Bethel CRC Lacombe: Recent Episodes
Bethel CRC
Today, we will reflect on 3 John, Walking in the Truth. This letter is closely connected to 2 John, which was written to encourage the church not to support traveling teachers who were teaching heresies about Jesus. Here in 3 John, John is now encouraging them to support those who are travelling teachers who are teaching about Jesus. Even in the early church, there were power struggles, and so John is encouraging them to walk in the truth, to walk in the way of Jesus, to remember who they are as followers of Jesus. John calls the church to extend hospitality to these workers of God, as God is a generous and hospitable God.
Today, we will be reflecting on Romans 12, Peacemakers. In a world of chaos and hatred, we are still called to be peacemakers.
Today, we will be finishing our series on Ecclesiastes by reflecting on Ecclesiastes 12:1-14, The End of the Matter. Solomon now comes to the end of his journey of examining the world from the perspective of “under the sun.” He discovers that he’s been looking in all the wrong places, and his search leads him back to his Creator, the God of heaven and earth. Solomon calls us to remember our Creator, to commit ourselves to God
Today, we will reflect on Ecclesiastes 11:1-10, The Work of God. God created us to work, to have dominion over creation and help it flourish, responsible human work is part of God’s creation plan for humanity, but human sin spoiled God’s good creation, work is now much harder and made our work less certain. Jesus came to pay the penalty for our sin and to restore the good creation. Jesus sees work in the context of the kingdom of God, “I will make you fishers of men,” and urges his followers to do the work of God. We are called to do everything as if for the Lord, as in our work we bless our community and create places of flourishing.
Today, we will be returning to our series on Ecclesiastes by reflecting on Ecclesiastes 8:2-17, The King and Obedience. When Solomon calls for obedience to the king, he’s speaking about obedience to God as our king. Solomon has been reflecting for so long about life under the sun, and as we near the end of Ecclesiastes, Solomon is turning his focus more and more towards God, recognizing that without God, life is meaningless, and there is no hope or future without God.
Today, we will be continuing our series on Ecclesiastes by reflecting on Ecclesiastes 9:1-12, The End is the Same for All. We will be reflecting on death and life. In the end, we will all die, and for Solomon, death is the great enemy, the punishment for sin. No matter how hard you work, how much you gather, or how evil you’ve been, we all end up the same, in the grave. This is why Solomon encourages his readers to eat, drink, and enjoy life with your life. We will also be installing our new elders and deacons as part of the service .
Today, we will be celebrating Pentecost by reflecting on Ezekiel 37:1-14, The Holy Spirit Renews Us. Pentecost is about the coming of the Holy Spirit, but this is already foreshadowed in the Old Testament in a number of places, including Ezekiel 37. Israel is in exile, and hope is lost, and the people feel like dry bones, that life has left them. The Lord comes to Ezekiel with a promise of new life and restoration! Pentecost is about the Holy Spirit coming into the world and creating new life by empowering the people of God with spiritual life and power to go into the world, offering new life to everyone through Jesus witnesses to our communities, to repent and believe because the kingdom of God is near.
Today, we will be celebrating Ascension Day. We will reflect on Acts 1:1-11, Being Witnesses. After Jesus’ resurrection, he spent 40 days with his followers, teaching them and preparing them to continue the work he had begun. Jesus leaves them with this charge, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” This is the call of the church still today, to be Jesus’ witnesses to our communities, to repent and believe because the kingdom of God is near.
Today, we will reflect on Ecclesiastes 7:1-8:1; Ecclesiastes 9:13-10:20, Wisdom is a Good Thing. These are two passages that reflect on what wisdom looks like, and yet what wisdom looks like in various circumstances can be difficult to figure out. When we live under the sun only, wisdom is often overlooked or even rejected. Wisdom is often disregarded because of who it comes from. Wisdom is a good thing, even if disregarded.
Today, we continue our series on Ecclesiastes by reflecting on Ecclesiastes 5:8-6:12, Contentment. Wealth carries its own temptations, as Solomon observes. If you love wealth, you’ll find that you will always be striving for more, and living a life of thankfulness becomes almost impossible; wealth can harm you through worry, stress, and hurt relationships and trust in others; wealth can be lost. Solomon reminds us over and over again what a blessing it is to enjoy God’s daily blessings and to be happy in their toil
Today, we re-enter our series on Ecclesiastes by reflecting on Ecclesiastes 3:1-22, A Time for Everything. This is a well-known passage, yet there is more to this passage than many of us realize. Solomon is looking at life under the sun, where everything is always changing. There is little permanence in our lives; everything we build will one day fall, we are born, but we also die. This leads us to a place where the only permanence we can count on is God; wisdom calls then to live well under the sun, looking to live under God with an eye on eternity, holding things lightly, living with a spirit of gratitude for the gifts God gives us, for we will be held accountable for how we live.
Today, we will reflect on Ecclesiastes 4:1-16, A Cord of Three Strands. Solomon is seeing the pain and brokenness in the world, but he’s also seeing how many people walk alone in the world and reflects on the value of companionship, that two are better than one, that a cord of three strands is not easily broken. We are not called to walk alone; we were created in the image of God, created for companionship and community.
Today, we continue our series on Ecclesiastes by reflecting on Ecclesiastes 5:1-7, Careful Words. In this passage, Solomon is warning us about the power of our words and how we speak to and about God. God is in heaven, he is the creator of the universe, and we are his creations, valuable, precious creations, created in God’s image, and we are called to humbleness and respect for God.
Today is Easter Sunday! We will be reflecting on Leviticus 25:8-22, New Life! Jesus is risen and brings new life and hope into the world as death is defeated, sins are forgiven, and our relationship with God is healed. We will be reflecting on the Year of Jubilee, a year where people who are slaves are set free, people who have lost their land have it returned, and all debts are forgiven. The Year of Jubilee is a year of new starts and restoration, pointing ahead to the return of Jesus and the restoration and renewal of all creation that he will bring
Today, we will be reflecting on Leviticus 18, Intimate Holiness. God reminds Israel of the actions God took when God liberated God’s people from Egypt, and then God uses that as the reason for calling God’s people to holiness. So, when a holy and majestic God acts to redeem us, we will not live recklessly or indifferently before that God. Instead, we surrender ourselves to the one who redeemed us. This includes obeying God in the most intimate areas of our lives.
This week is Good Friday. We will be hosting our Good Friday service at 7:00 p.m. and will be reflecting on Leviticus 23:26-32, The Greatest, Most Dreadful Day. This passage is on the Day of Atonement, a reminder that the daily and weekly sacrifices for sin were not enough to atone for the people’s sins; the sacrifices were a temporary measure that God gave the people to enable them to come close to him. The Day of Atonement points directly to Jesus’ sacrifice of his life for our sin as the one who is fully God, so that he could bear the weight and horror of our sin, and fully human, so he could take our place.
Today, we will be reflecting on Leviticus 17:1-16, Power in the Blood. As you read through the Bible and are introduced to the sacrificial system of Israel, you begin to see how blood represents life. In the sacrifices, we see how the sacrifices point to the seriousness of our sin and that the cost of our sin is life through the shedding of the blood of the animals. The original punishment for sin in Genesis is death; the cost for sin is life. Over time, people began to believe that our life force was found in the blood of creatures, and so rituals were designed to take that life for themselves. So, God gives his people laws to prevent the unnecessary shedding of blood, revealing how God honours all life and that all life belongs to God, not to us. When the proper time came, God sent Jesus to pay the price for our sin through the shedding of his own blood on our behalf so that we are washed clean from our sin and made holy in the eyes of God .
Today, we will be reflecting on Leviticus 13:1–8, Mold, Mildew, Sores, and Infectious Diseases. God communicates our need for holiness in all areas of life by giving rules for the transmission and elimination of unclean matter. This pointed God’s people to a greater spiritual reality: Living in God’s presence requires holiness in all of life, and ultimately God provides holiness for us.
Today, we are celebrating GEMS Sunday. The GEMS theme this year comes from Deuteronomy 7:6-10, Walk on Water. Girls everywhere are battling the storm of life and are tossed and turned by waves of lies, doubt, and fear. Many girls are simply treading water, looking to culture, social media, or peers to determine their identity and define truth. In Deuteronomy 7:6-10, we discover God’s faithful character and learn that God is always with us. God invites ordinary people to step out in faith to be part of his awesome plan
Today, we will be reflecting on Leviticus 8:1-13, The Go-Between. Aaron and his sons are chosen to become priests for Israel. Priests in Israel offered sacrifices on behalf of the people, and after the Tabernacle was built, the priests were the ones who were able to enter the Holy of Holies to offer the sacrifices of atonement for the people. They acted as mediators, as go-betweens between the people and God. To be able to do so, Aaron and his sons needed to be washed with water, as a symbol of cleanliness and purity from filth and sin; they also needed to be anointed as a sign that they were set apart for this task. The priest pointed ahead to Jesus, who became our high priest and perfect sacrifice for our sins.
Today, we will continue our series on Ecclesiastes by reflecting on Ecclesiastes 2:17-26, Work is Meaningless. For so many people, their identity is wrapped up in what they do to earn a living and put food on their table and a roof over their head. Unfortunately, we then equate our value by what we’re able to accomplish rather than in who we belong to. We will take a look at how work is a good thing, but not an ultimate thing.
Today, we are beginning our Lenten series Holy God, Holy Lives as the 40-day Lenten period in the church year begins this Wednesday, a time of reflection as we journey to the cross on Good Friday and Jesus’ resurrection on Easter. We will begin by reflecting on Leviticus 1:1-9, When God Moves In. Leviticus is all about our holy God calling for his people to be holy as he is. It’s a book of sacrifices pointing to Jesus, and a book that reveals through laws and images, how serious our sin is and how great God’s grace is. We will begin by looking at a sacrifice of atonement.
Today, we return to our series on Ecclesiastes by reflecting on Ecclesiastes 2:1-11, Pleasure is Meaningless. Our “under the sun” understanding and experience of pleasure is so often “me” focused instead of cultivating pleasure in God. We are a culture lost in meaningless pleasure, filling our minds and souls with vapid meaninglessness; this can cause us to miss meaningful God-moments and encounters.
Today is Cadet Sunday, and we will be reflecting on 1 Corinthians 16:13-14, Stand Firm. We will reflect on being on our guard, standing firm, being courageous, being strong, and doing everything in love. The Cadets and their counselors will be leading us in the worship service.
Today, we are beginning a series on the book of Ecclesiastes, a book found in the Wisdom section of the Bible. The word “hevel,” often translated as “meaningless,” is found 38 times in this book, making it an often-misunderstood book of the Bible. Over the next few months, we will explore what “hevel” is and where the author is looking to guide us in search of wisdom.
Today, we will have Pastor Chad Vandervalk leading us in worship. We will be reflecting on Genesis 1:26-31; Jeremiah 29:1-14, Life and Work in a Broken World. God’s original call for humanity to cultivate and extend the goodness of creation still stands today. Though sin brought brokenness, God has promised renewal, which has been initiated through Jesus and will be completed at the final restoration. In the meantime, God calls His people to live as witnesses to that coming renewal by seeking the prosperity and shalom of the places they inhabit, spreading wholeness and goodness through all they do.
Today, we are celebrating Friendship Sunday! We will be reflecting on their theme of Spiritual Gifts by looking at 1 Peter 4:7-11, Spiritual Gifts for Serving Others. Peter is writing about the last times and Jesus’ return and encouraging the people to be alert and of sober mind so they can pray. Then Peter moves into speaking about the importance of love and using whatever gift they have to serve others. When we grow a servant’s heart, we become more like Jesus, and God is praised!
Today, we will reflect on Jeremiah 29:1-14, a Christmas Letter? With Christmas behind us and a New Year in its infancy, we are reminded that God desires for us to include Him in every part of our lives over the course of the next 365 days. He will walk with us through the simple and the challenging moments this next year holds.
Today is New Years Day. We will be reflecting on Luke 6:37-42, Noticing God in the New Year. As we enter into a new year, we will reflect on what to keep our eyes on as we journey through the 365 days ahead. We can choose to keep our eyes on each other; unfortunately, this often leads to a lot of comparison and judging of others. This year, let’s make a commitment instead to keep our eyes on God’s presence in all the small things of life and to respond to him with a spirit of gratitude, humbleness, and joyful awe.
Today is Christmas Day! We will be reflecting on Isaiah 61, Psalm 98, Luke 2:1-20, The Promised Seed. If Christ’s birth was ordinary, there wouldn't be angels announcing it. If Christmas was all about a cute baby, then the shepherds wouldn’t have left the field, nor the magi their home. “Do not be afraid,” we read in Luke 2, “for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.” The point isn’t that a baby is born, but that the long-awaited Messiah is born. God “has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness.” But before we get too excited, this same Psalm warns, “he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity.” Christmas is a time of wonder and awe, but also a time to reflect on our relationship with God.
Today we wrap up our theme of GROUNDED AND GROWING, by reflecting on John 4:27-38, The Fields Are Ripe for Harvest. Our passage this morning is part of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. Through advent, we’ve reflected in the images of growth, and now Jesus is reminding his disciples that the fields, the world, is ripe for a harvest of souls, the good news has come, the Messiah has arrived, and salvation is at hand. We have the gospel, the good news, and it’s meant for the world! Are you ready for the harvest, are you ready to reap the harvest for our Lord?
Today we will reflect on Isaiah 37:26-32; Psalm 36:5-12; Matthew 1, The Loving Gardener. For plants to truly flourish and for there to be an abundant harvest, the gardener or farmer needs to carefully tend to them. Whether it’s a few plants on a patio, a back yard vegetable garden, or acres of corn, for plants to thrive, someone needs to care about their health: make sure the conditions are right and that there aren’t weeds competing with them for nutrients and water. In scripture, God is the loving gardener. It is God who carefully watches and tends our souls to make sure the harvest is plentiful, and scripture shows that God has been doing this for generations: “Once more a remnant of the kingdom of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above” (Isaiah 37:31 ).
Today we will reflect on Isaiah 27:1-6; Psalm 85; Matthew 3:1-12, From Repentance to Growth. Our world is full of prickly weeds—full of sin. We are all sinners, whether we want to admit it or not. While this is an uncomfortable truth, we need to sit in that reality. We need to take off our rose- colored glasses and truly look at the world and look at ourselves. This is where the Advent journey takes us. It is a journey among dangerous dragons, prickly weeds, and a warning from John the Baptist that judgement is coming. We need to understand our need for a Savior before we celebrate Christ’s first coming and eagerly anticipate Christ’s second. When we are able to be real about our sin, we are able to better appreciate what Jesus experienced on our behalf so that we might experience God’s forgiveness and grace.
Today we will reflect on Isaiah 41:17–20, Psalm 126, Luke 1:46–55, From Wilderness of Despair to the Flourishing of Joy. Isaiah talks about the living nature of water, of how it can restore us, and how it brings life in even deserts. All through Scripture, nourishing rain and rivers serve as a picture for spiritual nourishment that God gives to quench our thirsty souls, bringing joy. In the passages next week, it is the poor and needy, those who are weeping, the lowly, and the hungry who are given this gift, while those who have lots already end up with nothing. We ask ‘why’ and Isaiah tells us, “So all may see and know” and testify, “The Lord has done great things.” This points us ahead to Jesus’ return when the world will be set to right and those who experience need will flourish.
Today is the first Sunday of Advent. We enter Advent by reflecting on Isaiah 11:1–9; Psalm 72:1–7, 12–19; and Luke 1:26–38 A Shoot from a Stump—A Sign of Hope. It’s been a long time since the last prophets from God have come and spoken to the people, 400 years. There have been political upheavals, making life hard, and God’s people often feel that the only thing that has happened is they’ve simply changed oppressors. What is happening with God’s promises? Will the Messiah ever come? Were the prophecies true? Is there any reason to hope? How about today? Is there reason for hope when times are dark? There is hope, both then and now. Out of a seemingly lifeless stump a shoot comes fruit; not a weak shoot, but one that bears fruit. An angel comes to Mary and announces the coming of the Messiah through her! This shoot is going to make all things right, a promise that still holds today. Will we hold on to the promise like Mary ?
Today, we will reflect on Jude’s letter to a church where there are members who have embraced some of their culture’s values on sexual values and practices. Our God is a holy and pure God and calls us as his children to purity and holiness. God has given us a way of relating to each other, of living with each other that leads to us becoming more Christ-like and to help us flourish as his children, growing more and more into who he has created us to be. The temptation is to make God into our image rather than living into the image of God.
Today, we will be reflecting on Acts 4:1-31, Speaking the Word Boldly. Peter and John have been told not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. Their witness was so powerful that people believed their witness about Jesus and accepted Jesus as Lord and Saviour, and this threatens the rulers and elders of the Jews. Peter, John, and the other apostles led many people to Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit and were able to clearly and boldly share who Jesus is and show the people their need for Jesus.
Today, we will have Pastor Ed Jager leads us in worship. We will be reflecting on Matthew 6:12,14-15; 18:21-35, The Gospel of Forgiveness According to Matthew .
Today, we will reflect on Luke 18:9-17, Qualities of the Kingdom – Humility. Jesus is travelling to Jerusalem, and it’s getting closer to when he will take all our sins on himself. Jesus’ teaching takes on a deeper intensity as he seeks to instill in his disciples a strong foundation of what the kingdom of heaven looks like, what the qualities of the kingdom are. Jesus looks at the quality of humility and the importance of having a humble heart. He offers a parable of a Pharisee and a tax-collector, both praying, but coming to God with very different attitudes. We will reflect on these attitudes.
