Christ Church Tyler
The Aroma of Hope (IV): Experiencing God Now!

Riches.  Strength.  Comprehension.  What do these words have to do with catching a whiff of the aroma of God's future now?  Father Matt takes us through Paul's prayer for the Ephesian church in the third chapter of Ephesians looking at the connection of these words to an experience with God now.  

Direct download: epiphserm07.15.12.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:29pm EDT

The Aroma of Hope (III): God's Future Comes Through Covenant

Should we live by 'rules,' or by 'following our hearts?'  There seem to be pros and cons with both.  There also seems to be Biblical evidence for both leading to another opportunity of polarized views in the body of Christ.  Could it be that Jesus is brilliant enough to come up with an out of the box system that blends the best elements of both?  Learn how God has historically worked through covenants and continues to work through covenant today to transform us from the inside out!

Direct download: epiphserm07.08.12.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:33pm EDT

The Aroma of Hope (II): Biblical Patriotism & God's Glorious Future

Where does and where should our loyalty as Christians lie?  Is it okay to love my country?  What kind of Kingdom was and is Jesus trying to establish through his death, resurrection, and his church?  Celebrate the 4th of July by delving into these significant and relative questions with Father Matt and the Epiphany community!

Direct download: MattJul12012.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:22pm EDT

The Aroma of Hope: Glimpsing God's Future in Today's Broken World (Week 1)

What do you think of when you hear the word, ‘eschatology?’  Do you think of microchips in hands and foreheads?  The ‘Rapture?’  The ‘Left Behind’ series, perhaps?

How about a rescued world where Heaven and Earth overlap and all wrongs are put right at last?  (Revelation 21)

Either way, what does that have to do with the price of tea in China, raising a family, working 9-5, or any part of life today?

Answer:  Everything!

Join us as Father Matt explores how we can participate in the future now, bringing purpose to our lives, and a glimpse of the future of hope to the world!

Direct download: C0775BB0-6DF0-4FBE-9840-E9454F696421.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:30pm EDT

Roots and the Kingdom (Preached by Fr. Brandon Peete on 6.17.12)

In this message, Father Brandon helps us understand what it means to be rooted in Christ and the practical implications of those roots on our lives, and the coming of the Kingdom of God in this world. 

Direct download: Brandon.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:03pm EDT

The Divine Mystery

How important in certainty?  Were biblical characters like Nicodemus and Moses 100% certain of eberything, or did they embrace the element of divine mystery?  Join Father Brandon Peete as he explores the role of mystery in the Christian life.

Direct download: 09E0ADAF-359F-463E-B461-E8C9B31346E1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:58pm EDT

Breath of God (Preached by Father Matt on 5.27.12)

When God breathed on his people on the day of Pentecost, what was He doing?  Join Father Matt on this Pentecost Sunday, as he explores the breath of God in the formation of the Church and in the life of the believer today!

Direct download: 7FE463C9-9268-4B1B-85BE-7233CA2911B2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:18pm EDT

"For the World, Against the World" (plus, Megan's testimonial)

This day was youth Sunday at Christ Church!

Listen to Megan's tesimonial, and then hear from Fr. Matt on John 17, Jesus' teachings on "for the world, against the world."

Preached on Sunday, May 20, 2012.

Direct download: 5-20-12_easter7.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:50pm EDT

Friendship with God

What does a friendship of depth and substance look like?  Join us as Father Matt explores friendship with God!

Direct download: 88319D0B-4BBF-483B-BE76-5DE1C7D226BB.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00pm EDT

Vance Garvey's Sermon from 4.22.12

Youth Minister, Vance Garvey explores the meaning of the Christian life.

Direct download: 6ADCC648-42AB-4CB9-9289-B0EEC48022AB.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:30pm EDT

Father Matt's Sermon from 4.01.12

Preached by Father Matt Boulter on 4.01.12

Direct download: 3133EA07-32DC-4721-B6BA-0D7F9D0F189C.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:24pm EDT

"Taking Risks" (Lent V - March 25, 2012)

James Davis of Young Life, Liberia delivers a powerful message encouraging us to take risks for Jesus. 

Preached March 25, 2012

Direct download: D8983772-DECC-4B0D-AC23-1C55D15F4358.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:43am EDT

"I am the Bread" (Lent IV - March 18, 2012)

In John 6 Jesus says & shows that "I am the Bread."

