SEARCHLIGHT

  MAY 1, 2024 Psalm 133 Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers and sisters dwell in unity! Friends At Their Best If you could give a description of what humanity on its best day might be like what would you say? I suspect that for most of us we might describe humanity at its best in some act of kindness towards one another. A vision of selflessness, sacrifice, and generosity toward another with no strings attached. I think that is why “Random Act of Kindness Day” caught on because deep down we all want to live in world like that. Through the insight of David in Psalm 133, God invites us to notice how wonderful unity is, especially in our Christian friendships. Now, that does not mean we’ll never have tensions. I believe we know that all healthy relationships need genuine investments of time and energy, and we will all have times when a conflict will require us to listen respectfully to another person’s perspective. It may mean we need to apologize for something and ask fo

  April 30, 2024 Matthew 3:17 “… behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” BEHOLD MY BELOVED The Bible teaches us that Jesus is the cornerstone and the centre of our faith. For example, Ephesians 2:19-22 records 9 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone . 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. Psalm 118:2 is quoted in Acts 4 in reference to Jesus, we read “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone .” These verses describe how Jesus is the foundation of the Faith Community and the fulfillment of God’s promises. God shows the awe and honour owed to Jesus when His words anno

  April 29, 2024 Psalm 27:4 One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. What Is Your Greatest Desire? I wonder what your answer would be to the question, ‘What is your greatest desire?’ Your first answer might not be to have a better relational connection with a specific person, but it is likely to be in your top 5. We are wired to desire relational connection, and it turns out God’s greatest desire is to have a close, loving relationship with us. David wrote Psalm 27:4  that more than anything else, he wanted a relationship with God that meant he could behold the beauty of the Lord. The word behold here means more than just looking at someone. It means to give your full attention to experiencing and understanding the wonder of the person or thing that has caught your gaze. Most of the other places where the word behold appears in the Bible are in

   April 26, 2024 EPHESIANS 6:11 11Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. EPHESIANS 6:13-17 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Psalm 16:8 “I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” I WILL NOT BE SHAKEN Have you ever seen the picture of that lone Chinese man standing in front of a line of tanks? It's this iconic snapshot from years ago because it is a thrill

  April 25, 2024 Matthew 24:6-14 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains. 9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. STANDING FIRM In Matthew Chapter 24, Jesus was, as we have identified in previous devotions, thinking of wars and rumors of wars and

  APRIL 24, 2024 MATTHEW 24:6-8 6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8All these are the beginning of birth pains. THE BEGINNING OF BIRTH PAINS A few weeks ago I had a conversation with a Somali refugee who is the only surviving member of his entire family. His family were killed during the genocide which took place in his country. I was deeply moved by his story, but at the same time I was profoundly aware that I could not possibly identify with this person’s sorrow, pain, or experience. After all, within a few blocks of where we were standing, I could visit with my family members. In my experience, the veterans that I have met never want to talk about what they have experienced in war. I was reading of a veteran recently, who when asked by his family members “what did

    April 23, 2024 MATTHEW 24:6 6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. JOHN 16:33 33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” DON'T BE ALARMED? War is alarming, isn't it? People are dying. People are suffering. If you listen to the news streams and analysts’ projections the current conflicts that we hear so much about are unlikely to end anytime soon, that it actually could be catastrophic. It could go global. Things could get much worse. It is light of this messaging, that I wanted to share with you today something from God’s word, the Bible. Now when you hear about wars or rumors of wars starting, that phrase may trigger in your mind something that Jesus once said the week before he died. In Matthew 24, Jesus spoke these words. “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. B

  War and Rumors of War. I don't know how many of you are like me in this, when it comes to War, I struggle knowing how to pray. A few weeks ago I came across the prayer below, and I have found it helpful in organizing my thoughts when I pray. Now, this prayer focuses on Israel and Palestine specifically, however its structure lends its self to praying for conflicts in other world areas too. We hear so much about Russia/Ukraine and Israel/Hamas, yet I was shocked to discover that there are around 20 wars and rumors of war currently in our world. To be honest, that overwhelms me some days. I am hopeful that today's post will give all of us some idea(s) of how to pray for our world and in particular the war torn parts. Isaiah 11:9 “They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain...” Let Us Pray God of Comfort, send your Spirit to encompass all those whose lives are torn apart by violence and death in Israel and Palestine. You are the Advocate of the oppressed and th

  April 19, 2024 Psalm 37 1 Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; 2 for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. 3 Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. 4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: 6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. 7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. 8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. 9 For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land. 10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. 11 But the m

   April 18, 2024 Ephesians 3:21-22 21when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! Titus 3:5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit CRAFTED AND SHAPED One of the great images of “Resurrection Transformation” for me is a caterpillar undergoing a miraculous transformation, emerging from its cocoon as a stunning butterfly. The metamorphosis is complete, and the once plain creature is now a beautiful creation, spreading its wings in