Today, we will wrap up our series on the Holy Spirit. We will be reflecting on 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, The Holy Spirit: Gift Giver. The Holy Spirit gives each one of us various gifts to bless the church and for the common good. Gifts are not given to us for our own sake, but for the sake of the work of God in our church, community, and world. There are various gifts, and they are all rooted in the love of God for his people and for the world. These gifts also shape us and our character, helping us to become more of who God is calling us to be.
Today, we will begin a two-week series on Sharing Our Faith. We will begin with reflecting on Acts 8:26-40, The Gospel. It’s shortly after Pentecost and the rapid growth of the church, but it also introduces a time of persecution of those who follow Jesus as the Messiah. Philip finds himself in a town in Samaria, where the gospel news is received with joy, but the Spirit then leads him away from Samaria to a eunuch travelling back home to Ethiopia. This is a gospel encounter. A moment guided by the Holy Spirit where Philip is given the opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus with this official, to help explain how the Scriptures point us to Jesus and how he has redeemed us from sin and calls us into his new life.
Today, we will be led in worship by Pastor Rob Toornstra. We will be reflecting on Zephaniah 3:14-20, The Soothing Savior. Although we live in a world that is often driven by fear, we can rejoice because God, who dwells among us in Christ, soothes us with His love.
During our Thanksgiving service, we will be reflecting on Exodus 15:1-21, A Song of Praise. God has rescued his people from the armies of Pharaoh, leading them out of slavery into freedom. On the far side of the sea, Moses and the people of Israel sing a song of praise, a song filled with gratitude for what God has done, but also gratitude for who Good is. We often give thanks for what God has done for us; it’s as important to be grateful for who God is, our creator, father, redeemer, and even friend.
Today, we will be having a reading service with Peter Prins reading the message. We will be reflecting on Acts 16:6-40, Doors & Windows. Our message today is to encourage believers that, even when God says “no” to their current plans, they are still equipped and sent by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the Gospel.
Today, we will reflect on Matthew 3:13-4:11, The Holy Spirit: Guide and Sustainer. This passage shows the relationship between Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit. The Holy comes down on Jesus at his baptism and then leads Jesus into the wilderness, where he is tempted by the devil. The Holy Spirit is given to us and guides us, sometimes into places we’re not expecting, in order to prepare us for what lies ahead of us. The wilderness was the place Israel went in order to encounter God, to listen to God, and to be shaped by God
Today, we will reflect on Judges 3:7-11; 6:33-35; and John 14:15-21, The Holy Spirit: Spirit of Power. Over and over again, we read in the Bible of the Spirit of the Lord coming on people to empower them to save his people from their enemies after the Lord allowed their enemies to conquer them as part of his judgment. In John, Jesus promises the Holy Spirit to prove the world wrong about their concepts of sin, righteousness, and judgment. We’re given the Holy Spirit to stand strong in our world, to counter the teachings and beliefs in this world that lead to emptiness & brokenness and guide them to hope and strength through the Holy Spirit.
Today, we are beginning a series on the Holy Spirit. We will be reflecting on Genesis 1:1-2; 2:4-7; John 20:19-23 The Holy Spirit: Breath of God. We first meet the Holy Spirit at the very beginning of the Bible as “hovering over the waters.” In Hebrew, the word for spirit is “ruah” and can be translated as spirit, breath, or wind. In the creation of Adam, God gives life to Adam through breathing into his nostrils the breath of life, revealing God as the creator of all creation and life. Our soul is a creation and gift from God, making us both physical and spiritual beings with the ability to serve and fellowship with God. In John, we see Jesus breathing on his disciples and saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” We are given a glimpse here of how the Holy Spirit regenerates us, creating in us the new life that comes through the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus.
Today, Pastor Ken Douma will be leading us in worship. We will be reflecting on Genesis 22:1-19, Yahweh Yireh - The Lord Will Provide.
Today, we will reflect on Habakkuk 3, Habakkuk’s Prayer of Faith. God says Babylon will suffer the consequences of their actions and ends by pointing to himself with a call to worship and honour him. God is calling his people to humility before him. Habakkuk listens and responds, “LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, LORD.”; Habakkuk acknowledges God’s power, standing in awe before him, remembering who God is and what God has done for his people in the past because of God’s commitment and relationship to his people.
Today, we will reflect on Habakkuk 1:12-2:20, Why Do You Tolerate the Treacherous? Israel had become too attracted to the kingdoms of the world and now faces the punishment of being overcome by the most powerful kingdom on earth at the time, Babylon. Jesus invites his listeners to become citizens of God’s kingdom, a way of forgiveness and prayer, a way of jubilation and celebration, which can be practiced right where we live. Jesus uses Jerusalem as his example. In the center of Jerusalem is the temple, “The Lord is in his holy temple, let all the earth be silent before him”, is how God ends his message to Habakkuk.
Today we have the privilege of having Pastor Gary Bomhof lead us in worship. We will reflect on Philippians 2:12-18, Work Out Your Own Salvation. We have been saved by grace; nothing we do merits our salvation. Yet, this gift needs to be “worked out” in our lives. And that is where our efforts and work comes in !
Today, we will reflect on Habakkuk 1:1-11, Why Doesn’t God Act or Listen? Habakkuk sees the oppression and injustice happening in Israel, and he wonders why King Josiah’s reforms and God’s Law aren’t creating a holy people; why God is allowing evil and violence to continue? Habakkuk receives an answer he doesn’t expect. We will reflect on God’s answer to Habakkuk. We will also be celebrating the Profession of Faith of a youth in our church family.
Today, we have the privilege of having Chaplain Harold Roscher from the Edmonton Healing Center to lead us in worship. We will reflect on 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 & Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, All My Relations.
Today we will reflect on Psalm 95, Do Not Harden Your Hearts. We often look to the Psalms for comfort, encouragement, and for inspiration. However, Psalm 95 can be a bit shocking as it ends with a sobering reminder of both the temporal and eternal consequences of hardening our hearts to God's offer of grace.
Today we will reflect on 2 Samuel 13:1-22, A Broken Family. This is a story of Amnon & Tamar, and of Absalom & King David, and how Amnon abused his sister. This tore apart King David’s family because he failed to hold Amnon accountable for what he did. In Bethel and in Classis Alberta North, we believe safe church policies & practices are an important and integral part of our ministries. These policies are to protect our children & those who are vulnerable, while holding us accountable for creating safe churches for everyone. We are called to love and protect each other as children of God, created in God’s image and worthy of respect and protection.
Today we will reflect on the early church story of Barnabas, Ananias, and Sapphira. Our passage will be Acts 4:32-5:11, Generosity. The early church after Pentecost embraced the teachings of compassion and service found in the Torah. In response, Barnabas sells a field and gives the money to the apostles to help those who had need. Pride enters in as Ananias and Sapphira want to be seen as generous, but the lure of money leads them to deceive the apostles. But God knows their hearts and so they experience the consequences of their deceit and they both fall and die. Our generosity needs to flow out of the overwhelming generosity and love of Jesus for us as shown on the cross. This is how we give with cheerful hearts and open hands.
Today we will reflect on Ephesians 4:29-5:2, The Hardest Thing to Do! Many people struggle with hurt from others. Jesus forgives us and wants us to forgive others. It’s never easy to forgive. We need to choose to forgive with God’s help because our lack of forgiveness blocks our fellowship with God. Forgiveness will release the pain and will give us renewed joy. It also opens the door for God to use us in fresh new ways.
Today we will be celebrating Pentecost by reflecting on John 14:22-31, The Holy Spirit – The Teacher. Jesus leaves his disciples here on earth when he returns to heaven, so we can carry on the work he began. To equip them, Jesus promises the Holy Spirit to teach them and remind them of everything he’s said to them. But Jesus also mentions that the prince of this world is coming, Satan, but that he has no hold over Jesus; instead, it’s an opportunity to show the world that he loves the Father and does what the Father has commanded him. The Holy Spirit is given to us so that the world can see that we also love the Father and follow his commands!
Today we will reflect on Psalm 78, The Church Makeover. Psalm 78 is written by a teacher or leader in Israel. The teacher calls the people to listen to the things of old, things our ancestors have told us. One of the important roles of the church is to keep retelling the story of God’s relationship with his people. We retell the family story, reminding ourselves of God’s covenantal faithfulness and our unfaithfulness, calling ourselves back to serving God, following his laws and decrees, and coming alongside our families as a church family to retell the family story in our homes by telling how God is the foundation of our own personal and family stories .
Today we will reflect on 2 Timothy 1:1-16 & 2 Timothy 3:14-17, The Extended Family Makeover. Paul sees Timothy as a beloved son and is reminded of the influence of Timothy’s mother and grandmother in Timothy’s faith life and growth. Our extended families have a large influence on the faith of our children because our children already know them and trust them. As the saying goes, “It takes a village to raise a child,” and we can also say, “It takes a church family to raise a child in the way of the Lord.” We will also be celebrating the Lord’s Supper.
Today we will reflect on Deuteronomy 6, The Family Makeover. In Deuteronomy, we hear the law given in Leviticus and Exodus repeated a second time. Moses is teaching the people of Israel the importance of observing the laws God has given them in order to shape them into God’s people. Moses is teaching the adults so that they can teach their children and grandchildren to love and serve the Lord. Twice Moses says, “Hear Israel,” and twice he mentions “so that,” to emphasize his teaching that this is important so the children, grandchildren, and the generations to come will know & fear the Lord and live long faithful lives in the Promised Land.
Today we will continue our series Faith Begins at Home by reflecting on Psalm 127, The Child’s Foundation. Our children’s foundation begins at home where they learn about obedience to the Lord and see how their parents live out their faith in God through obeying his decrees and commands. Our children get a Jesus-centered life when we make Jesus the foundation and God the builder and designer of our homes
Today we will reflect on Joshua 24, The Home Makeover. Joshua has led Israel into the Promised Land and the people are now at a time of peace and prosperity. These are the times of danger for the people, times when they are more tempted to drift away from God and embrace idols. Joshua challenges the people to fear the Lord and throw their idols away, but even if they don’t Joshua declares, “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” This is the call to all of us, to declare, “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord ".
Today we will reflect on Exodus 3, Called to Leadership. God calls to Moses to lead his people out of slavery in Egypt into freedom and the Promised Land. Moses is afraid and believes he doesn’t have the skills or gifts needed to lead. Moses comes up with many excuses for not responding, but God counters his excuses by promising Moses “I will be with you.” The church still needs leaders today to lead the people into freedom from their sin, and into a deeper relationship of trust and faith in God. God promises to guide those he calls through his presence through the Holy Spirit.
Today is Good Friday. We will wrap up our Lenten series Words from the Cross by reflecting on Luke 23:44-49; John 13:1-2; John 19:28-35, Father, into Your Hands I Commit My Spirit. Satan believes he has won as the King of kings hangs on a cross dying. As Jesus draws close to death, in the darkest moments, he reveals his deep trust in his Father, committing himself into his Father’s hands, a place of safety and belonging.
Today we are celebrating Easter and the resurrection of Jesus! We will reflect on Matthew 28:1-7 and Revelation 1:9-18, The Best Last Word. From the darkness of Good Friday, we come together to celebrate the resurrection of the Light of the World coming in all his glory to banish sin and death. Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, the Living One who defeated sin and destroyed the curse of death, the one who holds the keys of death, and Hades, the one who has been given all authority in heaven and earth to reign forever!
Today we will reflect on Matthew 27:45-49 and John 19:28-30, My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me? This is the darkest time for Jesus as he takes the sins of the world on himself, experiencing God’s forsakenness on our behalf. The light of the world is hidden in darkness as the sun is darkened for 3 hours, reminding the people of the judgment of God and the Day of the Lord. Jesus cries out with words from Psalm 22; in this psalm which points so strongly to the cross, we hear a deep agonizing cry of lament that leads to a declaration of the Lord’s victory. But the victory comes with unimaginable pain.
Today we will reflect on John 19:25-30, Here is Your Son, Here is Your Mother. Even while on the cross, Jesus is thinking of others. We’ve seen him ask for forgiveness for us, we’ve seen his grace to the criminal, and now we see his concern for his mother. As the oldest son, Jesus is responsible for the well-being of his mother. He places Mary in the care of the beloved disciple, John. Jesus has a larger view of family, seeing it as a covenant community that hears God’s word and puts it into practice. Family is about being part of a community of people committed to following Jesus and becoming more Christ-like.
Today we will reflect on Luke 23:39-43; Romans 8:1-4; 33-39, Today You Will be With Me in Paradise. The thief on the cross asks Jesus to remember him. There is no fear quite like the fear of being forgotten. The beauty of Jesus is that he doesn’t forget us and because he doesn’t forget us, we have salvation, a place with Jesus, even after death. The Bible gives us different images of what Paradise is like, the one thing that connects them all is that this is where we find Jesus and that even after death we will be with Jesus. As Paul writes, “nothing can separate us from the love of Christ,” not even death !
Today we are beginning our Lenten series: Words from the Cross. We will reflect on Luke 23:24-25, 32-34, Father, Forgive Them. In many situations, forgiveness is one of the most difficult things to offer to someone. Jesus emphasizes the importance of forgiveness in his prayer when he teaches us to ask for forgiveness for our sins. He then goes on and teaches that when we forgive, then the Father will forgive us, but if we do not forgive, then the Father will not forgive us. This is a frightening thought in so many ways! On the cross, Jesus who never sinned and yet was tortured, falsely accused, and then sentenced to death an innocent man asks the Father, “Forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Forgiveness takes a deep trust in God and a humility that takes hard work to cultivate in our hearts, souls, and minds!
Today we are once again celebrating the sacrament of baptism. We will be reflecting on Psalm 139:13-14, Fearfully and Wonderfully Made. Psalm 139 reminds us of how precious each one of us is, and how God actively shapes and forms each one of us in the womb. The Psalmist confesses that all God’s works are wonderful, God is the original creator who has created us in his own image! In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul picks up on this theme, when he writes that we are masterpieces of God. Next Sunday we will be blessed to place God’s sign and seal on another child of God, a masterpiece of God!
Today we are celebrating the baptism of Pax, the newest member of our church family. We will reflect on 1 Samuel 1:27-28 and 1 Samuel 2:1-10, God’s Faithfulness. The birth of Samuel to Hannah and Elkanah came about after a long season of prayer to God. In Samuel’s birth, we see God’s faithfulness and presence, and how God can transform our grief into great joy. In Hannah’s prayer, she rejoices in God and his faithfulness, looking back to God’s long presence with his people and how he humbles the proud and exalts the humble. In Hannah’s humility, she offers Samuel to the Lord, recognizing that our children are a gift given to us, but they are God’s children first. We have a responsibility as a covenantal community to walk alongside the parents to help them raise Pax to know and love the Lord.
Today we are celebrating GEMS Sunday. Our Bethel GEMS will be participating and leading us in our worship service on their theme for the year; Romans 12:1-2, Transformed. Paul calls us to not conform to the patterns of our world but to be transformed. We’re transformed by the renewing of our mind so that we become new people, focused on Jesus and able to know what God’s will is and to follow it .
Today we will wrap up our series on what we hunger for, by reflecting on John 6:35-51, A Hunger for the Gospel. Jesus gives us a picture of the gospel message in this short passage. Jesus gives life as the bread of life, he comes from heaven to claim his people and they will have eternal life. Jesus is both fully human and fully God and so he’s the only one able to give us life and forgive us all our sins. Death and sin are part of the world, but Jesus is returning to restore and reconcile all creation to himself.
Today we will be celebrating Cadet Sunday. This year the theme of the Calvinist Cadet Corps is Lead the Way based on 1 Timothy 4:12. We will be reading 1 Timothy 4:1-16 to give ourselves the reason Paul is writing to Timothy and encouraging him to be an example to the church and not be discouraged if some look down on him because of his young age. How we live is important because people are always watching us; building godly and biblical habits in our lives is important, as how we live shows what and who we believe in. As followers of Jesus, Jesus is the one who teaches and shows us how to live as his people.
Today we will reflect on John 14:1-14, A Hunger for the Truth. Jesus tells his followers that he is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the way to God and the only way, the personification of truth, the center of life. But today many people ask the question that Pilate asks before condemning Jesus, “What is truth?” Many today believe we each create our own truth but is this even possible to live this way together as a community and society? Because our society has made the idea of truth a slippery concept, we will reflect on how Jesus and Scripture interpret truth.
Today we will reflect on Luke 7:36-50, A Hunger for Belonging. God created us in his image and God is a community within himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We’re not meant to be alone; this is why many people who find themselves on the outside of society or a group hunger for a place to belong, a place where they are accepted. But because of sin, we tend to create groups and those who don’t belong are kept on the outside. Jesus encounters a woman on the outside of society, a woman who is scorned and told that she doesn’t belong. Yet she is the one who comes to Jesus and honours him, who recognizes that he will accept her, even in her situation. Jesus offers her forgiveness, and invites her through his forgiveness, a place to belong.
Today we will reflect on Psalm 25, A Hunger to be Seen. We live in an often harsh and critical world, and this can sometimes shape our relationship with God as harsh and critical. We all desire to be seen and valued or appreciated by others, especially those who are important to us. Loneliness has been determined to be the health crisis in our time, we desire to be loved. When we know we are seen and loved, we can better able to love others and ourselves. This helps us to find meaning and hope in our lives. God reveals himself as love, and his relationship with us reflects his love to us; in the coming and death of Jesus, in the giving of the Holy Spirit, and in the gift of a church family that acts out God’s love.
