Walnut Grove Lutheran Church podcast: Recent Episodes
Walnut Grove Lutheran Church
This podcast is brought to you by Walnut Grove Lutheran Church in Langley BC in the hope that it will draw you closer to the One who loves you most.
In 1 Corinthians 15:12–28, Paul proclaims the resurrection of Christ as the decisive victory of the Triune God over sin and death. The Son reigns in power, subduing every enemy until the last—death itself—is destroyed. Through the resurrection, the Father’s plan is fulfilled, the Son’s reign is established, and the Spirit gives life to all who believe. In the triumph of Christ, we see the unity and glory of our Triune God, securing our hope and eternal future.
This Pentecost, we remember not just the fire and wind, but the quiet, steady presence of the Spirit Jesus promised. In The Spirit of Power and Peace, we’ll explore how the Holy Spirit empowers us to live with courage and fills us with a peace the world cannot give. As fear rises and chaos swirls, Jesus speaks comfort: “Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Come and discover how the Spirit still breathes power and peace into every follower of Christ today.
What if the strength God gave you wasn’t just for you? In Romans 15:1-13, Paul calls us to bear with the weak, build one another up, and live in harmony rooted in the hope of Christ. This hope isn’t wishful thinking—it’s a confident joy that overflows through the power of the Holy Spirit. God is inviting you to become a person of encouragement, pointing others to the him, for he welcomes all.
What does it really look like to live a life shaped by God’s mercy? In Romans 12:1-2, 9-21, Paul paints a powerful picture of true worship—not just in songs or rituals, but in everyday acts of love, humility, and grace. This transformed life rejects the patterns of the world and embraces a radical way of living that overcomes evil with good. Hear how God is inviting you to surrender fully to Christ and become a living witness to His redeeming love.
Imagine living without the weight of guilt constantly pressing on your soul. In Romans 8:1-11, Paul announces the liberating truth that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are no longer bound to sin but are set free to walk in newness of life. God is inviting you to experience the joy, freedom, and transformation that only life in the Spirit can bring.
What if peace with God wasn’t something you had to chase, but something already secured? In Romans 5:1-11, Paul shows us that through faith in Christ, we not only stand justified but also stand in unshakable hope—even in suffering. God is inviting you to discover the deep assurance and joy that flow from his love poured into our hearts.
What if your standing before God didn’t depend on your performance, but on His promise? In Romans 3:19-31, Paul unveils the stunning truth that we are made right with God by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. God is inviting you to lay down your striving and receive the freedom that only the gospel can give.
All of us live by faith in something. The object of our faith might be our own abilities or possessions, some guru on YouTube, or the author of the last book we read. Those many options come with consequences, for if the object of our faith is flawed it will eventually fail and our life will be shattered as a result. Only Jesus won forgiveness, salvation and eternal life for us through his life, death and resurrection. Therefore, we live by faith in him. (Based on Romans 1:8-17.)
Fear is a natural response to any stimulus that we think might threaten or overwhelm us. But what kind of fear do you want to have in your heart? Do you want to fear death, condemnation and all the turmoil in the world? Or do you want to fear the God who can cause you to tremble with astonishment over what he does to save you? Choose your fear wisely. (Based on Mark 16:1-8.)
Two thousand years ago, as now, there were differing opinions about who Jesus really was. Peter got it right when he identified Jesus as the Messiah, the One sent from God to save his people. Jesus is the King who went to the cross to save us and make us one of God’s people. In thanksgiving for what he has done for us, we focus our minds on the concerns of God. (Based on Mark 8:29-38.)
Why do some believe in Jesus and others do not? In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus teaches us that God’s Word always has the potential to produce abundant faith within us, but sometimes the condition of our heart hinders the growth God wants to give to us. Therefore, we tend our heart like a gardener, keeping it soft, clean & fertile so that God’s Word is better able to do its work within us. (Based on Mark 4:1-20.)
“I’m a good person,” is a common way people describe themselves, but an honest self-assessment will soon reveal that this statement is not true. The only human hope for goodness is found outside ourselves in Jesus Christ, God’s Son and our Saviour. He won the gift of goodness for us through his life, death & resurrection & he applies his goodness to us personally in the waters of Holy Baptism. (Based on Titus 2:11-3:8.)
We humans are greatly influenced by our environment, and when the brokenness inside us connects with the brokenness in the world, it can lead to devastation. Thankfully, God’s Word creates faith in our hearts which connects us to Jesus, who saves us and transforms us to become more like him from the inside out. (Based on 2 Timothy 3:1-17.)
Having goals in life can be a good thing, but it is best to hold them loosely, for a self-directed life will always fall short of the life God wants to give us. He invites us to live our life in the world yet live differently from the world. By living in the grace he gives us, we grow into the purpose he has for us, and those around us are blessed as we do that. (Based on 1 Timothy 1:12-2:7.)
Being a person of hope requires that we hold in our heart two seemingly opposite truths at the same time. First, the world, including us, has been thoroughly infected and broken by evil and that brokenness is beyond any human ability to repair. And second, Jesus Christ, through his life, death, and resurrection, paid the full cost for all the evil and brokenness in the world to be forgiven and healed. The first truth helps us to accept this world as it really is and live our lives according to that reality. The second truth helps us to be people of faith and hope in a broken and hurting world. With Jesus, we know how the world’s story ends, and that makes all the difference. (Based on Rev. 22:1-13.)
There can be little doubt that the world is broken. A brief survey of world news provides sufficient evidence of that fact. But how can the world be healed? Our best human efforts, though well-intentioned, will always fall short. Only a powerful, holy, and righteous God can make all the wrongs in this world right. And that very God is inviting us to follow him in faith now so we can join in singing his victory song at the end of time. (Based on Rev. 15:1-8.)
Guilt can be a force for good when it moves us to repent of our sins and make amends to those we have harmed. But we also need to be aware that we have an enemy, Satan, who accuses us of sins already forgiven to drive a wedge between us and God. Thankfully, Jesus, through his death and resurrection, defeated Satan for us. In Jesus, our troubled souls have peace. (Based on Rev. 12:7-17.)
What is the goal of human life? To gather wealth, gain power, or be liked? None of these things will matter in a hundred years. Jesus offers us a much greater vision for our life, for now and forever. He saved us from our short-sighted flaws and failures so we could be celebrating and singing praises at the end of time. And we get to invite others to join the choir. (Based on Rev. 7:9-17.)
Having a passionate faith is a wondrous thing for our heart soars with joy as we experience intimacy with God. But our passionate faith often fades, especially when we face challenges, and then our heart wanders away and begins to love created things instead of the Creator. How do we get back to loving God primarily and passionately? By remembering all that he has done, is doing, and will do for us. (Based on Rev. 2:1-11.)
We tend to think of love primarily as an emotion, but true love always expresses itself in action, doing what is best for our beloved, even when we aren’t feeling “love” in our heart. We turn away from our inherent selfishness and give ourselves to our beloved because we want to be one with them. Jesus not only loves us with the greatest love of all, he has also expanded our circle of loved ones to include everyone who believes in him. Jesus has made all of us one with him and one with each other. Therefore, we love one another. (Based on 1 John 3:11-24.)
With all the disorder in and around us, it is hard for us to have peace. Who can calm the storm within our heart? Jesus. He has defeated all the threats we face and gives us a greater and grander new life with him. How do we know this is true? Because Jesus has risen from the dead. How do we receive peace from Jesus? Through faith in him. (Based on John 20:19-31.)
The natural inclination of humans is to think that the path to greatness requires gathering more: more power, more wealth, more people, and more possessions. But Jesus shows us that true greatness is found on a Path of Sacrifice. As we give up our lives for Jesus’ mission to love, restore and renew the world, we find that he has given us a life that is greater than anything we could ever ask or imagine. (Based on John 12:20-33.)
Bombarded by online scammers and opposing opinions on paths to health and wholeness, we are naturally skeptical. How do we know who really has our best interests at heart? The One who laid down his life for us to give us eternal life with him. Let’s listen to his voice and follow him. (Based on John 10:1-10, 27-30.)
This Sunday, we continue to celebrate the birth of our Savior in song as the choir blesses us with their Christmas Cantata. As we begin this New Year, may our hearts still be filled with Christmas joy!
It may seem like life has no meaning or purpose, but the Bible tells us that God created all things and still loves this world even though it has fallen into brokenness. He is directing human history toward a Grand Conclusion when He will restore and renew all things for a new forever life with him. And we find our purpose in life when we find our place in His story. (Based on Rev. 20:11-21:7.)
It might seem gloomy to think of the Day of the Lord in the days leading up to Christmas. But this broken world needs to be set right, and the Messiah born in Bethlehem is the One who will banish all evil and make all things right, including us. The Day of the Lord is the day when our faith will be vindicated. Therefore, we can look forward to that day with hope and thankfulness. (Based on 2 Peter 3:1-13.)
Join us as the Sunday school presents “Little Benjamin and the First Christmas”. The children of Walnut Grove Lutheran church will share the story of the first Christmas in a reader theatre style. Come and see what happens when Benjamin discovers the very special guest that comes to his father’s inn.
Holiness is an impossibly high bar for us humans to reach. However, with Jesus, holiness is not an accomplishment we achieve, it is an identity we receive, an identity that will be fully revealed at the end of time when Jesus comes back to make us and all things right. In the power of the Holy Spirit, we are able to be who God created and redeemed us to be, his holy people in this world, glorifying him in all we do. (Based on 1 Peter 1:13-25.)
Advent is all about God's preparations for Jesus first coming affirmed through Old Testament predictive prophecies. What makes this so exciting is that all the First Coming prophecies were filled precisely, and because of that, we can look to at least 614 Old Testament prophecies about Jesus' Second Coming being fulfilled as certain as well. On this first Sunday of Advent, our message shares the stories of Zechariah and Elisabeth, and also Mary as they encounter the angel Gabriel's prophetic message.
This Sunday our focus will be on Jesus and his teachings about the End Times. These are found in Matthew 24 and 25; Mark 13; and Luke 21. These give us the Signs of the Times. But there is so much more, as we examine Old and other New Testament scriptures. Join us as we see what Scripture says and how we as Christians try to put all these Scripture texts together.
Each day we cross another finish line, with an evaluation of how we can live and serve others and the Lord better. It's like running a race with a finish line - a few minutes to a few hours. But there is a final end of life finish line as well that we all must pass through. It's the one that really counts. What are the personal and Biblical preparations we make for crossing that finish line . . . physically, mentally, health wise, home wise, care wise, spiritually, to be sure we are with our Lord.
When people don’t get what we think they deserve, we consider that to be an injustice and we are offended. But there would be no hope for humanity if God gave us what we deserve. In spite of the fact that we are all sinners, God gave us what we do not deserve: grace, his love and salvation. (Based on 1 Timothy 1:3-17.)
Being skeptical about anything that we cannot detect with our senses may seem logical, but it cuts us off from comprehending the mysterious nature of God. It takes the wisdom of faith in Jesus for us to see the wonderful treasure we have in him. (Based on Col. 2:1-15.)
God created us to live in community. We need other people and other people need us. And as we live our unique life in an interconnected and interdependent web of relationships, people are blessed, lives are enriched, and God’s kingdom grows. (Based on Philippians 1:1-11.)
The greater our need the more we appreciate a gift that meets that need. A meal is more satisfying when we are hungry. A financial gift has greater value when it wipes out our debt. In the same way, Jesus’ gift of new life is dearer to us when we realize that, without it, we were dead. (Based on Eph. 2:1-10.)
We celebrate events and accomplishments that are important to us. For a Jesus-follower, life in this world with all its challenges can seem dour. What helps us to persevere is our focus on the celebration to come at the end of time. Because of Jesus, and his death and resurrection, we already know how the story will end! (Based on Rev. 21:1-7.)
When life gets hard and our strength and energy are depleted, it is easy for us to get discouraged and consider giving up. But then we remember that we are not running alone, nor are we running in our own strength. Our hope is in the Lord, who renews our strength. (Based on 2 Tim. 4:1-8.)
The driver of an F1 race car needs to shut out all distractions and have a laser-sharp focus on their race for them to have any chance of success. And it is the same with us as we run the race of our life. We are attuned to our surroundings so we can navigate them successfully, but our focus is on Jesus, who both begins and completes our race for us. (Based on Heb. 12:1-13.)
For those who work in potentially dangerous situations, their training is paramount, for training well is what enables them to automatically respond appropriately in such situations. It is the same for us who follow Jesus. Trials and tribulations are inevitable in this life, but when we train for those eventualities with the gifts that God has given us, we are better equipped to navigate them successfully. (Based on 1 Tim. 4:1-10.)
Becoming an F1 driver is a rare and daunting task. The only way to have a hope of accomplishing such a thing is to see that as your desired future and work wholeheartedly toward it. It’s our vision that coalesces our energy, resources, and attention in a drive toward our desired goal. Having a vision for the one and only life that God has given us is also important, and our vision is Jesus. (Based on Eph. 1:15-23.)
When we encounter someone who looks, thinks, or acts differently than us, our natural tendency is to distance ourselves and look down on them. In doing so, we forget what we share: we are both lost and broken sinners who need a Savior. That Savior has come to us, his name is Jesus, and in his power and grace, we reach across the barriers that separate humanity so we can all share in the salvation he freely gives to all who believe in him. (Based on Acts 10:23-43.)
All of us have said, thought, or done things that fill us with guilt and shame which pulls us away from God. But with the forgiveness we have in Jesus, and the courage of the Holy Spirit within us, we go deeper into Jesus’ love and love others with the love that he has first given us. (Based on John 21:15-25.)
When we insist on things going our own way, we are often blind to the negative impressions we make on others and the way we negate any influence we may have with them. By his example, Jesus reveals true leadership to us. He humbly took the lower place to lift us up to a higher place: rich, full, abundant life with him forever. (Based on John 13:1-17.)
When the fast pace of life and other forms of stress take their toll on you, how can you get relief? When you get weary, what does a good rest look like? Let’s explore what Scripture tells us about entering God’s holy rest. (Based on Hebrews 3:7 – 4:13 & Matthew 11:28-30.)
