The Commentary: Recent Episodes
Grace Presbyterian Church
THE COMMENTARY is a weekly conversation about vision, worship, and life at Grace Presbyterian Church.
One of the most humbling things that’s happened to Cameron since the publication of his first book of poetry, titled Forbearance, came when former poet laureate Ted Kooser posted one of the poems with a note saying he wished he’d written it! In this episode, Mark asks Cameron about that experience, and about the creative process behind this collection of poems. Some reading, some analysis, and a lot of storytelling make this a fascinating window into Cameron’s work, especially touching on its biblical, theological, and even cosmological layers.
Get your copy here: Forbearance by Cameron Brooks (Cascade Books)
Read more of Cameron’s writing on his Substack: Conversant
THE COMMENTARY is an in-depth conversation about vision, worship, and life at Grace Presbyterian Church.
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The Commentary is back — and we’re on a mission to recover the generational mindset of the Church, something we might call “Cathedral Thinking.” Spurred by an essay on this topic, Cameron and Mark ask what lessons the cathedral builders of old can teach us, not just about ecclesiastical architecture, but about investing our time and gifts in work that won’t come to fruition in our lifetimes.
Read Jonathan Thompson’s “The Rise and Fall (and Rise?) of Cathedral Thinking.”
THE COMMENTARY is an in-depth conversation about vision, worship, and life at Grace Presbyterian Church.
Subscribe on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts or Spotify
If we raise our kids to be rule-followers, they may very well grow up to follow the world’s rules rather than God’s. That’s the problem with mere moralism. On the other hand, part of raising children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord involves teaching them … well, the rules. In this episode, Cameron and Mark think through the challenge of moral instruction, especially when it comes to raising kids to “get” grace.
THE COMMENTARY is an in-depth conversation about vision, worship, and life at Grace Presbyterian Church.
Subscribe on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts or Spotify
This year Grace launched a new approach to our small group ministry, which included a name change to better reflect the mission: small groups are now Community Groups. We’re at the half-way point for this semester’s plan, so Mark and Cameron decided to compare notes on how the new groups are going — and what they like best about the fresh format.
THE COMMENTARY is an in-depth conversation about vision, worship, and life at Grace Presbyterian Church.
Subscribe on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts or Spotify
If the democratization of media in the digital age has overthrown the gatekeepers in journalism and politics, what impact is it having on the Christian faith — particularly when it comes to ecclesiastical authority? When push comes to shove, who should I listen to, the elders of my own congregation, or the influencers with the bigger platforms? It’s not a new question, but as Cameron and Mark discuss in this episode, it raises new challenges for the life of discipleship.
One man’s heresy is another man’s Christianity — especially if the man in question is a modern historian. In this episode, Cameron and Mark contrast the approach to early Christian history within the Church to the methodologies of the contemporary academy. Are all claims to be Christian equally valid? If not, by what standard can we distinguish between true and false? This conversation will give you plenty to consider.
Last time, Mark and Cameron discussed the “end of reading” as a cultural crisis. This week they’re back to talk about its potential impact on the Church. To interpret the Scriptures well, and to be steeped in them to such an extent that our prayer and discipleship are shaped by them, we have to be reading the Word. In this episode, you’ll find advice on how to incorporate the habit of Bible reading into your life.
There’s a crisis in the headlines: students arriving at even elite colleges are overwhelmed at the thought of having to read … entire books. Is this apparent decline in literacy something Christians (as “people of the Book”) should be concerned about? In this episode, Cameron and Mark discuss why it should matter to us, and what might be to blame.
Grace just hosted an extraordinary conference with Dr. Dan Brendsel, the author of Answering Speech, and in this episode Mark shares a selection of his favorite moments from the event. You’ll discover how music — from pop songs to symphonies — illuminates the relationship between Scripture and prayer. And you’ll hear how the repeating motifs of the Bible’s story shape the way we live and pray in the story God is now writing in and through us.
Think you don’t have any enemies? Maybe you’re fortunate — or perhaps you’re in denial. The Psalms say plenty about enemies, and not all of it is comfortable to read, let alone pray! In this episode, Cameron shares some of the challenges of praying the Psalms in the twenty-first century, while Mark gives some context to help explain why the psalmist sometimes longs for such rough justice.
If you’re going to follow Christ, then you’ll have to make some sacrifices. But talking about sacrifice is so much easier than having to do it! In this episode, Cameron asks Mark how to prepare for those inevitable moments when you have to make a sacrifice.
It may be ancient history, but it’s relevant to so many questions we’re still asking today. That’s why Grace’s new adult Sunday School class is taking a deep dive into the history of the first five centuries of the church, from the Apostolic Era to the Council of Chalcedon and the fall of the Roman Empire in the West. In this episode, Cameron quizzes Mark about the value of knowing our history.
Over the summer at Grace, we’ve been reading Dan Brendsel’s Answering Speech, a profound — and practical — guide to the life of prayer. In this episode, Mark and Cameron share some of their favorite insights from the book. They also talk about Grace’s upcoming event with the author coming up on October 26-27, 2024.
The Commentary is back! Cameron and Mark are back in the studio, reflecting on lessons from Grace’s three-year journey through the Gospel of Matthew — and looking forward to a new adventure: a study of Ephesians. But first, to get acquainted, we’re exploring the beginnings of the church in Ephesus in Acts 19.
For three years, Mark has been preaching through Matthew’s Gospel — and so has his friend Luke Le Duc, pastor of Wheatland Presbyterian Church in Lancaster, PA. In this episode, Mark asks Luke about the greatest challenges, surprises, and insights this experience has prompted. Consider this a behind-the-scenes look at how two preachers approach the same text!
In this episode, Mark talks to Maestro Delta David Gier, music director of the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, about the lessons in transcendence and longing we can learn from artistic “God-seekers” like the composer Gustav Mahler. Particularly in our increasingly isolated and tech-mediated culture, art like this has the power to summon us to contemplate the higher things.
In this episode, Mark and Cameron share some of the lessons learned while getting their degrees — not in theology, but in creative writing! For Mark, the memory is almost a quarter century old, while for Cameron it’s current, but in both cases our hosts have discovered spiritual lessons from the writer’s workshop. From the importance of discipline to the need to separate your idea of self from your work, the principles are surprisingly applicable to the life of faith.