Today we will reflect on Genesis 12:1-3, A Hunger for God’s Blessings. When we read this important story of God’s call to Abram to trust in him and leave his country, people, and family behind to follow him to a place that the Lord was going to show him. The Lord promises to bless Abram and make him a blessing to all nations. Life is not always easy and many of us will face times of struggle, times when it feels like everything is against us. In those times we may hunger to experience God’s blessings. We know that Jesus promises never to abandon us, we know we have the presence of the Holy Spirit, and in these promises, we can learn to see how God can use these times as blessings, and then challenge us to be blessings.
Today we will reflect on Psalm 126 and Luke 2:1-20, Like Those Who Dreamed. Psalm 126 is a Psalm of Ascent and reminds us to the return home from the exile during the time of Nehemiah. But the restoration is not complete. This points us to the coming of Jesus and his second coming when our dreams of the restoration of all things will be made complete, but in his first coming already, hope shines forth as we wait for that glorious day
We are in the time of Christmas this week. We will be continuing our Advent theme Pay Attention to the Dreams. Today we will be reflecting on Matthew 2, Dreams to Protect and Guide. This is a hard story of evil. Herod sees the infant Jesus as a threat and seeks to murder him. God works through dreams to Joseph and the Magi to protect Jesus; leading Joseph and his family to a place of safety. Evil is still in the world today, and Jesus has given us the Holy Spirit and the Scriptures to guide us away from evil, to provide comfort and strength when evil enters our lives, and hope in knowing that evil will be overcome by Jesus.
Today is the fourth Sunday of Advent, we will reflect on Daniel 2:24-47, The Rock That Really Rolls. Daniel is an advisor to the king of Babylon; God has placed him in the center of power of the most powerful empire at the time. Daniel hears of dreams that have troubled King Nebuchadnezzar, and because his wisemen were unable to interpret them, all of them, including Daniel, are sentenced to death. Daniel steps in and asks for time to consult God, who shows him the future of Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom and the kingdoms following his. He shows them that they will all crumble under the power and might of the kingdom of God. This brings the king to a place where he confesses that Daniel’s God is the God of gods.
Today for the third Sunday of Lent, our children are leading us through their Christmas play. We will reflect on 1 Kings 3:4-15; Matthew 2:9-12; and Philippians 2:6-11, The Way of Wisdom. Solomon is king and God comes to him in a dream and tells him to ask him for anything he wants God to give him. Solomon chooses wisdom! Wisdom is found in recognizing who Jesus is and in imitating Jesus in his humility and obedience to God.
Today we will reflect on Genesis 37:1-11; Matthew 2:9-12; and Philippians 2:6-11, Every Knew Shall Bow. Joseph has 2 dreams where his brothers will bow down to him. This is not received well by his brothers or his father. Joseph ends up in a pit, then a prison, but is exalted to a throne in Egypt where he is able to save his family. Joseph foreshadows Jesus, and we will explore the lordship of Jesus.
Today we will reflect on Genesis 28:10-22, Stairway to Heaven. Jacob has left home after tricking his brother Esau out of the family blessing. Jacob knows that it is not safe for him to remain at home, so he heads out to family in Haran; the reason given is to find a proper wife who is not Canaanite. While on his way, Jacob rests for a night and has a dream of a stairway resting on the earth, with God at its head and angels traveling up and down. The distance between heaven and earth is not as great as we think.
Today we welcome Pastor Gary Bomhof to lead us in worship. We will focus our reflection on Daniel 1, Food and Wine From the King’s Table. Daniel and his friends, as an act of defiance and as a commitment to the God of their fathers, refused the "food and wine from the table of the King". Today we partake of "the food and wine from the King's table" (the Lord's Supper), but it too is an act of defiance to what the world is offering and an ongoing commitment to our Triune God
Today we welcome the Cadets from Central Alberta churches for our regional Cadet Sunday. The focus of our reflection will be on Mark 10:35-45, Servant Leadership. The cadet theme this year is focused on leadership and how even cadets can be leaders, no matter their young ages. We will be reflecting on how Jesus reminds the disciples that leaders serve, they don’t lead for power or authority. We will look at what a leader’s character looks like.
Today we will reflect on Psalm 146, A God of Justice. Psalm 146 is one of the Psalms of Ascent, which the people of Israel would sing as they come up the road to Jerusalem. As they came close to the city they would see the temple, and near the temple, they would see the palace of the king. Psalm 146 reminds the people to place their trust in the eternal God over the kings who came and went. Kings were not always kings of justice, so the temple gave the people hope because our God is a God of justice, a God who hears the cries of his people.
Today we will reflect on Words of Life, Psalm 119. Psalm 119 is unique among all of the Psalms. It is not only the longest of the psalms but also the longest chapter in the entire Bible! In addition, this longest of all Psalms has one central focus: the Scriptures. What insight did the psalmist have that compelled him to lovingly compose 176 verses on this one topic? How can we share in his zeal in our own reading of God's Word?
Today we will reflect on Psalm 143, Teach Me. In Psalm 143, the psalmist asks God for his mercy as his spirit is faint and his heart is dismayed. He meditates on all God’s works, he hides himself in the Lord, putting his trust in God. He asks the Lord to show him the way and to teach him how to do the Lord’s will. This Reformation Sunday, we will reflect on the importance of sitting at the feet of God to learn, walk in the way of Jesus, and be shaped by God. We will also have the opportunity to celebrate the Lord’s Supper together.
Today we will reflect on Genesis 2:7-9, 15-17, God: the Best, the Greatest, the Perfect Gardener! God gave us the mandate to rule over everything he had made on Earth. This morning we will reflect on what it looks like to rule over what God has made. What does it look like to be a steward of God’s creation and what part of God’s creation may He be calling you to take care of ?
Today we will give thanks to God for all his blessing through the year, and for the blessing of his presence during the difficult times. We will be reflecting on Psalm 66, Praise the Lord! In Psalm 66 we join the psalmist and all the earth in shouting for joy to the Lord for all the Lord has done for us, his people. As part of our service, we will be giving you opportunities to share some of what the Lord has done for you or who the Lord is to you. We will give thanks for God who hears our prayers and never withholds his love from us.
Today we will reflect on Psalm 91, Our Rescuer. This is another of those powerful psalms in which the psalmist is in awe of God and how God is always there for him as his rescuer and refuge. Psalm 8 gave us a “Wow!” look at God through creation. Psalm 91 gives us a “Wow!” look at God through how he is always there for us as our protector and saviour !
Today we will reflect on Psalm 73, Losing Our Foothold. The psalmist is looking at the world around him and he’s puzzled. Why do the bad people succeed more than the good people, why do God’s people suffer while the evil people do really well? These are still important questions that followers of God still wrestle with today. The psalmist decides to go into the sanctuary of God to find answers.
Today we will reflect on Psalm 46, Fortress and Refuge. Most of us, when we think of Psalm 46, think of the words, “Be still, and know that I am God.” It’s the context that makes these words so important. The psalmist amid uproar and chaos, and in spite, or even because of the chaos, he hears the Lord invite him to “Be still, and know that I am God ."
Today we will reflect on Psalm 27, Seeking the Lord’s Face. Psalm 27 is a psalm in 2 parts. The first part of the psalm is a hymn of confidence in the Lord, while the second part is a moving prayer for help. In this psalm, we see how the need for confidence and trust in the Lord helps us come to the Lord in times of need. Our prayers are important to God, and he calls us to reach out to him in all circumstances, especially in times of need.
Today we will reflect on Psalm 8, The Work of Your Fingers. In the middle of a group of psalms that focus on those experiencing oppression and powerlessness, comes this psalm of wonder and awe celebrating the majesty of God. We will also commission those involved in our children’s, youth, and teaching ministries in the upcoming church year.
Today we will be looking at Psalm 81, God’s Lavish Tough Love. This psalm begins with praise to God for who He is. It then moves into God talking about how He brought Israel out of Egypt and freed them from bondage and the burden of slavery. Sadly, Israel didn't obey God, but God still longs to fill their mouths and feed them with the finest wheat and honey. We will reflect on how all the way through, the Bible tells us what is good, who God is, and points us to the Gospel .
Today we are beginning a new series: A Journey Through the Psalms. Over the next few months, we will reflect on various psalms and their themes. The psalms are written for worship and to give us words and ways to talk to God in almost any situation. We will begin our journey by reflecting on one of the most well-known psalms, Psalm 23, also known as the Shepherd Psalm. In Psalm 23 we are given a look at our shepherd through the eyes and experiences of the sheep. It is a psalm that looks for the Shepherd’s presence, providence, and guidance through both the good and the difficult times of life. It is a psalm of trust and hope.
Today we will reflect on Matthew 24:1-35, Signs and More Signs. The Church has been fascinated with figuring out exactly when Jesus is coming back. We will take a look at a passage that many people turn to try to figure out Jesus’ timing. The problem is that even Jesus himself told his disciples that he didn’t know the time of his return.
Today we will begin a 2-week series on Eschatology. We will begin our series by reflecting on 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11, The King is Coming! This is the passage where the Bible talks about the rapture, in Greek the word is “Parousia”. But rather than coming to take us away, Paul tells his readers that when Jesus comes as King, we will go out to meet him to escort our king to his kingdom!
Today we have the pleasure of Pastor Henry Steenbergen leading us in worship. The focus of our reflection will be on Luke 15:1-3;11-32, Extending Grace to the Lost. Often in this world, we can assume like the older brother in this parable, to be our own saviour. When in reality we need to recognize our need for God’s gift of forgiveness and how we can extend that gift to others.
Today Eddie Maguire from Central Alberta Youth Unlimited will lead us in a reflection on Hebrews 11:1-3,13, Commitment. When you make a commitment it is usually accompanied by the words “I will”. The words of Jesus in John 14:3, “I will return.” Many have committed to serving Jesus because of those words. In Hebrews, we see a host of people of faith who were committed to serving God but didn’t have those words-- no excuses for us. Commitment means clearing away all that hinders. Walking the way or running it…. Not standing still.
Today we will reflect on Hebrews 12:1-13, Run the Race Well. This past week we held our Athletes in Action Summer Camp. We will reflect on the authors use of a sports metaphor to encourage our faith life. We need to keep our eyes on Jesus as we are called to live our lives according to Jesus’ way.
Today we finish our series on The Covenants by reflecting on Revelation 5, Covenant of Redemption Fulfilled! We enter into a vision given to John of heaven’s throne room, where we find the Lion of Judah who is also a Lamb, a sacrificial lamb. Before the Lamb is a scroll that no one can open, containing the history of the battle against God by Satan. The Lamb is the only one able to open it because he’s the only one worthy to open it through the offering of his blood for his people. In this vision and what comes next we see how the covenants between God and his people all are fulfilled and the glorious future that lies ahead!
Today we will reflect on Jeremiah 31:23-37, The New Covenant. Israel’s in captivity, slaves to a foreign power, far from home. The Lord comes to his people through Jeremiah and now offers hope and a promise of a new covenant. This is a new commitment that builds on all the previous covenants by placing it right in the hearts of the people. You don’t get more committed or closer to the people than this! Looking ahead from Jeremiah, we see this covenant playing out in the coming of Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Our God is truly gracious and loving!
Today we will reflect on 2 Samuel 7:1-17 The Davidic Covenant. David is at peace; he’s brought the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem. But now, as he sits in his palace, he realizes that the ark is still in a tent. He wants to build a house for God, but instead, God’s covenant is to build a house for David, a house of descendants who will sit on the throne. One of David’s offspring will be established, and his kingdom will be forever .
Today we will reflect on Exodus 20:1-21 and Exodus 24:3-8, The Mosaic Covenant. Here God gives Israel the 10 Commandments and various other laws to shape Israel into his people. A people who will reflect him to the nations. God reminds them of who he is and what he’s done for them, leading them out of slavery and into freedom, using his power and authority on their behalf as his people. The Law is seen as a gift by Israel, as it makes clear what their relationship with the Lord is to be like. Israel is called to obedience and faithfulness.
Today we reflect on Genesis 17, The Covenant of Circumcision. This covenant is made with Abraham where God promises to make Abraham the father of many nations. The Lord makes it clear that the child He has promised Abraham will come through Sarah, who will be the mother of the promised child, not Ishmael, who has just been born to the slave girl Hagar. God doesn’t forget Ishmael and promised to make him the father of 12 rulers; a counterpoint to the 12 tribes of Israel that will later come from Abraham through the children of his grandson Jacob’s children. Circumcision is the sign God chooses as a sign of fruitfulness and trust.
Today we reflect on Genesis 12:1-9 and Genesis 15:1-21, The Abrahamic Covenant. This is a two-part covenant of land and heirs; a promise to give Abraham an heir from his own body, who will live in the land the Lord is giving him. The Lord tells Abraham that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the night sky. A promise that God will protect Abraham’s descendants even though a time of slavery outside the promised land is coming. God makes this a covenant of blood and is the only one to walk that path, taking on all the responsibility of fulfilling the covenant.
Today we will reflect on Genesis 9:1-17, The Noahic Covenant. The Lord punishes the world for its evilness by sending a flood. God sees that Noah is righteous, so he calls Noah & his sons to build an ark to save themselves and the animals of creation. This flood story takes us back to creation and the Lord’s commands to Adam and his family: to be fruitful and multiply. In Noah’s story, it is the renewing of creation and offering a new covenant with Noah that builds upon the covenant with Adam. This covenant includes a promise to never cleanse the world in this way again. God gives humanity the rainbow as a symbol of this promise.
Today we will reflect on Pentecost; the great harvest feast of the Jewish people. We will focus our reflection on Acts 2:1-13, The Gift. On Pentecost, 50 days after Jesus’ resurrection and 10 days after his ascension to heaven, Jesus sends his Spirit to empower the church and to carry forward his last instruction to go make disciples. The Spirit gives us the gift of communication and courage to go into the world to share the Good News.
Today we will reflect on Jesus’ ascension to heaven by focusing on Matthew 28:16-20, Last Instructions Before Returning Home. Jesus returns home to heaven 40 days after his resurrection from the dead. Jesus is going home to claim his crown as King of kings; to take up the authority he has been given and take his place on the throne beside God his Father. Before he leaves, he gathers with his disciples and gives them one last command, “Go and make disciples of all nations.” This command is the main mission of the church still today.
Today we are celebrating the Profession of Faith of 8 young adults as they commit themselves to Jesus and the church. Aiden, Rachel, Connor, Kayla, Torey, Conner, Brooklyn, and Kyler will profess their faith in Jesus and their desire to make him Lord of their life. We will reflect on Jeremiah 29:1-14, For the Welfare of the City; a verse that shaped our Profession of Faith class. Israel is in exile and the Lord calls them to build houses and settle down because they’re going to be there for a while. Then the Lord gives this command, “Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile.” As followers of Jesus, we are also called to seek the peace and prosperity of the places where God has placed us as this gives our community a glimpse of the kingdom of heaven, a glimpse into what following Jesus is all about, and the kind of a God we follow.
Today we will reflect on Isaiah 56:1-8, A House of Prayer for All Nations. This will be our annual prayer service and will incorporate prayers for various topics. In this passage from Isaiah, the Lord ties together justice and righteousness with keeping the Sabbath. Worship and right living go hand in hand in the Christian life. God is calling not only the Jews, but people from all nations to be his people and come to his temple, a house of prayer for all nations and peoples. This is an echo back to God calling Abraham and telling him that his family will be a blessing to all nations.
Today we are celebrating GEMS Sunday, where our girls’ ministry will be leading many of the parts of our worship. We will reflect on Isaiah 40:28-31, Rise Up! Lessons from Queen Esther. Esther is a fascinating woman in Israel’s history, she goes from being an orphan to becoming the most powerful woman in the empire. Esther is called to put her life on the line for the sake of her people and to fulfill God’s plan to save his people from a powerful threat. Esther responds in trust, with prayer, and using her gifts to save her people
Today we are celebrating the sacrament of baptism . The family has chosen Isaiah 46 where God promises “I Will Sustain You.” God is speaking through Isaiah, reminding the people that he has upheld his people and carried them since they have been born, unlike the idols which have to be borne by beasts of burden or people. Rather than sustain idols, the people are reassured that God sustains them. This is a beautiful passage of hope and a reminder to keep our eyes on God.
Today is Easter the high point of the church year! We will join with the universal church by rejoicing in Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. We will reflect on John 11:25-26 and John 20:1-9, Picture Jesus: The Resurrection and the Life. These are wonderful words of comfort & hope; knowing that whether we live or die we belong to Jesus. Through his life and resurrection, we also experience life and resurrection.
This year our Good Friday Service will be held at 7:30 p.m. on March 29, 2024. We will hold a Tenebrae service reflecting on John 1:29 and John 10:14-18, Picture Jesus: The Lamb. This is a service of shadows as we journey to the cross with Jesus. During this service, we will celebrate the Lord’s Supper.
Today is Palm Sunday celebration we will reflect on John 12:12-19, Picture Jesus: The King. Historically Palm Sunday has been associated with Jesus’ kingship; however he was not the king the people wanted but the king that the people need. The Jewish leaders and the Romans felt threatened by Jesus as king. They mocked the idea of his kingship in his trial and his death by posting on the cross above his head “King of the Jews.” Following this story John records God affirmation of Jesus and directs us to glorify Him. The question we will be leaving with is: “Is Jesus truly our King ?"
