Reality Church Vancouver Teachings Podcast: Recent Episodes
Reality Church Vancouver
As we begin to close our discernment on being Open to the Spirit, this sermon encourages us to embrace the Spirit’s guidance and power by trusting God in our hesitations, supporting one another’s gifts, and growing together in love. Using Ephesians 4 and the image of a fishing reel, it highlights the tension between human effort and divine strength as necessary for spiritual maturity and unity. Recorded June 15, 2025.
In this teaching, we explore the fivefold ministry gifts described in Ephesians 4—Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd, and Teacher—often referred to as APEST - which are given to the church to equip believers and build up the body of Christ. We look at the unique function and heart of each gift, how they worked together in the early church, and how they might be expressed in our communities today. Re-recorded June 9, 2025.
This week’s sermon explores the Power Gifts—a category of spiritual gifts meant to tangibly demonstrate that God is real, active, and present. Rooted in 1 Corinthians 12, the message invites listeners to consider how we might be open to God’s “supernatural” work in our lives and church, despite modern skepticism. Apologies - the first minute of the recording was cut out. Recorded June 1, 2025.
In this teaching, we’re diving into the category of spiritual gifts called the “word gifts": teaching, encouraging / exhorting, evangelism and prophecy. In this season of discerning how to be Open to the Spirit, we invite you to ask yourself: What’s He stirring in me? And am I willing to say yes, even if it feels uncomfortable? Recorded May 25, 2025.
As we continue exploring how to remain open to the Spirit, we turn our focus to one of the major themes of the Holy Spirit’s work in the Bible: spiritual gifts. This week, we’re looking specifically at the gifts that fall under the “love” category, with the hope of learning about them, celebrating them, and encouraging their use within our community.
Recorded on May 18, 2025.
This week, we wrap up the introduction to our Open to the Spirit series by exploring a crucial question: How can we tell when the Holy Spirit is at work—in us and in our church? The teaching unpacks four key markers of the Spirit’s activity: love, hope and faith, the building up of community, and a Spirit-led unity. These goals and guidelines help us stay grounded as we learn to live more open to God’s presence and power. Recorded May 11, 2025.
This week we look at the challenge and example of Holy Spirit's presence and power in the early church in Acts and discuss some barriers to the Holy Spirit's ministry in our community. Recorded May 4, 2025.
As we transition into a new season in the church calendar and a new sermon series, we ask why we don't experience Jesus' death and resurrection as good news - and how we can. Recorded April 27, 2025.
As we close our series exploring the question, "Why did Jesus have to die?" in the gospel of Mark, we look at the good news exclaimed to the women at the tomb, "If you're looking for Jesus, He is risen!" We hear how we are invited to receive the good news of the resurrection, practice the resurrection and keep company with the risen Jesus. Recorded April 20, 2025.
As we prepare to wrap our series, we recap the Gospel of Mark's answers to the question "Why Jesus had to die?" and look at some practical tips and vision for being witnesses to the good news of Jesus. Recorded April 13, 2025.
This week, we continue examining Jesus's transformation of the Passover meal in Mark 14. The disciples, and us by extension, face real barriers to following Jesus into a changed life but are invited to share about these barriers and look to Jesus' leadership to receive Jesus' invitation to change. Recorded April 6, 2025.
This week, we explore another answer from Mark's gospel to the question "Why did Jesus have to die?". By aligning his death within the story and practice of Passover, Jesus envisions his death as a new covenant declaration calling God's people to come into the family of God and imitate God for the sake of the world. Recorded March 30, 2025.
This week, Tim Dickau, from St. Andrew’s College and Citygate, reflects on what it means that we live in “A Secular Age”. Building of Charles Taylor’s seminal work and Paul’s letter to the Romans, we gain hope and inspiration for living and sharing the good news in our cultural moment. Recorded March 16, 2025.
This week, we continue in our exploration of Jesus as Isaiah's suffering servant. Jesus sees his suffering, death and resurrection as being our representative in God's larger story as an invitation to come to him with our suffering and go to those who are suffering. Recorded March 9, 2025.
This week, we are led by Regent College faculty, Dr. Rikk Watts, to look at Mark's portrayal of Jesus as the Suffering Servant foretold in Isaiah. In light of these passages (Isaiah 40, 52-54), Jesus' death is not an accident but part of God's radical response to broken covenant and covenant partners. Recorded March 2, 2025.
What does a journey towards Jesus look like? Building off the book "I Once Was Lost" and Jesus' parable in Mark 4, we consider how we might be faithful partners with God and our friends in the process towards Jesus. Recorded February 23, 2025.
Last week, we looked at how Jesus' death makes God's uncontrollable presence available to the world. In this teaching, we continue to explore this theme learning how to experience God's presence and that God's presence goes ahead of us in witness. Recorded February 16, 2025.
This teaching marks the beginning of our second "cycle" through the gospel of Mark asking the question, "Why did Jesus have to die?" In this teaching, we explore the themes of Jesus' baptism and the temple curtain, and how Jesus' death opens up the presence of God for all people. Recorded February 9, 2025.
In this teaching, we go backward to remind ourselves of how Jesus uses language to shape His ministry and how we, as witnesses, are invited to enter and live Jesus’ story and develop language to share about Jesus with those around us. Recorded February 2, 2025.