Throughout life, there will be times when circumstances threaten to overwhelm us. Our optimism dims and our mood can darken. In such times, we need help from outside ourselves, we need Jesus. He has the power and the authority to make all things turn out for our good, and when we trust in him to do that, our perspective takes on a whole new, and more positive, direction. (Based on Luke 7:1-10.)
Sometimes the Christian faith is characterized as a set of propositions that people need to agree with if they want to go to heaven. But this is inaccurate. The key feature of Christianity is a relationship of love with a God who redeems, transforms, and reorientates our life so that we become new people living in a new way in a new realm. (Based on M. 25:14-30.)
The brokenness and evil in the world can overwhelm us, especially when it impacts us on a personal level. But the Lord has promised us that a day will come when he will make all things right, including us. Therefore, based on the Lord's goodness and his promises to us, we move forward with confident hope. (Based on Micah 7:8-10.)
Sometimes we observe situations where non-Christians behave like Christians while Christians are functioning like they have no faith at all, and we are perplexed. Why does that happen? A softness toward the spiritual side of life is needed for us to be open to the movement of God, and God softens our hearts through faith. (Based on Jonah 1:1-3.)
By default, a human heart is filled with pride and places itself at the center of its universe with all else revolving around it. When a life, with its perspective and priorities, is disordered like this, it will eventually implode. It is far better to see the desolation of our life apart from God, look to him in faith, and let him build us up in a new life that is good, beautiful and true. (Based on Daniel 4:34.)
Rae-Anna H was part of WGLC before moving to Japan (Osaka) as a missionary. Her focus is discipleship in the area of purity among Christian singles - discovering God's heart regarding sexuality, how to walk in His ways, and how to support singles in their desire to honor God with their sexuality. She will be sharing on the topic of "Discipleship Lifestyle".
In ancient times, people would cover themselves in ashes when grieving the loss of a loved one or a calamitous change in their circumstances. But our gracious God promises to replace the ashes of our grief with a crown of beauty, a miraculous turnaround that happens because of Jesus and what he does for us. It’s faith in Jesus that we are celebrating today as one of our own confirms that the faith bestowed in Baptism is what they truly believe. (Based on Isaiah 61:1-11.)
The lives of the rich and famous are the ones that get attention and admiration, and are imitated by the masses who consider their ordinary lives as dull and worthless. But Jesus' presence in the world proves that God has infused the ordinary with the extraordinary and, with him, the ordinary rhythms of life take on eternal significance. (Based on Ecclesiastes 3:1-4.)
Being able to retain information is knowledge, but knowing how to use knowledge well is wisdom. But which of the many sources of wisdom will we trust? As people of faith, we look to the Lord for the wisdom we need, for he has proven the trustworthiness of his wisdom through his love for us. (Based on Proverbs 3:1-18.)
Two people can receive the same gift, yet one is thankful, and the other is not. Why? The thankful person appreciates the gift and the giver because they know that things could have been otherwise. Life in this world with God is a gift, but how will we respond to that gift? Let's remember that things could have been otherwise and recognize the greatness of the gift and the Giver. (Based on Psalm 103 & Luke 15:11-32.)
The biblical image of a shepherd and their sheep is a powerful metaphor for the God-human relationship. We are weak, defenseless, and prone to go astray, yet our Lord faithfully provides, protects, and blesses us. Trust and love bind us together in a relationship that rests on the Shepherd's faithful lovingkindness. (Based on Psalm 23 & John 10:11-18.)
As we live our lives in this world, it can be hard for us to believe that an invisible spiritual realm exists and has an impact on our lives. It takes Spirit-empowered faith to believe and see this. Thankfully, God gives us the Holy Spirit and faith so we can live in the fullness of life--with both our body and soul--that God has for us. (Based on Job 42:1-6, 10-17 & Acts 2:1-21.)
When a problem arises, our first response is to deal with the surface issue, but often there is a deeper issue that needs to be addressed. When they are identified, these deeper issues can be very challenging because attempting to solve them requires us to take risks or make sacrifices that we would not normally do. Only with faith in God can we take our place in the solution he has for this situation. (Based on Esther 4:1-17.)
Sometimes we face challenging opposition as we do what God calls us to do. Ideally it would be otherwise, but we don’t live in an ideal world. We live in a broken, hurting world where evil strives to counter the good things God wants to accomplish in the world. But our faithful God is greater than evil, and he will provide the direction, discernment and strength we need to persevere for goodness in the face of evil opposition. (Based on Nehemiah 6:1-15.)
It is common for us to have our heart pulled in two different directions by the various things and people we love. But having a divided heart will prevent us from giving our lives fully to God and living the wholehearted life that he wants to give to us. Thankfully, God heals and strengthens our divided hearts through the gracious generosity of his love. (Based on 1 Chronicles 29:10-20.)
In the deepest, darkest moments of life, we always need to choose whether we are going to live by faith in God or by faith in ourselves? It is important that we choose to live by faith in God for that is our only hope for the better future that we seek, and the turnaround to that better future can sometimes happen very quickly. God has done this throughout human history, most clearly in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Therefore, our faith is centered on him. (Based on 2 Kings 7:1-11, 16-20.)
When the destructive power of evil attacks and leaves us in desolation, it is easy for us to become discouraged and disconsolate. But God never lost hope for us and for his creation. God the Son, Jesus Christ, entered into our desolation and made it his to give us new life with a new purpose as one of his people in this world. Therefore we have hope. (Based on 1 Kings 19:1-18.)
We think, speak, and act in the short-term reality of the present, yet our life spans years of human history and leaves an impact that is eternal. What view should we take as we live our lives? A short-term view of the world can result in momentary happiness or dismay. But a long-term view of God at work in human history reveals that he has been at work for centuries preparing for our salvation and renewal, and that is where we have hope. (Based on 2 Samuel 7:1-17 & John 20:1-18.)
We humans tend to assess a person’s suitability for greater things based on their appearance. God does not. Instead he looks at our heart. And God is not looking for perfection or performance. It’s our brokenness and frailty that qualifies us for God’s grace and acceptance. (Based on 1 Samuel 16:1-13.)
Loss and disappointment can leave us feeling empty with no hope of every being filled again in sight. Helpless and hopeless, we need someone to come and bless us with lovingkindness, redeem us from our desperate situation, and restore us to fullness. And the Good News is that we have Someone who will do this for us, the ultimate Redeemer, Jesus. (Based on the Book of Ruth.)
Facing a great challenge in weakness and inadequacy goes against our nature. Our overwhelming preference is to have strength in advance before we engage. Yet God calls us to live in a different way--by faith and not by sight--trusting in the God who calls us forward to bring us victory through our weakness. (Based on Judges 7:1-8.)
Fear is part of life. There are many things that could be real or imagined threats to us. But we need to face our fears or they will crush us. Where do we find the courage we need to face our fears and live life with confidence? In our Lord God who promised to be with us wherever we go. (Based on Joshua 1:1-11).
Living a self-directed life is like assembling a complex piece of furniture without the instructions. The end product will not be as functional or beautiful as the manufacturer intended. Our affections need to be focused on the epitome of greatness, goodness and love: Yahweh. And when we love him with all our heart, soul and strength, we want to live as he directs us. That's when we experience the abundant life he wants to give to us. (Based on Dt. 6:1-12.)
The ability to feel fear is something that God put in us to help protect us, but he did not intend that it control us. When fear is directing our thoughts, feelings, and actions, it can negatively impact our health and keep us from stepping into the abundant life that God wants to give us. But how do we overcome our fears? By remembering that the Lord is with us. (Based on Num. 14:1-9, 26-35.)
There are times in all our lives when we come up against challenges that are too great for us to handle. We are helpless and it seems like things are hopeless. But then God steps in and rescues us in a surprising way: a defenseless lamb gives up its life to save us and set us free. (Based on Ex. 12:1-13.)
A common misconception about life with God is that everything is awesome once you begin your journey with him. It isn't. In fact, following God can lead you into times that are harder than anything you have ever experienced before. But it is in those hard times that we are drawn deeper into our relationship with God and we are then better prepared to embrace the good things he has for us in the future. (Based on Exodus 5:22-6:12.)
It is easy for us to become so preoccupied that we live as if God has nothing to do with our lives. We may say that we believe in God, but we rely entirely on natural forces to make our way in this world. And with a "head down" perspective, we miss out on better knowing God and what he is doing in and around us. Thankfully, God does come into our ordinary lives and he enables us to live life with our head up so we can see the holy in the ordinary. (Based on Exodus 3:1-17.)
We tend to measure success by results, but when we chase results, we can miss what is truly important. The place to start is by finding our purpose, a purpose that fits with who we are and which we can fulfill regardless of whether our circumstances go up or down. Through the life of Joseph, we can see that God wants to give us a purpose that will lead us into an abundant life with him both now and forever. (Based on Genesis 37 and following.)
Sometimes we get to choose the path we are on and sometimes we don't. But what about those times when God calls us onto a path that's different from what we would have chosen? We remember God's faithfulness and the many ways he blesses those who follow him down through the generations. (Based on Gen. 12:1-9).
Untethered from God and the roots he gives us in creation, we can feel formless and empty with darkness enveloping our soul. But the same Holy Spirit that was present at creation is freely available to us through Jesus, and the Spirit can recreate our inner being so that we see God and our life in a new and better way. (Based on Gen. 1:1-5, 1:24-2:3.)
A courtroom, a hospital and a graveyard are all places that confront us with human corruption, brokenness and mortality. These things are easy for us to recognize in others, but it can be terrifying when we see them in ourselves. Thankfully, Jesus came into the world to be our Savior! With the forgiveness and new life as a child of God that he gives us, we can look forward, even in the midst of dark and discouraging times, to the day when Jesus will return to make us and all things right. (Based on Revelation 22:1-13.)
In times of suffering, sorrow, loss, or regret, it can seem like there is no possibility of joy in the future. But Jesus came into the world to change everything for us. Instead of despair, shame and death, we have life, forgiveness and salvation in Jesus. And the future looks bright for Jesus will come again one day to make us and all things right. Therefore, even in our deepest valleys of darkness, we have joy for God is with us. (Based on Rev. 7:9-17.)
It is difficult to listen to the news these days. There are so many reports that cause us to be worried, sad, discouraged and even frightened. Today, the children of our church want to share the best news ever. They will tell us the story of Jesus' birth, when the Saviour of the world came to save us. This is the true meaning of Christmas that gives hope in a challenging world.
When conflict is personal, establishing peace is easier said than done. That’s because peace always comes at a cost and we are not usually willing to lose in a conflict so that others can gain. Thankfully, Jesus came and paid the cost for us to have peace with God. With that peace at the center of our lives, we then seek to live in peace with those around us. Love is what brings peace. (Based on 1 John 3:11-24.)
When things are bad and getting worse, we can wonder why God is taking so long to straighten things out, especially when others say we are foolish for having any hope in God. God views time differently than we do, yet he is at work in all time, even now, orchestrating events according to his divine plan which will lead to the glorious new heaven and earth. We know how the story will end. Therefore we have hope. (Based on 2 Peter 3:1-13.)
Go to any major sporting event and you will see people that identify with their team. They cheer, shout encouragement and perhaps even wear their team’s jersey. All with the hope of being on the winning side. But what does it look like to be on the winning side of life? Though rejected by people 2,000 years ago and today, Jesus won the victory for humanity that changes everything. With him as the captain of our life, we are on his winning team and we represent him to the world as we greatly bless others in his name. (Based on 1 Peter 2:4-10.)
Faith is often thought of as believing that what we want to happen will happen. But the “Hall of Fame of Faith” in Hebrews chapter 11 paints a far different picture of faith. Faith is believing in God’s promises for the future and aligning our actions with those promises, even if those promises are not fulfilled in our own lifetime. How do we know we can trust God’s promises? Because God is faithful. (Based on Hebrews 11:1-16.)
A builder is known by the greatness of the buildings they create. As profound as a beautiful bricks and mortar building can be, gathering and giving life to a redeemed and restored community of humans is infinitely better. That’s what Jesus is doing. Therefore, we can bring our broken hearts and lives to him and know that he will make us part of the great human “building” he is creating. (Based on Hebrews 3:1-14.)
The idea that we have to earn the good things of life is hard wired into human nature. But it won’t save us from the destiny of destruction our sin sick soul is leading us toward. Any attempts at repairing our life are insufficient. We need a totally new life, and that’s exactly what Jesus has given us as a completely free gift. Therefore, we live for what is good because we already have been given a good life. (Based on Titus 3:1-11.)
Insecurity makes us tentative. It is hard to be strong when our weakness is so evident. But Jesus has joined his life to our and, in our weakness, we have his strength. Faith is what connects us to Jesus and helps us to live in his strength. Therefore, with God’s help, we fan the flames of the faith that has been given to us. (Based on 2 Timothy 1:1-14.)
When the hope we have for a better life is being ground down to nothing by persecution or life-stealing circumstances, it’s time to re-examine our foundation for hope. A hope foundation built on the things of this world will never last. But a foundation built on Jesus’ promise to return and restore us and all things will give us the hope we need to endure until those better days come. (Based on 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14.)
We tend to become what we focus on. Broken as we are, we humans tend to focus on the baser aspects of life in this world thinking that they will satisfy the appetites of our heart, but they never do. Thankfully, Jesus came into this world to redeem us lost and broken souls and give us a greater life with him that will last forever. Therefore, we direct our focus toward heavenly things, the things of Jesus, for he is our source of life. (Based on Colossians 3:1-17.)
One of the important ways to grow into becoming the kind of person we want to be is by choosing a mentor and patterning our life after theirs. We are making such choices whenever we click on “Like,” “Follow,” or “Subscribe.” But are we being thoughtful and intentional about who we allow to influence us and the depth of influence that we give to them? Will following them lead us into the life that we want to live? Jesus is both the ideal human and our Savior and he will lead us into a life that will be far greater and grander than anything we could ask for or imagine. (Based on Philippians 1:27-2:11).
