Christ Church: Portland's Podcast

Happiness. That sometimes ever elusive vibe, especially in rainy wintery Portland. What does it mean to be “happy people?” Jesus has a word on it and you might be surprised that it includes hopelessness, grief, humility, justice, mercy, a different kind of purity, peace, and folks that have experienced insults and lies - Jesus even thinks JOY can be found here.

John the Baptist is looking for some change.

So much of how we were told to “believe in the Bible” just didn’t add up by 3rd or 4th grade it wouldn’t have passed the Snopes test. And yet we were told there was only one literal way to understand stories like Noah’s Ark and the Great Flood. Did a flood happen? Yeah, probably. A lot of cultures told stories around the same time in global history. Did God send the flood to punish all the people, though?

Wrestling with angels, running from the past, and heading God knows where - that's the story of Jacob's life (and maybe some of us, too, let's be honest). Right smack dab in the middle of the chaotic journey Jacob had a vision of angels and was invited to realize what he was looking for was hidden in plain sight all along.

When you're a child there's something magical about the way some Bible stories are taught. Seven day creation? It's a profound poetic flourish that can help inspire further imagination. But then we grow up and must deconstruct those myths... and hopefully put them back together anew again.That’s what Richard Rohr is talking about when he talks about the pattern of order, disorder and reorder. We need those containers - but when we outgrow them, as we inevitably do as we mature and expand, then what?Deconstruction works. But it’s not enough.So like Humpty Dumpty needing to be put back together again, we’ll be journeying through a commitment to reorder.Join us this Fall on a journey of Reorder as we look to continue following in the footsteps of Jesus for us and others. #churching #portland #progressive #spirituality #inclusive

What does it look like to physically embody forgiveness?

As the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins sings, “Christ plays in ten thousand places,” so how are you seeing Christ in the world around you? And how are you Christ to others? Now is the time.

December 2 2018: Advent: Suspend the Expected In Order to Expect The Unexpected

Jesus didn’t come to change God’s mind about us. Jesus came to change our minds about God, about one another, and what it meant to be truly human. Which is divine. Which calls for sacrifice. A beautiful, fragrant offering for others. How are you living a fragrant offering for others?

We’re not talking about buildings and old tired ways. We’re talking about a church not made of hands - co-created out of the rubble of this world by ordinary women and men. Folks like Peter, who had no business running anything at all. Let’s talk about why we can’t quit “church.”

Ordinary saints are all around us... And coming up behind us. How are we investing in the future? How are we helping all of us persevere?

Jesus included everyone at the communion table. So, what does that have to do with every other table in our ordinary lives? St. Stephen has some ideas. Listen this week as Adam talks us through this topic.

Henri Nouwen says it’s about holding, lifting and drinking all of life’s way... and that it has something to do with our own inner journey and our outward action for community.

Looking at the passage in Acts about Ananias and Sapphira Rev. Adam talks about what it’s like and what it means to become ghosts to each other and how we can find ways to stay present.

What does it look like to live life together abundantly? The earliest Jesus followers didn’t just talk about community and the common good, they lived it.

Looking around the broader church, it often feels like people want to go backwards to a glorious past. When it comes to Jesus folks, however, we aren’t trying to get back to some perfect past in the 1950s or 50 AD. What we’re doing is faithfully walking with the Christ into the unfolding hope and promise of the future. It’s a two steps forward one step back journey down the spiral way. Which means as we stand on the shoulders of those saints that have gone before us - in our own lives and in the global community - we carry forward the best parts of our shared tradition, while also packing lightly for the journey ahead.

Brit Barron, pastor at New Abbey in Los Angeles and Spiritual Director of The Christian Closet, spent the weekend in Portland with her wife Sami. Sharing time with them was an incredible gift to our community and Brit’s message encourages us about our role in the healing and repair of our world - right here and now.Keep up with Brit on britbarron.com and Instagram

Original painting by Georges Roualt Jesus sent his friends out two by two to turn the world upside down in order to invite it to get rightside-up. Sure, it was all about big ideas like love, healing and inclusion, but it was worked out in the small ordinariness of life together. That’s the thing about this whole Christ story, it’s about community and action going hand in hand. Join us this Sunday at 11am as we kick off our new series, “Ubuntu: I am because we are.”

Thoughts from Rev. Adam after being arrested along with 20 other clergy during an interfaith protest this week. Editors Note: Before Adam spoke we watched the following YouTube video - where the audio starts Adam is talking about being detained as a result of his arrest during the protest.

Amidst the movement, the disruption, the highs and lows how do we simply be and know? We’re gonna get into that this Sunday at 11am.Be still and know that I am God.Be still and know.Be still.Be.

“The gospel, then, is not a message about the salvation of individuals from the world, but news about a world transfigured, right down to its basic structures.” - Walter Wink 

Jesus saw a fierce urgency in the now. Radical presence. Radical being. Radical breath. Radical action. He talked about the division in our kingdoms and houses. So they all said he must be possessed by the Devil or beside himself. Nah. He was just binding and loosing.

Everyone hears voices of shame, temptation and misdirection. It even happened to Jesus when he danced with the Adversary in the desert while on prayer and retreat. What do we do when we hear these voices inside our head and at the depths of our being?

One day King David held a census in the land. The Bible says God inspired him to do it. In a different part of the Bible, it says Satan made him do it. Which is right? Listen to find out. *note that the quality is not as good as we normally have. Sorry about that.