This week, we look at the first of the gospel of Mark's answers to the question, "Why did Jesus have to die?" In this teaching we explore what Jesus' answer of "as a ransom for many" means and how it shapes how we understand, share and live out the good news in our lives. Recorded January 19, 2025.
This week, we begin our series in the Gospel of Mark exploring the question the identity of Jesus and why he had to die. In this introduction, we look at why the answer to this question is important to expand our understanding of Jesus, our ability to speak of him and our lives as disciples. Recorded January 12, 2024.
This week we explore the birth narrative of Jesus in the first chapter of the gospel of Matthew which asks us to consider our need for a Saviour, the limits of our abilities to save our selves, and how Jesus comes to save the world. Recorded December 22, 2024.
This week we close out not only our series in Genesis 4-11 but our three year study of Genesis 1-11 by recapping God’s work in the story, leading to Abram’s wife Sarai. Recorded December 15, 2024.
As we near the end of our study of Genesis 1-11, we reach the story of the tower of Babel. This passage invites us to contrast unified efforts to build towers to make a name for ourselves with Spirit-guided efforts to build an altar where we learn to wait for God to meet us. Recorded December 8, 2024.
As we near the end of the Noah narrative, we come to a recreation moment in Genesis 9 where we hear God giving instructions to the humans about how they are to live. When we contrast this passage with the original instructions given to humanity in Genesis 1, we find some curious differences which point out the problem of human violence and how God adapts to partner with flawed human partners. Recorded November 24, 2024.
We're in the third story of life outside of the garden - the flood narrative in the Bible. This week, we compare and contrast God's speeches and Noah's sacrifice with speeches of other gods and heroes from Ancient Near Eastern flood narratives, to see who God is and how he invites us to a role as priests. Recorded November 17, 2024.
We continue with our series in Genesis 4-11, focusing this week on the dove that is sent out during the flood by Noah. We learn how it symbolizes Noah’s ability to wait, and are invited to wait not in passivity, but with memory, anticipation and with Christ. Recorded November 10, 2024.
This week we come to what might be the best known story in Genesis 4-11: the flood narrative. We welcomed Dr. Matt Lynch from Regent College who helps us understand this flood in context of the overarching narrative of Genesis and to see it as the action of God to renew and reform a world ruined by violence. Recorded November 3, 2024.
As we continue exploring life outside the garden in the Genesis narrative, we come to one of the most well-known stories and objects: Noah's Ark. In this week's teaching, we uncover how ancient people would have understood the instructions for Noah's Ark and apply it as an invitation for deliverance today. Recorded October 27, 2024.
This week we come to a bright spot in our examination of life outside the garden in the person of Noah. We look at how Noah is described in context, we look at why it’s so difficult to be like Noah in our cultural moment, and hear an invitation to become like Noah. Recorded October 20, 2024.
As we continue in our series exploring life outside of the garden, we come to a difficult passage where God takes drastic action to deal with the problem of increasing darkness. In this teaching, we articulate several of the key problems we have with this passage and also understand how it invites us to know God and live as renewed humans. Re-recorded October 18, 2024.
As we continue in our series exploring life outside the garden, we come to a strange and tricky passage for us as modern Western readers. By exploring the ancient and Biblical context, we are invited to recognize spiritual evil, and challenged to call on the name of God rather than become "men of the name". Recorded October 6, 2024.
On Truth and Reconciliation weekend, we were honoured to be taught by Dr. Ray Aldred, who spoke on the history of the church, Canada and Indigenous people, the Indigenous church’s prophetic role, and a hopeful path forward through Jesus’ ethic of reconciliation and peacemaking. Recorded September 29, 2024.
This week, we come to an ancient genealogy, an odd part in our study of life outside the garden in Genesis. In this teaching, we’ll explore this strange passage within two contexts, other ancient lists of people with really long ages and the genealogy of Cain already given in Genesis 4, to understand what it may have meant for the original hearers and how it encourages us to live today as witnesses to a different story who always have hope because God is at work in the world. Recorded September 22, 2024.
This week, we continue on in our study of Genesis 4-11 by looking at Lamech, the worst character we’ve met so far. Through his story, we observe how sin spreads darkness by breaking down relationships between men and women, specifically marriages, and turns our culture making efforts into tools of oppression and violence. Finally, we look at how the darkness around us might be an invitation to call out to God. Re-recorded September 19, 2024.
This fall, we’re taking our third look at the first few chapters of Genesis. The story of Cain and Abel is a painful one, introducing us to what life looks like Outside the Garden. Recorded September 8, 2024.
We continue our summer Rule of Life series by looking at Jesus' invitation to be with and minister to children. Jesus' instructions were shocking to their original audience, but also invite us to welcome children, learn from them and help them grow as a church family. Recorded August 18, 2024.
We were honoured to have Joe Gebhardt, a ministry partner from Projekt Kirche in Berlin, teach from Psalm 27 can provide a template and encouragement to incorporate prayer into our spiritual rhythms. Recorded August 11, 2024 - we apologize for the audio issues in the middle of the recording.
As we continue in our Summer Rule of Life series, guest teacher, Talasi Guerra, shares about joy from various Biblical passages and her personal story. Further resources on joy, including Talasi’s new book can be found at talasiguerra.com. Recorded on August 3, 2024.
As we continue on in our summer Rule of Life, guest speaker, Rev. Shel Boese, shares about the practice of financial giving, challenging us to take on the mindset of our generous God and revisit how we approach our financial stewardship. Recorded July 21, 2024.
