Weekly-ish sermon recordings from Geoffrey Roberts at the Whitehouse Church in Canberra, loosely following the Revised Common Lectionary. If you’re a fan of Greg Boyd, Brian Zahnd, and N.T. Wright, among others, you’ll definitely notice the influence of their great ideas. The Whitehouse Church is mostly Neo-Anabaptist~ish, post-evangelical leaning in worldview. We see Jesus as the full expression of what God is like and try to build community around his teachings. If you have any questions o ...
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Jesus is appalled how the teachers of the law flaunt their wealth whilst devouring the houses of the widows. The useof manipulation to cajole and bully people to give, specially those with so little, is an affront to God.
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When we face challenges and everything seems to be on fire… what do we grab on the way out the door? Do we grab love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control? Do we grab onto one another with hope and compassion and cheer? In times of stress, tragedy, confusion, doubt, anxiety, or worry, do we love God…
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Blind Bartimaeus threw aside his cloak and all that it represented to follow Jesus. He is the exemplar of faithfulness where the rich young ruler was the antithesis. May we all have the courage of this blind beggar who could see who Jesus truly was.
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The rich young ruler gained his identity, security and comfort from his wealth. When Jesus told the rich young ruler he must lay down his wealth it was not an accusation of greed, it was a challenge to his identity and his source of power, comfort and security.
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Acting against injustice, slavery, oppression, poverty, and the systems that perpetuate a worldview of in and out or us versus them are essential to following Jesus. It is beholden on us as followers of Jesus to ensure we do not cause the little ones of our society to trip and fall, but rather we should be lifting them up.…
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Have you even failed a test that you thought you were going to ace? That’s what happened to Peter in Caesarea Philippi. He was expecting a high distinction and instead he got rebuked in front of everyone. In my view, this is amongst the most scathing rebukes that Jesus makes in his entire ministry. Imagine being Peter having his worldview blown apa…
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Ritual and tradition that help us to transform our hearts can be incredibly beautiful, but tradition that only serves to make us feel morally superior and set apart is not beautiful.
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Consider the nature of the gods in the ancient near eastern world. The gods were fickle and often amoral. They didn’t care for good behaviour or righteousness at all. In contrast, the Hebrew God “Yahweh” was a radically different type of deity. Not only was Yahweh morally upright, he wanted his people to be righteous also. And through the righteous…
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The people of God should be known for their kindness,compassion, and forgiveness. They should be known as people that turn away from their anger and bitterness, seeking to make peace and forgiving one another. This is our witness in the world to a kingdom that is yet to fully come. We have the privilege to live in the hope of a renewed world.…
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This psalm expresses the grief and repentance of king David following his adultery with Bathsheba. It is a model and a warning for us as we approach repentance and forgiveness.
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The 'fool' of Psalm 14 is not an atheist, but rather they think that God is absent. In their arrogance the fool consumes the poor and cannot perceive that God is present with the righteous.
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Mark paints Jesus as the fulfillment of kingship. Jesus is the true shepherd of Israel, greater than Moses or David, certainly greater than Herod. And this king is not living lavishly in a palace away from the suffering and hunger of his people. This king is in the midst of his people, healing them and meeting their needs physically and spiritually…
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It is common when reading the psalms to identify with the psalmist and take on their prayer as our own. Whilst I know I live a life of great comfort and privilege; the depths are still a place that we can all understand. The depths of grief or disappointment, the depths of regret or shame, the depths of sickness or pain, the depths of frustration o…
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The emotion of this scene is something Mark’s audience would have understood. A strong wind was blowing in their world. The times and seasons were violent and uncertain, and the waters looked like they were only going to get rougher.
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The obvious story here is not hard to perceive, the kingdom of God is like the seed that grows secretly under the earth and then at the appointed time it springs forth into view. But a like a seed that first grows under the soil, there is more going on in this parable.