What does he mean, and why does it matter?

Borrowing heavily from a sermon preached by Tim Keller, this sermon attempts an answer at these questions.

Direct download: 2012-3-18.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:25am EDT

Spirit-Infused Dirt

In Gen 2:7 God plunges his hands into the mud and elevates it to his face, breathing his Spirit and Life into it.

This process is how Christ is formed spiritually. But before Christ is elevated, he must go down and die. 

You and I are formed and find our life _in him_.

Preached on Sun, March 5, 2012.

Direct download: epiphany_2012-3-5.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:25am EDT

Sermon from 2.26.12

Preached by Father Matt on 2.26.12

Direct download: 0B0D4302-897A-4010-83BC-29EEAAA6E22D.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:49pm EDT

Discipline, Direct Intervention, and Desire

Do we need discipline to live the Christian life, or direct intervention from God?  Where would desire fit in, or is desire something to avoid altogether?  Join us as Father Matt explores these questions in 1st Corinthians 9. 

Direct download: B483EEB3-4514-4D7A-B26C-59616B11CC43.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:38pm EDT

How do we relate well with those we do not see eye to eye within the body of Christ?  Is tolerance the best we can hope for or does Jesus offer a better way? 

Paul explores this issue in the 8th Chapter of 1st Corinthians.

Preached on Sunday, January 29, 2012.

Direct download: D86FAF1C-BBB7-45DF-9674-E2DD8159FF5F.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30pm EDT

"Bodies within the Body (True Unity)" (3rd Sun after Epiphany)

What does it mean to be Christian? For most people, it might mean having a feeling in your heart or correct ideas in your head.

For St. Paul, however, it is about your body, which is what he discusses in 1 Cor 6.

Preached on Sunday, January 15, 2012.

Direct download: epiphany2B.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:14pm EDT

Beginning with Epiphany (2012)

What does it mean to be Christian? When we look at Acts 10 (the story of the conversion of Cornelius) we see 3 things:

1. New Family.

2. New Morality.

3. New Power.

Preached by Matt Boulter on Sun, Jan 8, 2012.

Direct download: epiphany1B.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:55am EDT

Advent 2011: Who are you listening to? (Annunciation)

Voices whispering in your ear, just like in the Virgin Mary's ear.

Who are you listening to?

Preached at the Epiphany Eucharist on Sunday, December 18, 2011 (Advent IV).

Direct download: advent-B-4.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:49pm EDT

Advent (2011) He's Coming (I)

In Isaiah 40, which poetically describes the coming of a King, we hear about:

1. Atrophy

2. Upheaval

3. The Arm of the Lord.

He is coming: get ready!

Direct download: advent-B-1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:31pm EDT

Journey to the Temple (XI): "Out of Flatland, Into the Holy Place" (Ps 134)

The Psalmist invites us, commands us: "Lift up your hands in the Holy Place."

But just were is this "Holy Place?" Where, in our disenchanted world can we find this place?

Preached on Sunday, Nov 20, 2011, Christ the King Sunday.

Direct download: 2011-11-20_ascents_ps134.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:44pm EDT

Journey to the Temple (X): "Built for Relationship" (Ps 133)

"Behold how good & pleasant it is when brothers & sisters dwell together in unity." - Ps 134.

This unity comes from above. It is a gift that we cannot manipulate or manufacture.

Direct download: 49EC8327-39CE-42A8-9A1E-D62FD1E9847E.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:51pm EDT

Journey to the Temple (VIII): Contentment before the Feast (Ps 131)

Why would the people of Israel sing a song about lowliness & contentment on their way to the feast?

Because sometimes we act like "unweaned babies." (See Ps. 131:2.)

Preached by Matt Boulter on 10-30-11.

Direct download: 2011-10-30_ascents_ps131.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:42am EDT

Journey to the Temple (VII): Out of the Pit (Ps 130)

Psalm 130 admits that in our journey to the temple, in our journey to Christ and into God, sometimes we stumble. Sometimes we fall. Sometimes we fall hard, and sometimes we fall into a pit.

Few pits are as traumatic and difficult to escape than the pit of shame.

Preached by Matt Boulter on 10-23-2011.

Direct download: 2011-10-23_ascents_ps130.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:31am EDT

Journey to the Temple (VI): Walking in God's Ways

With Psalm 128 we continued our "journey" to the temple, looking at these ancient "travel songs," Psalms 120 - 134, which the people of God would chant on their pilgrimage to the temple during the three great feasts of Israel.

