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Heroes and villains, good and evil, right and wrong ... if only life were that clear! The book of Esther will give us insights into how God works in the circumstances of life without ever actually mentioning His Name. The characters demonstrate principles displaying what it means to be courageous and obedient. How do we stand for God in an increasingly post-Christian culture?

With fourteen chapters, the book of Zechariah is the longest of the twelve books that make up what we typically refer to as the ‘minor prophets’. You could say it is the major of the minors. It is a large collection of somewhat bizarre dreams and visions mostly, and it belongs to a particular genre of Scripture called ‘apocalyptic’. Part of what that means ironically is that it is hard to understand. (Think ‘the book of Revelation’) Even the authors didn’t understand it when they saw it! But the apocalyptic materials are not inaccessible. Consider this: The book of Zechariah is quoted in the gospel accounts of the NT throughout the last week prior to the crucifixion of Jesus more than any other book. We’re going to be talking about Him.

Is God first in our lives, or are we the centre of our own story? Haggai is a little book that packs a heavy punch! God’s people had returned to the land, but their priorities were all mixed up. Join us this Sunday for more on the book of Haggai.

The books of Ezra and Nehemiah chronicle the return of the exiles to the land and the reviving of the hopes and dreams of the people. The King and the Kingdom God promised will come upon the earth, but it will not come yet. And it will not come easy, nor without a fight. And it won’t come as you expect it because God is doing a new thing. The stage is being set for the coming of Jesus.

The Nightmare after Christmas... You know what it's like, bills, decorations to clean up, New Year's parties, and oh yeah, WINTER! Sometimes the future can seem like a nightmare, but Daniel teaches us that the future is under God's control, according to His timing, and ultimately ends in victory for all those who know Christ. Concerned about a new year and a new decade, let's talk about that!

We’ve been traveling through the Old Testament together for about 16 months now. This week we take a break and slip into the New Testament as we celebrate Christmas together. And as we do that, we are confronted with what? A genealogy! Oh boy! What’s that all about?! We’re actually focused on the last part of Matthew 1 this Sunday (Matt 1:18-25) where Matthew explains the ‘way’ Jesus was born. But there is a vital connection between the first part and the last part of Matthew’s first chapter. What is it? Nothing less than the meaning of Christmas! We hope you will plan to be with us as we pull back the curtain on the greatest mystery of all time.

Dare to be a Daniel... or a cowardly lion! Daniel broke the rules in order to be faithful to his God, whereas the King held to the rule and was unfaithful to his own conscience. What does it mean to be a people of integrity, led by values rather than circumstances? Who are we when we think no one’s watching? Are we ever truly alone?

It’s been said, ‘the bigger they come, the harder they fall’. King Nebuchadnezzar was a pridefully big tree that made a pretty big fall! The Bible tells us that pride comes before the fall. Has there been a time of pride in your life that was followed by an embarrassing fall? Let’s talk about Nebuchadnezzar’s fall and how God picked him back up!

Kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall God’s Kingdom is everlasting And supersedes them all Men will come and men will go But the One who walks through fire He’s the One you need to know

Jesus tells us that it is God's Spirit who gives life. God breathes life into dead places! What does it mean that the presence of God's Spirit goes with us... even to the dark, dead places? What does God's original creation, of breathing life into man in a perfect garden, have to do with God working now? What would it have been like to see creation, to see the first of mankind, "walking with God in the garden in the cool of the day?" Do we get to experience God's presence in a new creation like that? Join us Sunday to find out!"

We all learn to deal with minor disappointments as a part of life. But what about the things that devastate us? We all hope they will never come but they do come. So, what are we to do when the things that get us out of bed in the morning aren’t there anymore to rouse us? What are we supposed to do? What can we do? What does God tell us to do? Do you know?

Do you ever feel like God’s not fair? Do you struggle with doubt? Have you ever wondered why some people have it good, while others can’t seem to catch a break? Habakkuk is a Minor Prophet in the Bible who had the same questions... Join us Sunday as we dig into the short book of Habakkuk. Let’s talk about what to do with doubt, what to do when you’re without answers, and what God has been doing all along! He’s doing something you wouldn’t believe, even if He told you.

Jeremiah wasn’t popular. A lot of people avoided him, and some just wanted him gone. Why? He pointed out realities people just wanted to pretend weren’t so, because they considered them too negative. But unfortunately for them, their push to deny the sad realities of the present, caused them to miss out on the hope Jeremiah had been given for the future. Do we make the same mistake?

The Books of Kings and Chronicles mirror the downward spiral of God’s people that we saw in the book of Judges. Can a nation be too far gone? Can the repentance of some account for centuries of evil? How far is too far? Let’s look at three kings who faced the end.

The Great Exchange… slavery for freedom, oppression for peace, sin for righteousness! Isaiah prophesied the coming King who would bring our victory through His defeat. Can victory really be found in surrender? Does the Jesus of our expectations match the Prophesied Messianic King? Join us Sunday to see why Jesus didn’t fit the expectations of the people.

This Sunday our text is 2Kings 17, describing the fall and exile of the northern kingdom of Israel by the judgment of God on their sins. We are also a northern nation that has largely forgotten God and forsaken His laws. Canada is still a great country and we surely have much to be thankful for, but we are in a similar position to Israel in the 8th-century bc. What is the greatest threat facing our nation? Proverbs 29:2 says for those who refuse to listen to God, sudden brokenness without healing is coming. But God is able to “make the Valley of Achor (trouble) a door of hope” for those who heed His warning.

The prophet Hosea’s life story is provided by God as a sort of living parable. His life circumstances; his failed marriage and broken family, serve as an illustration of the failure and unfaithfulness of God’s people, but also then of the great unfailing love, grace and forgiveness of God. He pursues us in our waywardness, finds us in our sin, and forgives and restores us to Himself even though we deserve none of it.

The story of the prophet Jonah reveals the heartbeat of God for rebellious people, both those within the nation of Israel, who had received His law and promises and also those who had not heard of Him and were engaged in idolatry and great evil. God pursues the hearts of people from all tribes, tongues, and nations, and He delights to use His people—His sinful, rebellious, yet redeemed people—to do it. In His perfect will, God uses former rebels to pursue present rebels.

We are not all Elijahs or Elishas, But all Christians have a calling upon our lives and the equipping of the Spirit. And though we may not be prophets or 'sons of prophets', the mantle of the prophets does fall upon us all in a very real sense as we stand in the prophetic tradition.

God’s power isn’t contingent on a person, place or thing. There’s power in perspective, whether in a palace or collecting sticks at the gate.