  April 17, 2024 Acts 5:1  Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 Corinthians 5:17   Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! Acts 1:8  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” RESURRECTION PEOPLE EMBRACE AUTHENTICITY The end of Acts 2 and Acts 4 describes a voluntary type of shared investment among the early church. People sold their possessions and property, bringing the proceeds to the Apostles to meet the needs of others. We said this week that this was the genuine outcome God brought to a faithful group of “resurrection-living” people. It is a beautiful scene as Acts 4 concludes. Then, in Acts 5, we are introduced to a couple named Ananias and Sapphira who did a similar thing. They sold a parcel of land and brought money from the sale to the

    April 16, 2024 Acts 2:42 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. WHAT COMES FIRST?  OUTCOME or PROCESS I Believe that many of us have had a complicated history with Acts 2:42-47. I know some Pastors who avoid preaching on this text, one colleague said to me “I did my best to avoid preaching it. The passage felt like a perfect, unrealistic, and fictional experience.” Others have said that the notion in verses 45-46 of com

  April 15, 2024 John 14:12 12 What I’m about to tell you is true. Anyone who believes in me will do the works I have been doing. In fact, they will do even greater things. That’s because I am going to the Father. John 16:33 33 “I have told you these things, so that you can have peace because of me. In this world you will have trouble. But be encouraged! I have won the battle over the world.” 1 Corinthians 15:54 54 In fact, that is going to happen. What does not last will be dressed with what lasts forever. What dies will be dressed with what does not die. Then what is written will come true. It says, “Death has been swallowed up. It has lost the battle.”   GREATER THINGS Sometimes I think about what it would have been like to be among the followers of Jesus in the time depicted in the gospels, to hear the words spoken, see the miracles. Have you ever thought of what it would have been like to sit in front of Jesus' teaching? Would you have been taking hurried notes, li

  April 10, 2024 Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 2 Corinthians 5:14 For Christ’s love compels us .... MARTYR! WHO ME? We all have experiences that mark us. It seems impossible to explain who we are, and how we move through the world, without mentioning those moments. For me it was a trauma I experienced at a young age. The supernatural healing of a family member who had a tumor disappear, leaving the Doctor’s without explanation. Marrying into a family that accepted me and loved me, so much so that I dropped “in law” from my language, they became Mom, Dad, sister, brother to me. In 1996 God picked me up in one Christian denomination and set me down in another Christian domination to pastor, for which I am grateful everyday. I am a witness to those events in my life. You, also are a witness to the events which made you who you are today. Followin

  April 9, 2024 Romans 8:11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. EXPECTING RESURRECTION Do you expect resurrection, When you get out of bed in the morning? When you go to work? When you sit down with a friend? Many of us believe in Jesus’ resurrection, but do we believe that power is still at work in our world today? A while ago, Barbara Johnson wrote that "we are Easter people in a Good Friday world.” Does that make sense? In a world marked by death and darkness, hate and anger, and disappointment and grief, sounds like Good Friday themes don’t you think. I wonder is it possible to live as resurrection people in a world of brokenness and discord? What would it look like to expect resurrection? Resurrection is the hope that out of death, life can emerge. If you've experienced betrayal or relationship wounds, expecting resur

April 8, 2024     John 20:19-20 On the evening of the first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ After He said this, He showed them His hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.  RAISED TO LIFE Resurrection Matters. Resurrection alters things. Resurrection creates new life and renewal. When the truth of Easter lays hold of us we live as a changed people. Not because of any personal accomplishments, but because of what was done on our behalf. Jesus’s resurrection gives us a new identity. This is so beautiful, after Jesus resurrection, the basis of our identity is not in the choices we make or what we accomplish, but who we are, our identity is found in who Christ’s resurrection has made each of us to be. The life of the disciples after meeting the resurrected Jesus reminds me of this. “On the evening of the first day of the w

  April 5, 2024 Matthew 28:5-6 “I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, ….” Matthew 28:18 “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” UP FROM THE GRAVE HE AROSE: THE END? We have spent the past few weeks looking forward to Resurrection. We prepared our hearts. We reflected on the cross and its significance. Between Good Friday and Easter Sunday we spent time waiting for the discovery of an empty grave and a risen Savior. And then it comes. Jesus comes, “up from the grave He Arose”, we sing. And then it’s over. The temptation is to treat Easter like it’s an ending. Jesus is risen we went to church, we celebrated, we gathered for a family feast. Now it’s back to “normal life.” Can you connect with this feeling? But nothing was normal after Jesus. resurrection was a revolution. It was the day after which nothing was the same ever again. This event changes everything. I mean, when a man who claims to be God rises from the dea