The 180 Church Podcast with Dr. Sammy and Friends

We often misconstrue love as sentiment and romance, rather than a commitment we abide by regardless of how we feel. Similarly, we focus on the warm sentimentality of Christmas and overlook the fierce commitment that believers like Mary and Joseph made to God, even at the great cost of scandal. Tune into this week's sermon as Dr. Sammy discusses the true nature of love as a hard call to responsibility and a soft tenderness and vulnerability we must courageously embrace.

Many of us chase pleasure because we become addicted to the temporary happiness that a quick fix offers. But the reality of joy is that it not only lasts eternally, but it also points to something greater than our own desires. What we learn from Advent is joy revealed in the person of Christ as a sign from heaven beyond any happiness that we know.

Many of us chase pleasure because we become addicted to the temporary happiness that a quick fix offers. But the reality of joy is that it not only lasts eternally, but it also points to something greater than our own desires. What we learn from Advent is joy revealed in the person of Christ as a sign from heaven beyond any happiness that we know.

With the season of Advent upon us, Joe and Pastor Lydia usher in a conversation revolving around the 4 major themes of this season: hope, peace, joy, and love. Today’s theme focuses on a conversation about peace and why the kind of peace we place our hopes and trust in this world seems to be so elusive, temporal, and frail. It’s difficult really to even have a moment that is free from any disturbance - anything can go wrong, really. However, the peace offered to us through the person of Jesus Christ, the King of kings and the prince of peace, helps us put into perspective what it means to have an unchanging and accessible peace.

With the season of Advent upon us, Joe and Pastor Lydia usher in a conversation revolving around the 4 major themes of this season: hope, peace, joy, and love. Today’s theme focuses on a conversation about peace and why the kind of peace we place our hopes and trust in this world seems to be so elusive, temporal, and frail. It’s difficult really to even have a moment that is free from any disturbance - anything can go wrong, really. However, the peace offered to us through the person of Jesus Christ, the King of kings and the prince of peace, helps us put into perspective what it means to have an unchanging and accessible peace.

Advent is the season when we observe the arrival of Jesus Christ into the world. During this moment when hope may be hard to find, we anticipate the coming of Christ who came to offer hope, peace, joy, and love. In times of uncertainty, polarization, mental health concerns, and tragedy, Hope seems to be a faint pulse when we put it in our own hands, institutions, and leaders. However, the good news of advent offers us a hope that is substantial, unfailing, and alive.

Advent is the season when we observe the arrival of Jesus Christ into the world. During this moment when hope may be hard to find, we anticipate the coming of Christ who came to offer hope, peace, joy, and love. In times of uncertainty, polarization, mental health concerns, and tragedy, Hope seems to be a faint pulse when we put it in our own hands, institutions, and leaders. However, the good news of advent offers us a hope that is substantial, unfailing, and alive.

Democracy's grasp on the greatest world powers is loosening, and we are witnessing more abuses of power, in Hong Kong among other places. Though we may feel helpless against what is happening in the wider world, we must differentiate between the world’s power and God’s power. When we live according to God’s power, we treat each other as equals rather than subjugating people through a cycle of intimidation and violence. The gospel counters the abuse of power by showing how God wins over people with love through Jesus's humility, instead of making slaves through fear.

Democracy's grasp on the greatest world powers is loosening, and we are witnessing more abuses of power, in Hong Kong among other places. Though we may feel helpless against what is happening in the wider world, we must differentiate between the world’s power and God’s power. When we live according to God’s power, we treat each other as equals rather than subjugating people through a cycle of intimidation and violence. The gospel counters the abuse of power by showing how God wins over people with love through Jesus's humility, instead of making slaves through fear.

In today’s episode, Joe and Pastor Lydia tackle the nuances revolving around the dark side of ambition. Regardless of what brought us here into big cities like New York, there’s a wee bit of ambition in each and every one of us whether we’d like to admit that or not. It seems God is not opposed to ambition, fame, success or wealth, but at what cost are we willing to obtain, achieve and conquer? Perhaps that cost is simply too high as it hurts others and ourselves in the process, and so the gospel and the leadership of Jesus in his ministry teach us how and why to use influence for the service of others.