There is a lot of emphasis on rule-based living these days. While having some basic rules for our life can be helpful, for we all need some structure in our lives, it is important for us to remember that the rules are not our life, and neither is living without any rules. What we really need for fruitful living is to be enlivened, empowered and directed by the Holy Spirit. Our best life is lived with the Holy Spirit. (Based on Galatians 5:13-26.)
God is on the move. He is always on the move! Can you see what He is doing around you? Did you know that the Holy Spirit is working all the time as He continues to work
in your life and mine. He is working on all those people in your sphere of influence. Can you see Him working and how He equips you to be His mentor to others as He is working in their lives? Are you ready? God is on the Move, in Isaiah's time, with St Paul in prison, in Africa today and here in Canada, at Walnut Grove. Come and join me as we put on the eyes of faith to see where He is working today.
The standard human operating system is to live life in this world guided by what we see and for our own personal enrichment. The hollowness of this OS is revealed when we come to the end of life in this world and end up with nothing. But Jesus paid the full cost of our forgiveness so that we could be reconciled to God and have life with him. Therefore, we live differently in this world. We are guided by faith, not sight, and our goal is for there to be more people in God’s Kingdom. So we serve as Christ’s ambassadors to the people around us, urging them to receive the gift of reconciliation that Jesus gives. (Based on 2 Cor. 5:6-21.
We usually think of freedom as the ability to do whatever we want, but that kind of freedom can lead us to harm others and ourselves. With Jesus, we have been freed from feeding our sinful, self-centered desires. In the freedom we have from Jesus, we mold ourselves to connect with others so they might know him and the freedom he gives. (Based on 1 Cor. 9:19-27, 10:23-11:2.)
A lot of the challenging issues in our society these days, such as sexuality, gender, and abortion, pertain to the human body and who controls what we do with our bodies. Is it the government or the individual? A common response is to say, “It’s my body and I can do whatever I want with it!” As we look at Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, we will see that this isn’t even the right question to ask or the right answer to give. God thinks more highly of us and our bodies than we do, and through Jesus, he has made it possible for our bodies to serve a much higher purpose. (Based on 1 Cor. 6:12-20.)
With all the challenges we face, it is easy for us to become discouraged and cynical about life. Our hearts are empty, and we have no use for other people, unless they can give us what we need. But Jesus gives us the endurance and encouragement we need to keep moving forward in this challenging world. He makes sure that all our needs are met and his love fills our hearts to over-flowing. Fully loved and cared for by Jesus, we are able to be truly selfless and love and accept others just as Jesus has loved and accepted us. (Based on Romans 15:1-13.)
Central to the Christian journey is the faithful reading of Scripture and fellowship with Jesus and his followers. This is vividly illustrated in the dramatic encounter between two disciples and the risen Jesus on the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35). The disciples recognize who Jesus is, and are able to proclaim the gospel, only after he explains Scripture in relation to himself and when they share a meal in communion together.
We humans inherently try to justify ourselves on the basis of what we do, who we are, or what we have. But none of those human-centered approaches work. Thankfully, because of his own goodness and love, God has reconciled himself to us by sending Jesus to pay the full cost of humanity's forgiveness for our sins and give us his righteousness in return. Therefore, we abandon our efforts to justify ourselves and, freed from that fruitless burden, live in the peace and joy of a reconciled life with God. (Based on Romans 5:1-11.)
In times past, the surrounding society supported and encouraged faith in Jesus. But not anymore. In times of pressure or persecution, we may forget the power of the Gospel and be tempted to hide our faith to preserve our life in this world. But there is more power in the Gospel than there is in us. The Gospel message about Jesus has the power to create faith in our hearts, and through that faith we receive salvation. (Based on Romans 1:1-17.)
Human life is like a funnel. When we are younger, we have lots of opportunities to make choices. As we grow older, our opportunities to make choices narrows up to the point that, at the end of our life, we have almost no opportunities left. Without help, we will inevitably have regrets at life's end. But Jesus forgives us for all our failures, redeems our mistakes and gives us the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us. Therefore, we seek the Spirit's guidance in determining our main goals in tasks in life. With God's help, in the end, we will have no regrets. (Based on Acts 20:17-32.)
In our part of the world, we live in a time where Christianity seems to be in decline and there is resistance to the Christian message. But God has placed within each culture a connecting point for the Gospel message. So we nourish ourselves with the true Christian faith and also learn about the surrounding culture. With the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit, we can build bridges with our non-Christian friends that Jesus walk across to them. (Based on Acts 17:22-34.)
There is no one who is beyond God's grace. Even Paul, a former enemy of Christians, was transformed by Jesus to become the most prominent Christian missionary in New Testament times. Regardless of how deep or dark our sin may be, Jesus invites us to come into the light of his forgiveness. Like Paul, it is there that we find new life, new hope and new purpose. (Based on Acts 9:1-19.)
For some of us, having someone tell us not to worry is like telling us not to breathe. It is so ingrained into our lives that we cannot imagine life without it. What is needed is a shift in what our heart ultimately trusts. Worry happens because we trust in ourselves or our circumstances to preserve and protect our lives. Jesus invites us to live in a new way where we live in moment-by-moment trust in him. That’s how we are able to not be anxious about anything. (Based on Philippians 4:6-7.)
Confirmation Sunday is an opportunity for young people to publicly confess that the faith into which they were baptized as infants is indeed their own personal faith. This is a momentous occasion in the lives of each of these four young people for, from this moment on, they will be taking responsibility for the Christian faith in which they were nurtured at home and in this community of faith. This is an opportunity for us to celebrate with them as we continue to nurture, support and love them in the Christian faith.
We live in a time of great change and uncertainty, a time when the foundations of the institutions and shared beliefs that used to support society have started to crack and crumble. In a search for "salvation," most people take an individual perspective and focus on themselves. But Jesus brings salvation in a communal sense, for love always finds its fullest form in community. (Based on Acts 2:36-47.)
As Jesus got ready to leave the world, he prepared his followers by making them aware of the persecution that will come. The Source of strength and truth that will help them endure will be the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus promised to send to them. As Jesus' followers share his love with the world, the Holy Spirit will do the inner work of convincing people of their need for a Savior. (Based on John 16:1-15.)
Before Jesus went to the cross, he assured his followers that he would send another Advocate, a Helper who would continue the work of Jesus by dwelling within his followers and reminding them of all that Jesus had done and taught. That Advocate is the Holy Spirit who fills us with overflowing life, love, joy and peace from God. With our spirit attuned to the Holy Spirit, we have courage and peace. (Based on John 14:15-31.)
All human problems tend to be rooted in our bodies or our spirits, and sometimes both. Left to our own devices, there is no way for human beings to fully resolve and heal the problems we have. But the God-human Jesus has. His suffering and death on the cross, and his resurrection that followed on the third day, point to the culmination of our journey of faith with him, a journey that is initiated and fueled by the Holy Spirit. (Based on Acts 2:1-21 & John 11:17-27, 38-44.)
Because we are deeply rooted in this world, it is easy for us to primarily hunger for the things of this world. Sometimes we even try to use Jesus, with his power and authority, to get the things that we want. But Jesus went to the cross, died and rose again, to satisfy much deeper hungers in our soul. With him as our king, for now and forever, more of his grace and love shines through us into the lives of others. (Based on John 6:22-40.)
Without new life from the Holy Spirit, we prefer to live in darkness instead of the light of God's Kingdom. But Jesus died on the cross and rose again to pay the cost of a new and eternal life for us. Through trust in Jesus, the Holy Spirit brings that new life to us personally. Living the new life the Spirit has given us, we live by God's truth and walk in his light. (Based on John 3:1-21.)
We are so used to looking at life through the framework of the world, that we miss seeing Jesus at work in our lives and in the world. But when we become willing to humbly receive, then we can see Jesus and what he is doing. Therefore, with our eyes on him and confident of his love and redemption, we are able to live our lives with the hope and joy of the resurrection. (Based on Luke 24:13-35.)
We all need to make value choices. But how do we make those choices? By what gives us status, power or money? Jesus shows us that none of those valuations will secure our life forever. Instead, he invites us to make him, the rejected one, the chief cornerstone of our lives. In his eyes, we are living stones which he will build into a beautiful home that glorifies God. (Based on Luke 19:45-20:18 & 1 Peter 2:4-12.)
Far too often our actions indicate that we underestimate what God can do in our life & in the lives of others. So we use the resources and opportunities he gives us to try to keep ourselves safe. But that self-made security will be stripped away before God when we have to answer for what we did with what God gave us in this life. Jesus is offering us a better way to live. Through his interactions with others and the stories he told, Jesus shows us that God's grace can do far greater things in our life and in the lives of others. Therefore, we faithfully use whatever God gives us for growth in his Kingdom. (Based on Luke 19:1-27.)
Sometimes the sins of others are so offensive to us that we consider them to be beyond any redemption. It would be unfair, we think, if they enjoyed life with God when we, who consider ourselves to be good people, deserve it far more than they do. But Jesus died and rose again for the sins of all people and the Kingdom of God is open to everyone who trusts in Jesus. God's grace is for those who don't deserve it and, when we realize that also includes us, we are moved to become more gracious and loving with others. (Based on Luke 15:11-32.)
Far too often, the lives of Jesus followers don't look any different from those who don't follow Jesus. Like the women who went to Jesus' tomb, we expect to find death instead of life. But Jesus' resurrection changes everything for us. Not only has Jesus defeated death for us, he also invited us to join him on his mission of redeeming and restoring all things. Clothed with his promised power from on high, we carry with us and share his gift of life. (Based on Luke 24:1-12, 36-49.)
Many in the city of Jerusalem missed the opportunity for peace because they did not recognize that God came to them in the person of Jesus, and the sorrow over what had been lost caused Jesus to weep. But Jesus' compassion for humanity is our security of salvation, for Jesus continued beyond Palm Sunday to the cross, where he made our peace secure in him. (Based on Luke 19:28-44.)
The radical nature of God's grace can seem offensive. When those who seem to be less-deserving get a greater blessing from God, our hearts cry out, "That's not fair! I have been more faithful for longer than they have ever been!" But none of us are deserving of God's grace. We don't need fairness. We need mercy. And in Jesus Christ, God has mercy, and grace, for all. (Based on Luke 4:14-30.)
There is a lot of emphasis on identity these days, and rightly so, for everything we do flows from our identity. But what if we are wrong about our identity, or fail to live up to the identity we have set for ourselves? The possibility of such identity failure leaves us with a tinge of fear. However, through his life, death and resurrection, Jesus gives us a new identity as new creation people. As we live the joy and security of our new identity, we are better able to reflect his love and grace into the world around us. (Based on Mark 14:53-72.)
We human beings make plans for our lives, but it is God who directs our steps. Because he is a good, gracious and loving God, we know that he is directing us toward a good ending, an ending which he has prepared in advance for us to enjoy, an ending which is far beyond anything we can ever ask or imagine. Therefore, we can trust in God for today, tomorrow and forever. (Based on Ephesians 3:14-21 & Proverbs 16:9.)
We think that we are free, but most of us are addicted to having some kind of power over others by either dominating them with control or manipulating them to gain approval. Our power-focused approach to life only harms ourselves and others. Jesus shows us a better way to live. By suffering & dying in humility, Jesus set us free to live life in him. Secure and satisfied in Jesus, we gladly humble ourselves and serve others so they too can know Jesus’ love for them. (Based on Mark 10:32-45.)
We can't always see it, but sin-based systems and powers force people to live in bondage and we cannot free ourselves. Jesus is the God-human who came to overthrow those demonic structures and set humanity free with his forgiveness. Freed and given new life by Jesus, we live according to God's will and let our light shine before others so they too may know Jesus & the freedom he gives. (Based on Mark 3:20-35.)
Purpose and direction are very important in life and all of us learn our direction and purpose from somewhere, but we often aim too low and settle for much less than God wants to give us. Jesus rose from the dead to give us a totally new life with him and we learn how to live from him and show others how to do the same so all of us can have a rich, full, abundant life with God. (Based on Matthew 28:1-10, 16-20.)
When tough times come upon us, it can seem to us as though all, including God, have abandoned us. But humanity’s greatest problem is not a lack of good times, it is the lack of a relationship with God. And Jesus chose to go down a path of betrayal, abandonment and suffering for us so we could have the steadfast presence of God in our lives. Jesus has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. (Based on Matthew 26:30-46.)
There are so many decision points coming at us in life and so many voices telling us how to handle those decisions. How do we best navigate those challenges? Through a story Jesus tells us about the kingdom of heaven, we can see that the best thing we can do is step into the invitation Jesus gives us to enter into a deeper life with him. (Based on Matthew 22:1-14.)
At times it can feel like we are all alone in this world and we can get discouraged over what is happening in our life. But the Bible tells us that we are never alone. Jesus has put on flesh and blood in a way we could understand so we could receive a life that was beyond our comprehension. (Based on John 1:1-18.)
Our guest preacher this Sunday was Pastor Matt Peeples, our presenter from the Missionary Pathway Experience.
When you think that anything is possible for you, then you become willing to step into new opportunities. For many of us who follow Jesus, our picture of what it means to be a Jesus-follower is too small, not much more than going to church on Sunday morning, so then we never step into a new opportunity to follow Jesus beyond that. But what if church and following Jesus is much, much more than that? Then there will be opportunities for us to be the church and share Jesus’ love with others anywhere anytime. (Based on Acts 11:19-30.)
Many of us tend to avoid dealing with our problems by filling our lives with pleasure, hearkening back to a previous time with nostalgia, or fleeing from our problems. But none of those approaches work. Jesus shows us a different way. By addressing our inner problems, with God’s help, and then becoming a conduit of his grace, we become part of God’s plan for dealing with all the world’s problems: the redemption and renewal of all things, including us, through Jesus Christ. (Based on Mt. 9:35-10:8.)
Far too often, we human beings try to live a good life without the power of God in us and our efforts inevitably fail. But God has given us all the power we need to live life with him in his Word, the Bible. As we feed our soul with God’s Word, we will have all we need for life with him. (Based on Matthew 4:4-11.)