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When people talk about coming to faith, they often remark about leaving the world, or leaving behind a life of sin. But Nicodemus had already built his life around being set apart and avoiding sin. To be born again is not simply about sinning less, it is about living more beautifully as the Spirit transforms us. It is about being made new daily.…
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When teaching his disciples how to pray Jesus reveals a lot about the identity and nature of his father. In this simple prayer we are given a model rather than a mantra, with a lot of subtext going on behind the scenes that would have been much more obvious to a first century audience.
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Ecclesiastes teaches me to grasp continually for the gifts of joy that God offers. To eat, drink, celebrate, and love despite how fleetingly each of these experiences can seem. It makes me appreciate the beautiful and delightful breath-like moments of each day.
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The psalms of new orientation are a herald of hope beckoning us beyond grief, anguish, and anger into a surprising realisation of God’s power, presence, and faithfulness.
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Christ is risen.He is risen indeed! The images and story used in this video and podcast are from "The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name" written by Sally Lloyd-Jones and illustrated by Jago.
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On Good Friday we remember how the people in charge tried to make Jesus be quiet. We remember how they were so upset by his message of love and forgiveness that they killed him. We remember how they thought their violence was more powerful than his love. And we remember how Jesus forgave his enemies, and how Jesus also forgives us.…
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Sadly, like the first century Jews, many modern Christians are awaiting a warlord. They are waiting for a triumphant Jesus to ride in on a warhorse soaked in blood and seeking vengeance. But the Hebrew Scriptures don’t just give us a warrior Messiah, they also give us a picture of a suffering servant that Jesus perfectly embodies and fulfils.…
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Psalm 291 Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendour of his holiness.3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.4 The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of t…
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The Psalms of disorientation deserve a place in our prayer lives. They are a window into the raw, chaotic, and despairing voice within humanity that emerges during times of crisis and confusion. The Psalms of disorientation give us both the language to cry out our rage and grief, and the permission to authentically petition God. These Psalms also h…
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"In popular piety, without people ever thinking about it, the only Psalms people know are the Psalms of orientation . . . it's important to keep the rest of the repertoire working that allows for faith in disorientation . . . the Psalms of orientation are enormously valuable resources for us, but they are by themselves not adequate because they do …
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In modern times the word hope can often be understood as a desire for something to happen. The Hebrew word translated as hope three times in Psalm 25 is better understood as waiting. The outcome is inevitable, it is the timing that is unknown. And it is the same with the coming of the kingdom of God. The promises of the kingdom that we are hoping f…
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In our modern Christianity it’s common for people to have the idea that everyone in church needs to be happy. So, when people are going through challenges they often disappear from community. They don't know how to be a Christian whilst going through a divorce. Or how to be Christian amid chronic illness. They don't know how to authentically live o…
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When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. He took a deep breath and announced to the world that something new was about to happen. The holy space of heaven was going to take shape in the earth and transform it. Nothing would ever be the same.
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The genealogy that introduces Jesus includes all sorts of unsavory, unpleasant, and 'unclean' people. This is the Messiah's family tree. Hallelujah! This is clearly a family that doesn’t exclude anyone! This is a family that can redeem anyone and change their story into something beautiful.
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As God’s workers we are invited to partner with him to make all things new. And in this, we have an opportunity to support the poor so that their needs are met now, and we can comfort those who are mourning, and protect the earth for the meek. Right now, we can invest our talents in mercy and peacemaking. As we wait, we must not be idle, but rather…
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"The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exaltthemselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." Matthew 23:11-12.
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As a pastor and friend I have a responsibility to help people put on the new garments of faith, but that more often looks like coffee andcounsel than an emotive call to repentance. I have found that doing life closely with other people is the best way to spur on growth. I’m not saying that we should be complacent with sin, just patient. We should b…
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This landowner planted a vineyard, he built the wall, dug the winepress, and built the watchtower. These are the actions of a landowner who loves his vineyard. He got his hands in the soil and stones and seeds. The tenants were privileged to live and work in the vineyard but they did not build the vineyard and they did not own the vineyard.…
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For the kingdom of heaven is like… a place where people have their needs met regardless of when they arrived or how much they can contribute. Where all people are treated with dignity and value. Where we have the privilege of serving in God’s garden and joyfully labouring under the sun for the work of justice and kindness.…
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Is this relationship safe for me and for the community I am in? Or do I need to step back to protect myself and allow for this other person to live in the consequences of their actions?