Cameron is back, and he has some questions about the Olivet Discourse, particularly the way that Jesus calls us to “stay awake.” In this episode, he and Mark unpack the meaning of that term, and explore the new perspective it lends to how we should wait for Christ’s return. Instead of being passively attentive, what if Jesus is calling us to a more active form of wakefulness?
Work isn’t a necessary evil, and leisure isn’t synonymous with idleness. These are just two of the myths busted in this episode. Mark talks to Worldview Academy executive director Mike Schutt about how thinking rightly about work and leisure help us improve the way we do both. Along the way, they roll their eyes as “work/life balance,” quibble with Aristotle, and explain why leisure sometimes requires a lot of, well, work.
Worldview thinking is a method of examining the underlying assumptions we all make in forming beliefs. In this episode, Mark talks with Worldview Academy co-founder Jeff Baldwin about an unexpected topic: the faith required to be a consistent atheist. We all take some things for granted, even those of us who claim to accept nothing on faith. This conversation will help you see that, and understand how it aids us in speaking with the self-professed “unbelievers” in our lives.
Unexamined assumptions have a powerful effect on your thinking, not because they’re convincing but because cause they are invisible. In this episode, Mark and Cameron discuss three assumptions — the myth of majority rules, the myth of progress, and the myth of nature — that don’t stand up to scrutiny, narratives that need to be challenged if you’re going to think clearly about the world.
THE COMMENTARY is a weekly conversation about vision, worship, and life at Grace Presbyterian Church.
Subscribe on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts or Spotify
THE COMMENTARY is a weekly conversation about vision, worship, and life at Grace Presbyterian Church. Since 2019, Mark has led a class line-by-line through the Westminster Confession of Faith. All the recordings are available as A Good Confession. As the end approaches, Cameron asks Mark why he chose to teach the class in the first place, and what his favorite parts of the Confession turned out to be.
Subscribe on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts or Spotify
At the beginning of a new sermon series on the Olivet Discourse, Mark suggested that biblical prophecy is a lot like an impressionist painting: it’s designed to be interpreted only from the proper distance. In this episode, Cameron and Mark explore this comparison and ask how it might be helpful for people who want to understand what the Bible says about the “last days” but are intimidated by all the complex theories and enigmatic solutions that often accompany the topic.
“All men are mortal,” or so the syllogism goes. But that’s easy to forget in the modern world, where the realities of suffering and death are concealed behind euphemisms and often hidden from sight. As Christians we acknowledge that death is inevitable — “it is appointed unto man once to die” — but also that death is a consequence of sin, the last enemy Christ will overcome. How do we live faithfully with the reality of death? That’s the question Mark and Cameron explore in this episode.
In this short episode at the beginning of Lent, Mark shares from the latest volume of Jonathan Gibson’s series of liturgies for daily worship, O Sacred Head Now Wounded, and then follows up with a recording of his reflection from this week’s Ash Wednesday service at Grace.
Is it a lecture? Is it a TED talk? Is it an entertaining bit of folksy wisdom? People have all sorts of ideas about what a sermon is, and what it’s for — most of them quite wrong! In this episode, Cameron and Mark talk about the sermon as an act of worship, one of the ordinary means of grace. What does this signify, and how does it influence the way a sermon is prepared, delivered, and heard? Let’s find out.
Your commenters are back! When people visit Grace, one of the unique features they often comment on is the Order of Worship, a multi-page printed booklet that contains our liturgy for the service, including music, prayers, texts, and all the usual announcements you’d expect to find in a church bulletin. In the first episode of 2024, Mark and Cameron explain why we produce these booklets every week rather than using screens or hymnals, and how you can use them to enhance your worship.
For the final episode of 2023, something a little more light-hearted than usual: Cameron and Mark review their personal bests (and in some cases, worsts) of the year through the lens of the five senses: sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch. Prepare to enter a little too deeply into the minds of our hosts — and enjoy a year-end roundup to tide you over until we return in January.
Mark and Cameron grasp toward a theology of "place" in this episode, looking at the way human beings are situated in places throughout Scripture and trying to apply the duties and joys observed there to our own quest to find a place in the world. As we increasingly work outside the office and have options to live wherever we choose, what does it mean to be committed to (and rooted in) a particular place? Let’s find out.
Following up on our last episode, Cameron and Mark talk about the experience of using Jonathan Gibson’s liturgy for daily worship O Come, O Come Emmanuel during the season of Advent. What is a book like this for, and how is this new volume different from the earlier one, Be Thou My Vision?
As we begin the season of Advent, Cameron poses a question: Is it quite right to describe this season as a time of “longing,” or would a better way to think of Advent be to to consider it a season of expectation. In this episode, he and Mark distinguish between longing and expectation, discuss the similarities and differences between Advent and Lent, and mix it up over how early in the year listening to Christmas music is permitted.
Mark’s recent sermon on the cursing of a fig tree in Matthew 21 left some unanswered questions about prayer, faith, and how the power of God relates to the plan of God. In this episode, he and Cameron return to the passage to consider an interesting point: when Jesus claimed that with a little faith mountains could be moved, was he simply wrong, or is it that no one has had enough faith (even through the bar is set so low)? Or is there another explanation entirely?
It’s hard to write a great novel these days, and those who manage find that the public isn’t exactly waiting with bated breath. In his recent book The Novel, Who Needs It? critic Joseph Epstein catalogs a list of what he terms “enemies of the novel.” In this episode, Mark tries to convince Cameron that these enemies threaten more than just the novel, though; they menace faithfulness and flourishing in general.
Earlier this week, Cameron made the momentous announcement that he was deactivating his social media accounts — something many of us have thought about, though few carry it out. In this episode, Mark (who hasn’t followed suit) asks about Cameron’s reasoning, and together they discuss whether social media is more a tool to be used wisely or a rigged game.
Tradition may start as a supplement to Scripture, but it has a tendency over time to serve as a replacement. At the same time, since tradition amounts to interpretation passed down through time, its presence is inescapable. In other words, you’re going to have a tradition. The question is, what will you do with it? In this episode, Mark and Cameron will talk about how we can benefit from tradition without lapsing into mere traditionalism.
One of the most fundamental questions when it comes to salvation is: “Who does the work?” Is salvation entirely a divine effort, or are we called upon to contribute — and if so, how much? In this episode, Cameron and Mark unpack the distinction between monergism and synergism, and how it relates to justification, sanctification, grace, and the call to obedience.
