The Anticlimax of Christmas Past

Simeon with the Christ Child in the Temple - Rembrandt

Sunday is already coming again. Before we get there, we will celebrate Christmas. This past Sunday we celebrated with our Sunday School children in the morning and then came back in the evening for a wonderful evening of scripture and singing in our annual Candlelight Service.

This coming Sunday feels like one we could miss. The story has been told, the songs have been sung, it feels like enough. We know it now.

Luke doesn't see it that way though. He wants the story to keep going. He wants us to see again, and again, that something amazing is going on here, that God has broken into the world. So he takes us to the temple, for the mundane purification rites normal for a first born son. But here again, now in the voices of Simeon and Anna we hear that this is no ordinary baby.

The story told by the angels to the shepherds, is reinforced by these two elderly watchers. It's good for us to hear that the good news is not only reserved for Christmas, but follows us into the regular patterns of our lives as well.,

God's Glory in the Unexpected

Our tendency is to measure someone's status by the way they do things. Important people (or those who would have you think they are important) drive "important people" cars, live in big, "important people" houses, eat at expensive, "important people" restaurants, go to "important people" events, and like to hang out with other important people. There is almost a code of practice for being an important person.

HENRY OWASSA TANNER, “THE ANNUNCIATION” (1898)

You would think that God might be characterized as an "important person"; God the creator of all things, the ruler of everything. There is no doubt that God deserves the title, but the way God comes to be one of us, the Emmanuel, makes us wonder about that status. God chooses an unknown girl whose reputation is about to be destroyed, from an unknown village in a depressed part of the country to smuggle him into our world. Why would God do that when there were lots of other, more flashy, ways an entrance could have been made?

This Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Advent, we will spend some time thinking about God's less than flashy entrance into humanity and what that means for us.

Preparation

This Sunday is the second week of Advent. Last week we lit the candle of hope. This week the candle of preparation. Preparation makes hope real. When we prepare for something hoped for, the thing becomes more real, closer. Hope without preparation in dreaming.

John the Baptist made the coming of the Messiah real for the people of Israel. He is credited with making straight the road for Jesus who would baptize with the Holy Spirit rather than water. John heralded hope for the people, and for us.

This Sunday we will celebrate the Lord's Supper, a physical reminder of the hope we have as we prepare for the coming of the kingdom.

Our service this week is a combined service with our Presbyterian hosts at 10:00 am

Of Sheep and Goats

In Matthew 25, Jesus uses the picture of a shepherd, separating sheep and goats, as a metaphor for his actions at his return. Sheep and goats have many things in common, size, diet, etc. In this parable, they also share a sense of surprise. Neither of them recognized that ministering to the downtrodden around them was, in fact, ministering to Jesus himself. 

Patheos.com

Our attitude toward those around us says a lot about our relationship with Jesus. The sheep were following their shepherd (that's what sheep do) while the goats were less affected by the shepherd's leading, and, in their reply, seem to say they would have benefited from a bit more direction (typical of goats).

This Sunday we will spend some time reflecting on this passages in light of our own interaction with the world around us. 

Practice what you Preach

In the first verses of Matthew 23, Jesus seems to lose his cool. The previous chapters had recounted the priests , Pharisees, and Sadducees working to trap Jesus, to undermine his authourity. In every case he shuts down their questioning, to the point where they are afraid to ask anything else. Now here in chapter 23 Jesus tells us what he really thinks about these folks and people like them, people who preach and teach the truth, but don`t live it themselves.

challengeofabigman.com

This Sunday, we will consider how Jesus words, coupled with those of Paul in 1 Thessalonians 2, impact our lives.

It has been said that a theology that does not equip you to live is not a good theology.

What  do our neighbours learn about God by watching us?

Love

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We call it the golden rule.

 Jesus identifies two laws which are the most important in answer to a question from a lawyer out to stump him. Love God and love your neigbour. He says every other rule or law in life hangs off of these two principles.

While Jesus' words seem to be common sense, they are actually very radical. This Sunday we will spend some time considering just how radical they are, how life changing they can be.

Join us at 9:30 as we worship at the Lucknow Presbyterian Church

Is it About Authourity?

