SEARCHLIGHT

MARCH 1, 2023 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 12 If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. 13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. Are you familiar with the following saying: “God doesn’t give us more than we can handle.”? This is a statement most of us have heard. Maybe we have said it at one time or another. Can I ask when it was said to you,  how did it feel to hear it? Was it a comfort to hear? Was it said in a loving way, or in a trivializing  way? What was the context and situation of your life when it was spoken? Generally, these words are spoken in a supportive way, as an attempt to comfort someone who is facing challenges that are outside of their control. Maybe the person is grieving. Maybe the person is facing financial hardship, or struggling with mental illness, or a b

 FEBRUARY 28, 2023 Psalm 121 1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; 4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord watches over you— the Lord is your shade at your right hand; 6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; 8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. The Pastor begins with “God is good!” The people declare, “All the time!” Then the people call out, “All the time.” And the Pastor echoes, “God is good!” Psalm 121 is a declaration of faith, a recitation of trust in God, no matter what. This is divine assurance, not some insignificant optimism. The question is real, “From where will my help come?” The ground under the nation

 FEBRUARY 27, 2023 Luke 22:54-63 54 So they arrested him and led him to the high priest’s home. And Peter followed at a distance. 55 The guards lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat around it, and Peter joined them there. 56 A servant girl noticed him in the firelight and began staring at him. Finally she said, “This man was one of Jesus’ followers!” 57 But Peter denied it. “Woman,” he said, “I don’t even know him!” 58 After a while someone else looked at him and said, “You must be one of them!” “No, man, I’m not!” Peter retorted. 59 About an hour later someone else insisted, “This must be one of them, because he is a Galilean, too.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Suddenly, the Lord’s words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.” 62 And

 FEBRUARY  26, 2023 John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” According to the church calendar, Sundays are not actually part of the calculations of the 40 days of the Lenten season. Sunday remains as always, a reminder of Easter—a celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord—Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed! So perhaps it is fitting on this day of Resurrection that we dwell for few moments on the Resurrection theme. In this moment may we hear the good news that God loved the world, and that through faith in him we receive the gift of new life, that leads to everlasting life. LET US PRAY God of grace and glory, let our songs and imaginations raise to sing your praises for your love you have shown to all your creation in the gift of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

 FEBRUARY  24, 2023 Matthew 4:1–11 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” 7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and

 FEBRUARY 23, 2023 Matthew 6:1–21 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not ke

 FEBRUARY 22, 2023 GENESIS 3:19 Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return. I CORINTHIANS 15:20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. The season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. We sit in this solemn feeling of our own mortality, imperfection, brokenness, and sin. Lent begins in humbleness. In the mindfulness of our own greatest need. It glosses over nothing, Ash Wednesday’s theme results in feeling the burden of a shattered world, overwhelmed by death. Many of us have experienced the weight of this, the Russian-Ukrainian invasion and war, a massive world wide refugee crisis, food and housing insecurity, gun violence, the drug epidemic taking too many young lives, and more recently the Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. We do not have to look far for images of a shattered world do we? But the Good News is that LENT doesn’t remain there. As we shall see in the days ahead there is an inescapable movement toward the

 FEBRUARY 21, 2023 PSALM 119:103 “How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” When I came to Windsor, On in 1996, I became a participant in a local tradition celebrated on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. This tradition was inherited from the time of the middle ages through Polish immigration. On the Tuesday before Lent, the people of Poland used up food so that it would not be spoiled or wasted during the fasting season called Lent. Families would use up their eggs, butter and sugar and fruit by treating themselves one last time before Lent began with these rich treats, called Pączki (punch-key). The first year that I participated, I heard that a local bakery, Blak’s it was, would have 35,000 of these oversized donuts filled with fruit, or custard and when they were gone that was it until next year. Well, all the hype over these  Pączki  meant that I just had to get some to share with my family. I rose early on that Tuesday because I did not want to miss o

  FEBRUARY 20, 2023 Psalm 119:33-40 33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes, and I will observe it to the end. 34 Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart. 35 Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it. 36 Turn my heart to your decrees and not to selfish gain. 37 Turn my eyes from looking at vanities; be gracious to me according to your word. 38 Confirm to your servant your promise, which is for those who fear you. 39 Turn away the disgrace that I dread, for your ordinances are good. 40 See, I have longed for your precepts; in your righteousness be gracious to me. Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes… Psalm 119:33 Have you ever read Psalm 119 in one sitting? If you have you would have noticed the poet’s deep longing, the cry from his heart. Many writers describe Psalm 119 as a devotional on the word of God. Bible scholars suggest that it was most likely composed or

 FEBRUARY 17, 2023 GALATIANS 5:14 "The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Today, I invite you to look with me at the importance of love, that is directed toward ourselves. Above we read that the apostle Paul said that, the entire law is summed up in a single command, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Could it be that the love that we direct toward ourselves, the quality of that love, the generosity of that love, has a great deal to do with how well we love our neighbors, with how we love others. I had a colleague who argued, that if you can't love yourself well, you cannot love others well. He wholeheartedly believed, that inability to love ourselves had a huge impact on how we could respond to loving God “With our heart, soul and strength.” "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' ther

 FEBRUARY 16, 2023 1 John 3:16-18 We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us — and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. Love is a verb. Love as a verb points to action. Love as a verb is revealed and made authentic in actions and in deeds. Love as a verb is alive and active. Love as an action is demonstrated in the self-giving love of Jesus Christ (v. 13). We know the height of love in the sacrificial love of Jesus through his death for us. This view is reflected in the Gospel of John: “No one has greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). Both of these texts speak about self-giving, mutual Christian love as being modeled for us by Christ’s death. The bible tells us that this form of love is not out of our reach even though man