In this episode, Mark speaks to Worldview Academy co-founder Jeff Baldwin about work, risk, and the sense of calling. A longtime friend, Jeff takes a unique approach to risk, and as provost of Worldview at the Abbey, he’s counseled many young people at the start of their professional lives on how to pursue excellence and faithfulness in their work. Mark asks about the role of providence and not hedging your bets, as well as the virtue of endurance.
When he was invited to a chapel service at Bethlehem College and Seminary in Minneapolis, Mark spoke on 1 John 2.28-3.3. Between the text and some reminiscences about grad school days, he explored the relationship between how God names things and what they are. In this episode, we share that talk, titled “And So We Are.”
Cameron and his wife Jenny are new parents, and in this episode they talk to Mark about the challenges and the rewards of their journey through infertility to adoption. Sometimes hardship opens our eyes to the struggles of people all around us. It also compels us to rely on God when we have no power over our circumstances. If you’ve ever struggled with the unfulfilled longing, or the need to discern a new path forward, you’ll find encouragement in this conversation.
Mentioned in this episode:
Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families & Churches, by Russell Moore
If you’d asked at any point over the past few years what the greatest need of our church was, one of the top answers would have been room to grow. We’ve needed a larger space to meet, and now we have one. Grace has only been in the new digs for a little over a month, but already we have seen both the benefits and the questions. In this episode, Mark and Cameron chat about the blessings and challenges of the move.
The Commentary is back after our summer break, and Mark and Cameron tackle an essential topic inspired by Grace’s study of Matthew 18: the challenge of forming a forgiving church. For individual believers to practice the forgiveness we’re called to, we need a community that supports this Christ-like impulse. But culture doesn’t just happen. It has to be cultivated. What are we doing to make our church a place where forgiveness is not just talked about but practiced?
In this episode, Mark checks in with Grace’s new associate pastor Dan Reed to hear about the back-to-back experience of graduating from seminary one day and being ordained and installed as a teaching elder the next. Then he joins Cameron in the studio to talk about the passing of Tim Keller, and the lasting legacy of his example of faithfulness.
If we’re going to restore what is lost in our world, first we may need to withdraw from the skirmish and go in search of it ourselves. We retreat in order to accomplish the retrieval, always with a mind to return to the world for the restorative work. In this episode, Mark and Cameron talk about the pros and cons of the way contemporary authors have explored “options” for this task from the ancient practice of monasticism.
Mentioned in this episode:
“A Wild Christianity,” by Paul Kingsnorth (First Things)
How the Irish Saved Civilization, by Thomas Cahill
As people of the book, Christians have a special relationship to the art of reading. In this episode, Cameron quizzes Mark with a lightning round of questions about whether audiobooks count as reading, if it’s okay not to finish books you’ve started, and what to use when you need a makeshift bookmark. There are some more serious questions in the mix, too, concerning the purpose and benefits of reading.
“Young people are longing for transcendence.” Are they, though? And what exactly does transcendence mean? In this episode, Mark and Cameron take a shot at naming the longing that drives so many people to search for deeper, more historically grounded experiences of the Christian faith. A lot of us feel that something’s missing, and that we’re looking for it in the wrong places. This conversation directs that longing toward its proper end.
In this special episode, the first of Mark’s five VISION TALKS are collected in a single recording. These live recordings focus on the building blocks of Grace’s vision: the centrality of worship, church-planting, our unique DNA (longing for more grace, more depth, and more community), why our culture has to be as gracious as our theology, and why historic Christianity is our goal.
Inspired by Cameron’s re-reading of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s classic The Cost of Discipleship, this episode revisits the concept of “cheap grace.” If we’re saved by grace apart from works, it’s tempting to think that what we do is, at best, of secondary importance — and, at worst, of no importance at all. But the call to salvation is also a call to sacrifice, which means that while it may be free, grace is anything but cheap.
The crime of Christianity, in Nietzsche’s view, was its renunciation of life. He declared God dead and sought to sweep away the continuing influence of Christian morality. But as Cameron argues in a recent essay published on his site Conversant, the resurrection offers a powerful response to this criticism. As Easter approaches, Mark asks Cameron to share how the theological and philosophical implications of the resurrection come to our aid in answering Nietzsche, and what we still might have to learn from his critique.
Mentioned in this episode:
Why Nietzsche Loathed Christianity, by Cameron D. Brooks (via Conversant)
Culture and the Death of God, by Terry Eagleton
If you’ve ever wondered how pastors get from a text in Scripture to a finished sermon, this one’s for you. Part spiritual discipline and part stewardship, the process of understanding and then proclaiming the message of Scripture is much more involved than an introductory class on homiletics might suggest. Special guest and “friend of the pod” Luke Le Duc joins Mark in the studio to explore the secrets of sermon prep.
They haven’t read much farther than the introduction, but that doesn’t stop Mark and Cameron from discussing the new book Biblical Critical Theory, by Christopher Watkin. In this episode, they walk through some of the introductory concepts that make this such a promising text, and discuss how it might redeem critical theory and refresh worldview studies all at once.
Mentioned in this episode:
Biblical Critical Theory, by Christopher Watkin
Cameron has read Eugene Vodolazkin’s novel Laurus twice already, while Mark hasn’t managed to get past the first fifty pages. In this episode, they compare notes on the book, sharing what resonated (and what didn’t). They also discuss the relationship of a writer’s theology to his fiction, and talk about how reading someone else’s attempt to theologize in prose can shape one’s own efforts.
As “good things run wild” at Grace, we’re faced with some welcome challenges, including the need to be good stewards of growth. In this episode, Cameron quizzes Mark about the vision of Grace and its practical application when it comes to finding solutions to our need for more space to worship. While we cannot always realize our vision immediately, it helps to have the end in mind as we figure out strategies to get there.
In this episode, Mark is joined by Rev. Luke Le Duc for a discussion of Grace’s Ash Wednesday liturgy. They also talk about the different between Advent longing and the “bright sadness” of the season of Lent. We hope this conversation will make for a helpful start to the season.
While Cameron vacations on the beaches of Florida, Mark soldiers on! This time, he’s joined by Delta David Gier, music director of what Alex Ross in the New Yorker called “one of America’s boldest orchestras,” the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra. Mark asks David about faith and music, and they talk about the work of Crescendo North America, a professional organization for Christian classical and jazz musicians.