Jewish rabbis have a long history of debate. They were really good at it. They will often counter questions with another question to draw their opponents out before establishing their own position on an issue. In this week's Gospel reading (Matthew 21:23-32) Jesus uses this technique as he in drawn into a debate about where his authourity comes from. He really turns the question around and leaves the chief priests and elders scrambling to cover themselves.

The whole interaction reveals the type of God followers these folks really are and the way they look at other people. Through this interaction, Jesus shows us again how the kingdom of heaven is surprising and unexpected. He says something about how we act as members of the kingdom.

Come out this Sunday as we unpack this debate and the short parable that is part of it.

Forgiving

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How often to I need to forgive that person who keeps messing with my life? There must be a line, a limit, to my patience. There must be a point where I can walk away, turn my back, and refuse to forgive, refuse to try to maintain a relationship.

Peter thought there should be, and quite extravagantly suggests that forgiving someone seven times should be enough. Jesus, in typical Jesus fashion, is much more extravagant, much more generous and uses a story about a king and a couple of servants to illustrate his point.

Join us for worship this week. We continue to meet at the Presbyterian Church in Lucknow at 9:30 as our church is repaired following a fire in the sanctuary.

Get Behind Me

If there was ever a good week to have our service at the park, this is it. We've had a small fire in the church, and there is smoke and soot everywhere. We had already planned to meet at the barn at Point Farms Provincial Park for our worship service as part of our annual church camping, so for this week anyway, no change will be needed.

This week we will be looking at a passage that demands a change, a change in attitude, a change in understanding. Peter, who had, in the previous passage given his profession of faith, naming Jesus as the Messiah, the son of the living God, now tries to change Jesus' path. He responds negatively to Jesus' explanation of what will happen in the next few weeks. Jesus turns to Peter with the word's "Get behind me Satan!"

Is Peter really demon possessed, or is there something more here? A call to discipleship maybe?
Our service will begin at 10:30, at the barn

Feeding 5000

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the enormity of suffering in the world? You may not even need to have such a large scope to feel overwhelmed. What about the suffering in your own community, your own family?

autasticavenues.com

In the story of Jesus feeding 5000 people in a desolate, empty place, we see the disciples overwhelmed. They have little enough for their own supper and the only thing they can think to do is to send the crowd away, send them home, hungry.

Jesus, of course, has another solution, another course of action. This Sunday, we will look at Jesus response to the needs of these people, under the shadow of the murder of John the Baptist. (Matthew 14:13-21) We will wonder at his compassion, and recognize that "send them away" is not an acceptable response to overwhelming problems, then or now.

What is the Kingdom of Heaven Like?

Jesus must have had this question from his disciples. These men had followed him, listened to him speak, recognized that he was special, bringing a new message, but, they weren't really clear on what this kingdom was really like. Matthew relates a series of parables that all start in much the same way: : The kingdom of heaven is like.....

Courtesy http://kingdomnewtestament.wordpress.com/

Jesus uses surprising, and unusual, metaphors for the kingdom. The mustard seed, yeast, a treasure lost in a field, a pearl, and finally a huge net. It's hard to see the relationship between some of these examples but it is clear that the kingdom of heaven is not at all what we might expect it to be. It is not big and brash and pushy and yet it does have a large effect. It is not readily visible, but when it is found, it brings so much joy  the finder will give up everything to have it. It is all encompassing, all powerful, and yet, inconspicuous.

This week we will examine what the kingdom of heaven means to us, in our time and place as we examine the parables of Matthew 13.

Weird Animals

Weird Animals are everywhere!

We are in the middle of VBS and we are learning about how God loves you even if you are different. We are learning about how much Jesus loves us from Axl, Fern, Iggy, Shred,  and Milton. There have been lots of new songs, crafts, and new friends.

This Sunday we will celebrate the kids and the things they have learned in our worship service. We'll look at the key verse for day two as our text for Sunday morning. Its Ephesians 2:10 "For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus.

Join us this Sunday morning, for fun, fellowship, and a wonderful end to an exciting week.

Oh, did I mention the lunch afterward?

Welcome as Mission

At the end of chapter 10 of Matthew, after Jesus has enumerated all of the hardships his disciples will face in their lives of mission, all the things they will lose, he says that the act of welcoming will lead to gain. In fact, it seems that those who welcome the disciples, welcome Christ's workers, will receive the same reward as those on the front line. Jesus emphasizes how important it is for those in mission to have support.

