Eucharist Church : Recent Episodes
Eucharist Church
The sermon podcast from Eucharist Church in downtown Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
While we are grateful for anyone who listens in online, we also want to help people find good local communities. Contact us if you need a church recommendation in your area.
Grace + Peace.
Preaching Guild member Will Allen preaches on cynicism, faith and astonishment in this meditation on the story of Samuel and Eli.
Ascension is a severely underrated part of the Christian story: Let's work at fixing that.
Kevin preaches on why Jesus ascended and what it means for us.
On in groups, out groups, social contagions, and the simple reality of the Spirit coming to us from the God who is truly Other.
Pastor Jill Trites gives a compelling and thorough reflection on the ordinary, day by day life of a branch abiding.
Preaching Guild member Aaron Craig preaches his debut sermon at Eucharist. Despite being a part of our congregation since day one, and a regular worship leader and creative collaborator, this marks the first time Aaron preaches the gospel with words, from the pulpit (putting his MDiv from Wycliffe to good use).
A note about the quality: This sermon had to be recorded using a phone, off the floor, so the audio quality isn't as solid as usual... but the sermon is still great.
During Eastertide the Lectionary takes us into the book of Acts, where we get a brilliant picture of ideal Christianity community and a reminder of just how far from perfect we are.
Christ is Risen... and all the kids are with us to celebrate.
Which means this sermon had to be accessible to a wide range of ears (and also pretty time effective).
Thank God for balloons.
Alison Witt (Preaching Guild) gives a beautiful reflection on the power of mutuality in friendship, offering a sharp critique of our culture's individualism, and drawing from her extensive experience working with new arrivals to Canada.
Pastor Jill preaches on an incredibly complicated situation in the ancient world, and how we can understand modern spiritual friendship in light of it.
Cindy Stover brings the story of Ruth and Naomi to life in this beautiful reflection on how we can cultivate steadfast love (hesed) in our friendships.
Kevin introduces Lenten series reflecting on spiritual friendship, beginning with three elements.
What does it mean to speak of the spiritual, and why is it so difficult?
Kevin Makins preaches on Mark 1:21-28.
Kevin Makins preaches on how the right word at the right time can light an unstoppable fire. Metaphorically.
On her last Sunday, intern Rebecca Vendetti preaches a valuable sermon on the important of letting GOD prepare the way this Advent.
Kevin Makins closes out our series on "Vice + Virtue" with a reflection on anger, which as he admits, is his default vice.
But before that, an update from Pastor Nina Schuurman-Drenth about her present season of life. Pray for her and the whole Schuurman family as they navigate these incredibly challenging times.
Our reflection on vice and virtue is coming to an end. In this penultimate sermon to our series, Nina Schuurman-Drenth reflects on vanity, the many ways we seek to appear as something that we're not, and how Jesus makes us true on the inside.
One of these vices is not like the others... A sermon on comparison, ornate clothes, and the vicious beast that devours us.
A careful sermon about lust.
November 5, 2023
Preacher: Kevin Makins
Series: Virtue + Vice
Hello Podcasties. Unfortunately our sermon podcast failed to record this week, but in lieu of a sermon on greed we present to you this wonderful conversation between poet/priest Andy Squyres and Nina Schuurman-Drenth (one of the pastors at Eucharist).
This conversation was full and rich, touching on topics such as de/re-constructing faith, the role of church in the modern world, and a lot of musings about art and the creative process. It's well worth a listen.
Enjoy.
Nina Schuurman-Drenth preaches on the ways sloth manifests in our time and place, even in the go-getters, but also how the good news manifests on the other side of our failure. Thanks be to GOD.
Nina Schuurman-Drenth introduces the first vice and gives us a timely word to chew on (I'm so sorry).
How to be Christian?
It's more complicated than it used to be.
But perhaps a revolution is underway.
Let the Monastics lead the way to Jesus and up the mountain...
The first sermon in an eight week journey.
Join with us. New podcast each Sunday (or come and worship with us if you're in Hamilton and don't belong to a congregation).
The final of three sermons reflecting on the Trinity. We hope this has been a meaningful translation of some very classic, and very valuable, theology.
The little zines, which contain the pictures from this sermon series, are available while quantities last, at Eucharist. Come by some time.