Today is the fifth Sunday of Lent and we will focus our reflection on John 13:1-17, The Foot-washer. This is our Mexico Mission trip commissioning service. We will reflect on what it looks like to be a servant; to be willing to humble ourselves, to place the needs of others first, making serving a part of our character, and a regular part of our life journey as we follow in Jesus’ footsteps. We will reflect on how washing feet is also an image of Jesus washing away our sins.
Today is the fourth Sunday of Lent and we will reflect on John 10:11-18, The Shepherd. In this passage Jesus refers to himself as the Good Shepherd; echoing back to the bad shepherds that Ezekiel describes in the Old Testament. Kings, such as King David, were often referred to as shepherds, called to provide and protect their people and ensuring that there was justice in the land. Being a shepherd is not an easy task, as sheep don’t always follow well and can be stubborn. Yet Jesus chooses to be our shepherd, chooses us and we get to call him our shepherd. We get to say that the creator of the universe has chosen us as his sheep and knows us by name !
Today is the third Sunday of our Lenten series, John 2:1-11, The Miracle Worker. Picture Jesus at a wedding feast when an embarrassing problem comes up; the wedding runs out of wine. This is a shameful thing for the groom and his family, so Jesus’ mother asks him to help. Jesus replies that it’s not his time yet, but in a spirit of grace, Jesus turns 6 jars of water into the best of wines. This was the first of many signs revealing his glory. Our focus today is the meaning of this sign.
Today is the second Sunday of Lent. We will reflect on John 6:25-40, The Bread of Life. This story happens the day after Jesus fed 5,000 people with only 2 small fish and 5 loaves of bread. During the night, Jesus spent time with his Father and then walked on the water to join his disciples in their boat. Soon after arriving on the other side of the lake crowds begin to gather; their hope is to be fed again by Jesus, but also to put him on the throne in Jerusalem. Jesus challenges them on why they want him, telling them that he is the bread of life and if they come to him, they will never go hungry. What does it mean to come to Jesus; what are you hungry for ?
Today is the first Sunday of Lent. During the Lenten season, we will reflect on the pictures of who Jesus revealed in the Gospel of John, beginning with Picture Jesus: The Living Water, John 4:1-15. As Jesus travels with his disciples from Judea to Galilee, he encounters a Samaritan woman at a well during mid-day; an unusual time of the day for someone to come to the well. Jesus asks her if she would be willing to give him some water and during their discussion, Jesus offers her living water so she would never be thirsty again. Jesus asks us the same question still today, “Do you want my living water?” How do you answer him ?
Today is Friendship Ministry Sunday. We will celebrate this ministry with our Friends and their mentors. To wrap our series on Ephesians, we will reflect on Ephesians 6:10-20, The Armor of God. When we put on the armor of God, we are able to be brave, have courage, and stand firm in our faith against the devil’s schemes. Paul calls us to be strong, to stand firm, and to pray in the Spirit. All these acts fill us with the courage to trust in God and be his people. It’s important to remember that Paul is writing this from a prison cell and wants people to experience the same courage that he’s received from Jesus.
Today is Cadet Sunday. A time for us to celebrate our ministry to boys. Each Meeting their counsellors lead them to a deeper knowledge of Jesus and how to live it out. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians will direct our reflection on the Cadet Theme “Rooted and Grounded,” Ephesians 3:14- 19. Good roots help us grow strong and healthy and we need to be rooted in good soil of the Bible. As followers of Jesus, we’re called to be rooted in the Bible, connected to the vine, and filled with the Holy Spirit
Today we will reflect on Ephesians 5:1-21, Be Filled with the Spirit. In this chapter Paul focuses on being imitators of God by living as His children and living with love towards each other. We are challenged to a way of thanks-living. He contrasts the ways of darkness with being light in the Lord, thus echoing back to Jesus’ call to be the light of the world. Paul then calls us to live as wise followers of Jesus rather than unwise. We have a choice. Who are you going to be ?
Today we will reflect on Ephesians 4:1-30, Unity of the Spirit. Paul returns again to his ongoing theme of grace in this letter, this time it’s about living out the grace that we’ve been given by God. By living and growing together in the Lord it builds strong unity in the faith. Showing a maturity in Jesus; a growth in our faith, and recognition that how we live together, reflects to the world who Jesus is.
Today we begin a new series on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. We will reflect on Ephesians 1:1-14, Spiritual Blessings. Paul is reconnecting with the church in Ephesus, a church it seems that he has a special love for. Unlike many of Paul’s letters, he doesn’t have any errors or heresies that he’s addressing. This is a letter that reflects a lot on what the church is and how the church lives together. He begins by offering them a blessing and reminding them of who they are, where they find their identity.
Today we continue our series on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. We will reflect on Ephesians 2:1-10, The Lord and Giver of Life. In this part of his letter, Paul contrasts the difference between being dead in our sin and alive in Jesus. Paul focuses heavily on God’s grace in Jesus that brings about our salvation and new life. Love, mercy, grace, and faith are all things Paul touches on as being rooted in God’s kindness to us.
Today we will reflect on Matthew 2:13-23, A Nazarene, the story of how Jospeh took his family and fled with them to Egypt because of Herod’s murderous anger. Jesus becomes a refugee and spends time in a foreign land because it’s not safe for him in his own land. When they return to Judah after Herod’s death, they go to Nazareth in Galilee, far from the circles of power. Nazareth is a small village with nothing to distinguish it from any other village, in a province that also is not powerful or influential; an unusual place for a Messiah to come from.
Lessons and Carols will be held this evening at 6:30 p.m. (so young families can feel free to come as well.) We will have a brief homily on John 1:1-14 and how Jesus came to live among us.
Today we come together to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. We will focus on Matthew 1:18-25, Immanuel. In Matthew’s account of Jesus’ birth, Joseph is told to give Mary’s baby the name Jesus, which means “he saves.” Matthew goes on to remind his readers that the prophets told the people that the virgin will have a child and his name will be “Immanuel,” which means God is with us. This is a message of hope and comfort in a troubled world, a message that holds the same hope and comfort in our day!
Today we are completing our Advent series The Names of Jesus. We will reflect on Matthew 2:1-12 and Colossians 1:15-23, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Magi from the east came looking for the one-born King of the Jews, after reading God’s birth announcement in the night skies. Imagine their surprise when they got to Jerusalem, and no one had a clue regarding what they are talking about! When Israel’s Wisemen checked out their claims, they rediscovered that the Magi’s news fits with their own prophets’ predictions. Paul described Jesus as being higher than any king and he is also head, or king of the church .
Today we are celebrating our Children’s Christmas service where the children and youth will be leading us in worshipping Jesus through the Christmas play: Manger Moments: But Wait! There’s Myrrh! We will also continue reflecting on The Names of Jesus, by reflecting on Isaiah 9:6-7; John 14:27; John 16:33, Prince of Peace. Jesus is the Prince of Peace who helps us find peace in our hearts and souls with God our Father and helps us to build peace with others through offering and receiving forgiveness and grace. Jesus also helps us to find peace from our worries and fears by giving us the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Today we continue our theme for Advent by reflecting on John 10:11-21, I Am the Good Shepherd. When Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd, he immediately points to how his willingness to lay down his life for his sheep; He is fully committed to providing for and protecting his sheep from the dangers around. The second thing we learn about Jesus as the Good Shepherd is that he knows us, he knows who we are—our hopes and dreams, our fears and failures, our desires and struggles—he knows in a way that no one else ever can and loves us for who we are.
Today we will reflect on Ephesians 1:15-23, Gather, Grow, Go. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is one of his most positive and encouraging letters to a church. Paul is writing to help the church know God better; to understand the high goals God has for the church as well as His eternal purpose and grace. In these verses, Paul is expressing his thankfulness for them and how God has chosen them to be His children. He reminds them of their salvation found in Jesus and how God has revealed to them what His will is - which is to unite all things in heaven and earth under Jesus. The amazing thing is that He uses us to bring glory to His name as He uses us to bring the gospel story to the world
Today Bethel is blessed to have Pastor Bob De Moor to lead us in worship. Pastor De Moor will be focusing on James 3:7-18, Mind your Tongue! As followers of Jesus, what we do really matters, but so does what we say and how we say it. That will either be a significant contribution to God’s church or Kingdom, or it will cause distress, disunity, and disfunction within the family of God and in the world to which we are called to be Christ’s ambassadors. Ambassadors need to honestly and openly speak God’s truth. But they must do so showing all appropriate respect and diplomacy. Shall we?
Today we are finishing up our series based on N.T Wright’s book, Broken Signposts. We reflect on John 19:1-16, Broken Signposts – Power. Jesus is standing on trial before Pilate. Pilate has the power of life and death over Jesus; however, Jesus tells Pilate that the only power Pilate has comes from above. What is power? Why are we given power? How is power to be used as a follower of Jesus? These are all important questions in a time when we see many people use power carelessly and even dangerously for their own ends
Today Pastor Bob De Moor will be leading us in worship. Pastor De Moor will be focusing on John 2:1-11, Glimpse of Glory. Jesus’s first public miracle seems to be relatively unimportant in the grand scheme of things; he rescues a bridal couple from embarrassment. But his disciples, with the eye of faith, see much deeper revelation of who Jesus truly is and what he has come to do.
Today we will reflect on John 18:28-40, Broken Signposts – Truth. Jesus is standing before Pilate. He tells him that everyone on the side of truth listens to me. Pilate asks a really important question, “What is truth?” In a time like ours, where truth has become very slippery and subjective, this is an important question for reflection. Jesus calls Himself the way, the truth, and life, so if we’re looking for truth, the first place to go is Jesus.
Today we will reflect on John 8:31-41, Broken Signposts – Freedom. When we think about freedom, we often think in terms of the North American definition of freedom which is the choice to do what we want without anyone being able to tell us anything different; to have the freedom to be who I want to be. When we follow Jesus, we discover that true freedom is the freedom to serve, the freedom to follow the path of Jesus and to be the people Jesus calls us to be. Freedom is about becoming a slave to Jesus; giving our lives over to Him completely as our Saviour and Lord
Today we continue our series based on N.T Wright’s book, Broken Signposts. We will reflect on John 1:1-18 Broken Signposts – Beauty. At the beginning of John’s gospel, we see how John introduces us to who Jesus is. The universe was created through Jesus; this beautiful, wonderful universe. In Genesis we’re told that God saw everything he had made and it was good, very good. The beauty found in creation points us to who God is and tells of God’s glory. John’s focus is that in Jesus we have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son.
Today during our Thanksgiving service we will be reflecting on Psalm 95 Let Us Come Before the Lord with Thanksgiving. We’re called to sing for joy, to come before God with thanksgiving because of who God is, not because of what we get from God.
Today we are continuing our series based on N.T Wright’s book Broken Signposts. We will reflect on John 13:1-17; Broken Signposts – Love. Jesus lives out His love for His disciples through the act of washing His disciples’ feet. Love can be really hard, especially when the person you are showing love to is actually working against you. We all ache to be loved. However, many people feel alone and unloved today. Love is a signpost that points us to Jesus and his sacrificial love. Love that led Him to the cross, so that we can be reconciled and experience deep unconditional love.
Today we will begin a series based on N.T Wright’s book Broken Signposts. As Wright recognizes, “signposts name a reality and point us in a direction.” The signposts we will reflect on point to deep meaning that help us understand the world and its challenges. However, these signposts are broken and let us down. This is why we will turn to the Gospel of John to show us how these themes point us to Jesus and the kingdom of heaven. We will reflect on John 3:16-21; Broken Signposts – Justice. Jesus is sent to the world not to condemn it, but to save the world through Himself. We know that things aren’t the way they should be in our world and that injustice is all around us. Something needs to be done to make things right, but what? Jesus came to shine His light into the darkness and invite those who love the darkness to come into His light
Today is our commissioning service for all those involved in our various children and youth ministries; a sign that our new church year is here! We will be focusing on Proverbs 22:6 Training Our Children. Beginnings are important. The better the beginning, the stronger the finish; this is true for our children and especially their faith. In Old Testament Israel and throughout Scripture, it is both the parents and the faith community that are responsible for raising children in the faith. It is a reminder that we are part of the family of God together
Today we welcome Pastor Frank de Boer to lead us in worship. We will reflect on Lord’s Day 32 and Ephesians 5:1-20, 2:4-5,8,9 - Saved by Grace or Good Works? If we are saved by grace, then why do we need to be good? If our good works are needed for salvation, then why do we need grace? The theme is that our good works come from living out our faith that comes through God’s grace
Today we are finishing our series on the Prophet Nahum. We will reflect on Nahum 3 Yahweh – Destroyer of Evil, Restorer of Creation. As we saw in the first two chapters of Nahum, the Lord is slow to anger, but he will address the evil in the world and hold those responsible accountable for their wickedness. This is a big part of why Jesus came to earth: to engage Satan on our behalf, battling for our hearts, souls, and minds and drawing us back to the Father
Today we are finishing our series on the Prophet Nahum. We will reflect on Nahum 3 Yahweh – Destroyer of Evil, Restorer of Creation. As we saw in the first two chapters of Nahum, the Lord is slow to anger, but he will address the evil in the world and hold those responsible accountable for their wickedness. This is a big part of why Jesus came to earth: to engage Satan on our behalf, battling for our hearts, souls, and minds and drawing us back to the Father
Today we welcome Chaplain Rick Mast to lead us in worship. We will focus on Mark 12:38-44; 14: 1-11, A Good Kind of Giving during our service today. The book of Mark concerns itself with addressing/answering this question: Is Jesus REALLY the new King, The Messiah? The people in his day were (sometimes literally) dying to know! Jesus surprises people. He challenges regular and accepted practices. Jesus does this in order to explain, herald and usher in God's new kingdom - a kingdom we would not be able to figure out on our own, with Jesus as the head of it all (fully human and fully God, a servant and a martyr). A widow's last two coins and another person's alabaster jar of very costly ointment. Two stories of giving, similar and different. Jesus acknowledges only one gift with great praise. Surprise! God's kingdom will continue to surprise...
Today we welcome Pastor Bill Nieuwenhuis to lead us in our worship service. Today will focus on Pauls’ letter to the Corinthians in his sermon, Insights into the Heart of God. At the heart of the Christian faith is the doctrine of the Trinity. This doctrine proclaims that God is three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit; yet one God. It is a teaching that is hard to grasp. It leaves us wondering about the true nature of God and how we are to understand his very nature. As the Apostle Paul brought his correspondence to the Corinthian Church to a close, he extended the blessing of the triune God upon them (2 Corinthians 13:14). In doing so, the Apostle revealed something very important about the very heart of God himself. In this blessing, each person of the Trinity extends to God’s people a particular aspect of the Almighty’s heart. When we consider our great God from this perspective, we suddenly realize we are indeed a very blessed people.
A look through the book of Acts, focusing on how the Holy Spirit worked in the early church.
Today we will reflect on Nahum 2 – Yahweh – Warrior for His People. The Lord warns Nineveh through the prophet that an attacker is coming up against them. This would be a shocking warning against the most powerful empire in the world at that time. The Lord then promises to restore the splendor of Jacob, a reminder that this vision of Nahum is as much about comforting Judah as it is a warning to Nineveh. Jesus warns us about persecution and suffering for following Him. So many people do not acknowledge Jesus as their Lord and are willing to work against His followers for their own wants. Jesus will allow this for a time, but we know that He is returning one day to raise up His people in splendor and take His place as King of kings defeating all those who stand against Him and His people.
Today we are starting a short series on the Prophet Nahum. We will start by reflecting on Nahum 1 Yahweh – Judge of Evil and Refuge for His People. Israel is being oppressed by the Assyrians, represented by their capital city of Nineveh. This occurs after the prophet Jonah warned the Ninevites of God’s anger. They repented, and God showed them mercy. However, Nineveh didn’t turn completely and God is preparing to punish Nineveh and rescue the Israelites.
Today we will complete the series on Hebrews. We will be reflecting on Hebrews 13 How Shall We Live. The writer wraps up his letter with a call to community and with phrases of encouragement: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you;” “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Then lastly, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” The thread flowing through all of them is the assurance that we can depend on God.
Today we are continuing our series based on the book of Hebrews. We are reflecting on Hebrews 12:14-29 God – A Consuming Fire. The writer to Hebrews calls us to holiness; a strange call for many people today. We’re called to a way of living with God. We do this by coming to him in a spirit of reverence and awe, with an awareness of God’s holiness and majesty. The writer takes us to mountains, drawing our eyes upward to God in order to hear his voice. God is a consuming fire, a God who, through Jesus’ sacrifice, burns away our old selves in order to reveal our new selves as his children.
Today we continue our series based on the book of Hebrews. We will be focusing on Hebrews 11 Faith – A Way of Life. Hebrews is all about faith; what it means and what it looks like in the lives of actual people in the Old Testament. Faith is the foundation for the hope we have in God’s promises and what Jesus accomplished for us on the cross. Faith helps us to live sacrificially for the generations after us and not for our own wants and desires
We are continuing our look into the book of Hebrews. We will be reflecting on Hebrews 9 The Tabernacle – A Picture of Heaven. The writer of Hebrews now takes us into the tabernacle, the tent of worship given to Israel at Mount Sinai as a center of worship and the rituals given to them by God. The tabernacle is given as a copy of heaven and heavenly things. It points us to God, to who God is and what God desires of his people. It gives a hint of what God is going to do as he deals with our sin. The tabernacle is an image of coming closer to God.
