FLOODWATERS RISING?

 DECEMBER 4, 2022

Gen. 9:13-15

“I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth... Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.”

Often I think when I read the Noah story, when God told Noah to build the Ark for a future flood it must have seemed like an insurmountable task. Where would he start? Where and how would he gather all that was needed for construction? What will people think? Was there going to be any hope for the future of the earth after the flood? Put your self in Noah’s place, what would you have been thinking, what questions might have been your questions?

I wonder if the Advent season might appear that way to many of us. The busyness of the days increases as we search for that perfect gift, find all the right ingredients to a family’s traditional recipe, try to meet deadlines, try to muster up enthusiasm for decorating and creating the most beautiful Christmas tree, and find the way to manage the expectations of family, friends, and the community. At times, doesn’t it feel like the floodwaters are rising as the days draw near to Christmas. But in the end, we would do it all over again next year for our promised Messiah is born! It’s a time to reflect and celebrate the birth of Jesus our Savior, our Hope, our Friend.

Back to Noah, God not only supplied him with all that he needed to follow through on God’s request, but after it was all said and done, God said: "I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth that this will never happen again."

Let me ask, Are you able to see the rainbow of promise and hope for the future as we await the coming Messiah?

WHO YOU GONNA LISTEN TO?

 DECEMBER 3, 2022

Genesis 2:16

“You are free to eat from any tree, but not the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”

You have no doubt heard or maybe said the following that "with great power comes great responsibility." For example, in most superhero stories, the story is driven forward by how the question: What will they do with their “special powers”?, will be answered. Scripture reveals that human beings are the height of God’s creation. God created us for worship and work and gave special significance and privileges to us. Think of it, no other creature has the breath of God’s life in them or bears the likeness of God’s image upon them. In the creation story there is what I view as an extreme risk that God chooses to offer. God granted humankind with freedom to choose to trust him and take him at his word and follow him willingly from their hearts. Why? Because love given freely is love at its best. So, God’s story is driven by a question like many superhero stories: What will humanity/WE do with this special gift?


It turns out, we blew it! Genesis 3 details the painful reality that humankind/We chose to doubt God and listen to other ‘wiser’ voices, exposing ourselves to the attraction and damaging power of evil. Thankfully, God’s story does not end there. Its great theme is about God’s plan to rescue us from evil’s grip, to rid the world of evil’s power, to restore all things to an even better state than what we started with, and to offer us another chance at life the way God intended. All this is ours through Jesus – the forerunner of God’s new humanity and proof of his new creation.

The question for us today may just be this:

“Whose voice have you been listening to in your life?”

DELIGHTING IN BEAUTY

 DECEMBER 2, 2022

Gen. 1:1 & 28

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth...God saw all that he made, and it was very good.”

The opening chapters of the Bible make some very big claims. They declare that God brought the entire universe into being by his word. That is right just through saying "let there be ... and there was." Genesis 1 and 2 also say that God was extremely pleased with what he made, infusing beauty and purpose into creation and then standing back to enjoy it saying "IT IS VERY GOOD." 

Jenny Toews shared the following personal story, she writes

“I remember one sunny morning when I was travelling along a beautiful route that wound its way between the rocky coastline and a towering mountain range. Traffic came to a complete stop along a bend and people stood outside their cars peering over the cliffs. My immediate thought was a terrible accident had just occurred. I, too, got out to look, but there was no accident. The morning rush hour was brought to a standstill by a large pod of dolphins diving in and out of the water and skipping along the surface. No one said a word, nor did getting to work on time seem to matter either. Everyone just stood there taking in this breathtaking sight. It was a special moment of strangers standing back to delight in beauty and respond to something greater than themselves.”

Whether we acknowledge God’s hand in creation or not, we are all awestruck by the beauty of the world around us. Splendor tells us something about the heart of the Creator of beautiful things. Being awestruck suggests that wonder is a response of worship as we ponder the glory of our good world. Our Genesis reading today points to the source. "In the beginning God ...."

When was the last time you were awestruck by beauty?

Today pause and offer a prayer of thanks to God for all that is beautiful in our world. Perhaps as you go about your day, take notice of God's handiwork around you and offer a simple prayer of praise like "Thank You God for __________." 

JESSE TREE

 DECEMBER 1, 2022

Isaiah 11:1

“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.”