In this Psalm we encounter the language of "walking:"

"Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD,

who walks in his ways!" (ESV)

Direct download: 2011-10-16_ascents_ps128.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:56am EDT

Journey to the Temple (V): God's Housing Project (Ps 127)

In Psalm 127, we see a common biblical pattern.

Time and time again, in places like Genesis 11 (the story of the Tower of Babel) and 2 Samuel 7 (King David and the temple), we see people like you and I trying to build. Trying to build a house, even a house "for God."

And yet ... time and time again, God comes to us and turns the tables. "You would build me a house?" God says. "I am going to build you a house, and it is a house made of living stones, a house made of people, a house of relationship."

Direct download: 2011-10-9-_ascents_ps127.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:17am EDT

Workers & Wages in the Kingdom of God

In this sermon, a break from our series on the Psalms of Ascent, The Rev. Brandon Peete speaks to us out of Matthew 20:1-16.

Direct download: 2011-9-18_peete.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:11pm EDT

Journey to the Temple (II): Protection for the Journey (Ps 121)

"I lift my eyes to the hills; from where is my help to come?"

What's up with these hills? Perhaps they are the haven of bandits, waiting to pounce on us and attack us on our journey. Or perhaps they are the habititat of false gods in their "high places." Either way, when we realize (with the Psalmist) that our Creator is on our side, that our Creator is our Redeemer, we are liberated to minister to others.

Preached by Fr. Matt on September 11, 2011.

Direct download: 2011-9-11_ascents_ps121.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:03pm EDT

Journey to the Temple (I): Beginning with Repentance

For the rest of ordinary time up to Advent, the Epiphany Community of Christ Church (Tyler) will join the ancient Hebrews in the journey to the Temple, singing and meditating upon the Psalms of Ascent (Psalms 120-134) as we approach the first Advent of the Christ, the true Temple of God (John 2:13-22).

As we see in Ps 120, this journey begins in distress and discontent. It begins with repentance, with the searing coals of the judgment of God.

Preached by Matt Boulter on September 4, 2011.

Direct download: 2011-9-4_ascents_ps120.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:29am EDT

Living the Creed in a Crazy World (IX): "the Life Everlasting"

"I believe ... in the life everlasting."

Preached by Fr. Matt on Aug 21, 2011.

Direct download: 8-21.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:21pm EDT

Living the Creed in a Crazy World (VII): "The Holy Spirit, Giver of Life"

What does it mean to confess (with all of your doubts) "I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life?"

That is the question addressed by this sermon, given by Fr. Matt on Aug. 7, 2011.

Direct download: aug_7.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:16pm EDT

Living the Creed in a Crazy World (VI): The Saving Bio of Jesus

Preached on July 31, this is Father David Luckenbach preaching on how the work of Jesus Christ saves us.

Direct download: dl_july_31.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:09pm EDT

Living the Creed in a Crazy World (V): Salvation

"who for us and for our salvation...." But ... saved from what?

Preached on Sunday, July 24, the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost.

Direct download: 5_epiphany_-_salvation.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:26am EDT

Living the Creed in a Crazy World (IV): Lord

"... and in Jesus Christ ... our Lord." How can we, how do we, make Jesus our lord?

Preached on July 17, 2011 (5th Sunday after Pentecost).

Direct download: 4_epiphany_-_lord.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:53am EDT

Living the Creed in a Crazy World (III): Creator

"We believe in God ... creator of heaven and earth." But what is creation, and why does it matter?

Direct download: 3_epiphany_-_creator.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:22am EDT

Living the Creed in a Crazy World (II): Father

Every week in the Nicene Creed we confess not just that we believe in general, but rathat that we believe in the Father. What does it mean to call God "Father?"

Direct download: 2_epiphany_-_father.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:15am EDT

Living the Creed in a Crazy World (I): "I Believe"

What is Faith? What does it mean to confess (as we do every Sunday in the Nicene Creed), "I believe ...."?

Direct download: 1_epiphany_-_i_believe.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:10am EDT

Introducing the Story (II): New Spirit, New Community

Preached on the Day of Pentecost.

Direct download: 2011-6-12_epiphany_sermon.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:40am EDT

Introducing he Story (I): Built for Relationship

The Christian story is rooted in relationship. This sermon was preached on the Feast of the Ascension.