 FEBRUARY 15, 2023 Zephaniah 3:17 The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” The above Bible reading has so many beautiful truths in it. On Monday we looked at how God longs to lavish His love upon us and draw us close to His heart. Today we are looking at some other truths which represent His heart too, from the scripture above. I want us to look at the phrase “He will quiet you with His love.” These words speak to me in a life that can be noisy. Cruel circumstances can make the heart feel messy and loud. Rest can be elusive when you are hurting. Stress can be deafening. A demanding schedule can make a life disordered. Confusion can fade the peace of the quiet. Yes, life can be noisy; and no one is immune. I wonder if life has become noisy for you lately, perhaps these words will help guide you to the True Quiet we all need. We underestimate God’s love; mayb

 FEBRUARY 14, 2023 I John 4:19 We love because he first loved us. John 13:34 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. Ephesians 5:2   (The Message) “Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.” Valentines Day...the day of love! Many believe it’s a day exclusively for couples, but that just is not true. Ok, I’ll admit Valentines Day has been marketed that way, as a day for couples, but in my spirit, I feel that there is more to love than simply romantic love. Valentines Day is a day of LOVE and can be celebrated between couples, families, church families, and friends. It’s a day to celebrate anyone you love, and who loves you. The Bible tells us that we were lovingly created to be loved. Our idea of love is learned from the knowledge and experience of being loved by our Crea

 FEBRUARY 13, 2023 1 John 3:1 “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” Whether you know it or fully understand it, the truth is that God, the Creator of the universe, unconditionally loves you and me. Every day God lavishes his extravagant love upon us. God desires that each of us would be able to comprehend the enormity and vastness of his love towards us. That we would know the breadth and length, the height and depth, and the great magnitude of his amazing love towards us is the core foundation of our faith. To experience the love of a perfect Father who promises, as the amplified Bible puts it, that he “will never [ under any circumstances ] desert you [ nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless ], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [ assuredly not ]!” Hebrews 13:5 I want you to know that these words are not empty promises. They

 FEBRUARY 10, 2023 PSALM 23 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.  Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Many of the songs found in the Bible, declare their thesis in the first verse and then simply amplify it in the remainder of the song. This is true of Psalm 23, the beloved Shepherd's Psalm. The key thought is this: Because the Lord is my Shepherd, I shall lack nothing! NOTHING!! No uncertainty will frighten, terrify, alarm, or panic me. Here is the way the theme of Psalm 23 is played out in the bala

 FEBRUARY 9, 2023 John 1:46b Philip answered, "Come and see". And then there were four! Doubled in a day.  Note Philip’s invitation: come and see. That is a way to simplify things. No pressure on Nathanael. Simply a description of Jesus, then a gentle invite to come and see for himself. What we witness in this account is that Philip has already caught on to Jesus' approach. Simple invitation. That has been my experience of God, God doesn't step toward me with heavy handed tactics, shaking an accusing finger at me. I have found that God uses the method of a simple invitation to get my attention. Come and see! Come and hear! Come and touch! All the wonderful spiritual encounters I have had with God seem to come down to these simple invitations. Come and see! The heavens and earth tell the glory of God. Is God not present in the sunrise, the sunset, the amazing views of nature and creation wherever you may be in the world?  Open your eyes. View the intricacies of a spi

 FEBRUARY 8, 2023 John 1:38a When Jesus turned and saw them following him, he asked them: What are you looking for?   Read the full story in John 1:35–42 Interesting question! Interesting answer! The two followers of John the Baptist knew that Jesus was worth getting to know, that in him was life. John the Baptist had given that hint earlier in John 1:19–34. “John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.” So, when John pointed out Jesus, they naturally went after him. But Jesus asked: “What are you looking for?” I believe most of us have asked ourselves that question. This question and longing and human struggle is at the core of many of us. That might explain why Rick Warren’s book The Purpose Driven Life became such a best seller. This longing might also point the reason the band U2 had a hit with a song that carried t

FEBRUARY  7, 2023 JOHN 1:16-18 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and[b] is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. Verse 16 above reads: “Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given” . I rather like the way The Message Bible puts verses 16 and 17: We all live off his generous abundance, gift after gift after gift. We got the basics from Moses, and then this exuberant giving and receiving, This endless knowing and understanding, all this came through Jesus, the Messiah. I had a individual from our community drop in recently and in our conversation I found that he believed that Christians should only read the New Testament and in particular those parts attributed to the Apostle Paul. In his view, he treated the Old Testament

 FEBRUARY 6, 2023 Isaiah 30:18–26 18 Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. 19 O people in Zion, inhabitants of Jerusalem, you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when he hears it, he will answer you. 20 Though the Lord may give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself any longer, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. 21 And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” 22 Then you will defile your silver-covered idols and your gold-plated images. You will scatter them like impure things; you will say to them, “Away with you!” 23 He will give rain for the seed with which you sow the ground, and grain, the produce of the ground, will be rich and plenteous. On that day

 FEBRUARY 3, 2023 Matthew 19:29 And everyone who has left houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children or fields, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold, and will inherit eternal life. How would you like a one-hundredfold return on your investment? Sounds awesome, doesn’t it? This is exactly what Jesus promises in this verse above for our spiritual investment and growth. This verse comes at the end of the account of the rich young man who comes to Jesus wanting eternal life. You may recall that the young man leaves the conversation with Jesus in sadness because Jesus calls him to sell his many possessions and give the money to the poor. As it turns out the point Jesus was driving home was that this man’s wealth was his god, and while he endeavoured to keep the other commandments, Jesus’ focus was on the first commandment of having “no other god’s” before the Covenant God. This was the young man’s undoing. The disciples’ are amazed and the discussion about the how hard it