Bethel Crc Lacombe

Today is Christmas Day! We will be reflecting on Isaiah 61, Psalm 98, Luke 2:1-20, The Promised Seed. If Christ’s birth was ordinary, there wouldn't be angels announcing it. If Christmas was all about a cute baby, then the shepherds wouldn’t have left the field, nor the magi their home. “Do not be afraid,” we read in Luke 2, “for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.” The point isn’t that a baby is born, but that the long-awaited Messiah is born. God “has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness.” But before we get too excited, this same Psalm warns, “he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity.” Christmas is a time of wonder and awe, but also a time to reflect on our relationship with God. 

Today we wrap up our theme of GROUNDED AND GROWING, by reflecting on John 4:27-38, The Fields Are Ripe for Harvest. Our passage this morning is part of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. Through advent, we’ve reflected in the images of growth, and now Jesus is reminding his disciples that the fields, the world, is ripe for a harvest of souls, the good news has come, the Messiah has arrived, and salvation is at hand. We have the gospel, the good news, and it’s meant for the world! Are you ready for the harvest, are you ready to reap the harvest for our Lord? 

Today we will reflect on Isaiah 37:26-32; Psalm 36:5-12; Matthew 1, The Loving Gardener. For plants to truly flourish and for there to be an abundant harvest, the gardener or farmer needs to carefully tend to them. Whether it’s a few plants on a patio, a back yard vegetable garden, or acres of corn, for plants to thrive, someone needs to care about their health: make sure the conditions are right and that there aren’t weeds competing with them for nutrients and water. In scripture, God is the loving gardener. It is God who carefully watches and tends our souls to make sure the harvest is plentiful, and scripture shows that God has been doing this for generations: “Once more a remnant of the kingdom of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above” (Isaiah 37:31 ).

Today we will reflect on Isaiah 27:1-6; Psalm 85; Matthew 3:1-12, From Repentance to Growth. Our world is full of prickly weeds—full of sin. We are all sinners, whether we want to admit it or not. While this is an uncomfortable truth, we need to sit in that reality. We need to take off our rose- colored glasses and truly look at the world and look at ourselves. This is where the Advent journey takes us. It is a journey among dangerous dragons, prickly weeds, and a warning from John the Baptist that judgement is coming. We need to understand our need for a Savior before we celebrate Christ’s first coming and eagerly anticipate Christ’s second. When we are able to be real about our sin, we are able to better appreciate what Jesus experienced on our behalf so that we might experience God’s forgiveness and grace.

Today we will reflect on Isaiah 41:17–20, Psalm 126, Luke 1:46–55, From Wilderness of Despair to the Flourishing of Joy. Isaiah talks about the living nature of water, of how it can restore us, and how it brings life in even deserts. All through Scripture, nourishing rain and rivers serve as a picture for spiritual nourishment that God gives to quench our thirsty souls, bringing joy. In the passages next week, it is the poor and needy, those who are weeping, the lowly, and the hungry who are given this gift, while those who have lots already end up with nothing. We ask ‘why’ and Isaiah tells us, “So all may see and know” and testify, “The Lord has done great things.” This points us ahead to Jesus’ return when the world will be set to right and those who experience need will flourish.

Today is the first Sunday of Advent. We enter Advent by reflecting on Isaiah 11:1–9; Psalm 72:1–7, 12–19; and Luke 1:26–38 A Shoot from a Stump—A Sign of Hope. It’s been a long time since the last prophets from God have come and spoken to the people, 400 years. There have been political upheavals, making life hard, and God’s people often feel that the only thing that has happened is they’ve simply changed oppressors. What is happening with God’s promises? Will the Messiah ever come? Were the prophecies true? Is there any reason to hope? How about today? Is there reason for hope when times are dark? There is hope, both then and now. Out of a seemingly lifeless stump a shoot comes fruit; not a weak shoot, but one that bears fruit. An angel comes to Mary and announces the coming of the Messiah through her! This shoot is going to make all things right, a promise that still holds today. Will we hold on to the promise like Mary ?

Today, we will be reflecting on Acts 4:1-31, Speaking the Word Boldly. Peter and John have been told not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. Their witness was so powerful that people believed their witness about Jesus and accepted Jesus as Lord and Saviour, and this threatens the rulers and elders of the Jews. Peter, John, and the other apostles led many people to Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit and were able to clearly and boldly share who Jesus is and show the people their need for Jesus.

Today, we will have Pastor Ed Jager leads us in worship. We will be reflecting on Matthew 6:12,14-15; 18:21-35, The Gospel of Forgiveness According to Matthew .

Today, we will reflect on Jude’s letter to a church where there are members who have embraced some of their culture’s values on sexual values and practices. Our God is a holy and pure God and calls us as his children to purity and holiness. God has given us a way of relating to each other, of living with each other that leads to us becoming more Christ-like and to help us flourish as his children, growing more and more into who he has created us to be. The temptation is to make God into our image rather than living into the image of God.