The Jesse Tree is basically an advent calendar that tells the story of God beginning with Creation following the story along to the leading of His people out of exile through Jesus Christ. Each day we will remember a different Bible story, showing how God has walked with His people throughout history, leading them to the promise of Christ, and revealing different parts of the promise along the way.

This advent season, as we wait for Christ’s birth and the celebration of His redemptive Hope, Joy, Peace, Love, and Light, let us wait with those who have come before us. Their Stories are our stories, we are all connected. Let us wait with the people who walked in faith, who sometimes really messed things up and yet observed miracles and unimaginable successes as they waited for God’s promise to unfold.

Even in the waiting God calls us to faithfulness.
Even in the darkness, God calls us to walk in light.
Come, you, who are already rejoicing
You, who are weary, lonely, or hopeless
Come, all who eagerly await the Saving One.

HIDDEN HOPE

 NOVEMBER 30, 2022

Isaiah 11:1-3

A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
His delight shall be in the fear of the lord.


Henri Nouwen writes,

I keep expecting loud and impressive events to convince me and others of God’s saving power…Our temptation is to be distracted by them…When I have no eyes for the small signs of God’s presence – the smile of a baby, the carefree play of children, the words of encouragement and gestures of love offered by friends – I will always remain tempted to despair.

The small child of Bethlehem, the unknown man of Nazareth, the rejected preacher, the naked man on the cross, he asks for my full attention. The work of our salvation takes place in the midst of a world that continues to shout, scream, and overwhelm us with its claims and promises.

LET US PRAY

We welcome you, small child of Bethlehem, whose coming we await with quiet attention.
Shield us from the shouts, the screams, the empty promises of the season, and encourage us to turn our hopes to your coming.

We know that the promise is hidden in the stable in Bethlehem and rooted in the offspring of Jesse; let us look for our salvation there.
Amen.

TAKE AWAY

Today, look for one small sign that God is present in your daily life. Give thanks for his presence.

BE READY, BE WATCHFUL

 NOVEMBER 29, 2022

Matthew 24:44

“So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

Luke 21:25-36

25 “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. 26 People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. 27 At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

29 He told them this parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. 30 When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. 31 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.

32 “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

34 “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”

It could be argued that in recent history we have witnessed and experienced a world that was not “ready” for a global pandemic. While there had been other moments in time when preparation toward a disease of global proportions could have been taking place, it seems it wasn’t. The outcome was that no one, no country, was prepared for a disease on this scale, or for the impact it would have on societies.

Our passage today is one of a series of teaching verses where Jesus tells us to be prepared. Jesus’ words here: “Be careful…”, “Be always on the watch…” (v 34, 36).

In Luke 21, Jesus is not only referring to his eventual second coming. He blends language about the Son of Man returning in great glory (v 27) with more impending warnings to his generation about the destruction of the Jerusalem temple (look at 21:5-6, 20-24, 32). We know from the history books that the demolition of the temple by the Roman army really happened in 70 AD, and the eyewitness accounts sound just as dreadful as Jesus’ descriptions in verse 20 and following.

Admittedly, we may not be 1st Century believers suffering the fall of Jerusalem, but I believe we can relate to Jesus’ warnings in verses 9-11 about wars, disasters and pestilences ( pandemics?). Living between Jesus’ first and second comings is not promised to be comfortable and easy, a bed of roses as we often say.

In Luke 21:34-36 Jesus spells out what it means to be ready, awake and prepared. You see, I believe, Jesus knows how easily we get distracted, and he loves us so much that he doesn’t want our hearts to be weighed down with the “anxieties of life." Jesus love is deep for us he doesn't want to see us trapped in a cycle of vices, or addictions, to dull the pain. 

There is good news in the catastrophic language Jesus uses: “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (v 28). No-one knows what the future will bring, or when Jesus will finally return. But as Jesus’ followers we can anticipate the future with our eyes fixed on him.

I wonder if these words in our readings today are not nudging us to think about what distracts us from watchfulness.

Are there ways that we can simplify our life to keep our hearts in a healthier place?

Are there practical things - getting enough sleep or exercise, a daily time for prayer, communication with a good friend, or something else that can help us live with freedom and peace?

LET US PRAY

Lord, we have not kept watch for you. 

We have occupied ourselves with our own concerns. 

We have not waited to find your will for us. 