Today we are continuing our series based on the book of Hebrews and will be reflecting on Hebrews 7-8:6 Jesus – Like Melchizedek. We start to see the priestly influence of the writer in this part of the letter. The writer connects Jesus to Melchizedek, a king and priest who shows up out of nowhere in the Bible. Yet Abraham treats him as a superior. He even offers this previously unknown king 10% of the spoils of the battle he’s fought in order to save his nephew Lot and Lot’s family. Aaron, Moses’ brother is the head of the line of priests in Israel, but Melchizedek comes way before Aaron. His is a much older line. The writer connects Jesus to this older priestly line that comes out of the power of an indestructible life. This is another interesting thought the writer introduces.
Today we are continuing our series based on the book of Hebrews. We will be reflecting on Hebrews 5:11-6:3 Maturing Our Souls. It’s easy to slip into complacency about our faith, doing all the right things, but never really engaging our faith in deeper ways. Sometimes we will depend on others to make sure we’re learning more about the Bible and God, but we don’t do the hard work of figuring out what that means in our day to day lives. The writer challenges the people to become more mature in their faith, to be able to eat solid food rather than being content with milk.
Today we are continuing our series based on the book of Hebrews. We will be reflecting on Hebrews 3:7-4:16 -The Sabbath Rest. The writer of Hebrews invites us to make sure that we enter into the sabbath rest God offers us through Jesus. He roots sabbath rest in creation. The first thing God does after creating humanity is to invite them to spend the day with him. Together they get to know the very good creation. The writer also ties the exodus of Israel to sabbath rest. We are invited to experience freedom from the work week and pressures of providing for ourselves and our families. By spending the day with God in his very good creation, we are pointed to the renewal of creation at the second coming of Jesus.
Today we are continuing our series based on the book of Hebrews. We will be reflecting on Hebrews 2 The Son – One of Us. In chapter 2 we are challenged to remain close to Jesus, remembering that Jesus told us that if we love him, we will keep his commands. We’re reminded that Jesus is the source of our salvation and that if we ignore this, there is punishment for our sin. Jesus is crowned with glory and tasted death for us so that through Jesus, we are made holy as part of the family of God. We don’t often use the language of holiness today. Jesus came and became human like us, so that we could be made holy, through his sacrifice on our behalf, and find strength in Jesus when we are tempted.
Today we are beginning a new series based on the book of Hebrews. Hebrews is a letter written by someone who has very close connections to the temple. It is filled with priestly references, images and focuses on a sacred and holy approach to Jesus. We will begin with reflecting on Hebrews 1 The Son – The Eternal One. The author starts by introducing us to God’s Son and who the Son is: heir of all things, the one through whom all things are created, the exact representation of God’s hypostasis or substance and being of God. The Son is eternal and his years will never end. So much to reflect on and think about!
Today we are wrapping up our four-week series on Gifts from God by reflecting on Acts 2:42-47 and Acts 4:32-37, The Gift of Generosity. A few weeks ago, we reflected on the church as the body of Jesus - how we belong to Jesus and to each other. This is reflected in how we use the financial gifts that God has blessed us with. When we see that there are those who are struggling and need help, we realize that those who have been blessed with much are encouraged to be generous and help each other out. Following Jesus creates a different kind of community and way of living that often may seem odd to those outside the church because of our commitment to each other
Today we continue our series on Gifts from God. We will reflect on 1 Chronicles 5:18-22 The Gift of Prayer: An Act of Trust. This is our annual spring Prayer Day service and we will be taking extra time in our worship service to pray for various topics, including a special focus on our upcoming growing season. The writer in Chronicles describes a time of war between Israel and the Ishmaelites tribes. The Israelite warriors turn to God for his presence and help in the battle. God responds because their prayer is rooted in their trust in God. Prayer was an important part of Jewish life and we will reflect on what prayer is and how we can pray.
Today we are continuing our four-week series on Gifts from God. We will begin be reflecting on Romans 12:1-13 The Gift of Gifts. The Holy Spirit gives us many gifts in order to build up the body of Jesus. Paul uses the image of a body to encourage the church to live together in health. With this goal are to be a blessing to each other so that the world can see the blessing it is to accept Jesus and be part of his body here on earth.
Today we welcome Pastor Frank de Boer who will be leading us in worship. The focus of our worship will be on Isaiah 41:1-20; The Source of Our Strength.
Today we begin a four-week series on Gifts from God. We will begin by reflecting on Ephesians 5:1-20 The Gift of Time. The gift of time really only becomes a gift when we approach it shaped by God; and the shaping of the Holy Spirit in us. As we begin to realize the gift of time that God gives us, we can then begin to embrace it as time to be shaped by God, as opportunities to become more like Jesus in living sacrificially; to understand the importance of learning Holy Spirit wisdom; and living in a spirit of gratitude.
Today is Easter! We will be reflecting on Mark 16:1-8 Were You There… When He Arose. The women come to prepare Jesus’ body properly after his death on the cross. As they journey to the grave, they wondered to each other who will roll the stone in front of the grave away since it was so large and heavy. They are surprised to see the stone rolled away and a young man sitting beside it with a message, “He is risen. He is not here… But, go tell his disciples and Peter.” The grave and death could not hold Jesus because he is the God of life. But Mark ends with quietness and fear; why?
Today is Good Friday. Today we will be reflecting on Mark 15:33-39 Were You There… Beneath the Cross. This is a hard place to be. We know the theology, but do we really understand the pain or cost to Jesus? We will also be celebrating the Lord’s Supper as we reflect on Jesus’ body broken for us, on Jesus’ blood shed for us.
Today we continue our Lenten series “Were You There…” by reflecting on Luke 19:28-40 Were You There… as a Demonstrator? Jesus is now preparing himself, his disciples, and the people for what is going to happen soon: his sacrifice. Jesus now publicly reveals who he is: the son of David, heir of David’s throne, King of Israel! Jesus uses the imagery of the Old Testament prophets to show the people that the Messiah has arrived and this triggers the start of what we call Holy Week, or Passion Week which will end with Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection.
Today we continue our Lenten series “Were You There…” by reflecting on Luke 23:26-31 Were You There… as a Sympathizer. As Jesus walks down the road to the place where he is going to be crucified, he comes across a number of women who are weeping for him and for what’s happening. Jesus tells them not to weep for him, but to weep for themselves and what’s coming up. Jesus likely has in mind the coming destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in AD 70, as well as pointing ahead to the day of judgement when the king will return to judge the world.
Today we continue our Lenten series “Were You There…” by reflecting on Matthew 27:32-44 Were You There… as a Spectator? As Jesus is crucified, a whole cast of characters shows up, most of them taking the time to mock Jesus, only Jesus’ mother Mary, her friends, and John are there for Jesus. God’s plan of redemption is being played out in front of everyone, and yet no one sees God at work.
Today we continue our Lenten series “Were You There…” by reflecting on Matthew 27:1-32 Were You There… in the Shouting Crowd? On Palm Sunday the crowd was shouting for Jesus to become their king, now just a few days later the crowd is calling out to crucify Jesus. It is easy to get caught up in joining the crowd in the moment, but it’s also easy to forget who we are as followers of Jesus and to stop reflecting on who Jesus is calling us to be in those moments.
Today is the second Sunday of Lent. We begin our Lenten series “Were You There…” by reflecting on Luke 22:7-38 Were You There… at the Supper? It’s time for the Passover, the feast where Israel remembers how God saved them from slavery and led them into freedom and the Promised Land. Jesus takes the Passover and fills it with new meaning, pointing us to the freedom we are given through Jesus’ sacrifice for us as the Passover lamb, who frees us from our sin. As part of our service today, we will be re-enacting the foot washing with Jesus and his disciples and doing a reading of the whole Lord’s Supper. We are doing this in place of the usual form to help us understand the meanings behind the Passover and the various elements of the Lord’s Supper.
Today we are celebrating GEMS Sunday, a time to rejoice in our girls’ ministry! We will be focusing on Micah 6:6-8 Act, Love, Walk. We will take a close look at their theme verse, Micah 6:8. There are a lot of questions in these verses. What does the Lord expect from us: does he want our stuff, does he want our very favorite things for himself, does he want us to give him some of our stuff, or maybe even all of it? The Lord tells his people that what he really wants is for us to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God. We will explore what that looks like.
Today we are wrapping up our series on the Book of Judges by reflecting on Judges 16 Samson – The Foolish Man. Samson once again finds a Philistine woman to fall in love with, but as we go through the story, we discover that their love is about using each other for their own goals, rather than a self-sacrificing love that builds the other person up. We see that Samson is addicted to his desires and to the adrenaline rush of danger and violence. Like all addictions, this makes Samson blind to the reality of what’s around him, leading to his ultimate destruction. Addiction, no matter what form it takes, hurts.
We will be reflecting on Psalm 78 Telling Our Children God’s Story. Psalm 78 begins by calling us to listen to the stories our ancestors have told us so that we can tell them to our children. The writer then moves into telling the story of God’s faithfulness in his relationship with his people, how he provides for them, protects them, and how the people fail to be faithful to God. The psalmist ends with how God punishes his people, but in order to draw them back to him, he provides them with a faithful king.
Today we are returning to our series on the Book of Judges by reflecting on Judges 15 Samson – The Angry Warrior. Samson is treated unfairly by his wife’s father and he takes vengeance on the area. When the Philistine leaders come to Israel, they demand the Israelites give them Samson so they can punish him. The Israelites comply. The Israelites are seeing themselves as slaves again instead of as God’s people. The Spirit of the Lord once again comes upon Samson and he destroys 1,000 Philistine men. Even though Samson has been given the Spirit of the Lord many times, his character is not changing. We also can have the gifts of the Spirit without growing the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.
Today we are celebrating Cadet Sunday and having the Cadets be an important part of our worship. The Cadet theme this year is Amazing, and we will be focusing on Joshua 3:1-6 Amazing. Israel is getting ready to enter into the Promised Land and Joshua calls on the people to prepare themselves, telling them that “tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” We will take time to reflect on the “amazing” things in creation, the “amazing things” God has done and is doing. Our focus will be on the awe and wonder of God and to marvel at who God is, the creation around us, and our relationship with Jesus.
Today we continue our series on the Book of Judges by turning to Judges 14 Samson—Doing it His Way. Samson’s birth story is one of those in the Old Testament where God gives a barren woman a child who will be used by God. The angel tells Samson’s parents to raise him as a Nazirite, dedicated to God for His purposes. However, we learn in the historian’s first story of Samson that Samson is going to live life his way, quickly ignoring the call to be a Nazirite, being drawn to the Philistines and desiring to be more like them. How often do we really think about who God has called us to be and how to live as His people in our day-to-day decisions?
Today we continue our series on the Book of Judges by turning to Judges 11:1-6; 14-40; 12:7 Jephthah—The Foolish Vow. This is a heart-breaking story of a mighty warrior who is called to be a judge in Israel and save the people from their enemies. But Jephthah has been influenced by his culture in how he understands who God is and makes a vow to God before going into battle, but the vow turns out to cost him dearly!
Today is the third Sunday of Advent. We will continue our Advent series by reflecting on Matthew 1: 18-25 Joseph: Obedience and Righteousness. Joseph is chosen by God to be the earthly father of Jesus. Joseph is described as a righteous man and a compassionate man at the same time. For Joseph, faith and obedience go hand in hand, all while being open to having God completely change his life and plans. Joseph gives Jesus the name the angel told him to, making Jesus his son and from his family tree, adopting him into the family line of David, a family line of kings, the family line of the Messiah. Joseph becomes just the right earthly father that Jesus needs to learn to love and trust his heavenly father!
Today we return to our series on the Book of Judges by turning to Judges 9:1-15;42-57 Abimelech: The Thornbush. Abimelech is Gideon’s son through a concubine and so he murders all his half brothers in order to rule over the people. His half-brother, Jotham, escapes and then curses Abimelech. Israel is looking and acting more and more like the nations around them instead of the people God wants them to be - shaped by his laws and festivals. God allows Abimelech to rule for a few years but turns the people against him. God allows us to suffer the consequences of our choices, but when we cry out to him, he responds and will bring order into the chaos we create through our own choices.
Today is New Year’s Day. We will be reflecting on Matthew 4:1-17, Following the Spirit into Uncertain Places. At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, Jesus was led into the wilderness. The wilderness was a place to meet God and to be shaped and refined by him. Jesus fasts for 40 days, a discipline that teaches self-control and trust in God to provide. At the end of the 40 days, Jesus is engaged by the devil who tries to tempt Jesus away from his purpose and reason for coming. We will be reflecting on preparing ourselves to be led and shaped by God in 2023.
Merry Christmas! We will be reflecting on Luke 1:26-38 Mary and Jesus—God with Us. We will be reflecting on the angel’s visit with Mary, informing her of God’s plan for her to carry his child and give birth to a son, Jesus. The Holy Spirit will come over Mary, giving her a child that is both divine and human, fulfilling God’s promise to the serpent in Genesis 3 that a child of the woman will crush his head. Mary responds in trust and faith, seeking an answer to how this will happen, showing us that faith doesn’t mean not having questions, but being willing to listen and learn.
We will gather during this Christmas season in a spirit of somber remembrance. While the rest of the world seems to celebrate the joyous occasion, we come to the manger realizing that the world is cold as stone, feelings of loneliness and loss overwhelm, and our heart cries out “help me be strong”. You will be invited not to hide or suppress those feelings, but embrace them, realizing that they bring you much closer to the real Christmas story. For this evening we remember the true story- a helpless babe born into a world that was struggling, a world that was questioning where was God, and a world crying out, “why?” The helpless babe born in cold stone room, without the joyous welcome we often picture. The helpless babe born in a family that was poor, tired, and frightened. The helpless babe who would change all this for the world. We will be reflecting on Matthew 11:28-30. Come All Who Are Weary
The Scripture focus will be on Matthew 2:1-12 The Magi: The Nations of the World Come to Jesus. With the coming of the Magi to worship Jesus, we see the beginning of God’s promise to Abraham that his descendant will be a blessing to the entire world beginning to be fulfilled.
Today we celebratethe second Sunday of Advent, the beginning of the church year. This year we will be reflecting on People Around the Manger. We will continue our Advent series by reflecting on Luke 2:1-20 The Angels—Heaven and Earth Rejoices. While shepherds watch over the flocks in the dark of the night, they are visited by an angel, who tells them that the glorious news that the Messiah has come! After telling the shepherds the good news, the angel is joined by a company of angels who praise and glorify God, celebrating the wonderful news that the Saviour of the world has come, God has fulfilled his promise of a Messiah who will save his people, even if he’s a baby in a manger right now. The shepherds rush to see this Messiah child and return rejoicing and praising God for his faithfulness and celebrating the arrival of the promised Messiah!
Today we celebrate the first Sunday of Advent, the beginning of the church year. This year we will be reflecting on People Around the Manger. We will begin our Advent series by reflecting on Luke 2:1-20 The Shepherds—Hope and Wonder. While shepherds watch over the flocks in the dark of the night, they are visited by an angel who fills them with hope and wonder. The angel shares with them the good news that a Saviour has been born to them in the town of Bethlehem. This glorious news is first shared with humble, ordinary shepherds who respond with excitement and a desire to go and welcome the Saviour into the world!
Today we are continuing our journey through the book of Judges, looking at Judges 6: Gideon—The Lord is With Him. Israel has turned away from the Lord again and now God looks to an insignificant man to be his deliverer, insignificant even in his own eyes, yet God calls him “mighty warrior.” Because Gideon thinks so little of himself, he asks God a number of times for a sign to give him confidence that God is really with him. We’ll reflect on our own confidence in Jesus.
Today we are continuing our journey through the book of Judges, looking at Judges 7 Gideon—the Three Hundred. Gideon has received the reassurance from the Lord that He truly is God and now prepares to enter into battle against the Midianites. In an echo back to Jericho, God does battle differently than anyone else; first whittling away Gideon’s men until there are only 300 left; the Lord then has them go into battle with only trumpets, empty jars, and torches. The Lord is making sure that everyone knows that the glory for this triumph is completely the Lord’s!
Today we are looking at Deborah—The Prophetess and Judge. Ehud has passed away, the people once again do evil in the Lord’s eyes. The Lord allows them to be sold into the hands of the King of Canaan who has the powerful general Sisera keeping the Israelites under his thumb. The Israelites cry out to the Lord to save them! The Lord responds by telling Deborah, (who was leading Israel at the time) to call Barak to be the Lord’s general and go up against Sisera and the Lord will give Sisera into his hands. Barak wants Deborah to go up with him, so the Lord still promises that Israel will win, but that the hero will be a woman instead of Barak.
We are continuing our journey through the book of Judges, looking at Ehud—the Left-Handed Judge. Othniel has died and Israel has once again drifted in idol worship and wanting to be more like the nations around them rather than as a distinct people of God. God allows King Eglon of Moab, with the help of the Ammonites and Amalekites, to conquer Israel and make them his subjects. Once again, the Israelites cry out to God. God stays true to his covenant with them and raises up Ehud, a left-handed man, to deliver them from Eglon. Ehud would not have been Israel’s first choice of a hero, but God often uses the unexpected to save his people.