Week two and we're turning our attention to the second person of the Trinity: Jesus.
The Christ. The True Human Being. The Firstborn From the Dead. The WORD/LOGOS.
Praying that all who hear this are able to discern the WORD spoken to them by Jesus. Grace and peace, pals.
This sermon is the first of three weeks offering a new introduction into the ideas that shape our Christian faith, and reality as we know it:
GOD, Christ, and the Spirit.
This week: An introduction to the idea of GOD.
We lost two weeks of sermon podcasts but never fear... Nina Schuurman-Drenth re-preaches a mega-sermon inspired by lost recordings.
Nina is in her element when speaking about the links between creation, provision, rest and trust. Give it a listen and allow your soul to soak in what is true as you enter the new rhythms of the summer.
Nina Schuurman-Drenth lights us up with a sermon about the Spirit on this Pentecost Sunday!
Kevin Makins preaches a sermon on the two sides of our faith. May GOD bring us into genuine encounter with both.
As we step into the season of Lent we begin our six-week journey through the middle of Exodus. This week: bitter water, sweet water, and Moses tossin' trees.
Stephen Edwards takes us on a brief journey through what it means to be living in a "secular age" and offers a compelling witness to the question, not just of "why Church?", but the deeper question behind the question.
Cindy Stover, Eucharist Elder and Justice Mobilizer with the CRC church, reflects on the foolish mystery at the heart of St Paul's gospel... even if we don't always get it.
Pastor Nina preaches on heart posture, perception transformation, and why we don't really need to know what "fishing for me" meant.
Pastor Kevin preaches on good news for resolution quiters... and keepers.
Stay for the music. It's good to hear people singing together.
Pastor Nina preaching on Matthew 3, the Baptism of Jesus, on the first week of Epiphany.
Happy Joy Sunday. Let's talk about John the Baptist and honouring our forebears. - Kevin
We dedicated eleven babies on Sunday (and more to come next week) so it seemed like a good time to talk about what our faith is, and how we ought to hold it. - Kevin
First you receive the meal, then you gotta get it in you. That's how food words. It's also how truth works. - Kevin
Nina didn't plan to preach today, but when Kevin got sick, she was on the hot seat! Strangely (providentially??) she had an old sermon from another community that just so happened to be about none other than the Psalms, which is what we've been walking through here at Eucharist this fall. Listen and hear the invitation the Psalms give us to pay loving attention to God's good world.
Nina Schuurman-Drenth preaches on one of the most uncomfortable psalms in the whole Psalter.
I fear I may have been too subtle... It's time to talk about where GOD wants to take us. - Kevin Makins
Closing song is Psalm 126 by BiFrost Arts, played by Tim Selles and sung by Eucharist.
Whether we are aware of it or not, we're all searching for something. Jesus and the Psalmist suggest that perhaps it's not something at all, but someone we ought to seek. - Kevin Makins
I never really got the Psalms. They seemed a little dramatic, un-relatable, and unnecessarily emotional. But then I started praying the Psalms regularly, chanting them alone and with others, and I'm realized that it's true: I really didn't understand the Psalms. And now it's time rectify that error. - Kevin Makins
Nina Schuurman-Drenth preaches her first sermon as our new Pastor of Community Formation, and it's a grace-soaked word about doing what Christ calls us to do.
Jill Trites preaches her last sermon as a pastor in our congregation, and what a gift it is. We hope you find this reflection on faithfulness an encouragement to your soul. Peace to you, podcasting pals.
The last sermon podcast until September!
Kevin preaches a good news sermon on how things are about to get very ordinary... and how God will continue to grow the Kingdom. Even if we're resting.
After 13 months of having her join us, this is the last sermon from our Pastoral Intern Nina Schuurman-Drenth. What a gift she and her perspective on the Kingdom have been. This sermon is no exception, as we reflect on what it means to be people of hospitality, and hear about how "Open Homes Hamilton" is helping make Hamilton home for many newcomers to our country.
In the Christian life, we don't do "shoulds"... but "coulds" aren't very helpful. What about "oughts"?
A sermon about too many emails, too much entertainment, and the need to remain held up from below.