Two people can experience the same thing but have vastly different opinions about their experience depending on whether they are an optimist or a pessimist. Which is the right way to view things, with optimism, or with pessimism? Both are correct, depending on what you are looking at. When looking at the present state of ourselves or the world, we should be pessimistic, for on our own we are lost with no hope of salvation. But when looking at Jesus, what he has done in the past, is doing in the present, and will do in the future, there is reason for infinite optimism, for he is the humble king who came, lived, died and rose again for us. (Based on Isaiah 65:17-25.)
The darkness in our lives can take many different forms, but all those forms have this in common: We are in big trouble, we are facing that trouble all alone, and there is no hope of the situation getting any better. Jesus came into this world to shine his light into our darkness. As we make him our leader, he gives us a new life where he brings his wholeness to us and all creation. (Based on Isaiah 9:2-7.)
Research tells us that having joy in our close relationships is the best predictor of having a long and happy life. But how do we have joy in our relationships when our circumstances have turned against us? The answer is Jesus. He is the humble King who came to restore our relationship with God, and will come again to heal, redeem, and restore us. Through our relationship with Jesus, we can have deep, abiding joy at the center of our being. (Based on Isaiah 35:1-10.)
Many of us love to cheer for the underdog, but very few of us would prefer to be an underdog. Having formidable odds stacked against us can lead to despair. The Good News is that God loves underdogs like us and sent his Son into the world to bring peace to our heart now and peace to all creation at the end of time. It takes humility to trust in the humble King who has come because, from the world’s perspective, it looks like a foolhardy risk. But we know that this humble King died and rose again for us, so we know that it is a sure thing. (Based on Isaiah 11:1-10.)
When times are tough, it is difficult for us to have hope. We want things to get better, but there is nothing in our circumstances to indicate that they will. Yet we hear this story from long ago of a humble king who came to a dark and desperate world. Why would that make any difference in our lives two millennia later on the other side of the world? He came to give us hope. (Based on Isaiah 2:1-5.)
Imagine a stream of fresh flowing water that brings nourishment, life, and direction to an otherwise parched and barren land. That is what your soul is to your life. But who or what is the source of the water that flows from our soul into the other aspects of our life? That is the critically important question. When the source is God, the water he pours into our soul brings abundant life to our heart, mind, body, and social context. Enlivened by this living water, we share the life God has given us with others. (Based on 1 Peter 2:11-25.)
We need to be connected to and supported by others. Because of human brokenness, our supportive relationship circles inevitably break down and we are left wounded by the rejection we experience. By identifying the toxins in our relationships and applying the love of Jesus to the wounds that cause those toxins, we are able to experience healing, and then bless and support the people around us with God’s love. (Based on 1 John 3:11-24.)
We might not be aware of the key role our body plays in our spiritual life, but it is essential in our spiritual life for we cannot engage with the world around us without it. God meant our bodies for good, but the corruption of our body by sin means that our body can lead us away from God. Thankfully, God the Son, Jesus Christ, came in a human body to redeem our human body. With the forgiveness Jesus gives us and the presence of the Holy Spirit living within our body, our body can become a faithful servant for God and for us. (Based on Romans 8:1-13.)
The human will is both precious and problematic. It is precious because it gives us the freedom to choose. It is problematic because, in its natural state, our will is splintered & entangled in many things which draw it away from God. Thankfully, our Savior Jesus said to his Father, “Thy will be done.” With his selfless obedience to his Father’s will, Jesus won forgiveness and healing for our wayward & misdirected wills. With our wills transformed by Jesus’s love, we are able to choose well. (Based on Mt. 7:13-29.)
On our own, our thoughts and feelings lead us away from God and into bondage to our own selfish, self-centered desires. But Jesus came into this world to heal our mind with his forgiveness and love. As we let God be God in our lives, he will give us new ideas and images to think about and help us to create the conditions for God-guided emotions to arise within us. (Based on Romans 12:1-13.)
When we buy something, the only way we know if we made a good deal is if what we bought is worth more to us than the money we exchanged for it. But how do we know we are choosing correctly when making life-changing decisions? When we see the ruined nature of our life apart from God, and the great value of the gift Jesus offers us of rich, full, abundant life with God, the decision becomes clear. We deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus. (Based on Romans 3:9-26 & Matthew 16:24-25.)
When repairing something, it is really important to know how it works, because you (usually) can’t repair something without first understanding it. It is the same with human life. We need to understand it so that we are better able to enter into a process of renovating human life, a process that Jesus does in, through and for us. (Based on Mark 12:28-34.)
The personal challenges we face & a quick survey of world news tells us that human beings need a renovation of their hearts. But how? Jesus offers hope through the spiritual transformation that only he can give. As we receive his love into the depths of our being, we grow in becoming more like him. (Based on Proverbs 4:18:27.)
Jesus’ earthly mission is all about the coming kingdom of God. As we read in Mark 1:16-34, it begins in Galilee with a series of dramatic words and deeds. He calls his first disciples, he casts out demons, and he heals the sick. Who is this person and what is he doing? Well, Jesus is doing a dramatic new thing to rescue and renew a needy world. And this “new thing” involves a new order, covenant community, teaching, and way of life in the world. Guest Speaker: Dr. Tony Cummins
It is easy for us to get distracted in life, but being distracted while under stress usually leads to poor decisions. However, Jesus came to give us a better way to live. As we live with genuine faith in a personal relationship with him, Jesus will carry us through to the joyful fulfillment he will bring about for us and all things. (Based on Hebrews 12:1-13.)
With all the pressures of starting a new school year & new activities in September, it is easy for us to get overwhelmed and off-track. Thankfully, Jesus has given us the gift of eternal life with him. As we train ourselves in living eternal life with Jesus, we are able to better live out our eternal life in the stresses of everyday life in this world. (Based on 1 Cor. 9:19-27.)
When tough times happen, it is natural for us to consider an easy way out. But sometimes the easy way is not the way of faith. When that is the case, we remember that Jesus has already paid the full cost for a great ending for all creation. Confident in his saving love, we welcome trials because they help us persevere toward the amazing ending Jesus has for us and all creation. (Based on James 1:1-12.)
Rae-Anna Hedlin shares a report from the Church in Japan. "We have been worshipping together daily, being changed by God's Word, and sharing meals and life together. People are being freed from shame, being freed to thrive in unhindered fellowship with God and other believers." (Based on Hebrews 10:19-25)
When the wind blows from the opposite direction you’re going in, do you have anxiety or trust? If your tendency is toward anxiety, how do you handle it? Let’s explore what the Lord Jesus tells us about how to handle the anxiety that we experience. (Based on Matthew 6:25-34; 7:7-11).)
When we are overwhelmed by great challenges in life, we often don't even know what to do and our usual sources of information cannot help us. Jesus is inviting us to live in a new way, where we fully trust in God's wise and loving action in this world to make all things work out for good in the end. (Based on Proverbs 3:1-14.)
All of us need salvation of our souls, but our human efforts to save our own soul will never work. Thankfully, by going to the cross, dying and rising again, Jesus has opened the door for our soul to be saved. We walk through that door by dying to the things of this world and transferring our trust to Jesus. It is through losing our life for Jesus that we find our true life with him. (Based on Matthew 16:21-28.)
It is easy for us humans to think that we are all on our own in this world and we need to control everything we can to make all things work out well. But doing so is a hopeless quest because, as the finite and broken creatures that we are, our efforts to control don't work and, worse yet, we hurt ourselves & others in the process. Like a shepherd that lovingly cares for their sheep, Jesus had laid down his life for us to bring us into God's flock where we have his providing and protecting care. Therefore we fully trust in Jesus as our Good Shepherd and follow him wherever he leads us. (Based on Psalm 23.)
We sometimes think of faith as a magic power that enables us to do things we could not otherwise do or make things work out in a way that we desire. With such thinking, doubt is seen as a weakness that diminishes faith and makes it less likely to reach our goals. But Jesus paints for us a much more hopeful, life-giving understanding of faith and doubt. Faith is resting our entire life—including our doubts and all our other faults and flaws—in Jesus’ love. In Jesus, all our weaknesses become imbued with his strength for he is living his life in and through us. (Based on Mark 9:14-29.)
All of us, at various points throughout our lives, will make plans and those plans may or may not work out as we hoped. But what do we do when our plans fail, and life seems to spiral out of control? We remember that God has a plan that is far greater than ours and his plan is to give us a hope and a future that is far better than anything we could ever imagine. (Based on Jeremiah 29:1-14.)
As much as we want to ignore it, death is a future reality for all of us. How can we face our own mortality and have a settled peace about it? By knowing who God is and who we are in relation to him. For God is not only our Creator, he is also our Redeemer and Savior. God the Son, Jesus Christ, came into this world and paid the cost to bring us into life with him. With him carrying us in his loving arms, we are on the pathway of life, even as we pass through death. (Based on Isaiah 43:1-13.)
We can find many things online which help us in life. But who will show us how to live an abundant life? Freed from condemnation by Jesus, the Holy Spirit helps us to live life in a new way. As we meet with Jesus in our everyday challenges, the Holy Spirit transforms us by flooding our heart and mind with the thoughts and feelings of Jesus. Guided by the Spirit, we intentionally form new habits and practices that help us to put on a new heart. As we do these things, in partnership with the Holy Spirit, we discover that life the Spirit gives us is filled with abundance. (Based on Romans 8:1-17.)
One of the main tasks of being a human being is to discover who we are. We usually build our sense of self upon the things of this world: our work, our relationships, our possessions, or our looks. But what happens when we lose those things? We don’t know who we really are anymore. But the Holy Spirit helps us to see who we really are in Christ: beloved, forgiven children of God and heirs of the fullness of the Kingdom of God. That is an identity that can never be taken away from us. (Based on Galatians 3:23-4:7.)
Sometimes it is hard for us to face up to the fact that we are all sinners. We wish we could do better and would like to fix our sin problem with a DIY solution. But that never works. God’s solution for our sin problem is to trust in him and his goodness instead of our own. It was God’s goodness that propelled Jesus into this world to pay the full cost of forgiveness for all our sins. And it is the Holy Spirit who helps us to see our sin & trust in Jesus for our forgiveness. (Based on Acts 2:22-39.)
We can become fearful when our life goals are frustrated or threatened. Our life can even be shattered when things don’t work out the way we want. That shattering can be a gift if we bring our broken life to Jesus. That’s when the Holy Spirit quenches our soul's thirst for shalom peace in Jesus. (Based on John 14:23-31.)
Sometimes things beyond our control happen which threaten to diminish or remove our possessions, and that can be scary for us. But Jesus took all of our guilt and brokenness upon himself to open the door for us to a new and much better life with him. With him as our greatest treasure, we have everything we need. (Based on Matthew 6:25-34.)
It is disheartening when we are not able to accomplish what we desire. But the solution is not to try harder. Instead, God calls us to look at our desires. Often they are misaligned and being only one degree off course means that we never arrive at our intended destination. By resting in Jesus and letting him transform our affections, we focus our efforts in a new direction as we seek to help God’s goodness to grow throughout the world. (Based on Matthew 11:25-30.)
One of the hardest things to deal with is a relationship breakdown within a family. Ideally, these are the closest relationships we should have, so it is especially painful when those relationships are fractured. In our grief and sorrow, we turn to Jesus, and through the relationship we have with him, we have a perfect Parent, an ideal Brother, and a faithful Encourager who keeps reminding us of who we really are: a beloved, forgiven child of God. With the rest of God’s children around the world and throughout time, we are a new family, the family of God. (Based on Mark 3:20-35.)
Because all of us are broken humans living in a broken world, we will all face health challenges at some point in our lives. Preventing such things from happening is beyond our control. But we do control how we respond when health declines. So we look to Jesus. Because he took up our infirmities on the cross and nullified their power to destroy us, we know that the physical healing we long for will happen on the Day of Resurrection. In the meantime, we give Jesus all authority in our lives so he can do his healing work in our soul. (Based on Matthew 8:5-17.)
In moments when our life quickly takes a dramatic downward turn, it feels like that is the most important thing. But there is something deeper going on. Without Jesus, we are already spiritually dead in all our relationships with God, our self & others. Jesus gives us new life in all those areas of life, but we often need resurrection friends to help us to grow in that new life. (Based on John 20:19-31.)
For sermon notes, click here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VG_bFgIfeJAi9vaCiCFMrovP1dGWJzK1/view?usp=sharing
We often think of resurrection as something that happens in the far off future after we die with little or no relevance for our life in this world. But the resurrection of Jesus changes everything for us now and forever. As we live in the present with a deeply held awareness of resurrection and what it means for us, Jesus will change our lives to be more like his. (Based on Mt. 28:1-10.)
Jesus’ resurrection may sound like good news that only matters when we die. But the Bible and history show us that Jesus’ resurrection has the power to transform lives so that people are more fully alive and loving than they otherwise ever could be. By being attentive to Jesus’ presence with us in our meals, he can help us to live his resurrection in our everyday life. (Based on Luke 24:13-35.)
In our skeptical, secular culture, it would be easy for us to become discouraged & think that there is no point in trying to go and reach others with God’s love. But going is one of the five targets Jesus has given us to aim at in our life with him. Trusting his words that a great harvest awaits, we go, demonstrating the power of God’s Kingdom and declaring its presence, knowing that Jesus has already prepared hearts that are ripe to receive his love through us. (Based on Luke 10:1-9.)
Money and material goods are often considered to be measures of success in this world. To God, the way that we use money & our possessions indicate what is going on in our soul. Jesus not only came into this world to win forgiveness for us for all the times we have misused money & matter, he also calls us to live in a new way in a new realm. As Jesus transforms the value we hold in our soul, we are able to invest what we have to help produce a great harvest for God’s Kingdom. (Based on Mark 10:17-31.)
