Reality Church Vancouver Teachings Podcast

As we near the end of the Noah narrative, we come to a recreation moment in Genesis 9 where we hear God giving instructions to the humans about how they are to live. When we contrast this passage with the original instructions given to humanity in Genesis 1, we find some curious differences which point out the problem of human violence and how God adapts to partner with flawed human partners. Recorded November 24, 2024.

We're in the third story of life outside of the garden - the flood narrative in the Bible. This week, we compare and contrast God's speeches and Noah's sacrifice with speeches of other gods and heroes from Ancient Near Eastern flood narratives, to see who God is and how he invites us to a role as priests. Recorded November 17, 2024.

We continue with our series in Genesis 4-11, focusing this week on the dove that is sent out during the flood by Noah. We learn how it symbolizes Noah’s ability to wait, and are invited to wait not in passivity, but with memory, anticipation and with Christ. Recorded November 10, 2024.

This week we come to what might be the best known story in Genesis 4-11: the flood narrative. We welcomed Dr. Matt Lynch from Regent College who helps us understand this flood in context of the overarching narrative of Genesis and to see it as the action of God to renew and reform a world ruined by violence. Recorded November 3, 2024.

As we continue exploring life outside the garden in the Genesis narrative, we come to one of the most well-known stories and objects: Noah's Ark. In this week's teaching, we uncover how ancient people would have understood the instructions for Noah's Ark and apply it as an invitation for deliverance today. Recorded October 27, 2024.

This week we come to a bright spot in our examination of life outside the garden in the person of Noah. We look at how Noah is described in context, we look at why it’s so difficult to be like Noah in our cultural moment, and hear an invitation to become like Noah. Recorded October 20, 2024.

As we continue in our series exploring life outside of the garden, we come to a difficult passage where God takes drastic action to deal with the problem of increasing darkness. In this teaching, we articulate several of the key problems we have with this passage and also understand how it invites us to know God and live as renewed humans. Re-recorded October 18, 2024.

As we continue in our series exploring life outside the garden, we come to a strange and tricky passage for us as modern Western readers. By exploring the ancient and Biblical context, we are invited to recognize spiritual evil, and challenged to call on the name of God rather than become "men of the name". Recorded October 6, 2024.

On Truth and Reconciliation weekend, we were honoured to be taught by Dr. Ray Aldred, who spoke on the history of the church, Canada and Indigenous people, the Indigenous church’s prophetic role, and a hopeful path forward through Jesus’ ethic of reconciliation and peacemaking. Recorded September 29, 2024.

This week, we come to an ancient genealogy, an odd part in our study of life outside the garden in Genesis. In this teaching, we’ll explore this strange passage within two contexts, other ancient lists of people with really long ages and the genealogy of Cain already given in Genesis 4, to understand what it may have meant for the original hearers and how it encourages us to live today as witnesses to a different story who always have hope because God is at work in the world. Recorded September 22, 2024.