We have not noticed the needs of the people around us. 

We have not acknowledged the love that has been shown to us. 

Forgive us for our lack of watchfulness. 

Help us to wait to know your will. 

Help us to look out for the needs of others. 

Help us to work and watch for your coming. Amen.

MARANATHA

 NOVEMBER 28, 2022

Revelation 22:20

“He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.                                                      (MARANATHA)


Paul’s letters are mostly written in Greek, but when he closes 1 Corinthians he uses a surprise Aramaic word - Maranatha. This suggests that Maranatha was a common phrase of worship and prayer handed down from the earliest Aramaic speaking followers of Jesus, and that it had a particular importance

for the church in early times. If you think about this in our worship language today we use ancient words like Hallelujah, Hosanna, and Amen in a similar way – they have become part of the language of our worship.

So what does Maranatha mean? It is commonly translated “Come, Lord” (see Revelation 22:20), Bible scholar Kenneth Bailey, in his book Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes points out that there are really three possible meanings for Maranatha:

He writes, “As often observed, this last word can be read maran atha (Our Lord has come). This translation addresses the readers and affirms a reality in the present (he is here). The two Aramaic words can also be divided to read marana tha (Our Lord-come!). This is a request addressed to the risen

Lord that looks to the end of all things with the plea ‘Please come!’ A variant on this second option is, ‘Our Lord is coming.’ This also looks to the future but it is a statement of fact rather than a plea, and it is not addressed to Jesus.” (Pages 495-496)

What Bailey shows is that all three translations have been adopted through church history, and that the rendering, which is less known to us, the past-tense confession “Our Lord has come” has in fact been the favoured interpretation in Middle Eastern countries.

What if we do not need to settle on one definition over another, what if we understood the meaning of Maranatha as all these at the same time.

We declare with confidence that Jesus came in the incarnation. We can proclaim with hope that he is coming again. We can call to him in faith, interceding for our world and asking him to be present in our midst as we wait for his final return.

We would then confess the following when we say Maranatha,

Our Lord has come.
Our Lord is coming.
Our Lord - come!

1 Corinthians 16:23-24

Come, Lord!
23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.
24 My love to all of you in Christ Jesus. Amen.

STEPPING INTO GOD'S FUTURE

 NOVEMBER 25, 2022

Ephesians 1:20-21

He raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand... far above all rule and authority, power and dominion.” 


The words “king”, “kingdoms” and “throne” are ones we associate with storybooks from childhood, or perhaps epic fictional dramas made into long movies or TV series. The Advent invitation to wait for Jesus as “the coming King” can therefore feel as if it has little to do with reality.

Let’s instead try some other words from today’s verses: Rule. Authority. Power. Dominion. These are words that can be found in today’s newspaper, on the political blog you read, in the tweets of heads of countries. We are aware of the authorities around us: the leaders we’ve elected, as well as, the influence of big-business, tech companies and celebrity culture.

In light of these what does it mean to wait for Jesus, our coming King?

The believers in Ephesus knew about powers and authorities. Theirs was a city where Roman emperors were establishing and enforcing their rule, but it was also a Centre of religious power. The  deities they exalted were plentiful, and the power of magic was sought out and worshipped. To the Christians in this place, Paul writes that the battle is not against flesh and blood, but “against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph 6:12).

Paul prays for this young church that their eyes would be opened to the “incomparably great power” (v 19) that they possess, through Christ. Do you think of yourself as having incomparably great power? If you don’t, you might want to look at what else Paul prays for them in verse 18: that they would become aware of their “hope and inheritance”.

Hope and inheritance have to do with waiting. Yes, Jesus is the resurrected King, with every other power and authority below him. And yes, we share in this power. And yet, our hope is in a future when this is completely fulfilled, when we finally receive our full inheritance.

Paul’s prayer is for the church to begin living out of the reality of these promises now. This is a reality “in the present age but also in the one to come” (v 21).

The invitation is to step today into God’s future for us, to “practice resurrection” in the here and now.



TAKE AWAY

Think abut the situations around you or in your community where you feel powerless to bring change. What would it look like for you to “practice resurrection” today?

With eyes opened to your hope, your inheritance in Christ and your shared power with him, pray for change in the situations around you.

LET US PRAY

Pray verses 18-23 below, as your personal prayer today.