Picking up from last week’s discussion of parables, this episode takes on the question of narrative, storytelling, and fiction. Does the fact that Jesus teaches in parables tell us anything about the value of literature? Should we avoid reading made-up stories in favor of factual books, or are there truths that can only be grasped by way of fiction? Mark and Cameron tackle these questions and more.
Mentioned in this episode:
Cameron refers to Eugene Vodolaskin’s 2012 novel Laurus and Zane Grey’s classic western Riders of the Purple Sage (1912). He also mentions Wendell Berry. Mark cites Flannery O’Connor, Graham Greene, and Walker Percy. He also throws in James Lee Burke and Georges Simenon.
The parables of Jesus are often cited in contemporary discussions about storytelling, narrative theology, and even learning styles. But when the disciples ask Jesus in Matthew 13 why he teaches this way, his explanation takes us in a very different direction. In this episode, Mark and Cameron lay a foundation for interpreting the parables of Matthew 13 in light of the rationale Jesus gives.
Throughout the history of the Church, there has been a tension between the life of the mind and the life of action, between people focused on knowing the truth deeply and people focused on practicing it. In this episode, Cameron and Mark explore the limits of knowledge and ask whether knowing too much can become an obstacle to faith.
In this episode, Mark and Cameron take on a difficult topic: literal hell. The Bible says less about heaven and hell than you might expect — and a lot of what it teaches comes to us in the form of analogy, where things that are too wonderful (or too terrible) for the human mind are revealed through comparison to what we do understand. But if we’re going to pass down the faith once for all delivered to the saints, the Bible’s teaching about final judgment is something we need to address.
“In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; and in all things, charity.” This famous saying has been attributed to various Church figures, including Augustine of Hippo — who did not say it. Whatever the source, it’s become a popular sentiment in the modern church. There’s just one problem, though: the Bible doesn’t flag its essential and non-essential teachings for us. That’s up to the interpreter … and one person’s essential may be another’s non-essential, and vice versa. In this episode, Mark and Cameron interrogate this hierarchy of doctrine and ask whether applying the ‘non-essential’ label to anything in Scripture is really such a good idea.
Feel like you don’t have enough time for the things that really matter? You’re not alone. Most of us have a sense that time is passing too quickly, that we’re missing out — a feeling made worse by images all around us of other people having a meaningful time. In this episode, Cameron and Mark discuss the tension between two Greek concepts — kairos and chronos — to find out how we can recover some of our lost time.
Mentioned in this episode:
Living by Kairos Time in a Chronos World
Scripture compares believers in Christ to strangers and exiles, people whose home is not in this world or this time. What does it mean to be an exile, though? Apathy, alienation, and powerlessness are all associated with this idea … but what about hope? In this episode, Mark and Cameron think through the implications of the exile metaphor for Christian life.
Christmas Day falls on a Sunday this year, which has led to a debate on the Internet about canceling church services. At Grace, we’ll be meeting for worship this Sunday. In this episode, Mark and Cameron discuss why this is — and try to unpack the assumptions about holidays and worship that make the dispute so illuminating.
Last time we discussed disagreement on the internet, but what happens when it shows up on your doorstep? In this episode, Cameron shares a recent experience talking to some door-to-door evangelists and asks Mark for advice on how to balance the needs of apologetics and missional persuasion.
There is no square inch over which Christ does not declare his sovereignty — including social media! In this episode, Mark and Cameron confront the double standard that allows us to treat people decently when we’re face to face but abominably when we’re on the internet. Before you post another angry rant, let’s think about how to stay Christian on social media.
Who would you be willing to throw under the bus for the greater good? Who could we get rid of to enjoy a more united, more harmonious community? Who would you be willing to trade to accomplish something you really believe in? Questions like this sound pretty abhorrent in the abstract … but in our everyday lives, we entertain them more often than we’d like to admit. This is Human Sacrifice — not in the literal sense, but metaphorically — and in this episode we discuss the way Jesus confronts the many ways we devalue the people all around us.
“What are you thankful for? Have you counted your many blessings and named them one by one?” These are the inevitable questions whenever the Thanksgiving holiday rolls around, and for many of us, they spark an uncomfortable realization: that we do not feel as grateful as we should. In this episode, we approach the topic of gratitude from the perspective of those who struggle with it. Where does gratitude come from? What are the obstacles in its way? And is there anything an ingrate can do to cultivate a greater sense of thankfulness?
In Matthew 11, Jesus hints at the unfolding mystery of divine election — a timely topic for Mark, who is writing a devotional on Ephesians 1.4 at the moment. In this episode, Cameron asks Mark about the doctrine of election and predestination. Is it an inexplicable puzzle better left unexplored? Why does the Bible teach these things in the first place? And how should we feel about the idea of God choosing us?
“A Good Confession” is the name the adult Sunday School class Mark teaches, a line-by-line exposition of the Westminster Confession of Faith. As the class reaches Chapter 20, devoted to the freedom of the Christian conscience, a complex picture is emerging of how the divines apply the Bible’s teaching on this subject. In this episode, Mark and Cameron explore some of the tensions inherent in trying to balance the demands of duty and the constraints of conscience.
We’ve tackled some serious topics in past episodes of The Commentary — but this is not one of those conversations. Instead, Cameron and Mark will tackle the heady subject of Halloween. Are the traditions of this controversial celebration at odds with Christian faith, or is it okay to dress up in a costume and go trick-or-treating? And can we agree to disagree on matters like this without violating sensitive consciences?
It’s often said that the Reformers — and later, the Pilgrims — advocated for religious liberty, which is understood to mean “the freedom to believe whatever you want.” But is this really the kind of freedom they had in mind? In this episode, Mark and Cameron discuss the tensions between the biblical (and classical) understanding of liberty as the freedom to pursue the good versus the later enlightenment idea of liberty as the freedom to pursue whatever you want.
As Mark prepares for a long-anticipated Paris vacation, Cameron asks what our theology can teach us about the role of work, rest, refreshment, and (yes!) vacation. Is the God-given purpose of leisure merely to recharge our batteries for more work, or does it point us toward something deeper? Is rest more than just the absence of work? In this episode, we explore these questions and more.
The Shorter Catechism famously asserts that “man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.” It sounds great — but what does it mean? In this episode, Cameron asks Mark to explain what the Westminster perspective on human purpose really is, and how we might actually go about fulfilling that purpose.