Of course, when you realize all of us are called to mission in one way or another, you realize the interconnections in the support group. We have doers welcoming and welcomers doing. Jesus is describing a community of kingdom builders, all with special roles and gifts, all of whom need to be carried and supported in some way.

Join us this Sunday as we think about how this welcoming and receiving impacts the way we live where we are.

Strawberry Time

It's strawberry time!!! Well that may be a little premature since the late spring has set the strawberry crop back a couple of weeks. It is time for the Lucknow Strawberry Festival and this Sunday we will worship together with the other churches in town in an ecumenical service.

While it may seem an odd time to talk about fear, it is one of the themes of the gospel. Jesus tells us not to be afraid. He tells his disciples that they are of value, in fact such value  God, the Father, knows them so intimately that the hairs on their heads are all accounted for. As we enjoy God's creation, symbolized in the strawberry, this weekend, we are reminded of our mission to the world and that we need not be afraid as we go out as his disciples.

Join us this Sunday at 10:30 on the lawn of the Lucknow Presbyterian Church

A Baptism

Today we celebrated Father's day with a baptism.

Jeffrey Frederik James Reaman, son of Jamie and Jessica was baptized.

A Father's Day Card

This Sunday will be Father's Day. For some fathers there will be cards and gifts today to recognize, in a special way, the important role these men have played, and are playing, in the lives of their children. The cards will have headlines like "You are the Best Father" or "Dad of the Year" or "Dad, There's No One Who Can Compare to You". Inside the card there is likely to be a short poem with more words of praise or even words written personally from child to father.

Psalm 8 is a little like the poem written inside the Father's day card. It gives praise upon praise to a God who is over all the earth, high in the heavens, who sets the moon and stars, and yet, is willing to notice something as insignificant as humankind.

Lord, Our LORD, how excellent your name in all the earth.

Come join us as we worship and praise our heavenly Father this week.

You are my Witnesses

Johnny Cash sings the song Heavenly Minded that has strong echos in the story of the ascension of Jesus Christ. The disciples stand looking into heaven, trying to see through the clouds that blocked Jesus from their view, trying to keep him in sight. They likely would have continued peering into heaven, if two angels, their feet firmly planted on the ground had not got them moving back down the mountain, back to life.

Jesus had given the disciples a task. They were to be his witnesses and they couldn't do that with their heads tilted back, staring into the sky. They had to come back to earth, to the real issues going on around them and into their world witness to a new world, a new kingdom which was being revealed.

Less of Me, More of Him

This Sunday will be GEMS Sunday. GEMS is an acronym for Girls Everywhere Meeting the Savior. We have a very active GEMS club in our church with lots of excited girls and a committed group of leaders. They are a blessing to all of us and this Sunday they will lead our worship service in song and in word.

The theme for the GEMS season has been John 3:30: He must become greater; I must become less. This week, using these words of John the Baptist,  we will explore what it means to become less. Does this mean that we cannot have goals, celebrate achievements, aim for success? Does it mean that Christians need to be in the background, retiring, diminutive or is there something else here?

Join us this week as we celebrate our GEMS and as we learn how to make Him greater in those celebrations.

Do Not Be Afraid

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Don't be afraid. We say it all the time to our kids as they try something for the first time, swimming, school, driving, leaving home. Don't be afraid, we're right here to walk you through this, Nothing bad is going to happen to you. This is a good thing, the next stage in your life.

In Matthew 28 the angel tells the women not to be afraid after they experience an earthquake that turns soldiers into quaking mounds on the ground. The angel, white as lightning is almost as frightening. And then, just a little while later, Jesus says the same thing. Don't be afraid. Your world is shaken, your perceptions stretched to the limit,  everything is off kilter because dead men aren't supposed to get up, walk and talk.

And yet, Jesus calms their fears and sends them to tell.

On Easter Sunday we are going to celebrate the end of fear as we live into the resurrection story once more.

Lord Remember Me

Death bed conversions don't seem fair to many of us. Would God really forgive someone who has lived a godless life, done their own thing, never volunteered a moment of their time, or given to a worthy charity? Would God really let someone like that into the kingdom just because, at the last moment, they realize there is no way out, death is inevitable, and Jesus might just be the only way to be saved?