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Jesus never misled his disciples about the nature of his kingdom. They just couldn’t see past their cultural worldview. They couldn’t see past their religious nationalism and their desire for retributive justice to the kingdom of peace, love, mercy, and restorative justice that Jesus was building.
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As is common, there is a lot more going on behind this text than we first imagine. When the woman is viewed as a representative person from an elite economic class that has habitually taken advantage of the peasants of Galilee the conversation takes on a different tone. Jesus’ comments could very well reflect the real-lived experience of bread bein…
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The challenges of life: the grief, wars, famines, floods, fires, diseases, death, anxieties, worries, suffering, misery, and injustices of history are the groaning of God’s good world. We are in the groaning time. But it isn’t just meaninglessness. The groaning is like childbirth and at the end of all this pain there will be a beautiful reconciliat…
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Have you ever felt that a task was hopeless. World peace? Eradication of hunger? The restoration of the environment? Forgiving someone who has wronged you? The reconciliation of a broken friendship? Healing from a toxic or abusive relationship? Finding peace in the wake of tragedy or grief? Sometimes the best that we can offer is a meagre handful o…
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The only reasonable response to finding a treasure is to pursue it, and so it is with the kingdom of heaven.
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Awful things happen in the world. The weeds are apparent in every facet of our lives. Big weeds like war and famine, but also in the small things. Even in the church there are weeds among the wheat. But the good farmer, the Son of Man, is waiting. He is not powerless and one day he will command his angels to harvest and sort the crop. The kingdom o…
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The story of Abraham offering Isaac as a sacrifice to Yahweh presents Christians with a challenging portrait of God. If we are to believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God and contend that God is like Jesus, we do not have the liberty of dismissing or embracing the violent portraits of God. Rather, we must find a way to interpret them in l…
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Jesus calls unlikely people to partner in his mission: His mission to bring good news. His mission to bring the restoration of all things. This is the way of the kingdom. Jesus calls the unlikely to lead the unworthy to sometbeautiful.
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Matthew is retelling the story of his midlife crisis and in the midst of that story Jesus heals a paralysed man and an unclean woman, and then he raises a girl from the dead. This is what following Jesus was like for Matthew. The day Jesus called him was a day of salvation and resurrection. A day of mercy and breaking cultural taboos to bring life.…
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The narrative of Amos describes the people of Israel as devout in their adherence to cultic ritual but also as devoid of genuine concern for justice and righteousness (Amos 4:4-5; 5:21-24). As God’s covenant people they were meant to reflect his care for the most vulnerable but instead they oppressed the poor, withheld justice, and engaged in acts …
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It is disappointing that the type of divisions Paul was addressing in the Corinthian church can still easily be seen in churches today. Celebrity pastors and culture in the church, gender-based hierarchies, reserved seating and car parking, barista coffee for the rich and instant coffee for the poor. The more trivial of these examples sadly belie t…
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I have frequently talked about the simplicity of Jesus’ command to love but it is so important for us to remember. When I look at history and even when I lookaround today, it is apparent that many people in Christendom think that loving looks more like correction than washing feet, and more like judgement than cooking meals, and more like condemnat…
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The statement, “because you are with me” is in the exact middle of this Psalm and represents the central theological claim of the entire passage. It may be dark and bleak, but the shepherd is in the valley with you. The shepherd knew the way into this valley, and he knows the way out the other side, the way to grassy pastures and still waters. So d…
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In this message Chevelle shares intimately and thoughtfully about her own experience of death and grief.
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We had the pleasure of hearing from Wendell Mullet today who shared an encouraging message delving into Anabaptist history and our present calling to represent the beautiful kingdom of God.
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