This week we dig into the habit of spiritual friendship as we continue on in our summer Rule of Life series. We’re invited to learn about the definition of friendship during the time of Jesus, how Jesus transformed this vision of friendship and how we might practice spiritual friendship today. Recorded July 14, 2024.
This week, we focus on fasting through an exploration of the history of fasting among God's people, why fasting has become so neglected, how Jesus and his disciples practiced fasting, and some practical how to's of fasting. Recorded July 7, 2024.
If the vision of being human is to become like Jesus, how do we actually do it? This week, we look at how Paul answers that question in several ways in Philippians 2: centering on the story of Jesus, listening to God's voice, community and the events of life. Finally, we take a look at the role of spiritual disciplines and creating a Rule of Life as we enter into our summer series. Recorded June 23, 2024.
We begin our summer series by looking at the Jesus poem in Philippians 2 where we hear the invitation to become like Jesus and put His story in the center of our lives and community. Recorded June 16, 2024.
In the final week of our Housing in the City series, we share some of the big themes and possible steps forward individually and corporately. Although the series is complete, we invite our community to continue the conversation in prayer and discernment throughout the summer.
Note: John showed the Korean American artist, Do Ho Suh's work around the theme of home. You can see some of his artwork here (https://www.nationalgalleries.org/exhibition/do-ho-suh-tracing-time) and here (https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2024/mar/10/do-ho-suh-tracing-time-review-scottish-national-gallery-of-modern-art-modern-one-edinburgh). Recorded June 9, 2024.
This week, we looked at some guidelines for discernment as we consider what God would have us do as individuals and a community. Using the Sermon on the Mount as a guide, we see the importance of having our stories challenged, seeing ourselves as a counter-society within Vancouver, and discerning out of grace as a community. Note: we had several power issues towards the end of the sermon which affected the audio. Recorded June 2, 2024.
This week, we continue in our exploration of Housing in the City by looking at the theme of money or economics in the Bible. We learn about God’s economic vision for His people, how their unfaithfulness to this vision led to exile, how Jesus invites us back into this story and how we might be invited to live as a city within a city during this housing crisis. Recorded May 26, 2024.
As we continue in our Housing in the City series, we turn to the topic of home. As we explore the spaces God has called "home" in the story of the Bible, we are invited to consider the implications for the spaces we call home, the households we are a part of and how we might host. Recorded May 19, 2024.
We continue in our Housing in the City series by looking at the theme of community in the Bible. While the city offers hope to solve our problem of community, it almost always, in the Bible and in the modern world, lets us down and contributes to the breakdown of community rather than building a community of shalom. As followers of Jesus living in the city, we are invited to lament and learn how to live in a different type of community. Recorded May 12, 2024.
This week, we turn to the theme of the city in our Housing in the City series. Reading from Jeremiah 29, we see God’s call to the city, the identity we’re invited to in the city and finally the hope of the city. Recorded May 5, 2024.
We continue our series exploring the topic of housing in the city by looking at our Biblical theme: the land. By tracing the theme through the Bible in 7 acts, we learn the story of the land, how Jesus fulfills the story of the land, and how Jesus invites his followers to new identities and orientation towards land. Recorded April 28, 2024.
This week we began a new series exploring how we live in the city as followers of Jesus during the current housing crisis. In this introduction, we explore some of the personal contours of the housing story in Canada, and receive the invitations to listen to and tell our stories, center on the story of Jesus and discern where the Spirit is leading us. Recorded April 21, 2024.
As we close our series in the gospel of John and move towards the summer season, we take a last look at Jesus around the table. While in the gospel of John, the table is portrayed as a classroom, in the gospel of Mark the table is a practice, with the vision of us extending it to our friends, family and neighbours. Recorded April 14, 2024.
As we end our series in the gospel of John, we turn our eyes to the commissioning of Jesus’ disciples in John 20. Although given 2000 years ago, Jesus’ promise to his disciples of another Advocate who brings peace is important and timely in our age of anxiety. Recorded April 7, 2024.
As we celebrate Easter Sunday, we turn to the Gospel of John's account of the resurrection of Jesus where he emphasizes three things: the evidence that invites us to stoop, the exhortation that invites us to see, and the invitation to become an endorsement of the resurrection as the people of God. Recorded March 31, 2024.
Jesus ends his longest recorded prayer with a surprise: out of all the things he could have prayed for his disciples of all time, he prays for unity. This week we end our series in the Upper Room with Jesus by looking at what unity looks like, how we can pursue it, and some examples of how to be united. Recorded March 24, 2023.
As we continue in our study of Jesus' final teaching in the Gospel of John, we look once again at the prayer for his disciples in John 17. Jesus adds to his invitation to the disciples to be sent to the world as he was sent, in vision, fluency, and practice. Recorded March 17, 2024.
Jesus continues his longest recorded prayer by praying for his disciples and he seems very concerned about their relationship to "the world". In this teaching, we explore what Jesus means by "the world" and the delicate tension of living as a disciple of Jesus within "the world". Originally recorded March 10, 2024.
How does Jesus approach the “hour” of distress that has arrived? Ending his longest teaching, and beginning his longest prayer, Jesus approaches this hour as a priest. Instead of trying to grab more control, or evade discomfort, Jesus offers himself to God and pleads to be glorified. This week we are invited to remember the weight of God’s glory, and to follow Jesus in ASKING for God to show us his glory, so that we might display his glory to the world. Re-recorded March 4, 2024.