Pastoral Intern Nina Schuurman-Drenth shares about Christ's dream for the Body, and we hear stories about how this practically looks in our city of Hamilton.
Kevin Makins reflects on how, together in Christ, we can finally escape the multiverse of madness!
Also, Claire P, shares some stories and reflection on 541 Eatery and Exchange.
Pastoral Intern Nina Schuurman-Drenth explores "Whole Church Engagement," which is parameter Eucharist wants to hold while engaging in mission. She also takes on St Teresa of Ávila's famous poem. Spoiler Alert: St Teresa wins.
Kevin walks through a gorgeous text, exploring how we can engage in God's "mission" as people who are (in a very real way) BECOMING the Body of Christ.
Much like a big dumb mulberry bush in your backyard... things need to be pruned before new life can grow.
Jill Trites, one of the Eucharist pastors, felt the tug to preach this week. If you know Jill, you know she both a beautiful preacher of the good news and that she almost never preaches. Which means you're in for a gift. Sit back and allow yourself to receive this welcome to Holy Week.
Kevin Makins explores the heart and mind of Mary, and how she can help us live faithfully.
Christ's wisdom on what to do when you see a scandal, tragedy, or a tower falls on eighteen people.
Of all the illustrations of who Christ was and is... who would have thought the Mother Hen would have so much depth?
Sermon preached by Nina Schuurman-Drenth.
It's our first week back in person and the church showed up big time. THANK YOU to everyone who gathered to hear the story, worship God, and come to Christ's table. Lord, have mercy... it's a new season.
At the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives us a powerful mental image about what it means to live in coherence, and what can happen if we don't.
When the inferior man hears the Way,
he laughs at it loudly,
If he did not laugh,
it would not be fit to be the Way.
We've all got questions about prayer: Why does it work sometimes and not other times? Who exactly are we praying to and why does God need us to pray before things get better? What even is prayer?
And those questions have their place.
But this is not a sermon about questioning prayer. Because Jesus didn't spend a lot of time questioning it.
He spent time practicing it.
When we do that, our questions find their proper place.
Opening music by the Decalogue.
Nina Schuurman-Drenth shares a compelling vision of the world as God made it, which Christ has revealed to us.
Music by the Decalogue.
On money, self-sufficiency, heavens storage system, and the price of an iPod.
Jesus continues to be challenging and very, very good.
"That's what fasting is: It's challenging our compulsions for the sake of our soul."
Pastoral intern, Nina Schuurman-Drenth, preaches on the power of fasting to reorient our relationship to reality.
Jesus teaches the disciples how to pray, with a particular focus on forgiveness. Which is both good and "bad" news.
Music is "the Decalogue".
Our pastoral intern Nina offers some powerful reflections on what it means to live a life that cultivates goodness in secret.
Also, an update on our Sunday plans while we restricted due to the omi!
Opening music from "The Decalogue"
It's the last week of Advent and we conclude by exploring who's story we are living in. Also, Kevin sings.
Poem by Mike Bonikowski.
Music by Sufjan Stevens.
For the third week of Advent we light the joy candle, and reflect on what joy looks like, both in our world, and also in the world that Christ was born into.
For podcasters, a quick note: In an attempt to bring some joy into our in person gathering we had Ol' Rev. Randell lead us in a few Christmas songs which were a blast in person, but don't translate well to the podcast. Hence you'll hear music begin and then fade out a few times in the podcast.
Enjoy listening in on the madness.
Opening music is from Sufjan Steven's "Silver and Gold"
What does it mean to seek peace when the Powers That Be insist we already have it? A sermon on the differences between God's peace and the peace that the world offers.
Opening poem written was written for our community by fellow Way follower Mike Bonikowsky.
Song is Sufjan Stevens.
It's Advent and we had all the kids with us in our Sunday services. And you know what? It went amazingly. Enjoy the first week of Advent, reflecting on what it means to hope, what it means to wait, and what all of us can learn by being a little more like children.
Opening music by Sufjan Stevens from his Christmas masterpiece "Silver and Gold".
Jesus' words are simple. Why did we make them so difficult?
Music by Church of the Beloved (rip)
If anyone experienced the dissonance between what God's people say they believe and how they actually act... it was Jesus. It literally got him killed.
