Jesus at 2AM - A Humorous, Intelligent Look at the Bible, Church History & the Life of Faith

Today we arrive at a pivotal moment in Israel's young monarchy as King Saul faces battle against the vastly superior Philistine army. So great is the Philistine advantage that fear begins to grip the Israel ranks – to the point that Saul fears his troops may disintegrate before the first arrow is fired. And thus, Saul is confronted with a choice: wait (as he has been strictly instructed to do), or act of his own accord. Saul acts…, in what feels to us a very understandable way. And yet that action brings the severe judgment of the Lord. Indeed, Saul's decision will cost him a dynasty (an especially troubling punishment in light of a crime that feels far lesser than crimes later committed by David, to whom God will pledge a covenant of perpetual reign!). And with Saul's fate, we are confronted with the fundamental question of: why??? Why is Saul treated so harshly? And what does such treatment say about God and about justice and about the whole concept of earthly kingship…? They are questions hardly limited to the 11th century BC as we might ask them of ourselves today. And, as always, I'd love to know what you think about it – about the sermon, the series…the podcast as a whole. Or I'd love to have you come and just say "hi!" If you're up for it, you can reach me anytime via the contact link at jesusat2am.com, by sending me email, chatting with me on BlueSky, or finding me on Facebook or Instagram. And while you're at it, might you be up for supporting the podcast? You're tax-deductible gift to Canvas is a major help. As are your prayers, your online reviews, telling a friend or two! Want to follow along with the biblical texts for this sermon? Here's the link: 1 Samuel 13:1-15 (NRSV).

As Israel's sufferings grow, she thinks she has struck upon a solution: a king! If only God would grant Israel a king, she would finally be "like the other nations" (and therefore suffer less?). It is an impulse literally as old as the Garden of Eden - to imagine that if only we could wrest more control of our lives from the universe (i.e., God), we would know how to cure what ails us. If God would only give us a king (...a particular political party, a charismatic leader, a ...?) we would have the means by which to achieve virtue and therefore peace and love, right??? In this episode we examine Israel's desire for a monarch, as well as God's surprising, somewhat heartbreaking, capitulation (God grants Israel's wish, albeit with warnings!). It's a story filled with political longing, spiritual amnesia, and that seemingly eternal human tendency to give our allegiance to the wrong thing, at the wrong time, for all the wrong reasons. Which is why it is a story that fits us perfectly today, as we struggle once again to know how best to govern humans in a broken world. And, as always, I'd love to know what you think about it – about the sermon, the series…the podcast as a whole. Or I'd love to have you come and just say "hi!" If you're up for it, you can reach me anytime via the contact link at jesusat2am.com, by sending me email, chatting with me on BlueSky, or finding me on Facebook or Instagram. And while you're at it, might you be up for supporting the podcast? You're tax-deductible gift to Canvas is a major help. As are your prayers, your online reviews, telling a friend or two! Want to follow along with the biblical texts for this sermon? Here's the link: 1 Samuel 8:1-22 (NRSV).

With this episode we step into the story of a woman named Hannah — whose deep personal pain symbolically reflects the larger, spiritual state of Israel, as she lives in a time (the end of the age of the Judges) when the whole project of salvation seems to be hanging by a thread. Israel is constantly turning away from YHWH and facing judgment for it – and it seems God may be reaching his breaking point. Indeed, the very covenant of salvation itself feels very much in jeopardy. But through Hannah's tears of lament, God begins to move very graciously for her and, through her, for Israel – preparing the way for Samuel, for David and ultimately, for Jesus. It's a reminder that the story of salvation almost always begins in moments that feel hopeless - when all we can do is pray to God out of our fear and grief. It's right about then, that God shows up to save anew…! I also mentioned in the introduction that all four installments of Rev. Mike Regele's course, A Primer on Christian Nationalism: What It Is, Why It's Not Christian, and What We Can Do in Response, are now available (along with his PowerPoint decks) on the Canvas website. It is a truly outstanding piece of work that explains both the inner logic of Christian nationalism and how we might most constructively respond to it. Highly recommended!! And if you have thoughts on the sermon, the series, the podcast..., I'd love to hear them. You can reach me anytime via the contact link at jesusat2am.com, by sending me email, chatting with me on BlueSky, or finding me on Facebook or Instagram. And while you're at it, might you be up for supporting the podcast? You're tax-deductible gift to Canvas is a major help. As are your prayers, your online reviews, telling a friend or two! Want to follow along with the biblical texts for this sermon? Here's the link: 1 Samuel 1:1-18 (NRSV)