The story of the criminal crucified with Jesus who, after asking Jesus to remember him when he comes into his kingdom, is assured of his salvation, tells us Jesus does honour last minute conversions. The larger message though, is in the fact that salvation is God's work, not ours. While we may feel we have brought a lot to the table, making ourselves worthy of salvation, we have the same as this dying criminal, absolutely nothing. Our hands are empty, our bargaining chips useless. We are saved by grace alone.

Join us on Good Friday as we remember what Christ has done for us.

Dead Man Walking

John writes his gospel with the expressed purpose of relating the story of Jesus so that the reader might believe. By the time we get to John's account of the raising of Lazarus, Jesus has already fed five thousand people, walked on water, healed a man born blind and a man who couldn't walk. Over and over he describes himself as God's son. John of course has described him as God himself, the word made flesh.

One would wonder why John needs to add the story of Lazarus. It certainly is likely the most spectacular of Jesus' miracles. Raising a man who had been dead, (and lots of people knew he was dead) after he had been in the grave for four days, seems like overkill. Shouldn't the other stories have been enough? All through the passage though, there seems to be a background of skepticism, an underlying "but". Maybe raising someone from the dead is not enough to inspire belief.

This Sunday we will look at what Lazarus' raising means for us today.

Of Shepherds and Sheep

Have you ever noticed the way sheep are usually portrayed as being sort of stupid, bland, formless creatures, running away from the slightest noise or upset. Sheep are not creatures you would normally think about building a relationship with, loving even, and yet, shepherds seem to have a fairly strong reputation. They are seen to be caring, loving, brave, tender, the adjectives could go on. In fact, a good shepherd is reputed to be willing to lay down his life for his sheep, stupid and undesirable as they might be.

This fourth Sunday of Lent, we will look at the shepherd, the sheep, and the Good Shepherd who does lay down his life for us his sheep through the words of Psalm 23.

Conversation in the Dark

You have to feel a little sorry for Nicodemus as he is portrayed in John 3. He comes in the dark to have a conversation with Jesus and, it seems, leaves very much in the dark as well. Jesus makes statements which don't seem to have a lot to do with what Nicodemus wants to know. They just don't connect. It seems the trouble is that Nicodemus has his feet planted firmly on the ground while Jesus is on a whole different plane, a spiritual plane.

We sometimes do this with Jesus work as well. We want to pull it down to earth, to see it make some change in our lives, our physical challenges, right now. Jesus promises an eternal solution, which starts now, and extends into the spiritual realm. This Sunday, we will open God's word and study the passage which includes one of the most famous biblical texts: John 3:16.

Mountaintop Experiences

http://robpetkau.wordpress.com/2011/05/04/mountain-top/

We remember our mountaintop experiences. Some of them define who we are. They effect us so deeply that the direction of our lives is altered because of them. This week we will examine Peter's reaction to his mountain top experience. His reaction to Jesus transfiguration and the visit of Moses and Elijah has many parallels to the way that we deal with our mountaintops. Yet we need to look at these experiences through the lens of Jesus Christ. What do they tell us about Jesus and our relationship to him? How do these experiences help us to know Jesus better and help us to share the gospel with others.

You Have Heard it Said

We continue further into the Sermon on the Mount this week, right to the center of it in fact. Here Jesus presents us with six sets of "You have heard it said" but "I say" discussions on the law. We could take these restatements of Moses Law, as a new set of rules to apply to our lives. On the other hand, we could see Jesus setting the bar so high to drive home the fact that we cannot keep the law at all, to drive us in despair to the cross. Both of these interpretations may be correct, but there may be a third way, a way that tells us about God and about God's kingdom.

Join us this week as we explore.

Down is the New Up (Matthew 5:1-12)

The Beatitudes, the beginning verses of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, are among the most well known passages in the Bible. Jesus speaks of blessing for the poor, the meek, the humble, the downcast in society, or does he? What does that word "blessed" really mean anyway. It seems obvious that blessing has passed these folks by in this life, but what if the word we've translated at blessed really means something closer to honoured in a society mediated by honour and shame. There is more here than a pat on the head and well wishing. Jesus actually suggests a radical upsetting of society, a lifting out of the gutter, a new paradigm for living in community. This Sunday we will consider how Jesus words affect us and our lives.