And yet when speaking about his own tradition and story, he didn't dismiss what came before him, but said he was here to fulfill it. What does it mean to fulfill the story you've received, even while critiquing and ultimately judging it?
That's where the good road leads us this week.
Nina Schuurman-Drenth explores Christ's teaching on salt and light.
Reading from Matthew 5:13-16
Music by Church of the Beloved (rip).
Nina Schuurman-Drenth did a pastoral internship with us this summer and... we can't let each other go. She sits down with Eucharist pastors Kevin Makins and Jill Trites to share more about her summer with Eucharist and how God tricked her into becoming a pastor when she wasn't looking.
On week two of "The Good Road" we meditate on Christ's list of who is truly "blessed" and, spoiler alert, it ain't who you think it will be.
Scripture is Matthew 5:2-12
Music is from Church of the Beloved (RIP)
We're about to embark on a journey into the heart of Jesus' message, his teaching known as "The Sermon on the Mount".
But before we ascend the mountain and sit at his feet, let's first ask another question: What exactly is a Christian, anyways?
___
We're now gathering in person, Sundays at 10:30 and 1pm, with a kids program outside, concurrent with the first gathering.
For all the details, visit www.eucharistchurch.ca
Music by Church of the Beloved (rip)
We're gathering in person again! Please join us at either 10:30 or 1pm every Sunday.
"Who Are We Now?" walks through five values that have shaped our community. These arose through an organic process of listening and together naming what God was up to within Eucharist.
Those values are: Table, Place, Participation, Pioneering, and Creativity.
Of course, these values impact us differently in 2021. What does it mean to live them out in this particular time and place? How do they help us follow the Way of Christ?
___
Opening song is by "Church of the Beloved" (rip) off their album "Songs for a Mystical Supper"
"Who Are We Now?" walks through five values that have shaped our community. These arose through an organic process of listening and together naming what God was up to within Eucharist.
Those values are: Table, Place, Participation, Pioneering, and Creativity.
Of course, these values impact us differently in 2021. What does it mean to live them out in this particular time and place? How do they help us follow the Way of Christ?
This week: Place.
___
Opening song is by "Church of the Beloved" (rip) off their album "Songs for a Mystical Supper"
Episode analytics
This Sunday, October 3, we're regathering physically at our building. Yahoo! But what about the kids of Eucharist? Oh, God's given a real good answer to that question!
This week, we get a little crazy.
"Who Are We Now?" walks through five values that have shaped our community. These arose through an organic process of listening and together naming what God was up to within Eucharist.
Those values are: Table, Place, Participation, Pioneering, and Creativity.
Of course, these values impact us differently in 2021. What does it mean to live them out in this particular time and place? How do they help us follow the Way of Christ?
___
Opening song is by "Church of the Beloved" (rip) off their album "Songs for a Mystical Supper"
"Who Are We Now?" walks through five values that have shaped our community. These arose through an organic process of listening and together naming what God was up to within Eucharist.
Those values are: Table, Place, Participation, Pioneering, and Creativity.
Of course, these values impact us differently in 2021. What does it mean to live them out in this particular time and place? How do they help us follow the Way of Christ?
That's what we'll be looking at together over the next five weeks.
This week: Pioneering.
___
Opening song is by "Church of the Beloved" (rip) off their album "Songs for a Mystical Supper"
This week we begin a new season as a church, and a new sermon series: Who Are We Now?
"Who Are We Now?" walks through five values that have shaped our community. These arose through an organic process of listening and together naming what God was up to within Eucharist.
Those values are: Table, Place, Participation, Pioneering, and Creativity.
Of course, these values impact us differently in 2021. What does it mean to live them out in this particular time and place? How do they help us follow the Way of Christ?
That's what we'll be looking at together over the next five weeks.
Up first: The Table.
___
Opening song is by "Church of the Beloved" (rip) off their album "Songs for a Mystical Supper"
September:
Wednesdays at 8pm on Zoom
Sunday All Gather September 19 at 11am, Gage Park
Sanctuary Prayer Room Sundays from 2-6pm
October:
Regathering in person
Two services, likely 10:30 and 1pm
1 hour each with time for breakouts after
No kids programming at this time Zoom stream for 1pm service
Kevin's Public Theology Project:
Search "The Question Box with Kevin Makins" on Youtube or Podcast App
The question mark is intentional. Really? That's how the list ends? After words like LOVE and JOY and PEACE and GOODNESS... self-control can feel like a bit of a wet blanket.