“Have you considered my servant Job?” He was God’s guy and he had it all. Until God sent an Adversary into his life and he lost and lost and lost. How do we respond when we or a loved one suffers? This one’s about living the good life amidst the darkness.

In her book "A Circle of Quiet," Madeleine L'Engle writes "Like it or not, we either add to the darkness of indifference and out-and-out evil which surrounds us or we light a candle to see by." I think real deal evil is all around us. When it comes to babies being snatched from their loved one's arms and put into detention centers or when it's addiction dragging our loved ones down in a sea of despair, we see a tragic denial of human flourishing. The Jesus story goes like this: there is an immense amount of darkness in the world, but there is a light that shines brighter, and a love that is bigger than anything in its way. To put it differently: when it comes to following Jesus, it's not a fair fight for evil - because love wins, the stone has been rolled away and resurrection life has the final word! So what do we do with Satan and the idea of the devil in our Scriptures? Faithful people for millennia have had a lot of different ways to approach this odd adversarial character - and we're going to dive right in and talk about it so that we might talk about how we as a people might deal with the real deal devils in our midst.

Leroy Barber visits Christ Church with a word on healing the blind man on the sabbath reminding us that the sabbath is crucial, but life and miracles and work happens beyond the sabbath. #churchbeyondsundays

Hope is seeing beyond what we can see, knowing that the stone has been rolled away. “People say, what is the sense of our small effort? They cannot see that we must lay one brick at a time, take one step at a time. A pebble cast into a pond causes ripples that spread in all directions. Each one of our thoughts, words and deeds is like that. No one has a right to sit down and feel hopeless. There is too much work to do.”  - Dorothy Day

Last Sunday Isaac Frank shared about the importance of the Trinity when we think about the nature of our own interdependent relationships with one another. 

Star bellies, Levitical Laws and Pharisees.*TRIGGER WARNING* This podcast contains information about self-harm and/or suicide which may be triggering.

Every Starbucks in the US was closed last week to talk about racial implicit bias after a white barista called the cops on two black customers simply waiting for their business partner.This past Sunday we talked about Equality and why it is part of our ethos. 

Hidden around us in plain sight are touchstones of wisdom and resilience. This Sunday we heard from Rev. Adam who’s back from his Iona pilgrimage. He’ll be sharing a two part talk on our story and it’s roots in a greater movement for all people and the planet

This week Isaac is going to dig into the second part of his thoughts on worship. You are in for a treat.

Issac Frank walking us through the first of two sermons on worship. Today we’re walking through the words from Carman’s classic, “7 Ways 2 Praise” (and the Hebrew Bible).

Did you hear the one about Jonah and the shrub? It’s maybe as dark as being in the belly of the great fish. So he talks to God about it and God is like

Can a nation that oppresses and destroys others actually change? That was Nineveh’s story. And Jonah wasn’t so sure if it was actually possible. What does wrath, repentance, love and transformation mean for our cities, our nation, our world?

Words create worlds. Especially when they come from Yahweh. What do we do with these promises, insights, and truth from the Divine? Could the spirit be moving yet today, and could it be for those we’d never imagine? That’s Jonah’s story. And the word was so shocking he went as far away from it as possible.Note: Here's the video we were laughing at at the start - not recommended viewing but good to make the point of how a different view of the Bible can open our eyes to who God who is love.

Image of Mary Magdalene are by Robert Lentz Mary Magdalene. They whispered scandalous things about her. They mocked her place in the story. But she was resilient. And herstory reveals she was the first to see

Palm Sunday. What you see depends on where you stand. Especially in the parade of love and justice. As John Lewis says, sometimes you got to get into Good Trouble. Necessary Trouble. Don’t miss Rev Adam Phillips’ reflections on his recent pilgrimage and how it applies to Holy Week.

“Mind Sabbath: how can we take on positive rhythms for and rest and resilience that help give our minds rest? Turns out we are wonderfully made and already possess the tools we need for well-being.”

Isaac Frank shares with us about paying attention to your body and what he learned about himself running a relay race from Mt Hood to the Oregon Coast.

What does it mean to be part of one integrated, diverse body? These days it sounds like foolishness. But there’s truth and promise there. We’re so excited to be joined by our friend Kazi Joshua from Whitman as he shares a special sermon

Even the land itself is in need of Sabbath. Today we we reflected on the earth and the Divine sabbath. Join in.

There's an ancient life giving concept that you might be missing out on - and it's all about being serious in commitment to a cycle of being. It’s more than just rest. Its roots for resilience.

Talking middle children, middle spaces and saying yes to God this morning with Isaac G Frank.

Moses met the face of God as one does a friend. Turns out one of the secrets of the universe is we all might encounter this kind of divine friendship.

Sister Miriam: a Prophet, a healer, passionate about clean water and justice. She’s one of the earliest and most prominent women leaders in the Bible. So we’re going to spend a little time reflecting on her this Sunday. Which is good, because there are so many other unmentioned Names in the Story we must not forget either.Artwork by Laura James

“God is always about freedom & liberation. Full stop.”

What’s worth setting in stone? For the ancients, it wasn’t just a couple breakable stone tablets. It was God’s fierce lovingkindness.

What are you seeing with fresh eyes and what might God be showing you? #allmeansall