We will be reflecting on a variety of passages, including Mark 10:14, Romans 6:4, Colossians 2:11-12, and Ephesians 1:7-8 Baptism: Washed Clean by Jesus. Baptism is one of the two sacraments that we have been given to us as the church. Sacraments point us to who Jesus is, and what Jesus has done for us, and in us. Baptism points to the new life we have in Jesus, to having been washed clean from our sins. This invitation Jesus gives to us and our children to come to him. In baptism, it’s not the parents alone who are called to raise their children in the church, it is also part of the promises we make to the families to walk alongside them in leading their children to know Jesus.
Paul’s letter to the church in Thessalonica is filled with encouragement and teaching on how to follow Jesus well. Paul had to flee the city when his life was threatened, but Timothy had remained behind to care for the church. Now Timothy has come to visit Paul and has brought back a really encouraging report about how they were doing, yet there were a number of things Paul also still needed to teach and encourage them in.
Today is Thanksgiving Day, it’s actually a government holiday, not a church day. Thanksgiving should not be just a one day a year thing, Biblically, thanksgiving is a way of living. On Sunday, when we spend time in worship to confess our sin and ask for God’s forgiveness, every time we hear God’s words of forgiveness and grace, our response is to turn to God and Jesus in a spirit of thanksgiving
Today we will wrap up our short series on the blessings of mentoring. We will be reflecting on Acts 16:1-5, Paul and Timothy: Mentoring the Next Generation of Leaders. Paul comes across this young man Timothy and sees the potential in him since others spoke so well of him, so Paul takes Timothy along with him on one of his journeys to different cities. Paul invests in Timothy, training him, sharing what he knew and had learned about Jesus, encouraging him as he became a pastor, and challenging Timothy to faithfully engage his gifts and calling. What Paul does is mentor Timothy into his faith, call, and character.
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Today we are beginning a journey through the book of Judges. We will be reflecting on Judges 1:1-3, 2:1-4, 3:5-11, Othniel – The First Judge. We will look at Israel’s relationship with God as they settle into the land, how they began to do things their way instead of fully trusting in God, how God honours their choices but with consequences, but also how God never gives up on them as well as looking at the first judge, Othniel.
Today we will continue our short series on the blessings of mentoring. We will be reflecting on Acts 9:19-31: Barnabas & Paul, Recognizing Potential. Paul, still called Saul, was bringing a lot of people to Jesus in Antioch. The Apostles in Jerusalem sent Barnabas to check out Saul. Many of them were still scared of Saul because he had been such a strong enemy against the church earlier on. Barnabas went and met Saul, saw his potential to do amazing things for the Lord. He took Saul to Jerusalem to convince the apostles to trust in Saul and help him in the ministry Jesus had called him to. Barnabas used his reputation, the trust others had in him, to help Saul and to even join him on a couple of his missionary journeys. Followers of Jesus are always on the lookout for those with gifts for the kingdom of heaven and then they invest in them. Using their reputation, gifts, and life to help them become who Jesus has created them to be.
Today we have the pleasure of having Ron deVries, Youth Ministry Catalyzer for Faith Formation Ministries deliver a message from Acts 4:5-13, Do You Remember When…? We will focus on the need to move from a place of worldly hope to one focused on the resurrected Jesus Christ. Jesus often finds ways to remind us that he has not left us, that he is present in our everyday and that our HOPE and identities are rooted in His story.
Today we will be starting a short series on The Blessings of Mentoring. We will begin by reflecting on 2 Kings 2:1-15, Elijah and Elisha: Walking Together. Elijah knows that the Lord will be taking him home to heaven and begins a journey to the Jordan River where this is going to take place. Elisha, who was chosen by Elijah with God’s guidance to be a prophet, is walking with Elijah. Elijah keeps telling Elisha that he doesn’t need to come, but Elisha insists on walking this journey together. In a strong mentoring relationship, there is a commitment to walk together through the good and the difficult. After Elijah is taken up to heaven, Elisha carries on the work he has been entrusted with and mentored in.
This is Labour Day weekend, and today we will be reflecting on Genesis 1:26-31 & James 2:14-19, The Goodness of Work. We are created to work, to take care of this amazing creation of God’s. We are created in the image of God. We are given the gift of imagination, insight into who God is and his presence in the world. We were given this gift to recognize the potential God has placed in creation. We are to develop it in ways that honour God’s work. This call to take care of creation extends in James in caring for each other. If we see a need or injustice and do nothing; our faith is dead. A community shaped on God’s shalom and imagining the kingdom of God is one where we look for the potential in others and create ways for that potential to be developed and realized. Thus, creating fruit filled communities and people.
Today we are wrapping up our summer series on Women in the Old Testament, looking at some of the most important and impactful women in Jewish Biblical history. We will be reflecting on Esther 7, Esther: The Clever Queen. Esther finds herself queen in the greatest empire of the time, queen to the king of Israel’s enemy. The king is not a wise king and is easily manipulated by those around him, which ends up placing the Jewish people in the empire in danger due to a vengeful advisor to the king. Esther is called to use her position and relationship with the king to save her people, cleverly manipulating the king against his advisor.
Today we are we will be continuing our summer series on Women in the Old Testament, looking at some of the most important and impactful women in Jewish Biblical history. We will be reflecting on Ruth 3, Ruth - Humility & Kindness. Ruth’s humility and kindness stands out to Boaz. Ruth’s story happens during the time of the Judges, a time when everyone did what was right in their own eyes. Boaz stays true to God and is drawn to Ruth who has chosen Israel’s God over her own gods from Moab.
Today we are returning to our summer series on Women in the Old Testament, looking at some of the most important and impactful women in Jewish Biblical history. This week we are reflecting on 1 Samuel 25, Abigail - Wisdom. Abigail is the only woman in the Bible to be described as being both beautiful and intelligent. Abigail uses her intelligence and wisdom to save her household from David’s anger, and to save David from engaging in an impulsive and rash act of vengeance that would have threatened his kingship later on. Abigail helps to ensure that David lives into his godly character.
Today we have the pleasure of receiving the message from Pastor Frank de Boer. He will concentrate on Philippians 2:5-11 and Luke 18:9-14, Humbled & Exalted.
Today we have the pleasure of receiving the message from Pastor Frank de Boer. He will be reading from Matthew 5:17-20, Fulfilling the Law.A time of reflection of the how the law is fulfilled in Christ through faith that comes from the heart.
Today we will be returning to our summer series based on Women in the Old Testament by turning to Joshua 2:1-24, Rahab: On God’s Side. Rahab was a Canaanite prostitute who chose God over her own idols. Rahab, and the people of Canaan, had been watching Israel approach and God placed fear in their hearts as Israel set their sights on the land promised them by God. We’re often surprised by the people God chooses to work out his plans through, often choosing people we never would. Rahab becomes part of God’s people and even becomes one of the ancestors of Jesus! We will also be installing Henry Eisses as elder as part of our service.
This Sunday, Pastor Jake will be reflecting on Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Teaching Our Children to Love and Obey Our God. This is a beautiful passage which calls us to remember who God is and who he has called us to be as his children and people. This involves shaping our thoughts and beliefs, along with shaping the work of our hands through the laws and commands God has given us through Jesus.
Today we will be beginning our summer series Women in the Old Testament.We will start by reflecting on Genesis 29:31-35. Leah: I will Praise the Lord. Leah is the first wife of Jacob, but Jacob loves Rachel, Leah’s younger sister. The Lord sees that Leah is unloved and helps her to have 4 sons. Leah hopes that these sons would turn Jacob’s heart to her, but in the end, she comes to praise the Lord rather than depend on a person’s love to fill her heart.
Today we have the pleasure of having Pastor Henry Wildeboer leading us in worship. He will be reflecting on John 14:11-14, Even Greater Things…
Today we will be completing our series on worship by reflecting on Exodus 24, Sealing our Relationship with God. In this account from Moses on meeting with God and receiving the Ten Commandments, it happens in the context of worship. As part of this worship, Moses and the leaders of Israel meet with God on the mountain and they all see God and God does not kill them, but instead they eat and drink together in God’s presence. What a beautiful image of the meal that Jesus later gives us, the Lord’s supper. Worship, covenant, Law, and meal all connected together and point us to Jesus.
Today we will be reflecting on Jesus’ gift of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost from Acts 2:1-39, The Wind Blows and Fire Appears. We see God on the move as the Holy Spirit comes pouring into the world in a powerful public way. Pentecost is about Jesus equipping us with the Spirit to be his witnesses to the world of the good news found in Jesus. Pentecost is about hope, about dreaming of the kingdom of heaven, and preparing the world for Jesus’ return. Are you in?
Today we will be reflecting on Jesus’ ascension to heaven, Act 1:1-11, Worship: What Goes Up, Must Come Down. This is a joyous, sad, and even confusing time for Jesus’ followers and yet necessary for them, and us to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. In returning to heaven, Jesus is also seated at the right hand of the Father and given all authority in heaven and on earth. Jesus is now our king.
Today we have the privilege of having Pastor Frank de Boer from Leduc, AB. He will be delivering us a message from Exodus 20:1-3, Freed to Obey the True God. During the service we will be casting lots for the Office of Elder. May our worship together be blessed.
Today we have the privilege of having Pastor Ron Klok from Edmonton. Pastor Ron will be focusing his message from Corinthians 6:12-20, Body Temples. May our worship together be blessed.
Welcome to Bethel! Today we continue our 4-week series on worship by reflecting on Joshua 24:1-28, Worship: Hearing God’s Promises with Anticipation. The Israelites are now in the Promised Land and God has helped them to conquer it. Now it is time to settle down and become a nation that puts its nomadic ways behind them and develop the land and the people according to God’s will and Law. Joshua looks back over God’s faithfulness and promises to encourage the people to follow God alone.
Today we will continue our 4-week series on worship by reflecting on Nehemiah 9:1-15; 26-37, Worship: Confession and Honesty. The Israelites were home again in their own land after 70 years of exile. They have just finished celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles, remembering their time in the wilderness. During the feast, the priest Ezra read the Scriptures. In response to hearing the Law read again and recognizing how far they have drifted from God’s Law; the people enter into a time of deep and honest confession and worship.
Today we will begin a 4-week series on worship, as requested by someone through their personal faith plan. We will begin by reflecting on Psalm 81, Worship: Our Relationship with God-Built on Promises. We worship God because of who God is, and because we are commanded to worship. Because worship is based on our relationship with God, worship reminds us of God’s promises to protect and provide for his people, while punishing those against him. We are privileged to have a personal, covenantal relationship with God because of what Jesus Christ has done for us. Worship expresses that relationship.
Today is the sixth Sunday of Lent, which is Palm Sunday, and our theme is Good News. We will be reflecting on Zechariah 9:9-13 and Acts 2:39, Good News: Even Better Than Expected. The king approaches Jerusalem and the crowd shouts for joy as they had for generations and call out for salvation. This is a king of peace who is also a king of might who comes to his struggling people to bring hope. We are struggling in many ways too. Zechariah echoes ahead to Palm Sunday and Jesus coming as a king. The crowd then expect the Messiah to be an earthly king who would restore the Davidic dynasty. While they were wrong about the kind of king Jesus would turn out to be, they were absolutely right to connect Psalm 118 to Jesus (see vs. 22 and 27, for example). The good news of the gospel for us today is that Jesus saves us from our sins even as he is with us in our struggles. We can cry out “Hosanna!” to him (“Save us!”) and know that he will.
It is Easter! The empty tomb is a historical fact upon which the message of Christianity rises or falls. The women in Mark 16 were trembling and bewildered when they encountered it, and we have a hard time believing it ourselves. Yet the eyewitness accounts and the life transformation of the disciples are evidence that it is true. We can believe in this good news and share it.
BECOMING THE WAY - A Good Friday Reading by Lee Fennema
~ JESUS ~
Song: Here I Am to Worship
~ BETRAYAL ~
Song: What Wondrous Love
~ TRIAL ~
Song: When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
~ CRUCIFIXION ~
Song: The Power of the Cross
~ BURIAL ~
Todaythe fifth Sunday of Lent, and our theme is Good News. We will be reflecting on John 12:20-33, Good News: For All. In Jesus’ day, people were divided by ethnicity, gender, and social and economic class. The Pharisees in particular liked to keep people in their place and were disturbed at how Jesus upset the social order (John 12:19). Our culture today hasn’t overcome division either. In this passage, Jesus tells us that when he is lifted up on the cross, all will be drawn to him. In a world of division, we are reminded of the universal call of the gospel.
Todaythe fourth Sunday of Lent we have the privilege of celebrating the Lord’s Supper together. We will be reflecting on John 3:1-21, Good News: A Fresh Start. We are reflecting on John 3:1-21, Good News: A Fresh Start. Nicodemus was likely the very picture of a successful person in his culture. This makes him an unlikely follower of a perceived troublemaker like Jesus. In this famous passage, Jesus tells Nicodemus that he needs to make a fresh start and be “born again.” This actually is good news for Nicodemus and for us. God can and will give us a fresh start, a spiritual rebirth, when we believe in the savior who was lifted up on a cross and raised from the dead to deal with our sins.
Welcome to Bethel! Todayis the third Sunday of Lent, and our theme is Good News. We are reflecting on John 2:13-22, Good News: The Temple is Rebuilt. There are a few things we would do well to understand as we approach this passage. The first is the fierce and holy passion behind Jesus’ extreme actions. The second is how spiritually dysfunctional the Jerusalem temple had become. Jesus came into our fallen world as the true temple that would link heaven and earth. This temple would be destroyed and rebuilt in three days, just as he said. This is the good news of the gospel! And we who believe are the assembled body of Christ on earth who will proclaim his kingship until his return
Todayis the second Sunday of Lent, and our theme is Good News. We will be reflecting on Mark 8:31-38, Good News: Worth Dying For. We also have the privilege of celebrating a Profession of Faith! In this passage, right after Peter confesses that Jesus is the Messiah, Jesus starts teaching them what being the Messiah is going to actually look like: suffering, rejection, death, and then resurrection. Being a follower of Jesus is always about Jesus, never about what we want, but Peter doesn’t understand that yet and rebukes Jesus for talking the way he is. In one of the most shocking rebukes in the Bible, Jesus then turns and rebukes Peter, “Get behind me, Satan!” We will explore what being a follower of Jesus is really about.
Todayis the first Sunday of Lent, and our theme is Good News. We are also celebrating GEMS Sunday, our girl’s ministry. They will be leading much of the service, as we will be focusing on the theme Standing Firm on God’s Promises by reflecting on Psalm 62:2 and Matthew 7:24-29. God is a rock, a place of strength, a place of safety and hope. Jesus teaches that if we shape our lives on his teaching then we are like the wise man who builds his house on the rock and no matter what happens, the house stands firm.
Todaywe have the privilege of celebrating in the Lord’s Supper and we will be wrapping up our series on the Apostle’s Creed by reflecting on Psalm 57 and John 20:24-29, Resurrection Flesh. The creed teaches us under the section the work of the Holy Spirit that we believe in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. The psalmist takes refuge in God, trusting God to protect him and save him. Jesus comes to save us; he dies on the cross and comes back in his physical body to reassure his disciples that he is truly alive. Jesus comes to restore all creation. The physical creation, including our bodies is central to the redemption Jesus brings.
Todaywe will be celebrating the sacrament of Baptism for two lovely little girls. The parents have chosen Psalm 103 and Psalm 145, with the title of the message being: The Lord is Compassionate and Gracious. Both these psalms focus on praising the Lord for being a God of forgiveness, a God who does awesome works, whose greatness no one can fathom. Our God is compassionate and gracious, who calls us to tell his stories to our children and our children’s children so that they too will believe in and love our Lord.
Welcome to Bethel! Today we will be returning to our series on the Apostle’s Creed by reflecting on Psalm 51 and Mark 2:1-12, Forgiveness: Healing Power. The creed teaches us under the section under the work of the Holy Spirit that we believe in the forgiveness of sins. Our thoughts almost immediately go towards the forgiveness that we experience through Jesus’ death on the cross, however we are called to be a people who seek forgiveness from God through confession and repentance, and who offer forgiveness to others. Forgiveness is not simple, nor is it easy; forgiveness always comes at a cost. This week we will be focusing on God’s forgiveness of us, after Easter we will take a look at Jesus’ command for us to offer forgiveness and what that looks like.
Welcome to Bethel! Today we will be celebrating Cadet Sunday. Their theme this year is God’s in Control, based on Joshua 1: 2-9, focusing on verse 9. Joshua is leading Israel into the Promised Land and there are so many unknowns that lie ahead of them. God reassures them that he will be with them wherever they go, a promise we can still hold onto today.
Welcome to Bethel! Today will be reflecting on Acts 2:1-4; 14-17 and John 15:26-16:15, Spirit at Work. Jesus points his disciples to the coming Holy Spirit who appears at Pentecost. This is a time of hope, of change, of God on the move in a powerful way. The coming Spirit will point them back to Jesus, helps us be obedient to Jesus, and be a witness of Jesus to the world
Welcome to Bethel! Today we will be reflecting on Psalm 121 and Matthew 16:13-28, On This Rock. Over half of the Apostle’s Creed focuses on who Jesus is. By looking at Psalm 121 we are reminded to look for our help from the Lord who keeps us from harm. Then we will move to Matthew 16 where Jesus challenges the disciples with this question, “Who do you say I am?” This question reverberates down through the centuries to us today where we are asked who we say Jesus. C.S Lewis in Mere Christianity wrote “You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse…You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God.