18 I pray that the eyes of my heart may be enlightened in order that I may know the hope to which he has called me, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

WORTH THE WAIT

 NOVEMBER 24, 2022

Psalm 130:5

“I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits.”


This weekend we begin the season of Advent.
“Advent” means “coming”. When we believe that something is coming, we live in an in-between state. When friends or family are about to arrive at our home for a celebration we might run around tidying up, glancing at the clock or out the window. We are not yet experiencing the fullness of our guests’ presence, and at the same time we act in expectation of their appearance. 

Let me ask you, How have you approached Advent in the past? 

Has it centered around a chocolate a day calendar, or perhaps the lighting of special candles? Or maybe Advent as a season has been trampled under the rush to buy gifts, or planning parties and finishing up some work in order to be ready for some time off, and a little break?

Take a moment to jot down some of your previous experiences of Advent on a slip of paper, or in your notes APP on your phone.

What if, this year, you decided to dedicate Advent to waiting? What would it look like to not rush ahead but to pause, to anticipate, to be expectant?

The psalmist wrote about waiting for God with their “whole being”. They looked expectantly for God to come and restore them: “I wait for the Lord, more than watchmen wait for the morning” (130:6).

Let’s not forget that this is the psalm which begins: “Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord.” This waiting is a result of struggle and hardship. The writer cries out to God for mercy, trusting in God’s faithfulness when all around them is crumbling.

I believe we all recognize that some waiting in our lives produces anxiety and impatience. This waiting creates frets and worries, as we try to hurry things along. 

But there is another kind of waiting, called a godly waiting, where with the psalmist we choose to “put our hope in the Lord” (130:7). During this Advent season lets us explore aspects of what it means to worship God in the waiting.

LET US PRAY

HONESTY TALK

 NOVEMBER 23, 2022

James 5:16

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

Stephen Blandino wrote, “People are messed up. I’m messed up, you’re messed up, and we all have problems. If you don’t think you have a problem…that’s your problem.” When I read that quote it made me smile by its truth.

I find, maybe you do too, that I/we often don’t get very real in relationships. Keeping people at an arm’s length distance because we don’t want them to see the real us; the parts of us that are still unattractive and need a lot of work. I think we entertain the thought and to a certain extent we believe that if they saw who we really are, they might disappear from our lives and remove us from their lives.

The reason I liked Blandino’s quote above is that an honest evaluation of ourselves and others results in the acknowledgement that we all have issues. If we think we are free from problems or issues, that is our problem or issue. This is why we all need a community; we need to have that safe someone or group with whom we can be honest. That is the essence of community.

Generally, when we finally get to the place of sharing a struggle with a friend, often we are met with a compassionate, understanding response. It’s amazing how vulnerability breeds more vulnerability. I know for myself one of the barriers I am working to overcome is the anticipation that a persons reaction will be judgmental. I/We have got to let those notions go. We all have something we need to share and “get off our chests” as we say.

Recent Order of Canada recipient Séan McCann is perhaps best known for singing and playing energetic rock melodies inspired by traditional Newfoundland folk songs in the band, Great Big Sea. A man recovering from alcoholism and childhood trauma at the hands of a Priest posted these words a while ago: “There’s only one thing that can defeat a secret and that is sharing it.”

So, who do we open our lives up to?

People who have proven to be trustworthy, who are grounded in life, and grounded in the Word of God is a real plus, and who will keep our confidence. Transparency and honesty is reserved for a select few. When we are struggling, we may choose to go into greater detail with those who have earned the privilege of sharing and bearing our burdens.

James 5:16 says that if we want healing and freedom from those sins and experiences that trip us up, sharing with others lifts the burden w carry.

“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”

Opening our hearts to a trusted soul mate and close friend brings not only a sense of relief and freedom but also an opportunity to receive compassion and wisdom. Community lifts us out of our loneliness and into freedom.

DOING LIFE TOGETHER

 NOVEMBER 22, 2022

 ACTS 2:42-47

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.

Acts 2 describes a community: they ate together, prayed together, and had a great time together. Most days were filled with awe and wonder by how God was moving in their midst. Generosity coursed through their veins as they shared all that they had with whomever was in need. They spent time together every day and worshiped God with all their hearts. And every single day they welcomed new people into the faith.

Now that’s how to have community.