It is easy for us to believe, as the world does, that what you have determines whether you are blessed or not. But Jesus sees things as they really are, and he tells us that it is what he is doing in our heart that determines whether we are blessed or not. Jesus is constantly at work, in good times and in bad, molding and shaping us so that we become more like him. And serving others is important because that is the way that the blessedness Jesus has put in us is drawn out to bless others. (Based on Mt. 5:1-16.)
It is easy for us to think of church as a place for people who have it all together and those of us with brokenness in our lives need to keep that brokenness well-hidden if we are going to be part of a church. But that is a misunderstanding of what it means to follow Jesus. Living an authentic life and a real community means both admitting that we are both completely broken and unconditionally loved by Jesus. His forgiveness is what helps us to live free in authentic community with others. (Based on John 8:2-11.)
Failing to finish well is something that many of us struggle with. But the solution is not to try harder. Jesus is calling us into a greater, more fulfilling life which will yield results that last. And that abundant life begins with, is rooted in, and is nourished by, being with Jesus and receiving from him.(Based on John 15:1-17.)
Sometimes we can have great intentions to go to one place and end up somewhere else. And the negative impressions that non-Christians have about Christians suggest that that is what’s happening as we follow Jesus. It is time for us to re-focus and aim for a new way of living by taking the words of Jesus and putting them into practice. By putting God’s Word into practice, and aiming at the targets of Being, Forgiving, Serving, Giving and Going, we will find the life that God has made for us. (Based on Mt. 7:13-29.)
During the month of February, we will be focusing on the importance of the Christian Church's mission to the world. Our mission is actually Jesus' mission to redeem and restore all things and it is rooted in his infinite love and compassion for the world. During this series, we will have four guest speakers who will each share with us about a different area of missions and each of these mission speakers has a connection with WGLC. This week we will hear from Daniel Kibarita about Africa.
During the month of February, we will be focusing on the importance of the Christian Church's mission to the world. Our mission is actually Jesus' mission to redeem and restore all things and it is rooted in his infinite love and compassion for the world. During this series, we will have four guest speakers who will each share with us about a different area of missions and each of these mission speakers has a connection with WGLC. This week we will hear from Rae-Anna Hedlin in Japan.
During the month of February, we will be focusing on the importance of the Christian Church's mission to the world. Our mission is actually Jesus' mission to redeem and restore all things and it is rooted in his infinite love and compassion for the world. During this series, we will have four guest speakers who will each share with us about a different area of missions and each of these mission speakers has a connection with WGLC. This week we will hear from Rhonda Kelman of the BC Mission Boat.
Our ordinary lives may seem like they have little significance. We are born, we live, then we die. But Jesus is the God who removed all barriers to life with him and invites us to join him on his mission of redeeming and restoring all things. Comforted, encouraged and strengthened by his loving presence with us, we are prepared to leave all behind and follow him. (Based on Luke 5:1-11.)
Because we can never fully know all things, we live much of our lives based on assumptions about many things, including God. But if our God-assumptions are false, they can hold us back from fully living in God’s kingdom and lead us to oppose God and what he is doing in the world. It is through repenting of our false beliefs and believing the new truths Jesus reveals to us that we are able to partner with him in transforming lives for God’s kingdom. (Based on Luke 4:16-30.)
One of the hardest things for a human being to endure is to be publicly shamed, and yet such an experience can help us because it reveals where our faith is placed. Refocusing our faith can be a challenge, but Jesus makes it easy for us because he is the God who turns our embarrassments into blessings. (Based on John 2:1-11.)
We tend to derive our sense of security from our circumstances, but when we do that, we live with constant anxiety over the possibility that our circumstances will change and our lives are shattered when they do. Thankfully, in his Baptism, Jesus both stood with us broken humans and was revealed to be the beloved Son of God. United with him in our Baptism and secure in the new identity he has given us, we can live with confident faith in him. (Based on Luke 3:15-22.)
When we forget the spiritual blessings we have through Jesus, it is easy for us to forget our true purpose and make our lives all about glorifying ourselves. But when we anchor ourselves in the truth that God chose us before creation for purity, redemption & abundant life with him and has revealed to us his plan for redeeming & renewing all things through Jesus, we want to reset with our true primary purpose: to glorify God with our lives. (Based on Ephesians 1:3-14.)
Trying to save our before-Jesus life is a lost cause because that life is the source of all problems between us and God and that life needs to die so that the new life that Jesus wants to give to us can be planted in our soul, take root and grow. Thankfully, Jesus is our perfect representative who died and rose again for us. In response to what Jesus has done for us, we embrace the new identity he has given us. (Based on Colossians 3:1-17.)
Christmas is a tough time of year for many (loneliness, grief, family conflicts) that the earthly joys of the season cannot overcome. But God the Son became human to give us new life with him that will last forever. Therefore, we move forward and face the challenges of life in this world with the hope, courage and strength that we have in Jesus. (Based on 1 John 4:7-17.)
Suffering is part of life in this world and it is easy for us to become discouraged when we suffer. But Jesus has used suffering to make us beloved children of God and give us the future hope of future glory with God. In the meantime, God works to make all things work out for our good. So we persevere knowing that nothing, not even death, will separate us from Jesus and his great love for us. (Based on Romans 8:18-39.)
In times of struggle, loss or suffering, it is hard for us to have joy. However, that changes when our joy is based on Jesus and his promise to return to this world, banish all evil, overturn all injustice, and heal and restore all creation, including us. As we walk toward our ultimate home on the highway of holiness that Jesus built for us, we sing songs of joyful praise in thanksgiving for him. (Based on Isaiah 35:1-10.)
Though there are many things which work to make our hearts and minds anxious, Jesus came to give us new life as citizens of heaven and the sure and certain promise of resurrection life. Therefore we imitate those who have gone before us in faith, focus on whatever is good, beautiful and true, and give all our anxieties to God in prayer. And the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Based on Philippians 3:17-4:1, 4-9.)
As followers of Jesus, we often feel like we don’t belong in this world for we are strangers in a strange land. But God has good plans for us, plans to give us hope and a future. Those plans are fulfilled in Jesus, who will sustain us throughout this life and, one day, bring us to our proper home. (Based on Jeremiah 29:4-14.)
Like a water-soaked cell phone, on our own, we human beings are broken and unable to function and glorify God as we were originally designed to do. Thankfully, we are saved from eternal brokenness and given eternal life by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. Resting in his love and forgiveness, we are able to live for the glory of God alone. (Based on John 17:1-12.)
It would be the easiest thing in the world for us to let ourselves be guided by our selfish desires and the ways of the world. But God is calling us into a life that is far, far greater than that. The Bible, God’s Word has the power to save, transform and preserve us, and when it becomes our blueprint for life, we have God’s purpose and direction guiding us. (Based on 2 Timothy 3:14-4:8.)
We all want to be at the top of our game, but how do we do that in our relationship with God? As we dig into the Bible, we see that being right is not something we feel or do, it is a gift from God given to us through faith alone in Jesus Christ. Jesus is God’s righteousness for us because he has fully fulfilled all the ways that we fall short. (Based on Romans 3:21-28.)
The thought of living life on our own naturally appeals to the human soul. But having a healthy soul requires strong medicine. It means facing up to two truths the Bible tells us. First, that we are as good as dead and lost forever without Jesus. Second, with Jesus, we are given new life and raised to live in the heavenly realms with him. It is only by grace alone that we are able to receive this gift of new life and be a person of grace in this world. (Based on Ephesians 2:1-10.)
We all want to live an abundant life, but who are we following to get it? There are plenty of options for us to consider. All those options over promise and under deliver, except for the God of the Bible. He gives first, and then invites us into a relationship with him, where we continually receive. We see this most clearly in Jesus who invites us to commit to an exclusive relationship with him. Only Jesus will give you the abundant life you seek. (Based on Joshua 24:1-5, 14-18.)
Memories from the past often direct us in the future, but that future can go awry because we tend to remember our pain and past failures. While we cannot choose what memories we have, we can choose which memories we emphasize. God is inviting us to make and mark new memories based on his faithfulness. Those God-given memory markers can be signs of hope and encouragement for the future for us and for others. (Based on Joshua 4:1-7, 19-24.)
It is not uncommon for us to become anxious when faced with an overwhelming, no-turning-back decision. But as we let God speak into our lives and hear the knowledge and vision he has for us, we are able to make challenging decisions and act on them, confident in God because he partners with us as we move forward in faith. (Based on Joshua 3:7-17.)
Sometimes life can beat us down so hard that it is hard for us to believe that any good of lasting significance could come from our life. The story of Rahab shows us that God works through anyone to accomplish great things. With Jesus’ loving kindness as the foundation of our life, we are able to move forward with faith over fear. (Based on Joshua 2:1-14.)
It is one thing to realize that we need to change and to want to make that change. But how do we make the changes in our lives that we have never done before? God will help us. By remembering that what he has done in the past applies to us in the present, we are able, with his help, to make the changes we need to make now to better reflect his love into the world. (Based on Exodus 13:1-16.)
Memories can be a great comfort to us in challenging times. But some challenges are greater than the memories of our past experiences. That’s why it is important for us relive the memories of what Jesus has done for us. By making the past present, we can be people of hope for the world.
Jesus’ own family were sometimes puzzled by what he said and did. Some of the scribes even accused him of being aligned with Satan rather than God. The best way to make sense of all this is to see that Jesus’ mission is to rescue and renew our often confused and corrupt world, so that we can participate in the kingdom of God. (Based on Mark 3:20-35).
Are you up against more than you can handle? How can you win when the battle is much more difficult and even more dangerous than you imagined? Let’s explore what the Bible says about us wearing and using the whole armor of God at all times, 24-7.
On July 17, 2021, Lisa Olding interviewed Pastor Karl Keller at his farm. Listen in as Pastor Karl shares about starting Walnut Grove Lutheran Church, sharing the Gospel and encountering demon possession on the mission field. (Part 2 of 2.)
On July 17, 2021, Lisa Olding interviewed Pastor Karl Keller at his farm. Listen in as Pastor Karl shares about starting Walnut Grove Lutheran Church, sharing the Gospel and encountering demon possession on the mission field. (Part 1 of 2.)
Many of us would like a fairy tale ending to life where good things happen to us, even though we don’t deserve them. Why should we dare to hope for such an ending? Because God’s faithful lovingkindness is with us. (Based on Psalm 23.)
Our fears can prevent us from preparing a thoughtful response to the challenges we face in life. But Jesus helps us to set a course in this life that leads to eternity with him in glory. As we release into his care the fears that hold us back, we realize that we are forever safe with our Savior. (Based on Ps. 91:1-16.)
Time travel may not be possible yet in a practical sense, but we can travel back in time to gain knowledge to help us today. Our beliefs about the future help us to accurately interpret the present. Will our knowledge about the past and our beliefs about the future serve us well when we experience tough times? From the past and for the future, Jesus gives us hope. With that hope, we have peace. (Based on Psalm 46.)
We all have times when it feels like we don’t fit it, but when this feeling of rejection endures, we can end up thinking something is wrong with us. Thankfully, Jesus came to love and save those on the margins of society. With the love, acceptance and hope he gives us, we are able to confront those lies of rejection and unworthiness with the truth of full forgiveness and acceptance in Jesus. (Based on Psalm 33:13-22.)
Life can seem hopeless when we find ourselves in a pit of despair, for it seems like there is now way out. But God’s love is deeper than the deepest pit we could ever be in. Because of the love, forgiveness and compassion of Jesus, we always have the hope of redemption. (Based on Psalm 130:1-8.)
We all have times when the challenges before us threaten to overwhelm us. But the God who created us and all things is powerful and wise enough to bring something good out of our hard times. Through the encouragement of creation we know that he is with us. Through the encouragement of the Bible we know that he loves us and has saved us. (Based on Ps. 19:1-14 & Isa. 40:18-31.)
We cannot control what impressions others have of us, but we can live a life that has the potential to draw others into a rich, full life with God. As we begin and end with God, both in our interior and exterior world, God can work through us to draw others into life with him. All this is possible because of Jesus, who came down from heaven to lift us up and redeem and restore all things. (Based on Mt. 28:1-10, 16-20.)
Living a worry-free life may seem impossible, but that is what Jesus is inviting us to live. It begins by changing our life-focus and looking up to the God who satisfies the hunger in our soul. As we grow in becoming the person that God has redeemed us to be, our worries will disappear for Jesus loves us and is with us. (Based on Mt. 6:25-34.)
By nature, we tend to avoid serving others in demeaning ways. But Jesus showed us that, with his great power and love, we are able to humbly serve others. Through his power and love and our service, we are able to love people to fulfillment in Jesus. (Based on John 13:1-17.)
It’s human nature for us to love things and use people, but it is toxic for us and others when we do that. Jesus is inviting us to come home to the unconditional love of our heavenly Father. He will restore us and help us to be people who love others and celebrate when they return home. (Based on Luke 15:1-2, 11-32.)
Anything worthwhile in life will involve pain, but if the goal is worth it to us, we willingly endure the pain. This truth is even more significant when applied to the larger question of what our main goal in life will be. By nature, we yearn for autonomy, but Jesus invites us into a life of love. Yes, there is pain, but it comes when all that holds us back from love is stripped away. (Based on Luke 9:18-27.)
The main source to which we go for love will shape our lives and direct our future. When our mind is combined with faith in the God of love, the floodgates of heaven will open up and pour into our lives more love than we can contain. That love will naturally spill over out of our lives in the form of love for God with our entire being and love for the people around us like we love ourselves. (Based on Mark 12:28-34)
When confronted with the looming presence of God, we tend to stumble over or turn away from Him. Yet God is inviting us into a new way of living through His Son, Jesus Christ. With Jesus as the Cornerstone of our life, He makes us part of His beautiful Body that shines His light into the world around us. (Based on 1 Peter 2:4-10.)
To step into the fullness of life, we need to know who we are and what we can do. Jesus is offering us a life that is greater than what we could ask or imagine as we use the gifts he has given us for his mission in his Body, the Body of Christ. That’s how we grow. (Based on Ephesians 4:7-16.)
