Manly Village Talks

Conveniently Paul's sign-off to the Romans in Ch 16 holds a number of the themes I wanted to leave in the minds of those at MVC as I close my time with this amazing crew of faithful people.

Perhaps the clearest indicator of the cryptic nature of John's 'preparation' and Jesus' arrival on the scene is the fact that the very people who were looking for the Messiah ostensibly missed it all together. World shaking change agent flies under the radar. We have much to learn.

'Preparation' has a long history in the scriptures. Change occurs incrementally and slowly until the critical tipping point when we notice the more significant shift. John Baptist functions almost as a type of agent provocateur!

We fear apocalypse because the familiar is shaken beyond recognition. But the joy of apocalypse is the uncovering of the true reality... and it is that the Kingdom of God is prevailing.

The chilling part of the story of the sheep and the goats is the complete lack of awareness that both groups had regarding what they were being judged on. Have we fallen for our own propaganda?

Not the theological underpinning for global capitalism... rather the reality of how we enter more fully into life... or avoid that!

This story functions as a diagnostic indicating that it is our actions that reveal our values/faith and expose the pretence of our supposed beliefs.

This folksy little story of Jesus' confronts us with the reality of our violence in hiding unpalatable stuff we already know away from our consciousness...

How do we value people? What is fair? Why does Jesus mess with our systems so dramatically when he tells his little stories?

What does weak faith look like? What about strong faith? How do we know? Does it actually matter?

Jesus' comments about discipline and prayer in Matt 18 assume the relational networks of which we are part. What does healthy discipline look like? How do we 'agree' in prayer?

The first step to overcoming evil with Good is to see the evil that we seek to overcome. The first place to look is our own life - the main place over which we have jurisdiction and can effectively deliver change.

A living sacrifice is kinda grotesque if you think about it for a moment. What does Paul mean when he calls his readers to offer themselves in this manner. Maybe we have misconstrued the nature of sacrifice altogether?! This is the beginning of a series of talks that will seek to offer an alternate view...

It is easy to misconstrue the nature of relationship with God...

When it comes to being intimate we have to come to terms with our vulnerability. The spirit comes alongside in our weakness and holds us when we cannot make sense...

Good psalm. Good material for getting to know one another...

That which the law could not achieve (weakened as it was by the flesh) Christ Jesus has brought about. So do I have a part in this or is it more akin to being German and 'winning the world cup'? (most Germans actually had nothing to do with their team's win! No offence intended just stating the fact).

Romans 7 has engendered a lot of discussion over the centuries. Was Paul speaking about his life before meeting the resurrected Jesus? Is this not a universal human experience (whether Christian or not)? What causes the disconnect that Paul names as 'another law' that is at work in his body? WARNING: This is perhaps the deepest and most challenging talk I have worked on.

Are we coterminous with Jesus?! What reward do the prophets and the Righteous get anyway?! And what is the current going rate for a cup of cold water on the Kingdom exchange?! Some of these questions may be asked (but not necessarily answered) in this talk...

Otherwise referred to as the 'Great Omission' when used by some as the great evangelical guilt trip. Yet in this brief passage there is enormous awareness of, and grace toward, our frailty as believers and Jesus' clarion call to live in response to his authority in all of life.