something that propels us outward even as we draw closer together?

Episode 54: Is the desire for justice legitimate? What about vengeance? What role does wrath have in our picture of God? How can love and wrath coexist, and good ultimately overcome evil?

Episode 53: The desire for revenge is as natural as it is unhelpful. Evil begets evil, and often in the name of justice. But only in God can we find true justice, and only in Christ do we find perfect peace.

Image credit: Gavin Hamilton, Achilles Lamenting the Death of Patroclus

Episode 52: People are hard to love, and loving people that are hard to love is exhausting. When loving feels like work, and it often does, where can we find the energy to love? Paul suggests that it is found in love Himself.

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Episode 51: Most of us are nice people most of the time. We treat people with respect and avoid causing offense, but is that love? The Bible invites us to consider the deeper motivations of our hearts and let niceness give way to genuine love.

Episode 50: One of the signs of a truly gospel-shaped community is hospitality and welcome, particularly towards those for whom it is most difficult. It is a hospitality born from a deep understanding of the radical welcome of God.

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Episode 49: There is no pride of place in God's kingdom. No one deserves a seat at God's table. The extent to which we can truly ask the question, "why me?", is the extent to which we can begin to understand the generous, lavish hospitality of God.

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Episode 48: Betrayal is one of the worst experiences any of us can ever go through. For most relationships, it marks the end. It is easy to assume, perhaps subconsciously, that the same would be true of our relationship with God. Yet God's love is so great that he pursues even those who willfully abandon him—and seeks to bring them home.

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Episode 47: Marriage has always provided fertile soil for metaphors of God's love for his people. Loyalty, fidelity, selflessness; all of these describe God's love. The book of Hosea describes God's jealousy, and it does so through a very unlikely marriage.