Why would Jesus go away? And why would he say it's "better" that he goes away? This week, we explore these questions as we learn what Jesus is trying to accomplish and how the Spirit ministers, specifically in spaces of persecution and sacrifice. Recorded February 25, 2024.
As we continue in our series on the Upper Room Discourse in John’s Gospel, we come to difficult words from Jesus about conflict and hatred. Looking at Jesus’ words within the language of apocalypse, we see why Jesus uses this language, whom the conflict is between and what this means for us today as people invited to sit around the table with Jesus. Recorded February 18, 2024.
We continue our study of the Last Supper in the Gospel of John where Jesus instructs his disciples and us around the table. This week, we study Jesus words in John 15 , where the God who has made us clean invites us to abide through the practices of confession and repentance. Originally recorded February 11, 2024.
At the Last Supper, Jesus sits down with his disciples to drill into them the most fundamental and important things he wants to remember. This week, we look at a block of Jesus’ teaching that tells us some very important basics: what Jesus offers, how we get it, and how we share it with others. Recorded February 4, 2024.
We continue our journey with Jesus and his disciples around the table in the gospel of John. This week, we look at Jesus' amazing words about the relationships within God of Father, Jesus and Spirit, which the church has called the Trinity. We explore how this relationship is designed to break our brains, how we can know God through Jesus, and how we are faced with an amazing invitation. This teaching included watching a video by the Bible Project, which can be found here. We apologize as the first few verses of the Scripture reading was cut off. Recorded January 28, 2024.
This week we look at Jesus' famous claim that he is "the way, the truth and the life". Through understanding the comfort and challenge of this passage in it's original context, we learn how Jesus might comfort and challenge us as modern and postmodern people. Recorded January 21, 2024.
As we continue in our series on the Last Supper in the gospel of John, this week we begin to focus on Jesus' iconic statement that he is the way, the truth, and the life. We notice that Jesus self-disclosure comes as the answer to Thomas' question and are invited to consider how important our questions might be for our personal and communal relationship with Jesus. Recorded January 14, 2024.
This week we start a new series looking at a unique contribution from John's gospel: the Lord's Supper. We begin by examining Jesus' footwashing in John 13 which challenges us to serve as Jesus did. Recorded January 7, 2024.
As we gathered for a Christmas Eve service, we focused on the word “behold” which occurs several times in Luke’s Gospel. Merry Christmas! Recorded December 24, 2023.
This week, we end our fall series in Genesis 2 and 3 with a focus on the character of Yahweh Elohim. How will Yahweh Elohim respond to human failure - with justice or mercy? Recorded December 19, 2023.
This week, we continue on in our study of Genesis 2 + 3 as we take a final look at the consequences from God’s poem in Genesis 3. By hopping around Genesis 3 and its surrounding narratives, we learn how power struggles between humans, specifically between men and women will sadly become the new normal in a world of sin. Recorded December 10, 2023.
As Advent begins, we continue on in our study of Genesis 2+3 by looking at the conversation between God and the humans who failed the test. As we watch things fall apart between humans and God, humans and each other, and humans and the created world, we learn to wait in the darkness and hope for a King who will come and bring light. Recorded December 3, 2023.
This week, we continue in our study of Genesis 2 and 3 by focusing on the consequences for the man and woman in God’s poem. We see how God intensifies the natural consequence of following the snake, how that spills out onto the woman, the man and all of us today. Recorded November 26, 2023.
This week, we reach the pinnacle of the theme of testing where the humans are faced with the snake at the tree in Genesis 3. As we walk through verses 1-7 together, we learn the nature of testing, how to read the Bible, and the importance of placing our desires in Yahweh Elohim. Recorded November 12, 2023.
We continue in our series in Genesis 2+3 looking at the theme of the test. This week, we deep dive into the character of the snake, a powerful creature who chooses to become a chaos monster, and receive the challenge to see our world as a spiritual place. Recorded November 5, 2023.
As we continue in our series on Genesis 2-3, we now move from the description of the humans to the exploring the theme of testing. In this teaching, we look at two ways the tree was a test for the original hearers of this story and how it may apply in fresh ways for us listening today. Recorded October 29, 2023.
We continue our study of Genesis 2 and 3 and our exploration of what it means to be human. In this teaching, we explore the identity of humans as partners with God and one another, and what this means in a city known for it's loneliness. Recorded October 22, 2023.
In this teaching, we build on the idea from Genesis 2:7 that we are dust and divine breath. This week, we focus on our commonality with creation in our shared dust heritage and what it means that God calls us to serve and keep this world. Originally recorded October 15, 2023.
This week, we continue our study of Genesis 2-3 by looking at verse 7, which describes the human as dirt and divine breath. While, on one hand, this is an amazingly simple definition, it has huge implications for our identities, our bodies and our contingencies. Re-recorded October 8, 2023.
When exploring the first few chapters of Genesis, we’re confronted with many questions as modern readers. This week, we look at what the authors may have been trying to communicate through this ancient literature and how it invites us into the rest of the story of God. This is the second sermon in this series, originally recorded September 24, 2023. Unfortunately, the first sermon was not recorded.
This week we conclude our summer series on the Rule of Life by learning about hospitality. From the story of Zacchaeus, Gareth Jones teaches us about the definitions of hospitality, the stranger and our home to learn to welcome from the story of Jesus. Originally recorded September 3, 2023.
