Commons Church Podcast

What do you do when the future feels uncertain, God feels quiet, and the old season is clearly over?In Acts 1–2, the early church finds itself in that exact moment — caught between resurrection and Pentecost, between promise and fulfillment, between what was and what will be. And somehow, in the waiting, God is already moving.This week at Commons Church, we explore how faith often begins not with certainty, but with trust in the middle of transition.—📍 Commons Church🌐 https://commons.church📷 Instagram: @commons.church#Acts #BibleTeaching #ChurchOnline #Faith #HolySpirit #CommonsChurch ★ Support this podcast ★

What if the “battle” you’re facing isn’t against the people you think it is?In this final message of our If/Then series through Ephesians, we unpack Paul’s famous “armour of God” passage — and discover it’s far less about spiritual aggression and far more about communal resilience, subversive grace, and the way of peace.If Christ reigns… then how should we live?Together we explore:Why unity is central to the Christian lifeHow Jesus redefines victory and powerWhat Paul really means by “our struggle is not against flesh and blood”Why the armour of God is about peace, not culture warsHow community protects us from both chaos and deceptionThis isn’t a call to weaponize your faith.It’s an invitation to reimagine strength, rethink your enemies, and rediscover the kind of victory that looks like love.Because if Jesus wins through self-giving grace…then everything changes.—📖 Text: Ephesians 4–6⛪ Commons Church | Calgary🔔 Subscribe for more conversations about faith, culture, and the way of Jesus ★ Support this podcast ★

What if a single word could change everything?In Ephesians 2, the apostle Paul pivots from humanity’s brokenness to God’s radical grace with one of the most important conjunctions in Scripture: “But God.” In this teaching, we explore how Paul uses language, metaphor, and imagination to describe what God has done in Jesus—and what that means for how we live together now.We reflect on:Why Paul begins with an honest picture of human failureHow “but because of God’s great love” reshapes faith from transaction to graceWhat it means to be God’s handiwork—a kind of divine poemThe walls of hostility we build, defend, and carryHow Jesus creates one new humanity marked by peaceWhy Paul’s primary metaphor for the church is not an army or fortress, but a homeThis message invites us to consider how Christian community can become a living sign of God’s creativity, welcome, and reconciliation—for the good of the world.📖 Scripture: Ephesians 2📍 Commons Church🔔 Subscribe for more teachings and reflections#Ephesians #ButGod #Grace #ChristianCommunity #FaithAndLife ★ Support this podcast ★

What does creativity look like in our relationships—not in art or technology, but in the way we show up for one another?In this sermon, we explore Mark 2 and the unforgettable story of five friends who refuse to accept the status quo. When a crowd blocks the way to Jesus, they climb a roof, tear it open, and lower their friend down—revealing a bold, relational creativity that leads to forgiveness, healing, and transformation.This message invites us to:Rethink creativity as a shared, relational actSee friendship as a form of faithEmbrace risk, repair, and imagination in how we love othersCreativity resists conformity. And sometimes, love looks like digging through a roof. ★ Support this podcast ★

At the start of a new year, we’re launching a new series on creativity—not as something reserved for artists or content creators, but as a core part of being human.In this message, we explore how **technology shapes our creativity**, our relationships, and even our spirituality. From smartphones in our pockets to bricks in the story of the Tower of Babel, the question isn’t whether technology is good or bad—but whether we are using it creatively, or allowing it to use us.We look at:* Why creativity belongs to everyone, not just the “creative class”* What ancient stories like **Genesis 11 (Babel)** can teach us about modern technology* How efficiency, uniformity, and power can slowly erode human flourishing* The impact of screens and digital life on attention, relationships, and formation* Three practices for reclaiming creativity: **being curious, critical, and close**If you’ve ever wondered how to live faithfully, thoughtfully, and creatively in a tech-saturated world—this conversation is for you.📍 Part of the series: *How to Be More Creative*📖 Scripture focus: Genesis 11, Psalm 20, Romans 1🏛 Commons Church | Calgary👉 Subscribe for more teaching, conversations, and reflections on faith, life, and culture. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this sermon for the Third Sunday in Advent, "Joy," we explore the story of the shepherds and the angels' announcement—the "Gloria." What does it mean that God's great, extraordinary glory first breaks in upon the most ordinary, mud-caked, and weather-worn people?We look at:The Ordinary Shepherds: How their simple, unearned divine appointment offers a profound message of acceptance—your everyday life is good enough for God.The Titles: A look at the layered, powerful titles given to the Christ child—Savior, Messiah, Lord—and how to connect them to your personal struggles and needs today.The Gloria's Embrace: An unpacking of the ancient hymn, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests," arguing that God's favor and peace are spacious enough to pull everyone in, seeking both the lowly and the high-riding.Ultimately, this message is a reminder that Christmas is about our "glorious humanity" being given back to us, finding the extraordinary packed into a simple, ordinary life. ★ Support this podcast ★

"My soul magnifies the Lord." Kicking off our Advent series, Advent: The Musical, we dive into the first song: the radical and revolutionary Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55).In this message, we explore:Model Disciples: The powerful, non-competitive relationship between Mary and Elizabeth.An Oldie: How Mary's song borrows from the prophetic words of Hannah in 1 Samuel 2.The Reversal: Why the Magnificat is a fierce, political song that declares God sides with the humble and marginalized, scattering the arrogant and pulling down the mighty.Like Mother, Like Son: The striking connection between Mary's song and the later words of Jesus, including the Beatitudes, showing that he "sounds a lot like her."Join us as we contemplate the mystery of the Incarnation—God arriving in unexpected ways—and learn to trust the pattern of the Magnificat reversal in our own lives. ★ Support this podcast ★

What really happened in Sodom and Gomorrah—and why has this story been so badly misunderstood? In this sermon, Jeremy Duncan takes us past the clichés and weaponized readings to explore one of the most difficult and infamous passages in the Bible.Beginning with Abraham’s bold negotiation with God, we look at what this story reveals about divine character: a God who listens, responds, and invites us into courageous, honest conversation. Far from depicting a capricious or vindictive deity, the narrative highlights God’s patience, justice, and surprising willingness to engage with human questions.We also explore what the Bible itself says about “the sin of Sodom”—drawing from Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Jesus, and Jude—to show that this story has never been a single-issue judgment. Instead, Scripture portrays Sodom as a symbol of humanity’s worst impulses: arrogance, injustice, greed, violence, exploitation, and the refusal to welcome the stranger.Most importantly, we confront the story’s deeper message: that it is extraordinarily hard to remove yourself from the reach of God’s grace. Even the worst city imaginable could have been saved for the sake of ten righteous people. Judgment is real, but God’s compassion is relentless—and the entire Abraham narrative points us toward a God whose primary posture is not power, but love.If you’ve ever wrestled with hard texts, struggled with the idea of God’s judgment, or wondered what these ancient stories mean for a life of faith today, this teaching will help you see Sodom and Gomorrah in a new light. ★ Support this podcast ★