[We apologize for the audio quality during this podcast.] We may wonder why other people do the things that they do, but if we thought like they thought, we would do what they do. Therefore, the key question is “Who is forming the way that we think?” As we respond to God’s mercy by fully giving ourselves to him, he transforms our thoughts, emotions and will so that we passionately love God and humbly serve others. (Based on Romans 12:1-13.)
We tend to measure the worth of ourselves and others by what we see with our own eyes or what is reflected back from others. But such a worldly mirror will never give a true sense of human worth. Only by using Jesus as our mirror can we see the true value of ourselves and others in his Body. (Based on 1 Cor. 12:20-31.)
At the core of our being, all of us are following someone. But who are we trusting to lead us well? Our default answer is that we trust ourselves, yet that was not how God designed us to live, and that becomes evident when we lead ourselves into a disaster. Those disasters are opportunities for us to learn and look for a better leader. We need look no further than Jesus, for he is the best person to lead us because of what he has done, is doing and will do in the future for us. (Based on Col. 1:15-23)
Feeling lonely is not unusual, but sometimes it feels like that's all there is. Jesus has something more for us: a life where we are created and gifted to be part of something much bigger than ourselves, where our unity is not based on sameness, but on our common connection to our Lord. Together we can do far more than any of us can do on our own. This new life is what we were made for. It's life in the Body of Christ and it is a gift. (Based on 1 Cor. 12:12-20.)
Memories are often a source of comfort or encouragement to us, but they are more important than we realize. They can even direct our decisions and actions. Jesus is calling us to remember that he suffered, died and rose again for that memory helps us see our life in a new way: we are new creation people living in a hidden new creation world. Keeping that Good News at the top of our memory pile will help us to more fully live the new life that Jesus has given us. (Based on Luke 24:1-35.)
Surprise parties can be great because they reveal unexpected affirmations of love which fill us with joy. Can we live our lives based on such surprises? During the days before and after his journey to the cross, Jesus surprised people with unexpected revelations that he was our Messiah, Redeemer and Savior. Perhaps most surprising of all, he has chosen each of us to be a beloved, forgiven child of God through whom he works to surprise others with his grace. (Based on Mt. 21:1-11.)
Our tendency to be selfish is fed by a hard-wired desire for glory. But Jesus gives us new life as a beloved, forgiven child of God and helps us to become the person he always meant us to be. Then we live in the glory of who we really are in Jesus, and we are content. (Based on John 12:20-36.)
We live in a time of strong opinions. But are opinions all that is, or is there such a thing as absolute reality? If there is, how can we see and live in that reality? With the new birth we have from Jesus, we are able to live a new life in which we can see things as they really are. With Jesus’ love filling our heart, we reflect his life-giving love out into the world around us and we have hope for an even better life in the future. (Based on John 3:1-21.)
From time to time, what’s in our soul spills out before others. It can be embarrassing when that happens. Of greater concern is the fact that our soul is always transparent before God. So how messy is your soul and how can a messy soul be cleaned up? Jesus will do that for us. As we trust him to do that, he transforms us into holy temples of God that reflect his life-giving love into the world around us. (Based on John 2:13-22.)
It is natural for us to think that we can approach God and live a good life by doing the right things. But God knows that that approach will never work. Instead, he offers us the free gift of new life through faith in his Son, Jesus Christ. Repentance is an important part of our new life with Jesus because repentance is what clears away the soul garbage that prevents us from receiving the fullness of that rich, full, abundant life. (Based on Mt. 3:1-17.)
It is hard when things that we intend for good turn out to be terrible. But Jesus is the Messiah who came to redeem us lost and broken sinners and bring us into God’s kingdom. Loved and encouraged by Jesus in the midst of our emptiness and suffering, we become more like him. Enlivened and directed by him, we step into the opportunities he gives us to love and encourage others who suffer. (Based on Mark 8:27-38.)
Relationships can be tricky to navigate. But with the new identity that Jesus has given us, and with the love that he pours into our heart, we are able to love others selflessly & sacrificially so they may have the greatest gift of all: a living relationship with the loving God. (Based on Colossians 3:18-4:6.)
Our focus directs how we live and shapes our future destiny. What do you focus on? Because we have been given new life with Jesus, we focus on the good things of God and intentionally live them out so we may better reflect God’s love into our broken and hurting world. (Based on Col. 3:1-17.)
It is easy for us to get taken in by counterfeits which promise the real thing but prove to be false. Jesus is the real deal. In him, we have both the fullness of God and our forgiveness. Therefore, we turn away from deceptive philosophies and human rules, and live with unforced rhythms of grace, where we are rooted in Jesus, strengthened in faith and overflowing with thankfulness. (Based on Col. 2:6-23.)
What is God really like and what difference does God make in our lives? To answer that question, all we need to do is look at Jesus because he shows us what God is really like. He is the author of our creation and the architect of our re-creation. Forgiven and free, we dedicate the new life Jesus has given us to sharing his Good News of healing and hope with others. (Based on Col. 1:15-29.)
How does one live a life that is fruitful? In Paul’s letter to the Colossians, we see that faith in Jesus Christ produces fruit from our lives that will last forever. As we believe in the message about our ultimate Rescuer, Jesus, he transforms our lives and produces fruit like faith, hope, and love in our lives. So we follow Jesus to become like him and we show others how to do the same. (Based on Col. 1:1-14 & Mark 1:21-34.)
We don’t get a choice about whether to suffer losses or not in this life. But how can we make something positive happen from our life when much has been taken away from us? God the Son saw that humanity’s need for salvation was so great that he wrapped Himself in human flesh and suffered in order to save us. With the new life Jesus gives us, we can look for human needs around us and give to others a portion of what Jesus has given us. (Based on Isa. 53:1-12 & Luke 2:40-52.)
Humans usually think of themselves as being right, good and true, and we like to think that God would agree. But how do we know what God thinks of us? The Bible tells us that God delights over us and Jesus is the One who makes that happen. (Based on Isa. 61:10 - 62:5 & Luke 2:22-40.)
We don't like to admit that we might need to be rescued because that would be admitting that we are helpless. We are afraid of the hopelessness that would result if our needed rescue didn't come. But God is a faithful rescuer, and with the rescue He has given us through Jesus, we can live our lives with confident faith. (Based on Isa. 43:1-13 & Luke 1:26-38.)
The Good News from heaven first told to shepherds resonates down through the ages: "Do not be afraid… Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord." Jesus moved into the neighborhood to be with you because He loves you! (Based on Isaiah 9:1-7 & Luke 2:1-20.)
A judgment that things need to change is often the first step toward making things right. God’s judgment is that we are lost and broken without Him. But God has also paid the cost to make us right. Jesus moved into our neighborhood and paid the cost for us to have healing and hope forever! (Based on Ps. 98:4-9, Isa. 61:1-4, 8-11 & Luke 1:39-56.)
Receiving comfort when we grieve has become much more difficult because of Covid. But when we consider the various kinds of grief and God’s comfort for each kind, then we are better able to receive the comfort He gives us through Jesus. With the comfort we have from Jesus, we can share that comfort with others. (Based on Ps. 100:1-5, Isa. 40:1-11 & Mark 1:1-15.)
If we have ever wondered if this world is broken, the Covid-19 pandemic should remove all doubt. But how do we live a life of significance as a broken person in a broken world? We fix our eyes on Jesus, for He has not only started the process of restoring us and all creation, He will give us strength to endure until that process is complete. (Based on Psalm 23:1-6, Isaiah 40:21-31 & John 3:1-17.)
This pandemic is an opportunity for us to pause and reflect on what is really important. While this world values power, Jesus has shown us that choosing to be powerless before God is the way of faith, hope and love. Through His own powerlessness, Jesus began the process of gathering people into life with God now and forever life with Him in the new heaven and earth to come. (Based on Ps. 46:1-7, Isa. 11:1-12 & John 1:1-18.)
When we are small children, if we have good parents, it is easy to believe that all things are possible. But as we grow older, life begins to box us in and we become small people living small lives. But the risen Jesus gives us peace, the Holy Spirit and faith, and sends us into the world to carry His love and peace to the broken & hurting people around us. (Based on Rev. 7:9-17 & John 20:19-31.)
Changing our habits can be a good thing, but it’s the brokenness in our heart that really need to be addressed. Thankfully, Jesus loves us with unconditional, infinite love, and as we remain in His love, He helps us to heal and bring healing to others. (Based on 1 John 4:7-21 & John 15:1-17.)
As we follow Jesus, we might reflect on how our life with Jesus begins or what it will be like in the future, but less so on our life with Jesus now. How can we have hope as we live as broken people in a broken world? The hope that Jesus gives us for now and forever comes out of the shared life that we live with Him. (Based on Gal. 2:11-21 & John 14:15-27.)
Prayer is something that many people do. But why should we pray and how? Does prayer really do anything or are we simply casting our wishes into the empty void of the universe? Jesus helps us to see that prayer is powerful because we have a good and loving Father in heaven who wants to give us good gifts. (Based on 1 John 5:1-15 & Luke 11:1-13.)
Before He ascended into heaven, Jesus gave us one thing to do: go and make disciples. But how do we do that? It is much the same process as starting to follow a sports team. When we are clear about which team we are following and how people encounter Jesus, disciple-making will happen through us. But it all starts when we let our roots grow into Jesus, and let our lives be built on Him.
It is human nature to love only those who love you. But God doesn’t love like that. He loves all people, even those who are His enemies, and His Son Jesus died and rose again to pay the full cost for all people to be reconciled to God. Therefore, as His children, we love as He does. We are unconcerned whether others love us in return. We have all the love we need in Jesus. (Based on Rom. 12:9-21 & Mt. 5:38-48.)
There are times for all of us when we face challenges that threaten to overwhelm us. But because God the Father has entrusted everything to Jesus, He has the authority to bring us the right solution at the right time that will not only be good for us, it can give us a platform to point others to Jesus too. Therefore, we can trust Jesus unconditionally.
Freedom may be something that we desire, but struggle to attain because we always have people to whom we are accountable and responsibilities that we need to fulfill. Jesus shows us that true freedom is a matter of the heart and mind. When our faith and values are re-aligned by Jesus and we seek His Kingdom first, and then we are truly free.
Having His followers fish for people is the way that Jesus brings people into His Kingdom. Though many things have been stripped away from us as a church because of Covid-19, this is still something that we can do. Using a net of Jesus’ love, we fish for people so that Jesus can give them a life with Him that will last forever.
Times have changed and it seems like we no longer know how to make disciples of Jesus. But Jesus is doing the heaven lifting in the disciple-making process, and as we share our lives with others, as He did, He is able to draw people closer to Him and give them new life.
Because of Covid and secularism, there is a lot of uncertainty for churches these days. How will we make disciples now? But just as He did after His resurrection, Jesus stands in our midst and says, "Peace. I am with you, I love you and I have a plan." Because Jesus is with us, the Church is always able to adapt.
Having a strong sense of home in our hearts can give us a sense of belonging, identity, security and confidence. But even a strong sense of home can cause anxiety when it is rooted in this world because something can always go wrong at home. Jesus has given us a new forever home with God and the way to that home is the way of love. Therefore we make God’s love the driving force in our lives so that others can also have a forever home with God.
There are times when it seems like Covid-19 has stripped away our society’s veneer of congeniality and we can see what other people truly care about by what upsets them. But what about us? In the race of life, what are we running for? When we see what Jesus has done for us, we are moved by His sacrificial love to run our race for His Kingdom.
Feeling foolish about our faith can prevent us from fully living life as God intended us to do. But faith is about seeing ultimate reality as it really is and when our faith is anchored in Jesus, we are freed from our fears of being foolish and able to faithfully live and love others.
All of us have the power to make decisions, but what guides us as we use our God-given power? Will it be love or self-interest? Both Jesus and Avengers: Endgame show us that sacrificial love brings us the Endgame result we desire.
Our natural response is to fight against or flee from our fears, but both responses pull us away from the abundant life Jesus wants to give us. With a turning point of love and faith, we can head off in a new direction with a far better result, all because of the transforming power of love.
When we get anxious, we tend to make our values about gaining creaturely comfort and worldly security for ourselves, with no regard for the negative impact our values may be having on others. But God loves all people and sent Jesus into the world to win forgiveness and restoration for all. Moved by God’s love and mercy, we align our values with God’s so that we can truly love and bless others.
We all need hope for the future, but whether we think that hope is even possible depends in large part on what we believe. Jesus came into this world to defeat that two things that always hold us back: sin and death. His death and resurrection created the possibility of a far better future for us. That possibility becomes reality for us through faith in Jesus.
One of the fundamental questions in life that all of us must answer is “Who am I?” We could try to find the answer inside ourselves, but what if the self we find there is broken? It is in Jesus where we find our true identity. When we bring our fractured soul to Him, Jesus heals and completes us and helps us to see who we really are in Him, a beloved, forgiven child of God.
One of the reasons why The Princess Bride is a favorite with so many people is that it appeals to us in many different ways, but most of all it is a love story, a story of true love that is so strong that nothing, not even death can stop it. In it we clearly hear the echoes of the Christ story, where Jesus loves us with the love that we have always wanted: True Love that is pure, infinite and unconditional.
There are many resources to which we can turn to seek help for living a good life, but without God, our quest is hopeless. We are flawed, broken beings who need help from outside of ourselves. Thankfully, we have that help through Jesus, and with the love that He gives us, we are able to live a good life full of love for others.
Everyone has a foundation of faith of some kind in their life, something that they trust in above all else as they live their life. In the marketplace of ideas there are many options for us to consider, but the greatness and the goodness of the God of the Bible suggest that faith in Jesus is the best foundation for us to have.
We don't like to think about God being angry but His anger is the result when the people He loves get hurt. We all have hurt ourselves & others and therefore deserve God's wrath, but God did an extraordinary thing. He let the wrath that we deserve fall on Himself instead of us, so that we could have peace. That peace is more than a cessation of hostility. It is a rich, full life defined by God's blessings of faith, hope and love. And it is all a free gift to us from God the Son, Jesus.