Throughout the summer we've been hearing about various spiritual practices, but how do we put it all together? This week, we learn what the vision is for our lives and community, we spend some time discerning what our current rule of life is and how we might join God with our effort and energy through stopping and starting spiritual practices. Recorded August 20, 2023.
Do you feel stuck or have you experienced a loss of faith? Do you need another way of looking at the journey of life and God? This week, Rev. Shel Boese helps us explore the stages of faith on the spiritual journey as adapted from J. Hagberg and R. Guelich's Critical Journey. 1 Sam 17:32,45-47 , Luke 18:14-17, Prov. 1:7.
Originally recorded August 13, 2023.
We continue to learn about spiritual practices that make up our Rule of Life by looking at Jesus longest prayer in John 17:1-18. Through a mix of teaching and reflection, Karli Baldwin invites us to note the blessings and battles of Jesus. The video shown at 19:01, which we weren't able to capture the audio from, can be seen here - https://youtu.be/vZgtHysgpEM.
Originally recorded August 8, 2023.
This week, we were invited to consider the spiritual practice of reconciliation through guest speakers, Gordie Lagore and Frances Carlick. Gordie shared how the church community of Vancouver Eastside Vineyard Church learned to partner with God in reconciliation with communities of Lower Post, BC. Recorded July 31, 2023 - we apologize for the poor sound quality.
This week we begin our annual summer Rule of Life series as we teach and explore practices that help us become people that look like Jesus. Teaching from The Lord’s Prayer in the gospel of Luke, Pastor Mitch Claassen encourages us to see how a life of prayer modelled by Jesus satisfies our deepest longings and allows us to be refreshed in our identities and the vision of what God is doing in the world. Originally recorded July 16, 2023.
In the final teaching in our series on extending the table, we return to Luke 10 to learn how Jesus sends his disciples. In this message, we learn about the character that we are to have as guests and how God invites us to communicate about his kingdom in both action and word. Recorded July 9, 2023.
This week, we focus on the third and final table - the half circle of mission in the world - as we continue on in our series on the extension of God’s presence through the table. In this teaching, we begin to look at Jesus’ invitation to mission in Luke 10 by focusing on the calling and context of mission. This is the first in a two-part teaching and was recorded July 2, 2023.
This week, we continue in our series about tables by looking at how we can extend the communion / close table into our homes by taking the role of host. We learn from the story of the feeding of the 5000 how Jesus invites into the role of host by being grateful, asking what we have to give and by focusing on the presence of Jesus. Recorded June 25, 2023.
This week we continue to look at Jesus' words to the disciples at the first Lord's Supper recorded in Luke 22. We see a surprising turn in the conversation and how Jesus can renew and correct our stories around the close table. Recorded June 18, 2023.
In this teaching, we begin to look at the close table that Jesus sets for his followers in Luke 22. Here we learn the setting for the table as story, the invitation to find our place with the story, and that Jesus is at the center of the table as present, host and partner. This is part 1 of 2 on the close table, originally recorded June 11, 2023.
In this week's teaching, we begin to look at one of the surprising practices of the early church: breaking bread together around the table. We also begin to explore how this table fellowship extends from our weekly gatherings to our homes into the world. Recorded June 4, 2023.
This week, Mitch Claassen walks us through Acts 2 to see and learn how the early church created space for God’s presence. Together we learn how to prepare ourselves internally and externally to meet with God and His people. Recorded May 28, 2023.
This week, we look at where we’ve come from and where we’re going. In this second big shift of our church, we’re moving from relevance to resonance: moving from a purely emotional or cognitive engagement with our faith to an experience of being ministered to by God and each other and becoming transformed as witnesses. Recorded May 21, 2023.
Luke portrays Jesus as one who announces and enacts Jubilee, so as the resurrected King, we expect Jesus to continue his Jubilee ministry to the world. However, Jesus throws the disciples a curveball when he announces he's leaving. In this week's teaching, we learn what this means for his disciples, for us, and for Jesus' Jubilee mission. Recorded May 15, 2023.
In our last week in the Gospel of Luke, we look at Jesus words to John the Baptist in Luke 7, “blessed is the one who isn’t offended by me”. By looking at the context and the sharing of a personal story, we see the scandal of suffering, the invitation to reshape the vision of who God is around Jesus, and the invitation to reshape the vision of our lives around the pattern of Jesus death and resurrection. Recorded May 7, 2023.
This week we welcomed Meghan Good from the Jesus Collective as we continue to learn what it means to become Jubilee people from the gospel of Luke. Jesus interaction in Luke 17 with the ten lepers teaches us the difference between being healed and being whole and the discipline of being thankful. Recorded April 30, 2023.
In this week’s teaching we learn about the importance of prayer as a Jubilee practice of receiving and offering forgiveness. We are joined by Multiply staff, John Johnstone, for his reflections on Jubilee and forgiveness as an Indigenous Christian. Recorded April 23, 2023.
This week we transition from looking at Jesus Jubilee mission to asking how we can be a people characterized by Jubilee. As we learn from the revelation of Jesus’ on the road to Emmaus, our God is uncontrollable but invites us to create space to meet with Him. Originally preached April 16, 2023.