Welcome to Bethel! We are starting a new series based on the Apostles’ Creed. We will begin by reflecting on Exodus 3:1-15 and Romans 8:1-17, Our Eternal Papa. In Exodus, God reveals himself to Moses as “I Am Who I Am,” a powerful statement about who God is, but God reveals more of himself in the following generations until we come to Paul in Romans 8 where we are given a picture of God as our Father, a personal God that comes to us in relationship
Happy New Year! It is the first Sunday of 2022 and we will be reflecting on King David’s desire to build a house for God and how God responds by telling David that he will build David’s house. As we reflect on 1 Chronicles 17:1-15, we will look at how God builds our house and what that might look like in 2022. As part of the service, we will also take some time to look back on how God has been at work in our Bethel Church family in 2021. We remember those God called home, those who have left, and those who have joined our family, offering prayer for all
Welcome to Bethel! Today we have the privilege of taking part in the Lord’s Supper. For the message we will be looking at what Jesus has called us to do while we wait for his return. We will be reflecting on Matthew 28:16-20, While We Wait. This is a familiar passage and is often called the Great Commission. Yet in this passage, Matthew tells us that they worshipped Jesus when they saw him, but some doubted. This observation from Matthew has always puzzled me, how can they doubt Jesus after everything they had seen? We will explore that question, as well as how can we participate in the Great Commission.
Christmas Day Service: Jesus is born! New life has entered the world. This will be a service filled with lots of singing and a reflection on the Christmas story as found in Luke 2:8-20, Love is Here!
Christmas Eve Candlelight Service: Come with the family as we journey From Darkness to Light in a candlelight service. We will be reflecting on Isaiah 60:1-3 where Isaiah celebrates that the Lord’s light has come, and the Lord’s glory rises upon us!
Advent is here! Today we will have a very special Children’s Service. Our children and youth will lead us in Searching For Jesus. Join us as we hear the Christmas story through the words and eyes of our children. We will continue our Advent series What Are You Waiting For? by reflecting on John 4:4-14, Waiting to be Satisfied. The Samaritan woman was searching for something but didn’t really know what until she met Jesus who offered her living water and eternal life. We too wait to fully experience the living water into eternal life that Jesus offers us.
Advent is here! We continue our Advent series by reflecting on Isaiah 40:1-11, Waiting for Strength. Israel has been in exile for almost 70 years now. After so many years, hope is hard to hold onto, and the people are feeling weak. God comes to Isaiah and commands the prophets and leaders to comfort his people, to help them experience hope, and in this they will find strength
Blue Christmas service. This special time of worship is for those who are finding the Christmas season difficult. Join us as we reflect on Jesus as our peace, and we light the candles to offer hope to those who are mourning and weary.
Advent is here! We will begin our series on Waiting by reflecting on Luke 12:35-40, Active Waiting. Jesus has gone home for a while, but he has promised to return, yet we don’t know exactly when that time is. Jesus tells a parable of a master going to a wedding and expecting his servants to continue running his household until he returns. This is an active waiting, engaging in the master’s work and business until returns. The master expects the servants to always be ready for that time. There are twists and turns in this parable that are unexpected and show that Jesus is the master in the parable. So how are you actively waiting for Jesus’ return?
Welcome to Bethel! Today we will end our series on “Why Church” by reflecting on Romans 12:1-8, To Find Your Gifts and Grow Them. I love this passage because Paul emphasizes that the church is all about “we” instead of “me,” that in Jesus, we come together as one body to discover and grow our gifts so that we can be a blessing to each other. This is what worshipping God through the week looks like, it looks like serving and being a blessing because God has blessed us.
Welcome to Bethel! Today we will continue our series on “Why Church” by reflecting on Ephesians 2:11-22, To Belong and Experience God’s Spirit. We all need a place to belong, a place where we are accepted for who we are. Family in one place where we experience this, but the church is also a family where we find belonging and acceptance, at least in a healthy church. There are so many barriers in our culture that separate us from others, therefore Jesus came, to bring people together, to join people from every nation and background into one people under him, shaped by him through the gift of the Holy Spirit
Welcome to Bethel! We will be reflecting on Genesis 12:1-3; Matthew 5:13-16, To Change the World Together. God called Abram to follow him with a promise of blessings and that Abram and his descendants would become a blessing to the nations of the world. Jesus calls us to be light and salt in the world, both impact and transform the world, adding taste and hope. They are not neutral, but active agents. We too are called to be active agents in our communities, bringing a good taste, bringing hope, bringing Jesus.
Welcome to Bethel! This morning we have the pleasure of welcoming August Luymes to the pulpit and a special guest, Martin Luther! Truly a treat on this Reformation Sunday. August will be concentrating his message from Genesis 1-26-31 & Ephesians 5:1,2, How is Your Nose ?
Sunday, October 24th we will be continuing our series on “Why Church.” Some people have used the pandemic to stop coming to church, some have adapted to worshipping from home, while others have other personal reasons for not attending. So, this fall we will explore why belonging to a church and participating as a member of the local church is important for our faith, our emotional and spiritual health, and for growing in all areas of our lives. We will be reflecting on Genesis 12:1-3; Matthew 5:13-16, To Change the World Together. God called Abram to follow him with a promise of blessings and that Abram and his descendants would become a blessing to the nations of the world. Jesus calls us to be light and salt in the world, both impact and transform the world, adding taste and hope. They are not neutral, but active agents. We too are called to be active agents in our communities, bringing a good taste, bringing hope, bringing Jesus.
Today we will be reflecting on Joshua 3, Crossing the River. Israel is at the end of their 40 years of wandering through the wilderness and they are preparing to enter into the Promised Land. This is so much more than simply crossing a river, this is all about a change in their identity, a change in how they will see themselves. From nomads without a home, to a nation of people with a place to call home. A place where they can have dreams and build homes, communities, and a permanent place to worship God. We will be reflecting on growing deeper in our identity in Jesus.
This week we are returning to our summer series focused on the many references to rivers in the Bible. Rivers and water hold deep meanings in many passages and often point us to different aspects of who God is. We are reflecting on Amos 5:18-27, Let Justice Roll on Like a River. Amos shows up at a disturbing time in Israel and Judah’s history. The people had turned their backs on living the way God had called them to live. They were building their own kingdoms by stepping on the weak and vulnerable. Amos arrives, calls for justice to roll on like a river and proclaimed to the people to return to God’s way of caring for and loving each other.
Today we welcome Mark Patterson as he delivers a message from Luke 12:22-34. May our Lord bless you as we gather together this day.
Today we welcome Pastor Neil de Koning as he delivers a message from Genesis 26:1-22, Living as Aliens in a Time of Crisis.May our Lord bless you as we gather together this day.
This week we welcome Elder August Luymes as he brings the message from Luke 24:15, Walking with Jesus. Walking with Jesus is not always easy but he does walk with us, he does not forsake us and he carries us when we are too weak to walk. We are blessed to have so much loving care that we can live in joy and peace knowing the love of our Father in Heaven.
This week we are continuing our summer series focused on the many references to rivers in the Bible. Rivers and water hold deep meanings in many passages and often point us to different aspects of who God is. We will be reflecting on Psalm 137, Weeping by the River. This psalm was written when Israel was taken into exile by the Babylonians and then mocked by being told to sing their songs of worship. How do you sing during sad times, in difficult times? This is a hard psalm with difficult images that many of our brothers and sisters in the faith still face around the world.
Today we are beginning a summer series focused on the many references to rivers in the Bible. Rivers and water hold deep meanings in many passages and often point us to different aspects of who God is. We will begin by reflecting on Psalm 46, and River ofGladness. God’s grace and blessings flow from his sanctuary to his people, bringing peace and hope, but God is also a God who protects His people and brings peace to the land.
Today we are reflecting on Deuteronomy 4:7, Life Line. Prayer is an important part of our relationship with God, but is God always listening, can the life lines get cut off?
Today we wrap up our series on Jars of Clay by reflecting on 1 Kings 11:1-13, Solomon: Tempted by Other Gods. Solomon is the wisest guy in the world and is still led away from worshipping God alone by his attraction to his pagan wives. Wisdom alone will not keep us close to God; it takes a strong relationship with God for that to happen. Thankfully Jesus stays in relationship with us so that we can stay in relationship with him.
Today we continue our series on Jars of Clay by reflecting on Matthew 26:69-75, Cowardly Peter. Archibald Robertson says that one of the tragedies of the cross is the bleeding heart of Peter. Judas has messed up really bad and can’t seem to accept forgiveness, is the same going to happen to Peter? Satan has sifted Judas and Peter, what is Peter made up of: wheat or chaff?
Today we jump back into our series on Jars of Clay by reflecting on Exodus 4,Moses: Uncertain. Have you ever felt that God might be calling you to do something, take up a new challenge, perhaps take on a leadership or mentoring role but felt unprepared or not capable of following through on the sense of calling? Moses is being called to lead, a role that he was trained to as a child in Pharaoh’s palace, but after 40 years tending sheep, he no longer felt able to do what God is calling him to do. Does God really give up what we need when we feel his calling, or do doubts keep us from listening or following through? Lots of questions come up in Moses’ story, not all easy ones either.
We delay our series based on 2 Corinthians 4:7, Jars of Clay in order to celebrate Pentecost! The four pastors of Woodynook CRC, Wolf Creek Community Church and Bethel CRC will be collaborating on a sermon together based in Acts 2, via Zoom, for all three congregations. Pentecost is a coming together of people from many nations and peoples and being formed into the Body of Christ as the church. In a time when we’ve spent the past 2 months physically distancing from each other, we thought, as local CRC pastors that it would be a blessing for all of us to see that we may be physically separated, but in Christ, through the Holy Spirit, we are all one in Christ.
Today we will be reflecting on 2 Samuel 11, David & Bathsheba. “The heart wants what it wants.” Emily Dickinson wrote that. Depending on your age, you might connect this quote with Woody Allen or Selena Gomez instead. This is also what David might have said about his relationship with Bathsheba; the problem is God is calling for our hearts to want God more than anything else. This week, the church also celebrated Ascension Day, the day Jesus returned to heaven in order to send us the Holy Spirit. It’s a day often forgotten, but Ascension Day affirms Jesus as God’s Son and the King of all creation!
Today we will be reflecting on Genesis 27:1-40, Jacob: Liar. A few months ago, we reflected on this same story, looking at the theme of blessing. However, this story has a second theme, that of deceit and how Jacob’s deceit created so much brokenness and yet God never gives up on Jacob. He uses Jacob as the foundation for the birth of the nation of Israel and the coming of the promised Messiah. Jacob’s jar of clay has many cracks where God still shines through.
Today we will be reflecting on Genesis 38, Tamar: All Honour Sacrificed. Sin has a way of infecting generations of families and Jacob’s family is no different. In Jacob’s family deceit is a way of life and its ripples touches many lives and its hurt cause’s people to do things they never would otherwise. Tamar, Judah’s daughter-in-law is deceived and hurt by his two oldest sons and she is promised his youngest son as a husband, but she is deceived by Judah. Tamar goes to great lengths to protect her honour and future. Where is God in such a time,how does his light shine through people like Judah and Tamar?
Today we will be continuing our series based on 2 Corinthians 4:7, Jars of Clay, we will be reflecting on 1 Kings 19:1-21, Elijah: All Hope Lost. God uses people to build his kingdom here on earth, but the people he uses are not perfect and go through both the highs and lows of life. In the highs, life is good, but in the lows, some of us will struggle hard with doubt and even depression, sometimes deep depression or despair. Elijah goes through a time of despair even to the point of wanting to end his life. How do we walk through hard times? As we go through, where is God?
This week we are starting a new series based on 2 Corinthians 4:7, Jars of Clay. Today’s message from 2 Corinthians 4 has Paul saying “We have this treasure in jars of clay.”When you stop and think of it, it’s pretty amazing that Jesus trusts us with the Gospel News; with sharing the Good News of Jesus with the world. He especially uses those of us who have been broken and cracked by life; hurt and weak, often strange and odd to the world, to reveal the power of the Gospel in our lives and to invite others to accept Jesus’ love and heart renewal for themselves.
Today we will be reflecting on the GEMS’ and their theme for this past year. We will be reflecting on 1 John 3:1-3, Loved! Our greatest desire is to be loved; if we miss out on knowing the amazing love of God for us, we will fill that empty place with something or someone else instead. We are loved so much by God that he makes us his children, a part of the family!
Easter Sunday! The church’s historical greeting on this day is: Christ is Risen, He is Risen Indeed! We will be reflecting on Matthew 28:1-10, He is Risen, Just as He Said. After Jesus’ crucifixion, the Jewish rulers were still afraid, afraid that something unexpected might happen to Jesus’ body. Since they knew about Jesus’ claim that he will rise again in three days, they persuaded Pilate to post guards on Jesus’ tomb. As the saying goes, you can’t keep a good man down. This is especially true if he’s the Son of God who has taken the sin of the world to the grave with him. What a great reason for rejoicing!
Today the carpenter’s hands are nailed to a cross, the King of kings is crowned with thorns
and wears the purple robe of mockery. Today he sets us free, himself imprisoned on a tree. Today is God’s Friday. We come in worship.
This fifth Sunday of Lent we will continue our Lenten series by reflecting on Leviticus 23:33-44 and John 7:37-43, The Feast of Tabernacles. It’s also Palm Sunday. The Feast of Tabernacles remembers the time Israel spent in the wilderness in temporary dwellings. When you journey or wander through the wilderness, especially for 40 years, thirst is a constant companion and Israel needed to depend on God to provide enough water for the entire nation every day of those 40 years! In the New Testament, Jesus invited anyone who is thirsty to come to him and drink, implying to the people at the festival, that he is from God who satisfied the thirst of their ancestors, but Jesus will provide generously: rivers of living water.
We continue our Lenten series on the Feasts of Israel by reflecting on Leviticus 23:23-25, The Feast of Trumpets. In this Feast, the trumpets, or shofars are blown to call the people to experience God’s presence again. In the harvest, it was easy to get so caught up in the work that we can forget to remember that God is here with us and calls us to experience his presence each day. God’s presence changes us, his holiness leads him to judge our sin, but his love leads him to take our punishment on himself! We also plan to gather together in spirit and celebrate the Lord’s Supper together.
We continue our Lenten series on the feasts of Israel by reflecting on Leviticus 23:15-22 and Acts 2:1-13, The Feast of Weeks-Pentecost. This is a feast that reminds us to be generous with the blessings God has given us, especially in the harvest. There are echoes to the story of Ruth and Boaz and to the coming of the Holy Spirit. It also became connected to the gift of the Law. We will explore how these events are all connected.
This Lenten season we will be reflecting on the Feasts of Israel. We continue by reflecting on Leviticus 23:9-14, The Feast of First Fruits. This is a feast that calls us to a deep trust in God. By offering God our first-fruits, we are saying to God, “We trust you that you will provide for us and send the rain and sun as needed so our crops can grow, be harvested and our people will be able to eat.” This is also a festival of anticipation and excitement as the hard work of harvest is beginning and the fruit of the people’s labours are being realized.
This Lenten season we will be reflecting on the Feasts of Israel. We continue by reflecting on the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Leviticus 23:6-8 and 1 Corinthians 5:6-8. The Feast of Unleavened Bread is also part of the Passover Feast and it focuses on the importance of finding the sin in our lives and then cleansing our hearts and lives of sin. This is not something we have the strength to do in our own strength, for this we need the blood of Jesus, the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit.
This Lenten season we will be reflecting on the Feasts of Israel. We will be looking at each of the feasts God calls Israel to celebrate found in Leviticus 23. We begin today with the Feast of Passover, Leviticus 23:4-5. The Feast of Passover remembers the exodus of Israel from slavery under Egypt and how the Angel of Death passed over the houses of those Israelites who painted their door frames with the blood of a lamb. A sign that the freedom of those in the home were purchased through the blood of an innocent lamb. The beginning of Israel claiming a new identity, one found in God rather than as slaves.
This week Pastor Jake will lead the service while Elder August Luymes will be bringing us the Word. We will be returning to Luke 24 and Jesus encounter with two of his disciples on the road to Emmaus, focusing on what Jesus said that made their hearts burn.
This week we are wrapping up our series on Spiritual Disciplines by reflecting on the discipline of worship and looking at Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4:1-42. Jesus tells her that a time is coming when we will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth. What does this mean? How can we worship in the Spirit and in truth? How does this show us who Jesus really is?
This week we are celebrating our Friendship Ministry. We will be reflecting on Mark 5:21-43, Face to Face with Jesus: Touching Our Lord. This is the story of a young girl who is so sick. Her father comes running to Jesus to heal her. While on the way, another woman who has been sick for a really long time touches Jesus, hoping for healing. Today we will be reflecting on Jesus as a healer, but also on asking some hard questions. Questions like: why doesn’t Jesus heal me; am I not healed because I don’t have enough faith; How can I find peace even when I don’t get healed by Jesus?
This week we are celebrating our Cadet ministry and inviting the Cadets and their counsellors to help lead us in worship. We will be reflecting on Jeremiah 29:10-14, focusing on verse 12, Hi God, It’s Me. God wants us to come and talk to him, to stay in contact with him in our day to day lives, sharing with him our day to day stuff and inviting him to be part of it with us. Our God is also our Father and he’s always eager to hear from us. We will be focusing on the personal nature of prayer.