Life is often a struggle. Not only is there the exterior struggle, which we all share, of trying to make our way in this world. There is also the intensely personal interior struggle in which we all try to answer the question, “How do I know that I am going to be ok?” The default method for answering this question is with worldly measurements, but those things will all eventually disappoint or even crush us. The Holy Spirit gives us a new life where His presence is our promise that we will be more than ok for now and forever. We will thrive.
While this time of social distancing can be frustrating because of the increased limitations we experience, it reminds us that limits are part of life. We may not like limits, but they help us to realize that we need Someone to help us. That Someone is Jesus, in Whom we experience amazing freedom, even in times of great limitations.
One thing that none of like to do is suffer, but suffering is part of life in this world. Is there a way to rise above it? As we look at the account of Paul & Silas in jail in Philippi, we see that they were able to do so. How? By living their lives before God. He is our foundation & future and the source of our identity, joy and hope regardless of our circumstances. Therefore, we can still pray, praise and hope, even while we suffer. (Based on Acts 16:16-40.)
How does God think about people? This is an important question because, without it, we assume that God thinks like we do & accepts or rejects people based on whether they fit with his picture of what a follower of his should look like. Thankfully, God does not think like we do. He shows no favourites & he accepts people from all nations who fear him and do what is right (Acts 10:35). When we think about people like he does, we can be Christ-centered & inclusive.
What we believe can help shape our reality because our beliefs direct our vision and influence the environment we create. But our beliefs need to be based on what is true. The truth of the resurrection of Jesus helps us to see and people who know that, because of Jesus, we are loved & loving.
Facing a crisis is never fun. But through each crisis we face, God invites us to change our way of thinking and build our life on the new identity that Jesus gives us. We are now beloved, forgiven children of God and that changes everything for us.
One of the last things that Jesus said to his followers before he ascended into heaven was to tell them to wait in Jerusalem until they received the gift of the Holy Spirit. Everything changed for the weak and unqualified disciples when they received the Holy Spirit. The higher life that Jesus wants to give to us happens when we are weak & Spirit-filled.
Death is not a subject that we like to think about. And when we do think or talk about it, we tend to not go to the root of the problem. But God has solved our death problem for us by sending his Son, Jesus, to ransom and redeem us so we can be restored to a relationship with God and renewed in our entire being forever. (Psalm 16:1-11, Jeremiah 31:1-10, John 20:1-18)
With all the scary things happening in the world at this time, it is hard to praise God. But by turning our pain into praise, we can shine a light of hope into the lives of the people around us.
Many of the things we valued have been stripped away during the Covid-19 pandemic. The world has been turned upside down and we may wonder what hope can there be in the midst of this calamity. The truth is that God is still with us and working through our trials and weakness to bring forward what he knows is best. Therefore we trust in him.
There are a lot of people who are feeling fear because of Covid-19. Fear is a natural response to all that is happening around us, but fear can keep us from stepping into the blessing of a rich, deep, full life with God that he has for us. We know that God's promise of blessing is true because of Jesus.
All of us have character flaws but we don’t like to admit it. Those flaws are often hidden from us and we prefer to keep it that way. But going deep with Jesus and admitting our character flaws to ourselves and to him is important, because going deeper with Jesus enables more of his light to shine through us.
People are often intimidated by the thought of sharing the Good News of Jesus in their everyday life. But, in his great love for us, God has made living life with a mission very doable by preparing someone to be a Person of Peace for us. All we have to do is find them, build a relationship with them and watch for opportunities God gives us to share that great Good News of the redemption and renewal of all things through Jesus.
We know what functions are necessary for an organism to be fully alive physically. What functions are necessary for us to be fully alive spiritually? Using the heptagon and MRS GREN, we can practice the principles of a vital life.
When we miss the vision that God has for us, our lives can fall short of all that God envisions for us. Jesus can give us a unique vision for our life that fits in with His work of redeeming and restoring all things. In the end, life will be more than we can ask or imagine.
Sometimes our prayer life seems listless and empty. But God is inviting us to go deeper in our relationship with Him through prayer. As we walk with God, we experience the fullness of life that He wants to give to us through Jesus.
Sometimes we take prayer for granted, and then we infrequently or only in times of great need. But when we become aware of God's openness and readiness to hear and answer our prayers, we are more likely to pray. God opens doors for us when we pray. And when He does that, our part is to walk through those open doors.
We may think that serving in the church is best left to a gifted core of volunteers. But God has given each of us a gift to serve in 1 of 5 main roles. As we serve in the way God has gifted us, our life has more meaning, purpose and richness.
Becoming the person that God envisions us to be will require that we learn to lead & learn well. That is challenging because different styles of leading are required at different stages of the learning process. By following Jesus & learning from the way He led, we help fulfill the mission He gave us of helping make disciples from all nations.
All of us have three different kinds of relationships: an Up relationship with God, In relationships with the people with whom we share our life, and Out relationships with the wider community. But we tend to be weak in one kind of relationship, resulting in a life that is flat & out of balance. Jesus came to give us a rich, full life and he is the One who brings balance to our relationships.
Failure to function as God designed us can lead to burnout or a wasted life. But with a life-giving rhythm of rest and work that is anchored in and attuned to Jesus, our life can be sustainably fruitful.
Following Jesus can seem like drudgery if we don’t learn from Jesus and pattern our life after His. But by using the Kairos Circle when special moments happen in our lives, we can more fully follow Jesus and an abundant life with Him.
Sometimes there are bad things that happen in life with no apparent redemptive quality. Yet God the Son came into this world for times just like these. For when it seems that all is lost, with Jesus, we always have the consolation that he is God-with-us.
On our own, we are unable to see beyond this finite existence & when we encounter unsurmountable challenges, it can feel like darkness is closing in around us. But Jesus is the Light of the World who came to show us that there is more to life than what we are living right now.
Though we often trust in other things to save ourselves, what we have & our hopes and dreams for the future, God sends us signs, large and small, to invite us into a deeper relationship with him. Because of his greatest sign, the gift of Jesus, we can trust that God loves and accepts us just as we are.
With all the challenges and turmoil we experience in life, we yearn for peace. Jesus brings us peace by healing and completing us. As we let God recalibrate our beliefs in worship & the Holy Spirit aligns our behavior with those beliefs, we able to live in peace & share that peace with others.
It is difficult for us to be helpless in the midst of personal turmoil. But Jesus brings hope into the midst of turmoil. He is with us and He is working things out for the best for us in the end. Therefore, we keep our eyes on Him and we wait in faith.
People often dream of a better future, but we want it on our terms and in our timing. The Bible helps us to reset our dreams, aligning them with God’s dream for all creation and trusting in Jesus to fulfill that dream at just the right time. With our eyes on Jesus, we dare to dream extravagant dreams of how we can partner with Jesus in filling the new heavens and earth with people who have faith in Him.
Lists are significant when they are connected with the power and authority to preserve or give live in the face of death. In today’s passage, we read about a Book of Life that lists the names of all the people who will be given eternal life with God forever. Through His one, perfect sacrifice, Jesus has written our name in the Book of Life and erased any record of our weaknesses and failures. Therefore, we live with courage.
Sometimes it can seem like the bad guys are winning and standing on the side of goodness seems pointless. But God has promised that, when the time is right, He will bring about the fulfillment of all things, including the banishment of evil.Therefore, we have hope, and our life story finds fulfillment in God’s grand story of the renewal and restoration of all things.
Because of our uncomfortableness with death, we tend to deny or solve it. But our human efforts to deal with death only burden & bind us. God has solved our death problem by sending Jesus to undo what has been done and repair the damage done by death. Therefore, we rest in Jesus as a new person headed towards Resurrection Life.
There are times when the challenges of life overwhelm us and we feel like dry, life-less bones with no hope. But our God is a God who can breathe the Holy Spirit into us and bring the dead back to life. Therefore, we have hope.
Sometimes we find ourselves in situations that overwhelm and disorientate us. It can feel like we are strangers in a strange land. But God's people have been in situations like this before. God encouragement to us is to keep listening to Him for He has a good plan for our lives with a hope-filled future.
All of us have situations in life when we are filled with fear & fear can prevent us from doing the right thing. But faith in the God who saves will help us to have the courage we need to move forward in the face of fear.
All of us have a reservoir of shame that surfaces when it gets pricked. But God invites us to identify our emotions & use them to discover our own shame story & evaluate our beliefs & assumptions. God’s grace & love gives us the courage & truth we need to replace false beliefs & assumptions with truth, and then live a new story with a new ending.
Our society has changed so rapidly over the past few decades that it seems like our old ways of navigating human sexuality issues no longer work. But in the past in times like these, Christians were able to be a great blessing to the world around them as they rested in Jesus’ love & let Him live His life through them. Jesus will help us to be faithful in a changed world.
Jesus' appearance to his followers in the Upper Room after his resurrections how Jesus is able to come into our life and replace our fear and anxiety with his perfect peace. When Jesus steps into the room, he changes everything. Presented by Dr. Jim Gimbel, President of Concordia Lutheran Seminary, Edmonton AB.
The pain we suffer when others sin against us means it is hard for us to forgive them, especially when forgiving them means we agree to pay the cost of their forgiveness. But it is easier for us to forgive others when we realize the worth of what God has already forgiven us.
The topic of human sexuality can be a messy one to wade through. But we need to delve into this topic and see what God says on this matter so that we can live out our personal sexuality with integrity and faithfulness.
Sometimes it is hard for us to go to God and pray. As Jesus teaches about prayer, he tells us that because of our heavenly Father’s perfection, graciousness and goodness, we can pray dependently, shamelessly and expectantly.
We think ourselves to be wise. But Jesus knows that we need a major renovation in our heart so that we have a character, love and goals that aligns with His and, with His help, enables us to proceed through life thoughtfully and with wisdom so that we are able to make a difference now that will last forever. Jesus is ready and willing to begin that renovation.
We think that we know ourselves accurately, but we often read ourselves wrong. In the Story of the Great Banquet, Jesus shows us humility will help us to read ourselves accurately and see the mercy and generosity that God has for us.
Sometimes it is hard for us to understand why bad things happen in this world. In the story of the Wheat and the Weeds, Jesus not only explains why this is so, He also shows us how we can part of making a greater eternal difference for good in the world.
Bring your sunscreen. We’re going to the Holy Land! Craig Broyles will share a selection of slides from TWU’s study tour of Israel, Egypt, and Jordan. We’ll see the real places where events of the Bible happened, get a taste of everyday life in biblical times, and seek out where God made a difference in people’s lives.
It is easy for us to look at the lack of positive results in our life or in the world and get discouraged. But Jesus teaches us that the Kingdom of Heaven has come to us. Though it starts out small and its growth is hidden, it will have an amazing positive impact in the end. So, we keep our eyes on Jesus and live with confident hope.
Some of us think of God as being angry with us, so we need to serve and please Him in order to please Him. In today's message, our guest speaker, Daniel Olson, encourages us to think of God as a God who meets our needs and then, relating to God in that way, share with others how God can meet their needs.
By nature, we are enslaved in using our lives, relationships & resources in ways for which they were not designed by God, so our lives need to be put under new management. Jesus came to give us life in the Kingdom of Heaven as a free gift. It costs us the privilege of ruling over our own lives, but when we see the true worth of life with Jesus as our king, it is a trade that we readily make.
We could be the most gifted, knowledgeable, faithful, sacrificial person around, but if we don’t have love, it all amounts to nothing. It is through a Life With God that we experience what love is really like.
We live in a world where chaos can erupt from surprising sources and change our lives forever. But the Good News is that Jesus came into this world to bring us a hope that is stronger than the chaos around us and in us.
Human beings frequently use religion to try to gain control as a response to their fears. A religious posture like this is actually faith in ourselves and our abilities. But Life With God points to a different kind of faith where we let go of faith in ourselves and trust in God’s skill and faithfulness to give us a safe landing in the end.
This Sunday some of our young people confirmed that the Christian faith into which they were baptized is indeed their faith. Included in this podcast is a sample of the personal testimonies of faith that they shared that day.
In an effort to deal with our fears by trying to gain control, humans often resort to religious postures of relating to God where our activity is the basis for us trying to get what we want from God. But God invites us to relate with based on relationship, and as we treasure, unite with and experience communion with God, we will experience the rich and satisfying life that Jesus came to give to us.
Our values are very important because they guide our decision-making. We often have values that lead us away from life with Jesus, but God pursues us with His love and transforms our values. As life with God becomes our greatest value, God gives us opportunities to share the gift of life with God with others.
Part of God’s plan for renewing all things is for His People to live lives that attract others to God. But this can only happen when we rest in God’s love and embrace the fullness of the Good News of what He has done for us through God the Son, Jesus Christ.
Sometimes we experience public rejection and humiliation in our personal social space, and the results can be devastating. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus experienced ultimate rejection so He could be the Cornerstone of our unconditional acceptance. Accepted and forgiven, we serve as God's royal priests who share His love with a broken and hurting world.
This week special guest speaker Rae-Anna Hedlin shares about the mission work that she is doing, along with others, in Japan. She also encourages us to live in God’s grace and follow in His ways, for His ways are always best for us.
Your life is far more precious than you know. God created, redeemed and equipped you to join in His Mission of renewing and restoring all things. Failing to understand that can lead to us ruining our lives. But knowing who you are in Jesus will help you to engage more fully with God’s mission and live the fullness of life that He has for you.
Emptiness is the lack of meaning or purpose we experience when we fail to accomplish our dreams. By spending time reading the Bible, we can see that Jesus is always with us and at work around and through us to bring us hope in the midst of our emptiness.
When we are compassionate and conscientious and placed in an environment that is stressful and frustrating, we are at risk of experiencing burnout. But Jesus invites us to retreat with him, reset in his love, repent of the lies that are leading us into burnout and reset our lives according to his love and truth. Then we will experience more fruitful and joyful lives.
Everyone has a blind spot, things about themselves which they cannot see, and often pride is in our blind spot. Pride is toxic because it will destroy the things we care about and harden our hearts against God. Jesus invites us to open our eyes and see the damage our pride is causing, and then bring the burden of that awareness to him. Forgiven by Jesus, we cultivate a heart of humility and enjoy a rich and satisfying life with him.
