Year End and Beginning (Freedom Devotional)

It’s hard to believe that 2016 is almost over. It feels like the year just got started a month or two ago, but here we are counting down a few short days until it’s finished.

Are you worn out from all the Christmas activities you’ve attended this past month or so? To add a little extra stress to the busyness, many of us have been fighting through sickness during this festive season. I’m praying that we all get healthy really soon.

At the same time, this year has been amazing. When I think about all the ways that God has been involved in our lives individually, as families and as a church family, I find myself overflowing with thanksgiving and praise.

Whatever challenges you’ve faced, as a follower of Jesus, you have never been alone. The Bible tells us that God is always working for the good of those who love him and live according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). I encourage you to take a moment to thank the Lord for his goodness to you over this past year even during difficult days.

This Sunday is New Year’s Day. In the spirit of reflection, the four members of our speaking team will each do a short message on ‘One Thing I Learned This Year’. We did this last year and felt like we should do it again. Don’t worry – the message won’t be four times as long. We will be sure to leave time for the other important acts of worship.

We will have Communion which is always a special church family experience. And then we will have a time of prayer of blessing for 2017. If you are by yourself, you can come. If you are with your family, come together. It does take some time so be patient as you get in line. Arlene and I look forward to praying for you along with others that will join us.

Don’t stay up too late New Year’s Eve so you will be ready to celebrate the awesomeness of God with Jesus and his church at 10 a.m. It’s going to be good.

See you Sunday.

Pastor Del

Do You Hear... Worship and Joy?

One of the themes that we hear in the Christmas story is worship. The fact of Christ's incarnation stirred worship over and over again. 

  • Luke 1:46-56 - After Mary went to Elizabeth's house and the promised was confirmed for her again, she broke out into song. (You may hear this song referred to as The Magnificat.)

  • Luke 1:68-79 - After John the Baptist was born, his father, Zechariah, began to worship God and his song is recorded. 

  • Luke 2:13-14 - When the angel had finished announcing Jesus' birth to the shepherds, a whole host of angels appeared to fill the night sky with worship.

  • Luke 2:20 - When the shepherds went to meet the newborn Jesus, their immediate response was to glorify and praise God.

  • Luke 2:29-32, 38 - Simeon and Anna couldn't help but worship when they met Jesus and his parents in the temple.

It seems that when people encountered Jesus that first Christmas their response was worship. The divine and beautiful mystery of Jesus coming to earth to redeem us from sin hasn't changed in all the years since the first nativity scene. And so, this Christmas, when you look into your life, do you hear worship?

Along with worship came joy. There was so much joy exploding from the hearts of everyone who knew that Jesus had come. Joy is something that the world imitates with temporary happiness but this Christmas, when you gaze again at the words of the story, do you hear joy?

We pray that as you celebrate Christ this week, your heart would be filled with worship and joy, that you would find yourself stepping into the story with Mary, Zechariah, the angels, the shepherds, Simeon and Anna and find that same wonder that was so present at the first Christmas.

Joyful Christmas Blessings!
P. Tracy

Do You Hear... Faith Not Fear?

"Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard." 
"Do not be afraid, Mary: you have found favour with God."
"Joseph, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife."
"Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people."

When we think about Christmas, we don't normally think about fear. The idyllic picture of Christmas includes peace on earth and frosted window panes, snow-laden pine trees and brown paper packages tied up with string. But the biblical narrative tells a different story. There were so many unexpected encounters, twists, turns and strange events that our main characters are always met with the encouragement to not be afraid before anything else unfolds. So, it seems that fear is a big part of the Christmas story!

Fear is also a part of our stories. We grapple with it and manage it throughout our lives -everything from nervousness to phobias. Sometimes it keeps us safe, sometimes it keeps us too safe. It makes sense that calming fear is woven so well into Christ coming to earth. 1 John 4:18 tells us that there is no fear in love and we know that Christ is the epitome of love. 

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear...”
— 1 John 4:18

For the third Sunday of Advent, we're going to talk about fear. A different twist on what we think of as a peaceful story, but one that connects our ordinary lives to what happened on the first Christmas. 

Looking forward to seeing you then,
P. Tracy

Do You Hear... Obedience in Any Circumstance?

Obedience is a word that makes many of us cringe. It sounds so restrictive. However, the Christmas story shows us the incredible peace and reward of obeying God. God is for us. He wants us to live in freedom. In order to experience this freedom and peace, we need to obey God's Word, his teaching, his leading in our lives. God's words to us are ALWAYS for our best and so to obey them actually brings freedom and not bondage. Incredible!

We're going to look at some of the steps of obedience that Joseph had to take. This was no easy task; he was called to a very difficult role. We're also going to hear from another one of our church families who have had to obey God through some very trying circumstances. You will be inspired by their story.

I look forward to seeing you on Sunday and exploring together how our obedience to God can be so powerful in our lives.

See you there,
Erin

 
 

Do You Hear... Trust in Uncertainty?

"City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style; in the air there's a feeling of Christmas..." I'm writing this on the eve of our first predicted snowfall and two days ahead of Black Friday. I suppose the holiday season really is in the air. 

"Hear the snow crunch, see the kids bunch, this is Santa's big scene; and above all the bustle you'll hear... Silver bells." Is that what you hear? Not to be cynical but I've lived in "the city" for a long time and have never heard silver bells while strolling down the street!

While your calendar fills up and your bank account does the opposite, what is it that you hear at Christmas? What do you see? We wanted to ask you these questions starting on this first Sunday of Advent. John, one of the ones to have known Jesus in person while He was here on earth, starts his first epistle by describing what it meant to have God in the flesh living among us...

1 John 1:1-4 (MSG)
"From the very first day, we were there, taking it all in-we heard it with our own ears, saw it with our own eyes, verified it with our own hands. The Word of Life appeared right before our eyes; we saw it happen! And now we're telling you in most sober prose that what we witnessed was, incredibly, this: The infinite Life of God himself took shape before us. We saw it, we heard it, and now we're telling you so you can experience it along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. Our motive for writing is simply this: We want you to enjoy this, too. Your joy will double our joy!"

This is what we hope to do together this Advent and Christmas season, to really listen to what there is to hear and see what there is to see coming from the Incarnation story. On Sunday, Bjorn will start the "Do You Hear What I Hear" series with a message that brings Mary's story to the forefront - "Trust in Uncertainty". Plus you're going to hear another story from our Freedom family that will help us to launch into these next weeks with our ears really hearing and our eyes really seeing.

Looking forward to Sunday,
. Tracy

Pentecostal - A Heritage to Pass On

This Sunday, to wrap up all that we've been talking about since this series started in September, we're going to look at the heritage we have to pass on. This heritage is for the next generation and beyond, but it's also for us to live out and pass on to everyone that our lives come in contact with.

In the opening verses of 1 Thessalonians we get a glimpse into the reputation and influence of the Thessalonian church. Even though they were a young church and very unpopular in the their city, the church had already become well known for their endurance and faithfulness. (1 Thessalonians 1:2-10) Even though it cost them dearly, they didn't hide their belief in Jesus. 

We can learn a lot from their example. We're going to take some time together and consider our own influence and legacy. What are we known for as a church? As a family? As an individual? Let's dig into it and encourage one another as we get together on Sunday morning.

See you then,
Pastor Tracy