Today we arrive on the cusp of Canaan, that is to say: the promised land. After a generation of wandering in the wilderness, Israel arrives at last on the eastern bank of the River Jordan. And what lies ahead of them – according to the book of Joshua – are many, bloody battles necessary to secure Israel within Canaan's borders. (For the modern reader it makes Joshua difficult to interpret as it sure seems like God might be commanding… genocide?) But even if the battle scenes are not the whole story, Israel still enters Canaan in a very precarious position. God's people are the weaker party. And if the Canaanites resist their arrival, Israel could easily be destroyed. So as Israel prepares to cross their Rubicon, Joshua gives an impassioned speech about God, and about faith and about the role of God's priestly people in the world. It's a speech that we might do well to hear again today as circumstances – at least for some of us - feel more than a little precarious at present. (This sermon was originally preached in Feb. 2025, but it feels even more true today!) And I hope – in the words of Joshua – it will help you not be dismayed. Have a thought? A comment? A question? Or just up for saying, "helllo"? I'd love for you to get in touch! You can reach me anytime via the contact link at jesusat2am.com, by sending me email, chatting with me on BlueSky, or finding me on Facebook or Instagram. And while you're at it, might you be up for supporting the podcast? You're tax-deductible gift to Canvas is a major help. As are your prayers, your online reviews, telling a friend or two! Want to follow along with the biblical texts for this sermon? Here's the link: Joshua 1:1-18 (NRSV) And here is a link to the map of Canaan.

Today we turn our attention to events immediately following the exodus - as Israel makes her escape from centuries of slavery in Egypt. For God has acted with mighty power to save, and our first imagination is that - under divine care - Israel will be safe evermore. But as Israel flees into the Sinai desert, she soon discovers that Pharaoh is in pursuit with the full might of the Egyptian army. And as the Egyptian chariots approach, Israel finds herself trapped by the Red Sea. And has her toes touch the water, Israel - and we - are forced to learn an essential lesson of the life of faith: in this age, salvation is not so much a once-for-all event, but a process by which God continually rescues his beloved people. If you've ever felt trapped in your own life and circumstances between the Red Sea in front and the Egyptian army behind, this is the sermon for you! Have a thought? A comment? A question? I'd love for you to get in touch! You can reach me anytime via the contact link at jesusat2am.com, by sending me email, chatting with me on BlueSky, or finding me on Facebook or Instagram. And while you're at it, might you be up for supporting the podcast? You're tax-deductible gift to Canvas is a major help. As are your prayers, your online reviews, telling a friend or two! Want to follow along with the biblical texts for this sermon? Here's the link: Exodus 14:5-29 (NRSV)

After more than 400 years of slavery in Egypt, the cries of God's people rise to heaven — and are heard! God's response? A call to Moses from the burning bush and a revealing of the Divine name ("I AM") – a name that speaks to far more than eternal existence, but of unending compassion and grace. It is in this encounter that God reiterates the promise to save (making the Exodus something of a preview of salvation to come) and which reminds us again that we have a God who hears our pain, remembers the covenant with Abraham, and who acts not as a distant observer but as the One who is present with us in the midst of hardship. Have a thought? A comment? A question? I'd love for you to get in touch! You can reach me anytime via the contact link at jesusat2am.com, by sending me email, chatting with me on BlueSky, or finding me on Facebook or Instagram. And while you're at it, might you be up for supporting the podcast? You're tax-deductible gift to Canvas is a major help. As are your prayers, your online reviews, telling a friend or two! Want to follow along with the biblical texts for this sermon? Here's the link: Exodus 2:23-3:15 (NRSV)