In Matthew 10.23, Jesus says: “You will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.” What does Jesus mean when he refers to the coming of the Son of Man? Scholars debate the interpretation of this reference, and in this episode Cameron and Mark will weigh three of the major theories and explain why our sermon series at Grace has chosen the third as most compelling.
It’s time for a recap of Mark’s trip to Washington, D.C. for the Bible Craftsmanship Conference. In this episode, Mark tells Cameron about what it was like to visit the Museum of the Bible for the first time, and describes the tours and talks accompanying the launch of the Society of Bible Craftsmanship.
Mentioned in this episode:
Lectio - Read Mark’s writing on the topic of Bible design
“What Makes a Good, Readable Bible?” - Mark’s interview on the Museum of the Bible’s podcast
Episode 077: Knowing God and Knowing Ourselves
Calvin’s Institutes famously opens with the assertion that all human knowledge consists of knowing God and knowing ourselves. These two forms of knowledge are interconnected and possibly inseparable — and they are the focus of this episode of The Commentary. Here, Mark and Cameron reflect on the many different areas of life where this fundamental observation of Calvin’s shines a light on our thinking.
Mentioned in this episode:
Institutes of the Christian Religion (1541 Edition) from Banner of Truth
If you can get past the poor audio quality in this episode, you’ll hear a wide-ranging discussion of Christian mysticism. What is the role of mystery in the Christian faith? For those of us with a bent toward systematic theology and precise doctrinal formulations, mysticism often raises red flags. Is this skepticism justified, or is there a danger of mission out on something vital if we take too dismissive a stance toward mystery and mysticism? Mark and Cameron try to unravel a mystery or two in this conversation.
The Missionary Discourse in Matthew 10 gives Jesus’s instructions to the apostles as he sends them out to proclaim the presence of the kingdom. Imagine a whole chapter devoted to practical preparation on how to do the mission of the Church well! The strange thing is, Jesus doesn’t talk about a lot of topics we might consider essential for that kind of instruction — and he includes things we wouldn’t, as well. In this episode, Mark reflects on what’s missing from the missionary discourse, why it’s missing, and what we might be missing about the mission of the Church.
In this episode Mark flies solo for two segment and is joined at the end by Dan Reed, Grace’s director of discipleship and education. Mark will introduce a new sermon series on Matthew’s so-called “missionary discourse” in Chapter 10, a study we’re calling The Apostolic Foundation. Then he’ll talk about the upcoming Bible Craftsmanship Conference at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D. C., where he will be speaking. Finally, Dan and Mark will catch up on summer actives at Grace and preview what’s coming in September.
Mentioned in this episode:
Lectio - Read Mark’s writing on the topic of Bible design
Bible Craftsmanship Conference - Attend online Saturday, August 27
The City for God is a new collection of essays published in honor of Tim Keller, perhaps the most recognized name in our denomination, the Presbyterian Church in America. Mark will talk about what it was like to contribute to this volume, and together he and Cameron will discuss the influence of Tim Keller on our church, and the church in general.
Mentioned in this episode:
The City for God: Essays in Honor of Tim KellerKeller’s Questioning Christianity podcast
Keller’s interview with Mike Cosper
Trevin Wax’s articles on the “Negative World” concept
King’s Cross, by Tim Keller
Center Church, by Tim Keller
We have another book recommendation, but this one is somewhat unique. In this episode, Cameron quizzes Mark about his 2007 book Rethinking Worldview, one of the volumes every new member at Grace receives as a gift. What made Mark write this book, and what can we learn from its three-fold focus on worldview, wisdom, and witness?
Mentioned in this episode:
Rethinking Worldview: Learning to Think, Live, and Speak in This World, by J. Mark Bertrand
The culture practices discipleship just as surely as the Church — if anything, the world’s efforts are greater. This forming power is inescapable. But that doesn’t mean that it is unanswerable. In this episode, Mark and Cameron think about what Christian discipleship needs to look like in a culture that is actively molding us in its image. The key may be as simple as realizing that true discipleship is friction.
In its call to the world, the Church inevitably reveals how it perceives sinners. Should our message be one of acceptance, or should it demand a changed life? Based on Matthew 9, Cameron and Mark attempt to figure out whether how we see sinners matches up with the practice of Jesus.
This time it’s Cameron’s turn to make a book recommendation. In this episode, he suggests a collection of writings by Dr. Jeremy Begbie titled A Peculiar Orthodoxy: Reflections on Theology and the Arts, whichencourages creative Christians to see the benefits of theological orthodoxy in general, and even the merits of Reformed orthodoxy in particular.
Mentioned in this episode:
A Peculiar Orthodoxy: Reflections on Theology and the Arts, by Jeremy S. Begbie
Digging deeper into a point made during Mark’s recent sermon on Matthew 8, this episode explores the divine gift of authority, as well as its all too frequent abuse at the hands of sinners. Cameron and Mark will touch on aspects of a recent report on abuse in the PCA, as well as the Westminster Larger Catechism’s teaching on power and its intended uses.
Mentioned in this episode:
ByFaith Online: “PCA Abuse Study Committee Releases Its Report”
The Commentary, Episode 36: “Presbyterians Need Presbytery”
This episode is one long reading recommendation! During a recent power outage, Mark read Sinclair Ferguson’s The Whole Christ by candlelight. Now, he attempts to summarize the historical controversy in the eighteenth century Scottish church which serves as a backdrop tot he book, as well as several key takeaways from the reading.
Mentioned in this episode:
The Whole Christ: Legalism, Antinomianism, and Gospel Assurance, by Sinclair Ferguson
In this episode, Mark and Cameron wrap up Grace’s recent sermon series on the Sermon on the Mount with a discussion about what it means to “do” Christ’s words. Then they shift gears to talk about the next series: Royal Authority: The Rule & Reign of God’s Anointed in Matthew chapters 8-9.
Following up on our recent episode on vocation, Cameron and Mark dig deeper into the challenge of pursuing our work as believers. What does it take to do you job in a Christian way? How are we supposed to balance the demands of work with those of faith?
One of the distinctive experiences for newcomers to Grace is the way we celebrate the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper every Sunday. In this episode, Mark and Cameron touch on the theology, but focus mostly on the practicalities of how our communion services work and why they are accompanied by so much joy.
Twitter is in the news, but our commenters aren’t concerned about who owns the platform. Instead, Cameron and Mark have devoted an entire show to a Twitter meme: naming favorite (and least favorite) theologians. Will their picks surprise you? Enjoy this “special” episode and find out.
