Awaken Bowness Podcast

Element: Earth

We have reflected on Body and Blood at Awaken this year, and now we are bringing these ideas together at the Communion Table with a series called ELEMENTS where we will reflect on the four elements: earth, fire, water, air and how all of creation is gathered together at the table where we are nourished together on the body and blood of our Incarnate God. All of creation eagerly awaits the reconciliation of all things: element to elements.
 
Kara Boda Harvey leads us in a sermon on the earth and how we should learn to learn again from our ancient teachers. 

Blood: The Blood of Jesus

Kara Boda Harvey takes us into a deep dive celebrating the blood of Jesus. This is another take on the atonement and why the blood Jesus is significant. Enjoy! 
 
 

Blood of Atonement

Here Nikayla discusses a bit about the blood of atonement - we look at the sacrificial system in Leviticus and the day of atonement and reflect on what it means that Jesus satisfies the wrath of Jesus (or in other words, how God Godself satisfies the wrath of God).
 
What does it mean that God became the sacrifice on the altar to atone for the sins of the whole world, *while we were still sinners*?

Blood: Blood of New Life

Here Kara Boda Harvey leads us in a beautiful and thoughtful reflection on the blood of new birth - menstrual blood and post-partum blood. These blood sources are a big deal in the Old Testament and Kara connects it beautifully to the blood of Christ and the birth of the church. 
 
Questions for reflection:
Beginning again is sometimes painful - share a story about the pain of new beginnings

Blood of Liberation

The Exodus story is the only story and the entire bible is just telling that same story over and over and over - pain turns to speech, the heart of a God turns towards the cry, water turns to blood, blood turns to wine.

Blood of the Covenant

If you were to enter a blood oath with your child - would you let them walk through the parts? No, you'd insist they stay away. In the same way, God walks through the parts and Abram does not. God anticipates unfaithfulness and yet.... 
 
 

Blood: Life Cries Out from the Ground

This sermon is about the question God asks Cain, "Am I my brother's keeper?" 
 
It kicks off our Lent series on BLOOD and it's a hopeful reflection on reconciliation and what it means to love your neighbour as yourself. 
 
One of our siblings wrote a lent devotional on this text which also fits with the theme of this sermon. You can find it here.  
 
Reflection: 
Who is your neighbour?
 
You might not think you have any 'enemies' but perhaps there are people in the world crying out for you to dismantle systems of oppression which you benefit from. Who might think of you as an enemy? 

Body: The Marriage of Heaven and Earth

There aren't any marriages celebrated in the New Testament except the great wedding day when the world to come overshadows this world. The New Jerusalem comes like a bride! Heaven and Earth become one flesh. 
This is the conclusion of the BODY sermon - salvation is about our whole body, not just the soul and it's about the present and not just the future and it's about the power of God not just to us and for us, but through us and for the neighbourhood. What is our hope and how that impact the way we treat our bodies and the bodies of this world that we all call home? 
 
On this Sunday we celebrated a bunch of people becoming members of the BODY that is Awaken Church! 

Body: Marriage- What’s it for? Who’s it for?

This week Jess Dell Andrews led us in an exploration of what the bible says about marriage. It's a complicated topic - the Old Testament conception around marriage was extremely different than the Western concept of romance and equality. The New Testament also doesn't talk about it much - the only married couple in the NT discussed in any detail is Annanias and Saphira and well..... that story doesn't end well. Both Paul and Jesus say that we should avoid marriage if we are able (so I guess God didn't design any of us to be a 'husband' or a 'wife') - marriage is an accommodation in the NT. And yet - marriage is good and beautiful and a powerful school to learn what it is to love your neighbour. 
 
Enjoy! 

Body: Story Time with Beth Carlson-Malena and Cal Malena

This was the most beautiful Awaken gathering - thank you to all who helped make it happen!
 
Dr. Cal Malena is a ‘true blue’ Canadian Baptist. He grew up in First Baptist Church Prince Albert and then attended Avalon Emmanuel Baptist while studying to be a Chemical Engineer at the University of Saskatchewan. He went to the Baptist Leadership Training School (BLTS) before going on to Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky and later did a doctorate at Golden Gate Baptist Seminary in San Francisco. His ministry started by directing Baptist camps at Katepwa and Christopher Lake in Saskatchewan. While working for Shell Oil in Calgary, he was involved in the planting of the new church - Bonavista Baptist. After seminary, he went to First Baptist Lethbridge as an Associate Pastor. After that, for the next 27 years, he was at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Saskatoon. For the last 12 years he has been at First Baptist Prince George, first as Lead Pastor and then as Pastor Emeritus when he retired in 2015.
Over these decades, Cal has been very involved in denominational life, teaching courses through the Carey Centre, serving on the Board and as President of Canadian Baptist Ministries. He recently served on the Board of Canadian Baptists of Western Canada (CBWC) for six years before being asked to resign because of his convictions on LGBTQ+ issues. Cal and his wife Joanne have 4 adult children and two grandchildren. They are active as allies to the Christian LGBTQ community and together they co-host a national support group for the parents of LGBTQ folks.
 
Beth grew up in Saskatoon and spent the first 22 years of her life at Emmanuel Baptist Church before moving to Vancouver to study theology at Regent College. While working on her MDiv, she spent several years living in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, fostering friendship-building and community in her work with Jacob's Well Ministries, and co-pastoring a church plant called God's House. In 2013, she and her housemate Danice came out publicly, and they were married the following year. No longer able to work in the CBWC, they both accepted jobs with Generous Space Ministries, a Canadian non-profit dedicated to dismantling fear, division, and hostility at the intersection of faith, gender, and sexuality. Four years ago, Beth and her friend Mark launched a non-denominational affirming church called Open Way in Vancouver, where she co-pastors today, alongside her side-gig as a wedding officiant.