Direct download: 2011-6-5_epiphany_sermon.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:31am EDT

Epiphany #14 - Sparks of Epiphany from John

As we ramp up to transition to regular Sunday morning worship, this was our final Thursday night gathering. We continued in John's Gospel, looking at the first of John's "signs."

Direct download: thurs_last.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:13am EDT

Feast of the Epiphany

What's up with these 3 Christ-worshipping scorcers ("the Magi") from Matthew 2?

 

"The Gospel for the Nations." That's what. That's what "Epiphany" is all about.

Direct download: epiphany_1-6-11.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:48am EDT

Epiphany #12 (Galatians, Pt. 7 - "Freedom for ... What?")

Looking at Galatians 5:16-26, we saw that Christ calls us to freedom, but freedom for what? Paul's answer: freedom for shalom, freedom for desire, and freedom for community.

Direct download: epiphany12.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:09pm EDT

Epiphany #11 - Galatians, Pt. 5 "Freedom for Christ"

In Galatians 1-4, Paul passionately argues what the Gospel is not: it is not "the works of the law," which for us comes to mean traditional religiosity. But this still leaves us with the question: "What IS the Gospel?" Today we begin to see that the Gospel of Jesus is all about freedom. We looked at 1) freedom's "slipperyness," 2) freedom's opposite, and 3) freedom's dynamics.

Direct download: epiphany11.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:24pm EDT

Epiphany #10 (Galatians, pt. 5)

What does Paul mean in Galatians by "jusification?" God designed us to live for his approval, for his applause. To be justified is by faith to begin to hear and receive his approval, his applause of you in Jesus Christ.

Direct download: epiphany10.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:51pm EDT

Epiphany #9 (Galatians: New Freedom, New Fam, pt. 4)

Want to anger an Apostle? Ruin the Feast by exlcluding others. Such exclusionism tells lies about God and the Gospel of Free Grace.

Direct download: epiphany9.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:02pm EDT

Epiphany #8 (Galatians: New Freedom, New Family)

We saw how St. Paul, a former "elder brother type" (listen to last week's podcast) gives his testimony / autobiography, showing how real change is possible in the Gospel of Jesus.

Direct download: epiphany8.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:47am EDT

Epiphany #7

The Parable of the 2 Sons (Luke 15) gives us a window into the book of Galatians. The Older Brother = the Pharisees & Scribes of Luke 15 = the Judiazers of Paul's Letter to the Galatians.

Direct download: epiphany7.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:50pm EDT

Epiphany #6 (Galatians: New Freedom, New Family)

This talk begins a new series: "Grace Changes Everything: New Freedom, New Family," rooted in the Book of Galatians. For a summary of this talk, see here:

http://epiphanytyler.wordpress.com/2010/10/22/introducing-galatians-introducing-grace/

Direct download: epiphany6.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:25am EDT

Epiphany #5

We concluded our series on the integral wholeness of creation, this time looking at man and woman as well as humanity and the earth, seeing how the fall tore them apart, but how Jesus is putting them back together again.

Direct download: epiphany5.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:38am EDT

Epiphany #4

We discussed body & soul, how God made them to go together, how they get ripped apart, and how Jesus puts them back together through his own self-disintegration.

Direct download: epiphany4.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:56pm EDT

The Most Rev. Kwashin on Evangelism

We are honored to offer the remarks of The Most Reverend Archbishop Benjamin Kwashi of Jos, Nigeria, given on Oct. 2, 2010 at Christ Church (Episcopal), in Tyler, Texas. 

Direct download: kwashi.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:05am EDT

We began a new series: "Resident Aliens: Living Well in the World God Made." We focused in on "fixing what is broken," looking at how the Divider tries to rend what God has joined toghether, especially Heaven & Earth.

Direct download: epiphany3.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:57pm EDT

Epiphany #2 (post-college): Epiphany Vision

We continued our discussion of Epiphany vision, using Rublev's icon & Genesis 18 (upon which it is based) as our guide.

Direct download: epiphany2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:47am EDT

Epiphany Weekly Teaching #1 (post-college)

In this week's post-college teaching time we discussed new approaches to "The Way," using Rublev's icon Philoxenia (see icon to the right) as our point of departure (and return).

Direct download: epiphany1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:50pm EDT