This episode focuses on a practical question that many Christians ask: what does God want me to do with my life? What calling should I pursue? And how do I know that I’m in the right situation? Mark and Cameron discuss why, if you’re having these thoughts, the one thing you shouldn’t do without some thought is hit the reset button.
During Holy Week, Mark and Cameron have been reflecting on the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, inspired by a sermon by Dan Reed, Grace’s director of discipleship and education. According to Mark’s Gospel, after entering the city, Jesus heads to the Temple to “look around at everything.” In this episode, we ask why the Temple is his destination, and what it must have been like to look around it with the cross in mind.
Mentioned in this episode:
“Hosanna in the Highest: Christ the King and the Coming Cross,” by Dan Reed
When we share grace in the community where God has placed us, does that mean sharing the gospel, too? Of course it does! In this episode, Cameron and Mark talk about Grace’s approach to evangelism, and why, if you’re asking yourself how to share the gospel, it might be more important to focus on loving more rather than getting more training.
In this episode, Mark and Cameron debrief Grace’s Hearing the Music event. With help from remarks Delta David Gier made while unpacking the St Matthew Passion, they ask how music like Bach’s can inspire what we aim for in worship, and how the church should think about its inheritance of sublime sacred music.
As Grace’s journey through the Sermon on the Mount continues, Cameron and Mark tackle the complicated question of how to think about money. Jesus warns that our hearts are set on whatever we treasure, and that we cannot serve God and Mammon. But how do we reconcile the call to value spiritual rather than physical things with the reality that God created a physical world and declared it good?
What if the greatest composer in human history set the passion narrative of Christ to music? As a matter of fact, he did. In this episode, Mark talks to talks to Maestro Delta David Gier, music director of the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra about Bach’s St. Matthew Passion — a preview of a special event Grace will host later this month called Hearing the Music: The St. Matthew Passion. We’ll also hear from another member of the Grace community, Hannah Larsen, about her experience using the St. Matthew Passion for Lenten devotions.
Mentioned in this episode:
Matthew 26-27 Passion Narrative
Hearing the Music (podcast featuring David and Mark)
Details on the April 2 SDSO performance of the St. Matthew Passion
In this episode, Cameron asks Mark about the way Grace marks the season of Lent, in particular Ash Wednesday. And then the discussion turns to Grace’s unique D-N-A, the longings for more grace, more depth, and more community that keep bringing us together as a church.
Mentioned in this episode:
Grace D-N-A
Jesus tells us to turn the other cheek and not resist evil-doers, but in a fallen world, wouldn’t that kind of passivity open the door for evil to triumph? In this episode, Cameron and Mark put the Sermon on the Mount in its uncomfortable but essential context. They also discuss the various ways Christian theology has approached the idea of a “just war.”
Mentioned in this episode:
Pierre Viret’s Concept of a Just War, by Robert D. Linder
It’s time for an update from Mark and Cameron on how daily worship has been going since we introduced Be Thou My Vision in Episode 50. What has it been like to use the liturgy, and what happens when you miss a day? Also, Mark recommends another book that touches on topics we’ve discussed in the past: baptism and the Sabbath.
Mentioned in this episode:
Be Thou My Vision (hardcover at Westminster Books)
Be Thou My Vision (Kindle edition)
I Will Build My Church, by Thomas Witherow (hardcover at Westminster Books)
In this episode, Mark talks to Cameron about an upcoming talk he’s going to give for Worldview Academy. The topic is “Creative Christians in a Cancel Culture.” It’s a conversation aimed at helping Christians with creative gifts think about how to make a worthwhile and faithful contribution to the world.
Mentioned in this episode:
Creative Christians in a Cancel Culture (Worldview Academy)
Does God require us to rest on Sunday? Is the Fourth Commandment still in effect, or has it been fulfilled — and done away with — by Christ? What did Jesus mean when he said the Sabbath was made for man, not the other way around? We tackle these questions and much more in this episode.
Mentioned in this episode:
Westminster Confession of Faith (scroll down to Chapter 21, Section 8)
Principles of Conduct: Aspects of Biblical Ethics, by John Murray
In this episode, Cameron and Mark talk about anger — specifically the rights and wrongs of being angry at God. As we’ve worked our way through the Sermon on the Mount at Grace, it’s impossible to ignore Jesus’ teaching on anger in Matthew 5. Yet we are angry people, shaped by a culture that puts a premium on being angry. If you’re not angry, we’re told, then you’re not paying attention. And when that anger is directed at God … well, as you’ll see, it gives us plenty to talk about.
During last year’s episode on prayer, Mark pined for some kind of “liturgy for daily worship,” a set pattern for Reformed devotion that fell somewhere between the complexity of the Book of Common Prayer and the informality of simply reading a daily dose of Scripture followed by extemporaneous prayer. With the publication of Jonathan Gibson’s Be Thou My Vision: A Liturgy for Daily Worship, has this longing been satisfied? In this episode, Mark — who has been using the liturgy since the first of the year — introduces Cameron — who is seeing it for the first time — to the pros and cons. By the end, Mark even contradicts his basic character by recommending the e-book version.
Mentioned in this episode:
Be Thou My Vision (hardcover at Westminster Books)
Be Thou My Vision (Kindle edition)
THE COMMENTARY is a weekly conversation about vision, worship, and life at Grace Presbyterian Church.
Subscribe on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts or Spotify
It’s 2022 and if there’s one thing we should have learned by now about people in the twenty-first century it’s that they have an aversion to old-fashioned commitments. Oh, and to ritual. In this episode, Mark and Cameron unpack why, despite this knowledge, Grace continues to receive members in a formal way, administering ancient vows before the gathered church. They even argue that modern people like us can benefit profoundly from this approach!
Mentioned in this episode:
Membership at Grace — Including the five vows and frequently asked questions
THE COMMENTARY is a weekly conversation about vision, worship, and life at Grace Presbyterian Church.
Subscribe on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts or Spotify
In the final episode of The Commentary for 2021, Mark and Cameron discuss two guardrails for “doing” in the beatitudes, resolutions for the New Year, and the beauty of gift-giving at Christmas.
Have we finally jumped the shark? In this dog-eat-dog world, it was bound to happen sooner or later. In this episode, Mark and Cameron — both “cat people,” by the way — discuss pets (and animals in general) from a theological perspective. Why do human beings have pets? Will we be reunited with those animals in heaven? These questions are more are explored.
Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, we observe the season of Advent, a time to reflect on our longing for Christ’s return. Like the Israelites who waited for the Messiah to come, we too are waiting for his return. In this episode, Mark and Cameron cover the basics of Advent — what it is, how it relates to the rest of the calendar, and how this time of preparation changes the way we celebrate Christmas itself.
Keeping with the theme of our last episode, sanctification, Cameron and Mark dig deeper into the role of our emotional responses — particularly when it comes to “feeling” God’s presence. Is there a difference between feeling close to God and being close to God? Could it be that the way to draw near to God — both for those struggling for a sense of God’s presence, and for those whose faith has never been tested — is one and the same?
Mentioned in this episode:
The Practice of the Presence of God, by Brother Lawrence
The word is complicated, but the idea is simple: sanctification is the process of growing more and more like Jesus Christ. In other words, growing in holiness. In this episode, Mark and Cameron unpack the basics — what sanctification is, what it isn’t, and (perhaps most importantly) who does the work.
With the holidays approaching, Cameron and Mark discuss the theology of eating and drinking in anticipation of a season of, well, eating and drinking. The Bible’s teachings about food and drink are complex, but by thinking in terms of how creation, fall, and redemption impact our dependence on food, we can appreciate how to eat and drink to the glory of God.
Mentioned in this episode:
For the Life of the World: Letters to the Exiles
For the Life of the World, by Alexander Schmemann
The Supper of the Lamb, by Robert Farrar Capon
Mark was featured on the cover of the November 2021 issue of Bible Study Magazine, prompting Cameron to ask some follow-up questions on designing, reading, and even annotating the Bible.
Mentioned in this episode:
A Revolution in Bible Design: Meet the People Who Designed Your Bible, by Mark Ward
What is it, exactly, that we celebrate when we remember Reformation Day? Cameron and Mark explore that question in this episode, with a focus on why the Reformation still matters more than five centuries later, and what it means to be “always reforming.”
This is the 40th episode of The Commentary, and we are returning to a topic we tackled back in Episode 16 — politics! What happens when the Bible challenges your deeply-held political convictions? What are the signs that you’re letting your politics override your faith? Cameron and Mark dig into these questions and try to understand the right place of politics in the larger conception of the true, good, and beautiful.
Mentioned in this episode:
The Evangelical Church is Breaking Apart, by Peter Wehner
In this episode, Mark and Cameron share their love of the Reformation-era theologian John Calvin, one of the unsung shapers of the modern world. Specifically, they discuss the pleasures of reading Calvin, and the insights to be gained not only from his systematic theology but from his expositions of Scripture.
Mentioned in this episode:
J. I. Packer’s introduction to Owen’s The Death of Death in the Death of Christ
Calvin, by Bruce Gordon
Institutes of the Christian Religion(1541 Edition, Banner of Truth)
John Calvin: Steward of God’s Covenant: Selected Writings, preface by Marilynne Robinson
How does the design of a printed Bible influence the way it’s used? That’s the question Mark and Cameron pick up on in this episode. Traditionally, Bibles have been been designed to make it easier to look things up — like a dictionary! — with the unintended consequence of making them harder to read. The good news is, that's beginning to change.
Mentioned in this episode:
Bible Design Blog (Mark’s long-running blog about Bible design)
“Why Do Bibles Today Look So Good?” J. Mark Bertrand of the Bible Design Blog (YouTube)
The more information bombarding us, the more our capacity to pay attention seems to shrink. Could the process of regaining your ability to tune out distractions be as simple as reading a poem? In this episode, Cameron lays out the case for reading poetry now more than ever, while Mark asks how the same approach can be applied to Scripture.
Mentioned in this episode:
“Training Our Attention: Why We All Need Poetry Now” (Cameron Brooks)
Is there more to presbyterian church government than just having elders? In this episode, Mark and Cameron discuss another key factor: the checks and balances provided by the church’s “higher courts.” In addition, they talk about why Grace’s adult Sunday School class is tackling the Westminster Confession line by line.
Mentioned in this episode:
A Good Confession: Sunday School Recordings
In this week’s episode, Mark and Cameron take a look at the Gospel According to Matthew — the subject of Grace’s new sermon series — from a 30,000 foot perspective. They talk about how this book relates to the other Synoptic Gospels, and how its unique structure informs our reading. There are also a few tips as we get started in this inaugural New Testament text.
Cameron returns after a two-episode break with questions on Mark’s two most recent sermons. First comes the suggestion that Joseph, husband of Mary, despite his relatively brief time on stage in the gospel narrative, may offer an excellent model for biblical manhood. Then the conversation turns to the “mark of the beast.” Is it a literal marking of the flesh, or should we interpret the mark differently? What context does the rest of Scripture give us for thinking about the significance of marked foreheads?
THE COMMENTARY is a weekly conversation about vision, worship, and life at Grace Presbyterian Church.
Subscribe on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts or Spotify
If music in Christian worship serves as “sung prayer,” then it makes sense that we should pay close attention to the lyrics we sing. In this episode, Cameron and Mark unpack the theological layers of a hymn sung recently at Grace, and try to explain how lyrical theology can strengthen us just as much as the systematic kind.
Is a literal reading of Scripture always best? In this episode, Mark and Cameron discuss the challenges of accurate interpretation, especially when it comes to poetry and prophetic literature. As we approach the end of our study of Zechariah, it’s a good time to reflect on the importance of interpreting spiritual things spiritually.
Mentioned in this episode:
Reimagining Apologetics, by Justin Ariel Bailey
Apologetics at the Cross, by Josh Chatraw and Mark D. Allen
Some Christians give the impression that the only true believers are the ones who belong to their particular church — or perhaps their denomination. At Grace, we have a more optimistic view of God’s work in the broader body of Christ. In this episode, Mark and Cameron discuss that optimism, and the confidence from which it flows.