On this Easter Sunday, we recap Jesus' Jubilee ministry so far, learning how the proclamation of His kingdom led to violence and, eventually, the cross. But we are invited to hear His words of pardon from the cross and the good news of the resurrection which invite us to become new people who hope and labour for Jubilee. Originally preached April 9, 2023.
As we continue looking at the gospel of Luke through the lens of Jubilee, we come face to face with one of Jesus’ many teachings about money. This week, we learn about God’s Jubilee vision for His people, the warnings in the rich ruler’s story and the invitation to follow Jesus and the disciples in the path of dying and rising. Originally preached April 2, 2022.
As we continue our exploration of the Jubilee theme in Luke’s Gospel, Mitch Claassen leads us through the familiar story of “The Good Samaritan”. In this teaching, we are invited to move from asking “Who is my neighbour?” to “Who is a neighbour?” and how we must receive mercy from God if we’re going to minister mercy to others. Apologies - the first few minutes of the audio were cut off. Originally preached March 26, 2023.
This week we welcomed guest teacher, Talasi Guerra, as we continue to reflect on Jesus’ announcement of Jubilee in the Gospel of Luke. Talasi showed us how Jesus invites each person to receive rest in Luke 8:40-56 and how that invitation extends to each of us today. Originally preached March 19, 2023.
In the third week in our series looking at the gospel of Luke through the lens of Jubilee, we encounter a passage that’s uncomfortable for many of us as Jesus heals the sick and casts out demons. In addition to challenging our modern view of the world, Luke 4 also invites us to trust in Jesus as good and to give Him control of our lives. Preached March 12, 2023.
In the second week in our series focusing on the theme of Jubilee in Luke, we explore the story of the Pharisee and the sinful woman from Luke 7. In this story, we’re given a glimpse into the kind of love that God truly wants from us and how we might cultivate hearts that that learn to love much. Originally preached March 5, 2023.
This week we begin a new series in the gospel of Luke that focuses Jesus’ ministry around the themes of the Year of Jubilee. In this first teaching, we look at Jesus’ public announcement of his ministry in Luke 4 which describes what Jesus came to do and gives us two challenges in receiving Jesus and joining in his mission. Originally preached February 26, 2023.
Audio Block Double-click here to upload or link to a .mp3. Learn more In this final teaching of our six week process of community hermeneutic, we hear from some of our community group leaders about the process of discernment, what it means to be Jesus centered and how we will practice gender and leadership moving forward. Recorded February 19, 2023.
In the final week of teaching for our community hermeneutic, we look at how God’s Spirit works to align our motivations to His in the areas of identity, community and mission. Originally preached February 12, 2023.
This week we continue in our process of community hermeneutic by looking at the Biblical evidence for the Egalitarian position. We see that one of the contributions the Egalitarian position has for everyone who follows Jesus is the focus on the resurrection as a cosmos altering event. Originally preached February 5, 2022.
In our third week of the Community Hermeneutic process, we explore the Biblical passages that support a complementarion position on gender and leadership within the church, including 1 Corinthians 11, 14 and 1 Timothy 2. While various people may or may not agree with this position, it offers us a chance to reflect on being centered on Jesus and the importance of submission to Jesus. Originally preached January 29, 2023.
In the second of our six week series, we learn about the importance of telling our stories, both to be Biblical and in order to hear God's Word well. We travel through three sets of questions on the topic of gender and leadership to give voice what we think and feel at a gut level, why we might feel that way on a personal level and why we this might be important for us in this time and place. Finally, we receive an invitation to tell our stories and listen to others stories as a spiritual exercise. Originally preached January 22, 2023.
This week we begin a new 6 weeks series, where we will learn and practice reading, understanding and applying God’s word in community. In this introduction, we look at Paul’s invitation in Romans 12 to become a discerning community through scripture, story and the Holy Spirit. Preached January 15, 2023.
In this short Christmas Eve reflection, Pastor John reflects on snow, uncontrollability and Simeon’s proclamation of praise from Luke 2:25-32. Wishing you a Merry Christmas!
In our fourth week of Advent, we explore two of the descriptors of Jesus spoken by the angel in the Christmas narrative: that Jesus is Saviour and that Jesus brings peace. As we place the word Saviour within the Biblical story of Shalom, we see how dangerous the angel’s proclamation was to it’s early listeners and are invited to join the Prince of Peace as a peacemaker. Originally preached December 18, 2022.
We continue in our Christmas preparation by looking at the prophetic words of Zechariah from Luke. We learn about Zechariah’s prophetic perspective which reminds us that God is arriving, Jesus is redeeming and the Spirit is guiding. Originally preached December 11, 2022.
Understandably, for both modern and ancient hearers, the virgin birth is an impossibility that keeps some of us from digging into God’s story. Interestingly, Luke highlights the impossibility as a feature and not a bug, an invitation to bring our questions and skepticism to the story of God. The impossibility also sets up Mary’s song, the Magnificat, where we learn about the possibility of joy in the darkness. Originally preached December 4, 2022.
As we begin our Advent series this year, we explore the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth, faithful servants of God experiencing the darkness of the world, who teach us how to wait and live in tension of darkness and hope. We who live after the incarnation but before the resurrection, are also invited to take up the call of prophetic lament while living in the hope of the second Advent of Jesus. Originally preached November 27, 2022.