Today we return to a fundamental theme in the biblical story, that of election – the idea that we belong to the community of salvation not by anything we do, but by the sovereign will of God. To be elect is to be chosen by God for salvation apart from any merit or effort or agreement on our part. It's often a difficult idea for 21st century westerners to swallow as we like to see ourselves as the captains of our own destiny. We imagine that if we are included in the community of salvation, it's because we somehow earned it (at the very least by "having faith"). And if one is not included in the community of salvation, it must be because they are receiving just desserts. But in scripture matters of election are not nearly so clear and clean as this, as we shall in our passage for today – the story of Jacob and his twin brother Esau. Esau, as the elder brother, ought be the primary heir not only of his father, Isaac's, property, but of his blessing and of the covenant with God. And yet, it is Jacob – who schemes and calculates and who by abject manipulation and deception receives, both the birthright of the firstborn, but also the covenant blessing. To be clear, the promise of inclusion does not pass to both sons, but only to Jacob. And it forces us to ask: What does it mean to be chosen? Is the covenant of salvation only for some and not for others? Does God willfully exclude some from redeeming grace? Are the boundaries of the chosen people fixed forever? …or might it be that, in the end, they are far wider than we imagine…? Up for getting in touch? You can reach me anytime via the contact link at jesusat2am.com, by sending me email, chatting with me on BlueSky, or finding me on Facebook or Instagram. I'd love to hear from you. And while you're at it, might you be up for supporting the podcast? You're tax-deductible gift to Canvas is a major help. As are your prayers, your online reviews, telling a friend or two! Want to follow along with the biblical texts for this sermon? Here's the link: Genesis 27:1-49 (NRSV).

In our endeavor to understand the biblical story from Genesis to Revelation, we have come to the question that drives the entire narrative: Can the consequences of sin be reversed??? Or is humanity's fate sealed - doomed to a tragic existence in which everything adds up to nothing in the end? Today we get the all-important answer: Yes, something can be done. And it comes in the form of a covenant - a one-sided contract in which God pledges himself to the work of reversing the curse of sin and bringing the divine blessing to all creation. It is one of the pivotal moments in the biblical story – and in human destiny! - as the salvation of the world hinges on a unilateral promise given to Abraham, and thru Abraham to all creation... Up for getting in touch? You can reach me anytime via the contact link at jesusat2am.com, by sending me email, chatting with me on BlueSky, or finding me on Facebook or Instagram. I'd love to hear from you. And I'd also love for you to check out Canvas! It's a wonderful congregation and there are many ways to get involved - even if you live at quite a distance. Want to follow along with the biblical texts for this sermon? Here's the link: Gen. 11:27-12:3, 17:1-7; 15:1-17 (NRSV) .

As we continue our journey through the biblical narrative from Genesis to Revelation we come to the essential element of plot: conflict. What has gone wrong? Why is God's good creation in need of salvation? The answer, of course, is given in highly symbolic terms invoving the Tree of Life, the Tree of the Fruit of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and, of course, a very wiley serpent. In this episode I'll do my best to decode the symbolism and get to the heart of why creation is broken in the ways we all experience. Indeed, we'll look at the very nature of sin and evil as well as giving a hint as why divine love – particularly love enacted at the cross - is the only thing that can save us. Up for getting in touch? You can reach me anytime at jesusat2am.com, by sending me email, chatting with me on BlueSky, or finding me on Facebook or Instagram. I'd love to hear from you. And while you're at it, might you be up for supporting the podcast? You're tax-deductible gift to Canvas is a major help. As are your prayers, your online reviews, telling a friend or two! Want to follow along with the biblical texts for this sermon? Here's the link: Genesis 2:4-9, 15-17; 3:1-24.

With this episode we begin an extensive and very personal-to-me new series titled, Healing Eden: The Story of Salvation from Genesis to Revelation. And the series is exactly as it sounds: a detailed journey thru the biblical narrative as I try my hardest to reveal and clarify the fundamental story the Bible is trying to tell. Despite its 66 books, written in 3 ancient languages, by a wide variety of authors and editors, across well more than 1,000 years, the Bible is trying to tell a singular story - that of God healing Eden, of setting his broken world to rights. It's a story that is about soooo much more than merely securing a place in "heaven," as salvation is not only a future event, but a here-and-now transformation in love. And if we can grasp this truth, understand this overarching story, then the whole of scripture comes into vivid focus. Not only do the individual pieces make tremendously more sense, the book as a whole takes on a life-giving freshness that will change your life. At least it has changed mine. In this opening episode we get a bit of a look at what the biblical story isn't, why what is often taught as the essence of Christianity is a good bit wrong, as well as some of my personal motivations for wanting to set the record straight. I hope you find it helpful! Up for getting in touch? You can reach me anytime at jesusat2am.com, by sending me email, chatingt with me on BlueSky, or finding me on Facebook or Instagram. I'd love to hear from you. And while you're at it, might you be up for supporting the podcast? You're tax-deductible gift to Canvas is a major help. As are your prayers, your online reviews, telling a friend or two! Want to follow along with the biblical texts for this sermon? Here are the links: Gen. 1:1-5, 26-31; John 1:1-5; 1 John 4:7-12; Rev. 22:16-16, 21-22.