Mentioned in this episode:
“Lost Friendships Break Hearts and Nations,” by David French
Mentioned in this episode:
The Art of Manliness
Culture and the Death of God, by Terry Eagleton
Smalls Groups at Grace
Mentioned in this episode
ESV Reader’s Bible
https://www.christianbook.com/esv-readers-bible-cloth-hardcover/9781433544149/pd/544149
Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties, by Gleason Archer
https://www.christianbook.com/new-international-encyclopedia-of-bible-difficulties/gleason-archer/9780310241461/pd/41464
Exegetical Fallacies, by D. A. Carson
https://www.christianbook.com/exegetical-fallacies-second-edition-d-a-carson/9780801020865/pd/20867
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Pastor Mark’s book, Rethinking Worldview
In this episode, Cameron and Mark discuss covenant theology, the distinctive lens through which we read the story of Scripture. Mark also talks with Dan Reed about the church as a gracious community, introducing Dan’s new sermon series on the book of Titus.
How you interpret the Bible will ultimately rest on what you perceive the Bible to be. In this episode, Mark and Cameron contrast the Westminster Confession’s strong affirmation of biblical inspiration and authority with those who take Scripture to be merely a human document. They also discuss why doxology is so important to our worship, and what to expect in Grace’s final sermon series on Zechariah.
The task of rebuilding our community in the post-pandemic world is immense. There are so many needs! In this episode, Cameron and Mark talk about why we should start by rebuilding relationships. Starting with rebuilding lessons from Haggai and Zechariah, they discuss simple, practical ways to get the process started.
Mentioned in this episode:
“The Fading of Forgiveness,” by Tim Keller
https://www.cardus.ca/comment/article/the-fading-of-forgiveness/
In this episode, Mark and Cameron tackle the question of whether a church like Grace is too conservative, or not conservative enough. Do political labels like this translate well to theology, or is there a better way of understanding who we are? In an age where “everything is political,” are there still some things — the gospel, for example — which transcend politics? In addition, following up on last week’s episode, we will suggest addition resources to help cultivate a life of prayer.
Mentioned in this episode:
Practical Religion, by J. C. Ryle
https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/christian-living/practical-religion-2/
A Guide to Prayer, by Issac Watts
https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/christian-living/a-guide-to-prayer/
A Way to Pray: A Biblical Method for Enriching Your Prayer Life, by Matthew Henry and O. Palmer Robertson
https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/christian-living/way-to-pray/
Prayers on the Psalms: From the Scottish Psalter of 1595https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/devotional-books/prayers-on-the-psalms/
The Piety of John Calvin: A Collection of His Spiritual Prose, Poems, and Hymns, edited by Ford Lewis Battles
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0875520596
A Christian Directory, by Richard Baxter (Online Edition)
http://digitalpuritan.net/richard-baxter/
All too often, our conversations about prayer focus on how to think about it rather than how to do it. In this episode, Cameron and Mark do their best to focus on the practical, commenting on what prayer actually is, how it is learned, and what resources are helpful for cultivating a habit of prayer.
As we work through the “fasting oracles” in Zechariah 7-8, Mark and Cameron dig into the all-too-human habit of substituting man-made rituals for what God commands. From prescriptive musical pronouncements to prohibitions on smoking, drinking, and dancing, this episode tries to understand the reasons we add to Scripture … and what to do about it.
To read Cameron’s poem and see Zach’s accompanying painting, visit the Vanora Project online here:
https://www.vanoraproject.com/works/remember-i-the-end-of-confession
The exhibition of their work at Coffea Roasterie in downtown Sioux Falls begins May 2 and runs through Summer 2021.
Mark and Cameron comment on ways to observe the season of Easter … after Easter Sunday is done. They also discuss how the world, in John Calvin’s phrase, is “the theater of God’s glory,” and why there is no square inch of creation over which Jesus doesn’t say: “This is mine.”
Mark and Cameron are joined once again by Dan Reed to unpack an unusual topic: mountains. Mountains are a recurring image throughout Scripture, and in this episode we try to understand what these geographical high points have to do with spiritual reality.
The South Dakota Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Haydn’s The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross begins at the 1:22:40 mark here:
https://www.facebook.com/SDSymphony/videos/923279091767716/
To listen to Mark’s podcast with SDSO’s Maestro Delta David Gier about Bach’s St John Passion, visit:
https://www.hearingthemusic.org
The conversation references a series of questions and answers from the Westminster Shorter Catechism (Q. 23-26). You can find the catechism online in PDF form here:
https://www.pcaac.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ShorterCatechismwithScriptureProofs.pdf
To listen to Dan’s sermon “The Serpent and the Savior,” follow this link:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-serpent-and-the-savior/id601540290?i=1000512938357
In this episode, Mark and Cameron are joined by Dan Reed to talk about how to prepare for worship—especially for hearing a sermon. We’ll also share some eureka moments from seminary education, and explain why you should always take the Order of Worship home with you after a worship service.
In this episode, Cameron asks Mark about how the sacrament of baptism in the Reformed faith works as a means of grace. They unpack how this differs from both the stereotypical Roman Catholic and Evangelical/Baptist perspectives. This leads to some commentary on the Lord’s Supper, too — particularly how to think about Christ’s “real, but spiritual” presence at the Table.
In this episode, Cameron and Mark comment on the way that fasting physical fasting can make room in your life for spiritual feasting. They also discuss why Christians need to recover an understanding of ourselves as sojourners and exiles. And, if you’re looking for some extra reading between now and Easter, they make a challenging suggestion: Dostoevsky.
Mentioned in this episode …
Stop Reading the News: A Manifesto for a Happier, Calmer and Wiser Life, by Rolf Dobelli
Church Fathers Lenten Reading Plan: With Texts
“The Grand Inquisitor,” from The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoevsky
In this episode, Cameron and Mark comment on what “the day of small things” in Zechariah’s prophecy should teach us about our own humble circumstances, about how liturgy in worship and the church calendar can shape us for discipleship, and what the transfiguration revealed about who Jesus really is.
Mark and Cameron comment on what the concert hall can teach you about prayer, how Grace incorporates the psalms into every worship service, and why it’s so important in theology to cultivate a sense of mystery … without using mystery as a veil to obscure what the Bible actually reveals.
In this episode, Mark and Cameron talk about the interesting connections between prophecy and history in the Old Testament, what it means to “live without walls,” and whether the prophet Zechariah, who said the New Jerusalem would have no walls, actually got it wrong — since Revelation 21 definitively mentions those walls!
In the debut episode of THE COMMENTARY, Pastor Mark and co-commentator Cameron Brooks discuss changing the lyrics of questionable songs, why the Apostle Paul thought "the present form of this world" was passing away, how to go deeper in our current sermon series on Zechariah, and what to do if you're already in over your head.