We were honoured to have Rev. Shel Boese from Pilgrim Church teach us on Christ the King Sunday, the final Sunday of the Church calendar. Shel teaches from Colossians 1:15-20, an early Christ poem, which emphasizes Christ as true King, the center of all creation and the very image of God. Originally preached November 20, 2022.
In this, our final teaching in an eighteen week series, we recap some of the most important ideas in Paul’s letter to the Galatians. We see that Paul invites the Galatian church and us from being bounded or fuzzy to becoming centered on Jesus. Originally preached Nov 13, 2022.
This week, we look at the final paragraphs of Galatians where Paul contrasts two kinds of boasting: in the flesh or in the cross. Through exploring and contrasting the artwork of Jeff Koons and Matthias Grünewald we learn about God’s vision for overcoming darkness through sacrificial love and the invitation to join Jesus in the pattern of dying and rising. This is the 17th sermon in our series on Galatians and was originally preached Nov 6, 2022.
In our sixteenth week of our Centered on Jesus series, we look at Galatians 6:7-10. Mitch Claassen teaches through the passage and we learn how our obedience to the Spirit is revealed by our attentiveness to the good.
This week we were blessed to have Ryan Guerra join us to teach from Galatians 6:1-5. Starting with the problem with team building Ryan shares Paul’s encouragements to share burdens and bear burdens in the power of the Holy Spirit. We apologize for the poor audio quality. Originally preached October 23, 2022.
We continue with our thirteenth week in Galatians exploring the works of the flesh vs. the fruit of the Spirit. In this teaching we'll learn why this teaching is so central to what it means to be a Jesus centered community. Preached Oct 9, 2022.
What does it mean to be free? This week, Paul shares how both bounded and fuzzy churches lead us to be stuck rather than free. Jesus, on the other hand, frees us and redefines freedom, which can be practiced through His Spirit in hope and serving one another. This is the third sermon in the second part of our series on Paul’s letter to the Galatians and was originally preached October 2, 2022. We apologize for the poor audio quality.
What does it mean to be free? This week, Paul shares how both bounded and fuzzy churches lead us to be stuck rather than free. Jesus, on the other hand, frees us and redefines freedom, which can be practiced through His Spirit in hope and serving one another. This is the third sermon in the second part of our series on Paul’s letter to the Galatians and was originally preached October 2, 2022. We apologize for the poor audio quality.
This week, we resumed our study in Paul’s letter to the Galatians. As we transition from big ideas (grace, Jesus-centered, community hermeneutic) to practical ethics, we learn the Spirit of God draws us into the family of God through adoption, as children and as heirs. Preached Sept 25, 2022.
This week, we resumed our study in Paul’s letter to the Galatians. As we transition from big ideas (grace, Jesus-centered, community hermeneutic) to practical ethics, we learn the Spirit of God draws us into the family of God through adoption, as children and as heirs. Preached Sept 25, 2022.
In part 2 of the audio from our evening with residential school survivor and Jesus follower, Frances Carlick. Frances and her pastors from Vancouver Eastside Vineyard Church, Gordie and Kathleen Lagore, respond to audience questions. Recorded September 18, 2022.
In part 2 of the audio from our evening with residential school survivor and Jesus follower, Frances Carlick. Frances and her pastors from Vancouver Eastside Vineyard Church, Gordie and Kathleen Lagore, respond to audience questions. Recorded September 18, 2022.
Residential school survivor and follower of Jesus, Frances Carlick, shares her story of abuse, hope, faith and reconciliation at an event hosted at the Chapel on September 18, 2022.
Residential school survivor and follower of Jesus, Frances Carlick, shares her story of abuse, hope, faith and reconciliation at an event hosted at the Chapel on September 18, 2022.
What kind of community did Jesus build? What kind of community are we building in this church? This week we are reminded of one of the big ideas from the first half of the Galatians series: a Jesus-Centered community. Building on the work of Paul Hiebert, we look at Jesus’ choosing of the disciples as an example of building community that isn’t bounded or fuzzy, but centered on Him. Originally preached September 18, 2022.
What kind of community did Jesus build? What kind of community are we building in this church? This week we are reminded of one of the big ideas from the first half of the Galatians series: a Jesus-Centered community. Building on the work of Paul Hiebert, we look at Jesus’ choosing of the disciples as an example of building community that isn’t bounded or fuzzy, but centered on Him. Originally preached September 18, 2022.
In this teaching, John Hau talks about the DNA of our church family from Acts 19. We learn how God invites us to be a family that loves the city, is centered on Jesus, and transformed by God’s Spirit. Preached September 11, 2022.
In this teaching, John Hau talks about the DNA of our church family from Acts 19. We learn how God invites us to be a family that loves the city, is centered on Jesus, and transformed by God’s Spirit. Preached September 11, 2022.
In this final teaching of our summer series on the Rule of Life, Mitch Claassen reminds of us the importance of being part of the family of God to grow into the people of God. By giving us a vision for the church in the story of God, showing us God’s initiative for the start of the church, and addressing misunderstandings, Mitch invites into this sacred life together. Originally preached September 4, 2022.
In this final teaching of our summer series on the Rule of Life, Mitch Claassen reminds of us the importance of being part of the family of God to grow into the people of God. By giving us a vision for the church in the story of God, showing us God’s initiative for the start of the church, and addressing misunderstandings, Mitch invites into this sacred life together. Originally preached September 4, 2022.