"How can I hear God's voice?" "Would I recognize God's voice if I heard it?" "How do I know if a sense of call is really from God?" These are some of the key questions of Christian spirituality. And thankfully, they are some of the very questions St. Ignatius of Loyola sought to answer (and did). What we are really talking about is the practice of discernment – learning to distinguish the voice of the Lord from the countless other voices (internal and external) that fill our lives. It is to take it as a given (I believe very rightly) that God is consistently speaking – to us. And thus our work is to become skilled listeners. (This is in contrast to the common fear that God must be sought by heroic means – that God speaks only to those who have achieved some impressive measure of holiness, often by great sacrifice or spiritual rigor. It is not the case! Jesus – throughout the Gospels – is constantly seeking to be heard and understood by regular old humans…) In many ways, the great task of Christian prayer is to quiet our mind as much as we can, to identify the voices that are likely not the Lord, and then to see if we can hear through the din the still, small, loving, compassionate voice of God. And for this work, the practice of Ignatian contemplation is excellent. In this episode we'll take a brief look at the life of St. Ignatius of Loyola (it helps to understand how his method of contemplation developed) and then we'll pray together with a guided contemplation. If you've not done it before, I hope you may find it quite a revolutionary experience! If you enjoy the guided Christian meditation, you can find more of them on the Canvas website . And if you'd like to read the passage yourself while we pray together, you can find it here: Mark 1:21-28 (NRSV) Up for supporting the podcast??? You're tax-deductible gift to Canvas is a major help! As are your prayers, your online reviews, telling a friend or two and getting in touch! You can reach me easily at jesusat2am.com, or send me email, chat on BlueSky, or come find me on Facebook or Instagram (I'm slowly making my way back...), I'd love to hear from you!

With this episode we conclude our short series on the abundant life – exploring what it means to live a fully human existence in a world that that can been very dehumanizing. It's a series that has taken us deep into the 10 commandments, as I've been doing my best to make the case that far from being a checklist of restrictions, the 10 commandments are actually divine instructions for freedom—freedom from slavery, freedom from fear, freedom from our worst impulses, and esp. freedom the false gods we are so inclined to make for ourselves (and then worship in vain!). So today I want to go back to the beginning – to the story that started this whole endeavor: Jesus' healing of the man born blind and to consider again what it means that God desires for us a life of abundance—full of breath, creativity, and joy. A life in which holiness not about repression, but as wholeness in love. The texts for this sermon can be found here: John 9:2-10:10 (NRSV) and Exodus 20:1-20 (NRSV) If you value the podcast and are able to support the community from which it comes, you can make a tax-deductible contribution to Canvas Presbyterian Church here! (Thank you!!!) For more sermon series, resources and means of contacting me, simply head to jesusat2am.com, send me email, or come chat on BlueSky.

In this episode we turn to – you guessed it – the 9th commandment: You shall not bear false witness. It's instruction that – like all the commandments – seems, at first glance, very simple and straightforward: When you are called as a witness in a trial, do not give false testimony. But when we look a little deeper, we see that this commandment is filled with implications that I think are critical to explore if we are to live the abundant life – not the least of which is to recognize that in life, there will be conflict. Wrongs will be done. Harm will happen. There will be disputes that require adjudication. If life in the community of faith were easy, there'd be no need for a commandment about truth-telling. Indeed, it turns out that truth-telling is key for a healthy community. And in fact, can be very healing when wrongs have been committed. Sometimes the only justice that can be granted is an honest accounting of what has transpired. But owning wrongs goes a long way towards making repair. And yet there is another reason that the people of God are called to be honest brokers in all that we do – we bear witness to God himself, whom we believe raised Jesus from the dead! …a claim that strains credulity to its breaking point. If we want to be the least bit credible when it comes to bearing witness to Christ, we had best have a long reputation of integrity – intellectual and otherwise... The text for this sermon can be found here: Exodus 20:16 (NRSV) If you value the podcast and are able to support the community from which it comes, you can make a tax-deductible contribution to Canvas Presbyterian Church here! (Thank you!!!) For more sermon series, resources and means of contacting me, simply head to jesusat2am.com, send me email, or come chat on BlueSky.