Recorded January 15, 2023 There are four servant songs in and around Isaiah 49. According to the scholar Damon Garcia, serving God, for Isaiah looks like working for the liberation of the oppressed. The gospel of Mark reflects this idea in its portrayal of Christ as a suffering servant. In this message, Caleb takes the suffering servant motif a step further, comparing what servanthood looks like for Christ as opposed to Mary. Both, it’s argued, serve God by working for the liberation of the oppressed.  Whereas Mary is taking back the power taken from her by a system of oppression, Jesus i ..read more

Recorded Dec. 11, 2022.  Content warning: this episode discusses sexual abuse and rape.  Whether you want to believe Caleb's reading, that Mary is a victim of sexual abuse or not, the fact is, she's living in this context where sex is weaponized. All five of Christ's mothers experience this violence against their bodies and humanity. A parallel between Mary, Tamar, Rehab, Ruth, and Bethsheba seem to be something Matthew wants to communicate. If this is the case, Mary, like Christ's grandmothers, uses her body to rebel against the patriarchy. Rather than seeing the abuse as ending her ..read more

Recorded Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022.    Over the last few Sundays, we've been working through a series titled "What, Where, When, Who, is the Church - personal reflections on what church means to us."    In this episode, Caleb reflects on a lesson learned through this series. Specifically, Caleb talks about how Evangelicalism has inspired his foray into politics and to hold on to the belief that change is possible.  ..read more

Recorded on July 10th at Westview: Amos 7 and Acts 1 May we, like Amos and Christ, listen to the maladjusted of our time; may we listen to all those who refuse or are denied the ability to adjust to our economic system, a system defined by exploitation.  ..read more

Recorded June 12, 2022: Acts 2: Let's not stop at rage but find places of safety, where we’re willing to be vulnerable for the sake of the marginalized, so that, with the power of the spirit, we might find the courage to imagine and build worlds where we all share in the abundance of our Creator ..read more

Recorded May 1, 2022. As Christ is rereading Scripture, the hearts of the two men on the road to Emmaus burn within them. They’re burning because they’re learning about themselves and what it means to be Jewish to a way that makes sense of the Easter event.    As we reread the stories we tell about what it means to be Christian through Christ's eyes, we shouldn't be surprised to find that the stranger or non-Christian has been the host all along. Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, it us who are the recipients of the other's hospitality.  ..read more

Recorded on April 10. Who Does Christ Receive his Authority From? Answer: Mary of Bethany.  The supper with Mary doesn’t look great. We have a bunch of men sitting around a table eating being served by two women, and then one of those women washes the main guy's feet only to have Judas mansplain to her why what she’s doing is wrong. This is patriarchy at its worst.  How does Jesus respond to this patriarchy ..read more

Recorded on March 20th at Westview. A few months back Patty Krawec tweeted a challenge to churches to have her speak on the table-flipping scene in the gospels. Westview and Silver Spire United took her up on the challenge. We were very grateful for the opportunity to hear and dialogue with Patty on Sunday. You can find a video of her sharing on Silver Spire here and a transcript of her talk on her website. Patty Krawec is an Anishinaabe/Ukrainian writer and speaker from Lac Seul First Nation. She is a current board member of the Fort Erie Native Friendship Center. She is the cohost ..read more

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Recorded on Feb. 20, 2022. I tend to believe that we’re all saved. Paul’s helpful for me because I believe that love calls to all, nothing we can do changes that fact: Jonah travels to the underworld, the teacher of Ecclesiastes losses the faith and blames God for all the evil in the world and yet the call to love finds them both. In this sense, we’re all, from the beginning, regardless of our actions or beliefs, in the process of being saved. Unfortunately, some chose not to believe the lie that they are not worthy of love, or they chose to believe that they and their religious cult are the o ..read more