Famous last words

This Sunday will be the first Sunday of Lent and we begin our journey to the cross. On each Sunday leading up to Good Friday we will be listening to the words which Jesus spoke while he hung on the cross – his last words. As his death approached, we might have expected Jesus to ask that God would punish his tormentors, or that he might ask that his death come quickly and his misery end. But as Jesus' death draws nearer, he speaks to God not with his own needs in mind, but ours. Sunday, Feb 26, 2012, 10 a.m.

Once a Christian, always a Christian

Once a Christian always a Christian? The evidence seems to point in the other direction – that just because you call yourself a Christian today, there are no guarantees that next year at this time things might not be totally different. But the Scriptures tell a different story – not so much about the perseverance of the saints, but of God’s perseverance. Once God takes you by the hand, he does not let go. I Corinthians 1:8, Feb 19, 10 a.m.

Simply Irresistible

From a place where we found ourselves dead in our sins, we now find God romancing us with his irresistible grace. When God sets his heart on us, we find ourselves unable to resist his love. He has checked the box - Yes! he likes us, and more, he loves us! That kind of love makes him simply irresistible. This Sunday we look at the fourth point in the Canons of Dort: Irresistible Grace. After the message we share in the communion meal – God’s love note to us. Feb 12, 10 a.m., Place Street, Lucknow, ON.

"Swear there ain't no heaven; pray there ain't no hell"

None of us can fully understand God’s divine will. But there are some things we know for sure, for example, we know that while God is just he is also loving and patient. Our hope is in God, and that’s a better bet than crossing our fingers that maybe God might choose us as his own, better than swearing there ain't no heaven while we pray there ain't no hell (to borrow a phrase from Blood Sweat and Tears' 1969 hit.) This is our third message from the Canons of Dort, focusing on Limited Atonement. Sunday, Feb 5, 10 am.

God is calling

What does it take to get to build a nation for God? Our image of the father of a nation is different than God's. This Sunday, Ken deBoer will look at the call of Abraham. This call was filled with the promise of blessings to Abraham and his descendants. But, what did Abraham do to deserve that call? How did he live so that God noticed and rewarded him? What do any of us have to do to become one of God's children? These are important questions as we wrestle with our role in our own salvation. Come out this Sunday morning as we take another look at unconditional election.

Election results

On election day the people choose the winner. The bible speaks of election too; Jesus says, "You did not choose me, but I chose you..." (John 15:16). We have to be careful what we do with this teaching. It can bring joy, but if used improperly, it could also lead to despair. Join us this Sunday, Jan 22, as we put election into its proper context, that of God's love for us.

Not just sick, but dead.

We call it a sickness, or an addiction,a mistake, maybe poor judgement or bowing to peer pressure. What we don't want to call it is "sin." But if we think of sin as an illness or a sickness, then we will conclude that there are degrees of sin/sickness and also that if we take care of ourselves, we can make ourselves healthy. The bible says that we are not just sick, but that we "were dead in our transgressions" (Eph 2:1). It doesn't getting any worse than that. Only when we understand how bad things are will we begin to understand the good news of God's grace. Everyone and anyone is welcome to join us this Sunday, Jan 15 10:00 a.m.