When we are younger, we tend to keep up with the pace of change. But eventually, we set down roots in our personal preferences and let change pass us by. But we become irrelevant, we cannot share the infinite treasure of life with God with others. Resting in God’s love and learning from him and others will help us to share the gift we have been given with others.
With rapid changes in technology & our fast pace of life, we easily become disconnected from the people around us. Confession helps us to get real with God and ourselves and that can help us to become people of integrity who build rich, full and satisfying relationships with others.
When the temptation to compromise hooks into one of our heart’s desires, we can find ourselves doing things that are destructive to ourselves and others. But the Good News is that God’s love for us is infinite and unconditional and Jesus came into this world to save us from ourselves and for a rich, full, abundant life with him.
Sometimes when we get hurt, we choose to stop trusting, hoping and believing and become cynical. But cynical hardens our heart against the people around us who love us most and against God. Our world is messed up but with Jesus there is always hope.
We can think of ourselves as a kind, gracious person, but the grace that we extend toward others usually has limits or conditions or is reciprocal. But Jesus’ love covers a multitude of sins and he has grace for all people. There is no barrier to grace on Jesus’ side of the relationship equation, only on ours. Sometimes we need to get desperate before we receive it. In that posture of humble reception, we are then free to share that gracious love with others as the Holy Spirit guides us.
Human life tends to be a self-centred enterprise. But God calls us into community, which we need and which forces us to become more selfless. As we remain in Jesus and his love, he saves us and fills us with his love so that we have no need to try to save ourselves. We can love selflessly and together with other selflessly-loving followers of Jesus, we can be an irresistible community.
Sometimes we equate happiness with joy. But joy is a much greater and different thing. When our joy is centred in the Lord, we will find that it will make a huge difference in our lives, from the inside out, for faith chases away darkness.
The early Christian Church was an Irresistible Community, but today’s Church has become very resistible. By making ourselves vulnerable to Jesus and letting Him challenge & re-orientate our values, He will help us to be people that help others to experience Jesus’ unconditional love.
We need to receive favor from God to have hope when facing the big challenges of life. But what do we do when our circumstances threaten to crush us and it seems like all favor has left us? We continue to have faith in God, for the assurance of His favor is not our actions or circumstances but God’s actions and His promises to us and God is never closer to us than when we need Him most.
Human beauty, accomplishments or special occasions can be joyous, even glorious occasions. But that human glory is fleeting and it fades away. Seeing God’s glory gives us the assurance that God is with us, that he will never leave us nor forsake us and that, with God, in the end, everything is going to be alright. Jesus’s divine glory was revealed as he hung on the cross to give us all those promises, plus the promise of resurrection life. Therefore, we bask in his Jesus’ glory.
In those times when we are confronted with what we have done wrong, we can become overwhelmed with guilt. But Jesus, God the Son, was born and baptized to become one of us so he could pay the full cost of cleansing us from all our sin. Through Baptism, Jesus makes us beloved, forgiven children of God who greatly please our Heavenly Father.
Sometimes we put God in a box and think that he cannot be for us because of our faults, failures and weaknesses. But the wise men who visited Jesus when he was a small child show us that God is for us and for all people.
There are times in life when it seems like the really important things are being taken away from us. But we need to remember where we are in the new story that God has given to us through Jesus. Jesus has not only given us a new, rich, full, abundant life with him, he has also promised to come back to this world to restore us and all things, and nothing can take that away from us. Therefore we have courage.
Fear is what rises up inside of us when we live in uncertain times & the things we value are at risk of being lost. But Jesus gave us a great treasure which can never be lost when he came to bring heaven to us. Therefore we have courage.
All of us have times when we find ourselves in the middle of a mess. But the Good News of Christmas is that Jesus came to not only save us from our messes, He came to safe us for a life with Him that will last forever. Today's podcast contains a personal story of how God did that in one person's life.
All of feel fear when we face an overwhelming task. But God has given us the unconditional promise of his presence. When we admit our own inadequacy, we are then able to receive the promise of God’s presence with us and move forward, not in our own strength, but in God’s strength.
Fear is not something that we can avoid. But we need to have a game plan for dealing with fear or our fears will drive us to make decisions that we will later regret. The remedy to fear is courage and the foundation for courage is a sure and certain hope. In this time leading up to Christmas, we remember that God came to give us hope.
Thirty years of blessings in our church testify to the love, mercy and grace of God. Because, through Jesus, he has set us free, we continue to share the message of life, salvation and forgiveness that he has given us.
As we open ourselves up to receive more of God’s love, we are better able to love others more fully. By focusing our love on those whom God has placed closest to us, God’s love will flow through us and others throughout our homes, community and region and around the world.
None of us are getting out of this life alive. But how can we live our one and only lives in a way that will result in us having no regrets when we come to the end of our life? Jesus will help us to live in a continual state of repentance. Resting in His forgiveness and letting Him live His life through us will result in no regrets with our selves.
Tough times can drain our hope. But there is more going on in reality than what we can sense with our physical senses. The sure and certain promise of glorious worship in the presence of God with countless others encourages us to faithfully endure hardships and share with others the hope we have been given.
The introduction of the internet has made it possible to easily spread fabricated stories around the world. When we share fake news, we undermine our personal credibility, making it less likely that a skeptic will believe us when we share the Good News with them. The Good News of God's love motivates us to be prudent in what we share.
Unlike happiness, joy is not an emotion that is dependent upon circumstances. Joy is deeper and more durable than happiness because it is a resilient rejoicing rooted in the comforting presence of the One who has overcome all things. Making a practice of trusting in Jesus results in contentment, peace and joy in our lives.
We may desire to follow God, but our following is always partial and imperfect. The Good News is that Jesus has not only rescued us and brought us into God’s family as a free gift, He has also given us the Holy Spirit Who helps us to turn away from evil, produces supernatural fruit in our lives, and encourages us to believe that our new identity in Jesus is actually true, which it is.
The thought of starting to dance with God can be intimidating. “I don’t know how to do it. I have no confidence in my abilities. This is going to be awkward and embarrassing,” we may think to ourselves. But God’s gracious love is big enough to wash over and fill all our weaknesses and insecurities.
Sometimes we can take for granted what God has done for us. But a big picture view of the universe and the Bible helps us to see that what God did and does is amazing!
The default strategy for human beings is to try to live life on our own. But eventually we come to the end of ourselves and realize that that does not work. Jesus invites us to follow him and his teaching, and he will give us rest.
The things that Jesus said in the Bible are sometimes presented as one-line zingers intended to shore up our broken and hurting lives. But those one-liners come from a larger story which is also important for us as we seek to grow in faith, hope and love. Listen to what many consider the best sermon ever, the Sermon on the Mount, and let Jesus' words wash over you and lift you up. (Mt. 5-7).
God is able to take a great loss and turn it into something positive for many people. This is a special message about how God did that through a mission outreach to Africa.
From time to time, we do silly, even embarassing, things. But God, in His great love for us, continues to woo us in the hope that we will return to Him, our source of life, love, hope and forgiveness.
Without the unconditional love that we need, we develop a false persona to try to get others to love us. But it is all false, and we never have peace or love inside us. Through Jesus, God has come close, connected with and chosen us so we can be confident in His love.
When we lack intimacy in our relationship with God, we miss out on living life with peace, hope and resilience. Jesus is inviting us to receive more of God’s love in the deepest part of our soul so that we, and others, feel both safe and loved.
While we struggle to understand if God is who we want Him to be, God has been faithfully loving humanity since before time began. When we open our hearts and minds to His love, we can see evidence of God’s faithful love throughout history. We see that faithful love shines most clearly when Jesus came to personally rescue us and bring us into the freedom of abundant life with Him.
We believe that God loves us, but it is hard for us to imagine the infinite scope of God’s love for us. Jesus shows us that God’s love for us has no limits.
We usually think of other humans as both the source and the object of our love. But we read in the Bible that the ultimate source of all love is God. He loved us first and best, and as we know and rely on His love, He helps us to truly love others.
God does not change and yet He does new things. When is it time for us to get out of our comfort zone and change? God will guide us in when and how to change. The most important thing is to remember why we change: Because we want to know God better and we want others to have the joy of a close relationship with Jesus.
Given enough time, all of us will face challenges that are beyond our ability to meet and that’s when we cry out to God for help. But God wants something more for us in life than that. He invites us to live in continual confidence of His saving love for us. That begins by being aware of our own neediness.
Most religions teach that we need to earn God’s favour, but not Christianity. The Bible tells us that God Himself came to earth in the person of Jesus and suffered the punishment of divine justice to bring us into His family where He sings with delight over us.
The most important thing in life, Jesus tells us, is to love God and our neighbor. Such love is more valuable to God than religious worship. And God motivates us to love by loving us first. And our soul is fed by receiving God’s unconditional, infinite love for us.
Our desires and misplaced values often lead us astray. We value some things too highly and pursue them while, at the same time, we neglect and disregard our own soul. Jesus knows that our soul is the most precious part of us and because He loves us, He gave up everything, including His life, to save our souls. Jesus’ sacrificial love helps us to rightly value and guard our own soul.
This Sunday we celebrated because eight young people from our church confirmed that the Christian faith is their faith. We not only celebrated that God has given them faith, but also that they have been supported and nurtured in the Christian faith by their families and this community of faith and they are now ready to take responsibility for their own faith. Listen as they share their personal testimonies of their journey of faith.
Examining our own soul is an important part of Soul Care. But we are often reluctant to examine our own soul because of what we might find there. Because of God’s unconditional love for us, we know that the most important things in life-His love for us and our life in Him-are not going to change. Thus encouraged, we examine our own souls because we want to grow in living the life that Jesus has given us.
The soul is the most important part of us, but most of us do not know how to care for our own soul. So our souls languish, undernourished and neglected. Jesus wants to give us a rich, full, abundant life with Him. That life and relationship is a free gift He gives to us. But experiencing the fullness of that relationship and life requires caring for our own soul, and we do that when we receive God’s love in our soul.
On Pentecost Sunday, we celebrate that God has poured out the Holy Spirit upon all believers. When God pours out the Holy Spirit upon us personally, the before-and-after difference is dramatic for the Spirit gives us life and peace.
Without water, we soon become thirsty. Similarly, each of us has a great inner thirst that needs to be quenched. Jesus invites us to come to Him and He will give us the Holy Spirit Who will satisfy our inner longings.
We tend to make judgments about situations or people based on appearances, but those judgments are often wrong because our assumptions and beliefs are wrong. As we lay those things down and, in humility, follow Jesus, He helps us to judge by true standards.
Sometimes, to help another person, you have to say or do something that might cause them pain. We are reluctant to do that because we do not want to offend them. But then people never hear the truth. The solution: Let Jesus be your love, strength and truth.
There are many things that we need for life in this world and we spend most of our time and energy striving for those things. But they don’t last. We need Jesus because He is the bread of life that gives us eternal life.
God uses miracles to take ordinary people and form them into special people that shine His light into the world. God does this so that the whole world may that there is a God who protects from death, gives eternal life and nourishes our hungry souls.
Sometimes we are confronted with challenges that are beyond our ability to solve. Those are opportunities for us to consider, “In what or whom am I trusting?” Jesus came to this world to usher in a new Kingdom where small things have infinite worth in His hands.
Fear can control our lives because it is powerful. Some of its power is because we not only experience fear, we can imagine it when we are not in a fearful situation. Jesus’ resurrection shows us that we no longer need to be controlled by our fears and we can live in freedom.
The joy people felt as they welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem on the first Palm Sunday, and the joy we feel as we welcome Him into our hearts, is a foretaste of the greater joy we will experience when Jesus comes again to restore all things including us. Gone will be death, suffering and all corruption caused by sin, and God will wipe every tear from our eyes. Because of the Restoration that Jesus will bring in the last chapter of God’s Great Story, we are people of hope.
Many of us have experienced the devastation of abandonment and rejection. But Jesus experienced rejection in our place so that we would never be abandoned by God.
Most of us fear punishment and we avoid it however we can. But that leaves us in bondage. God shows us a third way through the story of The Fall: the Way of Forgiveness.
The Big Story that we see as being our own will have a major impact on our life. It will influence how we see ourselves in the present and chart a course for our lives in the future. Jesus has a Big Story for us in which we are unconditionally loved and accepted and He invites us to make that story our own.
We naturally tend to invest in the things we love. But when we invest in people and things on earth, we worry because we can lose them. God invites us to release all earthly people and things into His loving care, trust in Him and ask Him to help us refocus our love on what is in heaven. Then we will be free to invest our lives in what will make a difference in eternity.
We tend to think that we can get all that we need out of life as an individual. But God does something special in our lives when we gather together with others around God’s Word and share life together. God helps us to grow.
Our old heart was focused on having power over others. But Jesus laid down all his power and gave his life to save us. As we rest in Jesus’ humility and love, he sets us free to serve others with self-less love.
When the Holy Spirit gives us the gift of faith in Jesus, he also gives us a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26). But how do we care for and exercise our new heart? One way is through worship.
When we encounter someone making an extraordinary claim, we might ask others if that person really is who they say they are. On the basis of what others say, we make a decision to accept or deny that person’s claim. Jesus know the importance of witnesses so he points to several that support his claim that he is the Messiah. You can trust the witnesses that point to Jesus as Saviour.
As we make our way in the world, it is hard to know who to trust. Who will accurately tell us how things really are? Who can we trust to lead us into a future filled with life and hope? Jesus assures us that he is the One sent by God to give us eternal life and that we can trust what he says.
When we are in a bad situation and helpless, we often feel ashamed because we need help. But this humiliating helplessness is exactly what opens us up to receive mercy from Jesus. His mercy is so transformative that it shatters the law-based religion that is in and around us.
Everyone trusts in someone, either ourselves or someone else. The question is whether the object of our faith is worthy of our trust. Sometimes our trust in ourselves needs to be crushed before we are open to trusting in Jesus. But when we do, Jesus proves that he is worthy of our trust.