This week we are continuing to look at a number of Spiritual Disciplines as we focus this year on growing our relationship with Jesus. Richard Foster has written an important book on spiritual disciplines Celebration of Discipline: the Path to Spiritual Growth, which will be a main reference through this series. The spiritual disciplines are spiritual practices the Church has developed over the centuries to help us develop our relationship with Jesus, to grow stronger in our faith and to intertwine what we believe with how we live. This week we continue our exploration of the spiritual disciples by reflecting on John 13:1-17 the Discipline of Service. In the discipline of service, we will be exploring our attitudes towards service. Often, we are happy to serve in areas where we feel gifted or we enjoy, but what about service that is unseen or feels like it’s below us, what is your attitude towards service then? Serving is more about attitude than it is about what we actually do.
This week we are continuing to look at a number of Spiritual Disciplines as we focus this year on growing our relationship with Jesus. Richard Foster has written an important book on spiritual disciplines Celebration of Discipline: the Path to Spiritual Growth, which will be a main reference through this series. The spiritual disciplines are spiritual practices the Church has developed over the centuries to help us develop our relationship with Jesus, to grow stronger in our faith and to intertwine what we believe with how we live. This week we continue our exploration of the spiritual disciples by reflecting on Matthew 4:1-11 the Discipline of Solitude by looking at the story of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness after spending 40 days and nights fasting alone in the wilderness. God meets us in places like the wilderness, times of solitude. Solitude gives us the space to listen more closely to God, to reflect on who we are and the lives we are living. Solitude helps us to prepare ourselves to be obedient to God when the times of stress and temptation come by allowing us to spend time immersed in Scripture. This helps us keep our focus on God and Jesus’ call on our life and identity.
This week we are continuing to look at a number of Spiritual Disciplines as we focus this year on growing our relationship with Jesus. Richard Foster has written an important book on spiritual disciplines Celebration of Disciple:the Path to Spiritual Growth, which will be a main reference through this series. The spiritual disciplines are spiritual practices the Church has developed over the centuries to help us develop our relationship with Jesus, to grow stronger in our faith and to intertwine what we believe with how we live. This week we continue our exploration of the spiritual disciples by reflecting on Acts 17:10-12 and Philippians 4:8-9, the Discipline of Study. Many people study the Bible as an interesting book of wisdom from an earlier time. The Discipline of Study seeks to learn to know God better and in knowing God better, we learn more about who He has created us to be. The Holy Spirit uses the Scriptures to then shape us more and more into who we are created to be as image bearers of God and followers of Jesus.
We will begin by looking at a number of Spiritual Disciplines as we focus this year on growing our relationship with Jesus. Richard Foster has written an important book on spiritual disciplines, Celebration of Disciple: the Path to Spiritual Growth, which will be a main reference through this series. The spiritual disciplines are spiritual practices the Church has developed over the centuries to help us develop our relationship with Jesus, to grow stronger in our faith and to intertwine what we believe with how we live. We are beginning our journey through the spiritual disciples by reflecting on Luke 11:1-13, The Discipline of Prayer. Prayer is the gift of communication, the opportunity to share with God what is going on in our lives and a time to listen for his quiet, gentle, or not so gentle leading in our lives. Prayer is rooted in God’s glory and shapes us by drawing us into His presence on a regular basis
This morning is the first Sunday after Advent, a time when the church slows down and reflects on the gift of Jesus who came to earth to become human like us. We also look forward to Jesus’ return during Advent. This morning we are wrapping up our journey through Revelation by reflecting on Revelation 21:1-7, Heaven and Earth Together Again. This passage is all about hope and renewal, about victory over sin and death, and about heaven and earth coming together again, as a reversal of what happened in Genesis 3 when Adam and Eve were kicked out of the garden. It’s about how history begins with chaos before creation and how Jesus brings order and peace into our chaotic lives and hearts. There’s the picture of us being made new again, of all our hurt and brokenness being left behind as we move forward into an eternal future with Jesus healed and forgiven. Even after Jesus returns, there is still work for us to do to continue the task of discovering and releasing the potential that God has placed in creation, a task that got sidetracked by the fall into sin, but can be renewed again, but now with the entire universe/creation open to us.
New Year’s Day Service: To begin the year 2020, we will be gathering together as a church family to reflect on Romans 12, Being the Body of Christ Together. This is a time to dream forward into the New Year and reflect on who God is calling us to be as his church and his children.
On Christmas Eve we will be reflecting on the Christmas story as told in Matthew and Luke. This will be a Service of Lessons and Carols, and the message will focus on the angels’ announcement of Good News.
This Advent season we are journeying through selected passages from the Book of Revelation: Angels, Help Us to Adore Him. This morning is the fourth Sunday of Advent, a time when the church slows down and reflects on the gift of Jesus who came to earth to become human like us. We also look forward to Jesus’ return during Advent. This morning we are reflecting on Revelation 5, Who is Worthy? The Apostle John is still in heaven’s throne room and the question comes up, “Who is worthy?” Jesus is the one worthy because he has taken the sin of the world on himself onto the cross where we are redeemed from our sin. In Advent we remember that Jesus became human and redeemed for his Father “persons from every tribe and language and people and nation,” as his own. When Jesus returns, we will join Jesus and the Father as heaven and earth are rejoined once again.
Today, the third Sunday of Advent, a time when the church slows down and reflects on the gift of Jesus who came to earth to become human like us. We also look forward to Jesus’ return during Advent. This Advent season we will be journeying through selected passages from the Book of Revelation: Angels, Help Us to Adore Him. We will be reflecting on Revelation 4, Falling Down in Worship.In Revelation 4 we are given a peek into heaven’s throne room and the worship that happens there. It’s an amazing peek into heaven and some of the creatures that are found there. The Apostle John marvels at the worship that fills heaven’s throne room. It’s a good time to reflect on how worship fills and shapes our hearts and lives each day.
Today is the second Sunday of Advent, a time where the church slows down and reflects on the gift of Jesus who came to earth to become human like us. This Advent season we will be journeying through selected passages from the Book of Revelation: Angels, Help Us to Adore Him. We will continue with Revelation 3:14-22, Lukewarm Christians. This passage is a letter to the church in Laodicea. It’s so easy when you’ve been in a relationship for a long time to take the other person for granted. It’s not that you love them less, but you stop showing it, you allow other things to take your time and attention away from the other person, and you slowly begin to drift apart, allowing your love to grow less hot. This creates lukewarm relationships, even with God. The challenge is how to revive a lukewarm relationship again.
Today is the first Sunday of Advent, a time where the church slows down and reflects on the gift of Jesus who came to earth to become human like us. This Advent season we will be journeying through selected passages from the Book of Revelation: Angels, Help Us to Adore Him. We will begin with reflection on Revelation 3:1-13, Wake Up!This passage contains letters from Jesus to the churches in Sardis and Philadelphia. It is so easy become complacent as followers of Jesus, allowing our faith to become only a Sunday thing. We can lose our passion for Jesus and our passion for the world to know Jesus, so Jesus issues a call to Wake Up! Do we need a wake-up call from Jesus, how is our passion level for our neighbours and community?
Today we will wrap up our 5 week series on the Canons of Dordt. We will conclude our study by reflecting on John 17, Protected and Kept Safe. In John 17 we find Jesus’ prayer for his disciples and followers. Jesus prays to the Father for protection for them from the evil one, asking the Father to sanctify the people God has given him. Jesus mentions how he protected and kept safe the ones God has given him. This directs us to the last point of doctrine in the Canons of Dordt: Perseverance of the Saints.
We will continue our 5-week series on the Canons of Dordt by reflecting on Ezekiel 36:22-38, Giving Us a Heart of Flesh. Irresistible Grace is a beautiful doctrine that points to God’s deep commitment to us. We sing, “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,” and God makes his grace so sweet to us that, while we may fight against it for a time, in the end our hearts are so drawn to Jesus that we find we have no choice but accept his love for us and commit ourselves to become his followers and children of our heavenly Father.
We will continue our study of the Canons by reflecting on John 3:1-21, Whoever Believes.Jesus’ death for our sin washes us clean from the dirt of sin on our souls and hearts and makes us right with God. But not everyone is washed clean; there are those who reject Jesus as their Saviour and choose themselves as ruler of their lives and so Jesus’ sacrifice is not applied to them, even though it is capable of washing away all the sin in the world.
We will continue our study of the Canons by reflecting on Ephesians 1:1-14, No Conditions. In most of our relationships, we are loved or accepted because of something that we bring into the relationship. When the relationship becomes too costly, it’s common to end the relationship and find new ones that fit us better and bring something of value into our lives. Our relationship with God is different. We have nothing to offer God, he has no reason at all to want a relationship with us, and yet he chooses us to be his children. He gives us his love without any conditions, taking away our worry about not bringing anything into our relationship with God.
This week we will begin a 5-week series on the Canons of Dordt. This year is the 400th anniversary of the meeting of the Synod of Dordrecht where the Canons were written. This is our least known and most misunderstood confession ad yet it’s a confession filled with great hope and comfort. Most of us learnt the Canons through the word TULIP. We are beginning our study of the Canons with the doctrine of total depravity by reflecting on Romans 3:9-20, Sin Infects Us. We are also celebrating the Lord’s Supper today.
Today we welcome Pastor Brian Schouten from Sonrise CRC in Ponoka, as he brings us God’s Word from Luke 12:13-23.
Happy Thanksgiving!! Today at our special Thanksgiving service, we will be reflecting on 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28, focusing on verse 16-18. Giving Thanks In All Circumstances. Paul reminds us to be joyful always, pray continually, and to give thanks in all circumstances. God has blessed us and so we take time on Thanksgiving Day to say Thank You! for his blessings and presence in the past year.
Today we welcome Diana Boot to our worship service as she shares with us her work in Uganda. We will be reflecting on Luke 9:18-27, Who Do You Say Jesus Is? Some people say Jesus is a great teacher. Others say that he had a special relationship with God and is like a prophet. While others say that Jesus is God, the Son of God, and the Messiah. Who we see Jesus as makes a difference in how we respond to Jesus, because if he’s simply a teacher or prophet, we can pick and choose what we want to accept from what Jesus says. If he is God, the son of God, then our relationship with Jesus completely changes.
Today we will be reflecting on Jesus’ invitation to Follow Me. What does it mean to follow Jesus, how does that change our lives, our priorities, and our relationships with God, Jesus, others and ourselves? We all like to think that we chart our own way through life, but the reality is that we all find someone to imitate and follow, so who are you following?
Today Pastor Jake wraps up to his series on the 3Ts by reflecting on Luke 18:18-30 Treasure. What does your treasure chest look like, what is it filled with? When it comes down to it, is the treasure you’ve collected and stored in your lifetime even yours? What does good treasure even look like? We will be exploring these questions and more. We will also be celebrating the Lord’s Supper. Please join us for refreshments in the fellowship hall after the morning service.
This week Pastor Jake returns to his series on the 3T’s by reflecting on 1 Corinthians 12:1-31, Talents.God has given each of us different talents or gifts. Our culture tells us that we should use our gifts to do well in life for ourselves and our families and God doesn’t disagree, but His idea of family is much bigger that our culture’s. Our gifts are given to us to use to build up our church family, to work towards unity, and for the common good. This morning is also a commissioning service as we enter a new church year of learning, servicing and equipping each other to follow Jesus wherever the Holy Spirit leads us.
This week our youth are the focus of our service, Pastor Jake will be preaching from Psalm 139, Where Can I Flee from Your Presence? It doesn’t matter where you go, God is always there. That can be reassuring for some and a bit frightening for others if you are trying to get away from God. God reminds us through creation itself that he is here and he never gives up on reaching out to us.
Pastor Jake will be beginning a short 3-week series called The 3 T’s. We will be reflecting on Time, Talents (our gifts), and Treasure. We will begin with Matthew 25:31-46 and Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, Time: God’s Plan for Our Time. Time is limited and we all have the same amount of it every day. So how do we use our time, who do we use our time for? Time is also precious and we have only so much of it to spend, so how we use our time while on earth is important.
Pastor Jake will be wrapping up his series on trees in the Bible by reflecting on Revelation 22:1-6, The Leaves of the Trees are for Healing. The Bible begins with stories of trees and the last chapter of the Bible includes trees whose leaves are for the healing of the nations. We all need healing; soul healing, physical healing, relationship healing and more. Jesus came in order to bring healing in every area of our lives, overcoming the effects of sin through his death on a tree. This fills us with hope and strength as we journey through life.
This week Pastor Jake will be continuing his series on trees in the Bible by reflecting on Matthew 12:33-37, Make Your Tree Good. Being healthy spiritually doesn’t just happen and there are many ways we can prepare and work the soil of our heart in order to be healthy. We are called to do the hard work in following Jesus to make sure that we produce good fruit and are a blessing wherever God places us.
Welcome to Bethel! Today we welcome Mark Patterson as he leads us in worship. “For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard." When something good happens in your life, doesn't it seem even better if you tell someone else about it? If someone does something special for you, isn't it natural to let others know how much you appreciate what that person has done? Today we will have the chance to tell others how you've seen God working in your life. It might be an answered prayer, a divine intervention, a joyous event, or a new insight from the Word. To God be the glory!
Welcome to Bethel! Pastor Jake is continuing his series on trees in the Bible by reflecting on Psalm 1. In order to produce good fruit, trees need to be nourished by a reliable source of water; as followers of Jesus we also need to be regularly nourished and Psalm 1 points us to meditating on the Torah as the source of our nourishment. All are welcome!
This week Elder August Luymes will be bringing us the Word from Luke 24:13-35, The Road to Emmaus.
This week Pastor Jake is beginning a short summer series, looking at trees in the Bible. Trees are found in both the first and last chapters of the Bible and play a role in so many stories. They provide us with so many things that bless our lives: sap, wood, bark, fruit, fresh air, and so much more. We will begin by reflecting on Genesis 2, The Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil.
This week Pastor Jake is wrapping our journey through Jonah by reflecting on Jonah 4, Angry at God. When God’s grace is offered to people who have hurt us and we’re unable to see how they are punished for the hurt they’ve caused, we often find ourselves filled with anger and confusion. How do we live with God’s grace to those who have hurt us, how does God’s compassion and justice hold together, a real and haunting question for many of us.
This week Pastor Jake will continue our look at Jonah, reflecting on Jonah 3 and Unexpected Grace. God’s grace often shines out at unexpected times and to unexpected people; it is not earned, but flows out of the relationship God has with humanity.
Welcome to Bethel! This week Elder August Luymes is continuing our 4-week series on the book of Jonah. We often skip over this prayer of Jonah and yet there is much to learn about confession, trust and God’s mercy. When times get tough, we turn to prayer to reach out to God and God hears our prayers with a heart of compassion and grace.
Welcome to Bethel! This week Pastor Jake is beginning a 4-week series on the book of Jonah. We so often focus on the big fish, but there is so much more in this prophet’s tale about God’s grace and mercy and how this works with his justice and righteousness. We will begin by reflecting on Jonah 1, CAN YOU RUN FROM GOD? Maybe another way of considering Jonah 1 is asking, “Why would we run from God?”
Today is Father’s Day and we will be bringing the Word from John 14:1-14 and reflecting on God as our Father. The image of God as our Father is found throughout scripture and points to the relationship God desires to have with us. A beautiful intimate relationship based on trust and love.
Today we wrap up our journey through Acts by looking at the Pentecost story, the pouring out of the Holy Spirit. We will be turning to Acts 2:1-21, What Does this Mean? Peter reminds the people that the prophet Joel talked about the Spirit being poured out and the result is a people who dream dreams; hold onto visions of what can be and prophesy, speaking God into the world. What an exciting way to see the church!
We will be turning to Acts 16:16-34, An Unexpected Convert as we continue the story from last week and reflect on a slave girl who is healed and a jailor who becomes a follower of Jesus.
Acts 16:9-15 How often is following Jesus more about doing what we want and then trying to get Jesus onside with our plans? Are we willing to listen hard to Jesus and change our direction and goals based on where he is leading us?
We will be turning to Acts 11:1-18, Who is In, Who is Out? Our tendency is to try and figure out who belongs and who doesn’t. When it comes to belonging to Jesus, are we sometimes too quick in keeping people out?
Bethel's Children's Program. We see the joy of Christmas in the smiles of the children and we all take part in welcoming the Savior.
Teen Challenge Alberta is a 12 month faith-based, residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation program that is part of a network of over 15 Teen Challenge Centers across Canada and more than 1000 world wide. The program has a strong faith-based approach and offers spiritual, academic and vocational training that helps equip individuals to return to society as responsible citizens.
Wayne Bouwman teaches us how to handle our finances in a way that is more rewarding than any earthly treasure.
Henry Eisses shares Aldon Kuiper's reading sermon, titled, "Walking With God: The God Who Knows Us by Name"
Pastor Mike talks about how we can handle our finances in ways that are pleasing to God
Pastor Mike teaches us some ways to make sure that we are in control of our schedule so that it doesn't control us.
Pastor Mike uses David's victory over Goliath as a model for us to trust in God's strength to defeat any "Giant Problem" that we might face.
Pastor Mike teaches us why it's important to be careful of what comes out of our mouths.
Pastor Mike teaches about how God worked in the earlier part of David's life in the Bible.
Guest Speaker, Pastor Tom Oosterhuis's message about the Centurion's faith in Luke 7:1-10