But it's actually the greatest gift, and time we put it back in it's proper place.
Cindy Stover continues our series on the fruits of the Spirit, which we're calling Holy Spirit Summer. This week she explores the (always in short supply) gift of patience.
Kevin Makins continues our series on the fruits of the Spirit, which we're calling Holy Spirit Summer. This week Kevin explores the gift of faithfulness.
Alison Witt and Steph Hern speak about the fruit of the Spirit kindness and share stories from Open Homes Hamilton, an initiative in Hamilton that welcomes newly arrived refugee claimants through home-based hospitality and community. Learn more at https://www.iafr.ca/open-homes-hamilton.html.
Nina Schuurman-Drenth continues our series on the fruits of the Spirit, which we're calling Holy Spirit Summer. This week Nina reflects on goodness.
Eric O'Neil, youth pastor at 541 Eatery & Exchange, shares about the third fruit of the spirit as part of our "Holy Spirit Summer" series. Note some of that classic Zoom audio lag in this podcast and feel free to skip ahead where needed!
Nina Schuurman-Drenth shares about the second fruit of the Spirit, JOY, as a continuation of our "Holy Spirit Summer."
Brian Craig continues "Holy Spirit Summer" with a lovely message on the second last fruit of the spirit: Gentleness.
Nina Schuurman-Drenth kicks off "Holy Spirit Summer" with a beautiful reflection on the first fruit of the Spirit: Love.
Music by Church of the Beloved (RIP)
For World Refugee Sunday our pastoral intern, Nina Schuurman-Drenth, preached a beautiful sermon reflecting on what we learn about ourselves, our world, and our God, when we welcome "the other" into our lives.
Opening song is by "Church of the Beloved" (rip)
Each of us are in a storm. Eucharist, we're in a storm. And there is only one way through.
Music by Church of the Beloved, closing song is a bad iphone recording of "Poor Bishop Hooper" (seriously, go check out their incredible recordings of the psalms... they are doing holy work)
This is the first sermon from our pastoral intern Nina and it's a WORD.
Music by Church of the Beloved (RIP)
Satan! Family drama! Unclean Spirits! The UNFORGIVABLE SIN.
What a TEXT!
Music from Church of the Beloved (RIP).
Pentecost. The Holy Spirit finally breaks through the psyche of the believers and ... AHA!
Now it finally all makes sense.
Church music from the wonderful Church of the Beloved (RIP)
If the point of Jesus' life is getting people to "believe he raised from the dead" then why did he... leave?
Sometimes to see Christ, we need a little help from our (spiritual) friends.
The beautiful music is, as always, courtesy of Church of the Beloved (rip).
On suffering and the weird myth that following Jesus means you will suffer when it REALITY... being human means you're going to suffer.
Is that... better?
Apologies for the earlier upload that had the wrong file up.
Jesus has risen from the dead, and the disciples are locked in a tiny room, terrified of the world around them.
Not sure about you, but being trapped in a tiny room seems relatable, in a physical sense, and a spiritual one.
The small room keeps you safe, but it also keeps you isolated.
Which is why it's such good news that the Resurrected Christ knows how to enter all the tiny rooms.
As Holy Week approaches, we're exploring one of the most misunderstood parables of Jesus.
It's a bombshell of a story, and the perfect way to begin walking the road to Jerusalem.
When it comes to rules, the church has got quite a few
First, there is the list of "don’t do's" which may include drinking alcohol, dancing, R-rated movies, gambling, using cannabis, swearing, or wearing a hat in church. Then there's the list of what we "ought to do," including kindness, mercy, forgiveness, generosity, sabbath, witnessing, praying, going to church on a Wednesday night at 8pm
The truth is that most of the rules are (at least at some level) good things.
And despite this, so many Christian just crushed under the pressure to live up to what feels like unattainable ideals.
But perhaps the biggest issue with “church rules” isn’t actually about any one rule, but about how human beings respond to the very idea of rules!
But to go there, we've first got to travel through time 3,500 years...
