Guelph Vineyard Church

Whether we are aware of it or not, most of our decisions in life stem from whatever our vision of "The Good Life" is. How do we feel about our success as humans?  This depends on how we stack up next to our vision of the Good Life. Even what we pray for and how we pray for it is directly influenced by what we think of when we think of the Good Life.  Two contrasting questions:1) Do I try to achieve the Good Life through prayer? 2) Is my vision of the good life shaped by prayer? hint: these are very different questions that lead to very different outcomes

Closing out our series on the Lord's Prayer, we reflect on what's known as the Doxology of the Lord's Prayer: 'For Yours is the Kingdom, the power and the gloryForever and ever.  Amen'Our best guess is that this was in fact not part of what Jesus actually said, but was likely added in, possibly by a well-intentioned scribe, sometime during the next couple of hundred years. So, what do we do with it then? If Jesus didn't say it, should we? (spoiler alert: yes)

This Sunday we continue our exploration of the Lord's Prayer as informed by Jesus' famous "Sermon on the Mount". This week we dig into some of the most challenging words in that prayer: "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us, and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil." Grace abounds in the Kingdom, and yet, that grace, freely extended, is received as we ourselves release the claims we hold on other people. 

We have a complicated relationship with Institutions. We often think of them as cold, uncaring, clinical... Yet really, all an institution is is an organization with influence and governance. When we prayer "Let Your Kingdom come, let Your will be done on earth as in heaven", what are we praying toward?

The Lord's Prayer in Matthew is set inside the context of the Sermon on the Mount. In this teaching series we explore what this means in terms of our relationships to those around us and to our Father in heaven. It turns out, maybe the Lord's Prayer has something more to say to us than simply giving us the "right" words to speak when we pray.

Rachel Glen reflects on Psalm 23 and leads us in a "breath prayer" exercise.

Kris reflects on psalm 133. Unity.

1st Corinthians 12:27 "Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."Body language says an awful lot. Words that would otherwise be sweet, paired with a cynical expression can become bitter and hurtful. On the other hand, hard conversations seasoned with care and respect can be beautiful and life-giving. "How we are" in the world around us is as vital as anything we might say or do. In the Bible, the Church is repeatedly described as the Body of Christ. This Sunday we going to take a look at our posture (body language), and consider how we are called to embody the heart of God towards others.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. (Isaiah 55:8)“...These fellows (have) turned the world upside down...by saying that there is another king - Jesus!” (Acts 17:6-7)In the “world according to Jesus”, most everything we’ve come to accept as normal is turned upside-down. The lame walk, the blind see, the poor are rich. The weak are strong, the servants lead, and the meek inherit the earth. Jesus is at odds with conventional thinking. This Servant-King challenges our understanding of authority and power, good and evil. His life, death, and resurrection reveal a radically different pathway to the wholeness, liberty, and flourishing that God intended for every human heart from the dawn of creation. - excerpt from "Why Vineyard".And here's something worth remembering: This upside-down way of Jesus… It's never the easy way. 

Speaker: Brady WilsonWe know Jesus is like God - the big question on our mind is this: is God like Jesus?Jesus let a sinful woman wash him, ate dinner with the ones considered vile, summoned little children to sit on his knee. Is God like that?What is God the Father like?This Sunday we will co-create a picture of the Father heart of God; a picture that will fuel our worship, invite our requests and prompt us to live questionable lives.***Note, Brady gives an introduction and then the recording ends when folks break into smaller groups. Follow this link to see images that reflect some of the ideas represented during those smaller group dialogues.

Theology might feel like an old, dusty word to some of us, but really, it's just a word that describes what we think about when we think about God. Whatever ideas we have about God, that's what our theology is. And here's the thing, theology matters. Everyone has opinions about God. And those opinions and thoughts and ideas actually shape how we live our lives and not just our "spiritual life". Theology that matters shapes the whole of life. If a person thinks that God is angry with them most of the time, that's a theology (an unhelpful one, but a theology nonetheless).Theology provides the framework - the skeleton - for how we flesh out the way we think, how we live, and how we love. We're going to take a few weeks and talk about some of the theology that is particularly vital to how we relate to God and to one another, particularly in the Vineyard. This week, we're going to put the "Theology of the Kingdom of God" through the "Why? So that...." fil

Deuteronomy 4:9-10 " …and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God…"Writer James K.A. Smith says this about memory: "Strung between novelty and nostalgia, a biblical imagination remembers forward. [Biblical] remembering…. looks forward to a “time to come” (Deut. 6:20). The biblical command to remember is written in the future tense."The week we're going to remember together some of the powerful ways the Lord has moved in the shared story of our broader church family, the Vineyard movement. Because knowing where we're from helps us know where we're going.

 "Why?" is an inexhaustible question. It's a question that is never quite satisfied. It's a question that, when asked enough times in a row, will always take us beyond what we know. Yielded as a weapon, why will eventually makes fools and hypocrites of us all. However, why as a tool of careful excavation is a powerful enabler. It empowers both our capacity to say yes to what matters and no to what does not. Knowing our why centers us.Throughout the month of January we're going to revisit some of the significant 'Why's that bind us together as a people, giving us a place in God's purposes today and in His future.Here's a link to the document that's referenced during the talk "Why Vineyard"

Isaiah 9:2-79:2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness on them light has shined.9:3 You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder.9:4 For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.9:5 For all the boots of the tramping warriors and all the garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire.9:6 For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.9:7 His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.Sing: O Come O Come Emma

Speaker: Kris MacQueenThe third Sunday of advent is an invitation to reflect on Joy. Joy is kind of a big deal in the Scriptures. It's also kind of a big deal in life. Can we get good at joy? Is there a way to practice it or is it simply an emotional response to an encounter with something good? Do you have enough joy in your life or do you think you could use some more?The book of Nehemiah contains this often quoted phrase: "The joy of the Lord is your strength".  Some of us have heard this said with all the nuance of a bumper sticker. What does it really mean? The author of Hebrews speaks of how the joy Jesus anticipated empowered him to endure the cross. Powerful, challenging stuff.Could joy be the super-power of the Church?

Speaker: Kris MacQueenThe 7th verse of the advent hymn, "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" says this:'O come, desire of nations, bindIn one the hearts of all mankindBid Thou our sad divisions ceaseAnd be Thyself our King of peace' Peace is woven into the very identity of Jesus. 'Prince of Peace' is one of the names of God that we get from the writings of Isaiah, and it's part of the proclamation that was heard at Jesus' birth. Yet, even though we live in "peace time" here in Canada, we seem to be short on the stuff. Our 24 hour news-feeds are rife with conflict, with outrage, with fear. This Sunday, we're going to consider these words of Jesus from John 14:“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; I do not give it to you as the world does. Do not let your hearts be distressed or lacking in courage."

Speaker: Rachel GlenAdvent is the beginning of the Christian Calendar and introduces us to the Season of Light. It is a time when we intentionally prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ. This Sunday, we will explore the first week of Advent: Hope. At the darkest time of the year, hope is the growing light we hold onto. It is the promise of what is yet to come.  "What oxygen is to the lungs, such is hope to the meaning of life." ~Emil Bruner