This week, Brad Sumner, pastor of Jericho Ridge Church, teaches on living generously from Proverbs 11:25. Brad reminds us of the radical, merciful, consistent, and indiscriminate love of God which invites us to become generous followers of Jesus. This teaching is the seventh in our Summer Rule of Life series and was preached Aug 28, 2022.
In this teaching, Gordie Lagore, pastor of Vancouver Eastside Vineyard Church, shares about the practice of spiritual direction. Sharing from his own story and several Biblical passages, Gordie explains that we need others to help us discern and be attentive to God's working in our life and sharing the good news with our neighbours. This teaching is the sixth in our Summer Rule of Life series and was preached Aug 21, 2022.
In the fifth teaching from the summer series on Rule of Life, we explore the practice of Sabbath. Starting with the words "good" and "blessed" in Genesis 1, we learn about how to practice Sabbath with the elements of stopping, resting, delighting, and celebrating. Preached Aug 14, 2022.
In this week’s teaching, Mitch Claassen applies Romans 12:1-2 to our lack of experience of God and how the practice of contemplative prayer, through the eyes of Teresa of Avila, can help us to meet and experience God. This is our fourth teaching in our summer series on the Rule of Life. Preached August 7, 2022.
In the third week of our summer Rule of Life series, we explore the practice of spiritual friendship. We learn about the importance of friendship, why it's so difficult to make and maintain friendships in our city, and some principles for spiritual friendship. Preached July 31, 2022.
Guest speaker, Andrea Tisher, shares on four directions, up, down, with and out that can help shape us as individuals and communities in partnership with Jesus. Preached July 24, 2022.
In this teaching, we recap previous teachings and gain some fresh vision and perspective about the Rule of Life as a summer practice. Preached July 17, 2022.
This is the final teaching in the first half of our study on the letter to the Galatian church. In our gathering, we had a quick summary of the three ways of organizing a church (bounded, fuzzy and Jesus centered), followed by a brief question and response, and finally some experiential learning. Due to the interactive nature of the teaching, we only recorded the first two sections and the questions were not recorded. Recorded July 10, 2022.
In the eighth teaching in this series, we look at one of the most famous texts in the New Testament to learn how Paul describes baptism as a practice using the Jesus-centered language of unity, direction, and identity. Preached on July 3, 2022.
In our seventh sermon in Galatians, we explore various texts in Galatians to learn about Paul’s radical, Jesus centered interpretation of the Hebrew Scriptures and weave it into the Anabaptist practice of Community Hermeneutics. Preached June 26, 2022.
In our sixth sermon on becoming a church centered on Jesus, Paul finally begins to address the Galatian church. Through his difficult words, we learn about the gift of God's presence with us through His Spirit and why we mustn't leave grace behind. Preached June 19, 2022 - reuploaded June 20.
In the fifth sermon from this series on Galatians, we explore how our idols keep us from being the kind of community the church is called to be. In this passage, Paul confronts Peter with the gospel calling him to the pattern of Christ’s dying and rising as a paradigm of addressing idols.
In this episode, we notice how fear causes Peter to walk away from a Jesus centered faith and how Paul invites him back to grace. Preached June 5, 2022.
Today we learn how Paul's interactions with Christian leaders from Jerusalem shed light on how being Jesus-centered allows us to bless, partner, indigenize the gospel and engage in ministry.
In our second week in Galatians, we focus on Paul's story as a location of the gift of God's grace. We learn from him about the nature of our stories, the nature of grace and how grace transforms our stories.
Note - this episode has some audio issues in the first 3 minutes.
This week we start a new series in to clarify and bring vision for the future direction of our church through the letter to the Galatians. In this teaching, we learn the difference between bounded set groups, fuzzy set groups and centered set groups, and how Paul encourages us to put Jesus as the most heavy thing in our lives and church.
Learn from the apostle Paul, who is convinced that the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus invites us to look for new life in new places. Preached on May 8, 2022.
Aaron White, from 24/7 Prayer, walks us through the dual nature of Thomas and how his embodied faith is an invitation for us to live as the body of Christ today.
In our last week in the gospel of Matthew, we explore Jesus' final words to his disciples that mobilize them through doubt and fear to become disciplemakers.
This week, we look at Jesus words about the bread and the cup from Matthew 26 in the context of the Passover Seder. In our gathering we enjoyed the meal together in an attempt to hear Jesus invitation for us to see how He fulfills the practices and stories of the Hebrew Scriptures and challenges us to redefine our lives in light of His.
This is the second week of teaching on Jesus’ beautiful invitation to rest in Matthew 11. John Hau recaps the teaching from last week and helps us to explore and hear the invitation to take on the “easy yoke”.
This week we sit under the teaching of guest preacher Mitch Claassen, Interim Pastor at Killarney Park Church. https://kpmbchurch.org/people/mitch-claassen/
Teaching this week by Reality Church elder Gareth Jones, "The King And The Cross: A Paradox"
This week's teaching contains more visual elements and you may want to view the video version available on our website realityvancouver.church
Teaching by guest teacher Dan MacDonald, Grace Toronto Church https://www.gracetoronto.ca/
Teaching by guest teacher Kingsley Lai, Grace Toronto Church https://www.gracetoronto.ca/
Teaching by guest preacher Josh Dool (Westside Church, planting in 2021 praxischurch.ca/)
Unfortunately, the sermon recording cut off during the middle section of this week’s teaching. We are working to replace the missing portion and we apologize that the complete teaching is not currently available.