This is a sermon about the Bible, but before you listen, read the following poem written by Samantha Butler, a part of our Eucharist community:
You are an old friend, aren’t you,
An old friend with many arms,
Bound and brushed off, and pulled in all directions, and contorted,
A feat of human imagination, now ammunition, now a balm of honey and milk.
Can I weave the threads of the ocean,
Drip by drip in a long line of wet molecules,
As they firm, rigid, a promise for the oppressed,
Creatures of the deep slipping out and splashing
All at the risk of swallowing me whole?
Can I pull the stars into a recipe that calls for your type of dust,
Explosive dust; history and presence and good, all in one?
Can I watch a man rise from his seat, sandals dropping one by one into the ground,
As he ascends into the sky?
Son of earth, mother of us all, red juice dripping down your chin,
Can I hold your hand as you walk out of the vines?
You are an old friend aren’t you.
It is better if I sit back and watch you from here,
And listen, and wonder.
Quiet time. Daily Hours. "Devos" if you're in a cool Christian college. What are these spiritual practices and why do they make so many of us feel guilty?
This is a sermon about confessing our sin before God and others... which is already a very, very loaded sentence.
Fantastic album art by Scott Aasman.
Opening music by Church of the Beloved (RIP)
Worship music is... strange.
Fantastic album art by Scott Aasman.
Opening music by Church of the Beloved (RIP)
How do you engage a conversation about the good, bad and the ugly of theology?
Like Jesus did: You tell a story.
Fantastic album art by Scott Aasman.
Opening music by Church of the Beloved (RIP)
If you feel like every day is just a repeat of the day before,
If you feel like you can’t hear your soul anymore
If you feel like butter stretched over too much toast.
... do we have some good news for you.
Fantastic album art by Scott Aasman.
Opening music by Church of the Beloved (RIP)
We continue on our quest to reclaim Christianity with a few simple questions:
Is it possible to talk about religion without coercion?
Will "sharing the gospel" always result in some form of colonization?
Time to jump into everyones favourite topic: Evangelism.
Fantastic album art by Scott Aasman.
Opening music by Church of the Beloved (RIP)
Over the last few weeks we've seen the worst of what Christianity can look like: Nationalist, racist, arrogant and even violent. In light of those horrors, you might be tempted to walk away from it all. But perhaps there is another way.
Over the next few months in Eucharist, our Wednesday evening services are going to explore what this can look like. Each week we'll take an element of the Christian faith and explore what it would look like to “reclaim it."
From doctrine to evangelism, morning devotions to praise music, we’ll name the ways these gifts have been corrupted by unclean spirits like colonialism and coercion, and explore through liturgy, sermons, and conversation how we can reclaim every piece of Christianity as a force for good.
Each week will include a 45-minute service, followed by the opportunity to join a break out group with the same people each week. There you’ll be able to share insights, questions, and build connections. (Note: Breakout groups will begin on Wednesday, January 20th)
It's my hope that, in the end, we'll be equipped to say yes to the difficult challenge before us, and discover, by the Spirit, a more Christ-like Christianity.
We kick off tonight by looking at religion itself: Reclaiming Christianity.
Fantastic album art by Scott Aasman.
Opening music by Church of the Beloved (RIP)
COVID means this Christmas season is going to be unlike any other: No parties. No carolling. No family parties on multiple sides.
What could you do with all that space in your calendar?
This talk, recorded on the evening of the 2020 American election, explores what it means to be a truly free person.
From soccer games in World War 1 to an angel who says "no" this sermon offers a topology of conflict for anyone who has found themselves saying "I can't understand how good people can do such bad things."
It's my hope and prayer that it sets you free, and even better, that it helps you set others free.
Listen with a friend, a small group, church community or all alone with a cup of tea. There is also a video version available at www.youtube.com/kevinmakins which featuers discussion questions as well as a list of further resources.
Thanks to Gareth Inkster for use of his song "Brother" - you can watch the video here: https://youtu.be/XQoZdbnI-eE
Thanks to Jesse Driftwood and Levi Allen for filming.
Jesse's Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/PMbaseme...
Levi's Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/LeftCoas...
I used to believe the world was gradually, inevitably, getting better.
I don't believe that any more.