Our busy lives may not allow us to have community as often as what the Bible depicts but we can experience all of the same things they did. And we should. We were never meant to be alone, to “fly solo” on this earth.

To Me Doing life together can look like this:

Sharing a meal — casual or eloquent.
Studying and discussing the Bible.
Working out together.
Pitching in financially to meet the need of a family.
Attending a hockey game of a friend’s child.
Asking the hard questions.
Supporting a friend after a death in the family.
Sending an encouraging text to a friend after a hard day.
Offering a much needed hug to a devastated friend.
Having communion as we remember Christ’s sacrifice.
Traveling together.
Laughing so hard until we cry.
Celebrating holidays together.

What other things might you add?

Community can be as rich and deep as we make it. If we desire this, we must make the effort to have it. Community like this takes time to cultivate.

IT IS NOT GOOD . . . TO BE ALONE

 NOVEMBER 21, 2022

Genesis 1:1; 31

1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth …. 31Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!

Genesis 2:18

Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”

John 13:34

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.

1 John 3:23

And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us.



From the beginning of creation, being alone was never the plan. So, God did something about that by creating companionship for us. That’s where this notion of community comes in.

So, what is community? As Jesus followers, community is having meaningful relationships where we do life together by sharing, encouraging, serving, forgiving, and pursuing faithfully after God.

I believe that community is a context where we can be our true selves with others. It is our place of safety; the space where we can share our greatest accomplishments and joys and our saddest moments and disappointments. It is a setting where we show up in each other’s lives for both the wonderful and the ordinary moments. It is the place of knowing and being genuinely known. It is pursuing God and developing into the person(s) that fulfills God’s vision for us. It is, to use the Apostle Paul’s words, “fighting the good fight” and helping those around us to fight it as well.

The Bible instructs us that we are to love others. There are some 59 verses in the New Testament that teach us how we are to treat one another. Here are several of the “one-another” passages we are called to carry out:

serve one another (Galatians 5:13)
honor one another (Philippians 2:3)
encourage one another (Hebrews 3:13)
pray for one another (James 5:16)
instruct one another (Romans 15:14)
forgive one another (Ephesians 4:32)

I recently read that “We can’t one-another one another if we are living our lives in solitude.” We need human connections. If we have learned anything in the years of this pandemic it has to be that we discovered how vital human connection and relationships are to meaningful living. We missed community, we learned that we took community connections for granted. Would you not agree that a key take away from periods of isolating from others was that we really do need others. We missed out on the richness that deep friendships can offer to others and bring to ourselves.

I will be honest I have not always embraced the gift of community, that decision was to my detriment. Over the next few days let us reflect together about God’s gift of community, and the impact that this gift can have on our living from day to day.

“It is not good ... to be alone."

REFLECT

Does being in a community of like-minded Christ followers excite or frighten you? Why?

Pray for God to show you your next step in developing and participating in community on a deeper level.

 

DON'T GIVE UP

 NOVEMBER 18, 2022

Galatians 6:9

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

I remember a friend of my dad's who was a pastor sharing the story about a man in the community of their church. He was really quite antagonistic toward the church. This particular church from time to time would hold outside services in their parking lot. This gentleman lived across the street from the church. And whenever these services would be going on. He would be blaring his music from his garage as loud as he could. At other times he would set off his car alarm in the middle of the service. And he would be in no rush to turn it off. My dad's friend went to visit him to talk to him about his approach to the church's outdoor worship. But he was cold, and sarcastic and harsh. 

Is there anyone, or any situation in your world that you are just ready to give up on? Perhaps you’ve tried and tried but you continually seem to hit a “wall”, a barrier.

Our Verse today says to us in those situations Don’t give up!

Back to my dad's friend. While many in the congregation felt this gentleman lost cause, my dad's friend did not. One day, he looked over from the church parking lot, and he saw the neighbor down on his hands and knees weeding his flower bed. So this pastor went over and knelt down beside him and began to weed the garden too. After that day, a relationship developed. And while he never came to a church service. He never interfered with the outside services again. In fact, on occasion the neighbor could be seen standing at the end of his driveway. Taking the service in.

“Don’t grow weary” this passage says. There will be a harvest, you just don’t know when. Continue to pray and continue to ask and continue to do good. Continue to be faithful.

1 Corinthians 15:58 says “Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” Let this be the encouragement you need, we need today.