Today, we will wrap up our series on the Holy Spirit. We will be reflecting on 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, The Holy Spirit: Gift Giver. The Holy Spirit gives each one of us various gifts to bless the church and for the common good. Gifts are not given to us for our own sake, but for the sake of the work of God in our church, community, and world. There are various gifts, and they are all rooted in the love of God for his people and for the world. These gifts also shape us and our character, helping us to become more of who God is calling us to be.

Today, we will reflect on Luke 18:9-17, Qualities of the Kingdom – Humility. Jesus is travelling to Jerusalem, and it’s getting closer to when he will take all our sins on himself. Jesus’ teaching takes on a deeper intensity as he seeks to instill in his disciples a strong foundation of what the kingdom of heaven looks like, what the qualities of the kingdom are. Jesus looks at the quality of humility and the importance of having a humble heart. He offers a parable of a Pharisee and a tax-collector, both praying, but coming to God with very different attitudes. We will reflect on these attitudes.

Today, we will be led in worship by Pastor Rob Toornstra. We will be reflecting on Zephaniah 3:14-20, The Soothing Savior. Although we live in a world that is often driven by fear, we can rejoice because  God, who dwells among us in Christ, soothes us with His love. 

Today, we will begin a two-week series on Sharing Our Faith. We will begin with reflecting on Acts 8:26-40, The Gospel. It’s shortly after Pentecost and the rapid growth of the church, but it also introduces a time of persecution of those who follow Jesus as the Messiah. Philip finds himself in a town in Samaria, where the gospel news is received with joy, but the Spirit then leads him away from Samaria to a eunuch travelling back home to Ethiopia. This is a gospel encounter. A moment guided by the Holy Spirit where Philip is given the opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus with this official, to help explain how the Scriptures point us to Jesus and how he has redeemed us from sin and calls us into his new life.

During our Thanksgiving service, we will be reflecting on Exodus 15:1-21, A Song of Praise. God has rescued his people from the armies of Pharaoh, leading them out of slavery into freedom. On the far side of the sea, Moses and the people of Israel sing a song of praise, a song filled with gratitude for what God has done, but also gratitude for who Good is. We often give thanks for what God has done for us; it’s as important to be grateful for who God is, our creator, father, redeemer, and even friend.

Today, we will be having a reading service with Peter Prins reading the message. We will be reflecting on Acts 16:6-40, Doors & Windows.  Our message today is to encourage believers that, even when God says “no” to their current plans, they are still equipped and sent by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the Gospel.

Today, we will reflect on Judges 3:7-11; 6:33-35; and John 14:15-21, The Holy Spirit: Spirit of Power. Over and over again, we read in the Bible of the Spirit of the Lord coming on people to empower them to save his people from their enemies after the Lord allowed their enemies to conquer them as part of his judgment. In John, Jesus promises the Holy Spirit to prove the world wrong about their concepts of sin, righteousness, and judgment. We’re given the Holy Spirit to stand strong in our world, to counter the teachings and beliefs in this world that lead to emptiness & brokenness and guide them to hope and strength through the Holy Spirit.

Today, we will reflect on Matthew 3:13-4:11, The Holy Spirit: Guide and Sustainer. This passage shows the relationship between Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit. The Holy comes down on Jesus at his baptism and then leads Jesus into the wilderness, where he is tempted by the devil. The Holy Spirit is given to us and guides us, sometimes into places we’re not expecting, in order to prepare us for what lies ahead of us. The wilderness was the place Israel went in order to encounter God, to listen to God, and to be shaped by God 

Today, we are beginning a series on the Holy Spirit. We will be reflecting on Genesis 1:1-2; 2:4-7; John 20:19-23 The Holy Spirit: Breath of God. We first meet the Holy Spirit at the very beginning of the Bible as “hovering over the waters.” In Hebrew, the word for spirit is “ruah” and can be translated as spirit, breath, or wind. In the creation of Adam, God gives life to Adam through breathing into his nostrils the breath of life, revealing God as the creator of all creation and life. Our soul is a creation and gift from God, making us both physical and spiritual beings with the ability to serve and fellowship with God. In John, we see Jesus breathing on his disciples and saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” We are given a glimpse here of how the Holy Spirit regenerates us, creating in us the new life that comes through the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus.

Today, we will reflect on Habakkuk 3, Habakkuk’s Prayer of Faith. God says Babylon will suffer the consequences of their actions and ends by pointing to himself with a call to worship and honour him. God is calling his people to humility before him. Habakkuk listens and responds, “LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, LORD.”; Habakkuk acknowledges God’s power, standing in awe before him, remembering who God is and what God has done for his people in the past because of God’s commitment and relationship to his people. 

Today, Pastor Ken Douma will be leading us in worship. We will be reflecting on Genesis 22:1-19, Yahweh Yireh - The Lord Will Provide.