Bethel Crc Lacombe

Today we will reflect on 2 Samuel 13:1-22, A Broken Family. This is a story of Amnon & Tamar, and of Absalom & King David, and how Amnon abused his sister. This tore apart King David’s family because he failed to hold Amnon accountable for what he did. In Bethel and in Classis Alberta North, we believe safe church policies & practices are an important and integral part of our ministries. These policies are to protect our children & those who are vulnerable, while holding us accountable for creating safe churches for everyone. We are called to love and protect each other as children of God, created in God’s image and worthy of respect and protection.

Today we will reflect on Ephesians 4:29-5:2, The Hardest Thing to Do! Many people struggle with hurt from others. Jesus forgives us and wants us to forgive others.  It’s never easy to forgive.  We need to choose to forgive with God’s help because our lack of forgiveness blocks our fellowship with God.   Forgiveness will release the pain and will give us renewed joy.  It also opens the door for God to use us in fresh new ways.

Today we will reflect on the early church story of Barnabas, Ananias, and Sapphira. Our passage will be Acts 4:32-5:11, Generosity. The early church after Pentecost embraced the teachings of compassion and service found in the Torah. In response, Barnabas sells a field and gives the money to the apostles to help those who had need. Pride enters in as Ananias and Sapphira want to be seen as generous, but the lure of money leads them to deceive the apostles. But God knows their hearts and so they experience the consequences of their deceit and they both fall and die. Our generosity needs to flow out of the overwhelming generosity and love of Jesus for us as shown on the cross. This is how we give with cheerful hearts and open hands.

Today we will reflect on Psalm 78, The Church Makeover. Psalm 78 is written by a teacher or leader in Israel. The teacher calls the people to listen to the things of old, things our ancestors have told us. One of the important roles of the church is to keep retelling the story of God’s relationship with his people. We retell the family story, reminding ourselves of God’s covenantal faithfulness and our unfaithfulness, calling ourselves back to serving God, following his laws and decrees, and coming alongside our families as a church family to retell the family story in our homes by telling how God is the foundation of our own personal and family stories .

Today we will be celebrating Pentecost by reflecting on John 14:22-31, The Holy Spirit – The Teacher. Jesus leaves his disciples here on earth when he returns to heaven, so we can carry on the work he began. To equip them, Jesus promises the Holy Spirit to teach them and remind them of everything he’s said to them. But Jesus also mentions that the prince of this world is coming, Satan, but that he has no hold over Jesus; instead, it’s an opportunity to show the world that he loves the Father and does what the Father has commanded him. The Holy Spirit is given to us so that the world can see that we also love the Father and follow his commands!

Today we will reflect on 2 Timothy 1:1-16 & 2 Timothy 3:14-17, The Extended Family Makeover. Paul sees Timothy as a beloved son and is reminded of the influence of Timothy’s mother and grandmother in Timothy’s faith life and growth. Our extended families have a large influence on the faith of our children because our children already know them and trust them. As the saying goes, “It takes a village to raise a child,” and we can also say, “It takes a church family to raise a child in the way of the Lord.” We will also be celebrating the Lord’s Supper.

Today we will reflect on Deuteronomy 6, The Family Makeover. In Deuteronomy, we hear the law given in Leviticus and Exodus repeated a second time. Moses is teaching the people of Israel the importance of observing the laws God has given them in order to shape them into God’s people. Moses is teaching the adults so that they can teach their children and grandchildren to love and serve the Lord. Twice Moses says, “Hear Israel,” and twice he mentions “so that,” to emphasize his teaching that this is important so the children, grandchildren, and the generations to come will know & fear the Lord and live long faithful lives in the Promised Land. 

Today we will continue our series Faith Begins at Home by reflecting on Psalm 127, The Child’s Foundation. Our children’s foundation begins at home where they learn about obedience to the Lord and see how their parents live out their faith in God through obeying his decrees and commands. Our children get a Jesus-centered life when we make Jesus the foundation and God the builder and designer of our homes 

Today we will reflect on Joshua 24, The Home Makeover. Joshua has led Israel into the Promised Land and the people are now at a time of peace and prosperity. These are the times of danger for the people, times when they are more tempted to drift away from God and embrace idols. Joshua challenges the people to fear the Lord and throw their idols away, but even if they don’t Joshua declares, “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” This is the call to all of us, to declare, “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord ".

Today we will reflect on Exodus 3, Called to Leadership. God calls to Moses to lead his people out of slavery in Egypt into freedom and the Promised Land. Moses is afraid and believes he doesn’t have the skills or gifts needed to lead. Moses comes up with many excuses for not responding, but God counters his excuses by promising Moses “I will be with you.” The church still needs leaders today to lead the people into freedom from their sin, and into a deeper relationship of trust and faith in God. God promises to guide those he calls through his presence through the Holy Spirit.

Today is Good Friday. We will wrap up our Lenten series Words from the Cross by reflecting on Luke 23:44-49; John 13:1-2; John 19:28-35, Father, into Your Hands I Commit My Spirit. Satan believes he has won as the King of kings hangs on a cross dying. As Jesus draws close to death, in the darkest moments, he reveals his deep trust in his Father, committing himself into his Father’s hands, a place of safety and belonging.

Today we are celebrating Easter and the resurrection of Jesus! We will reflect on Matthew 28:1-7 and Revelation 1:9-18, The Best Last Word. From the darkness of Good Friday, we come together to celebrate the resurrection of the Light of the World coming in all his glory to banish sin and death. Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, the Living One who defeated sin and destroyed the curse of death, the one who holds the keys of death, and Hades, the one who has been given all authority in heaven and earth to reign forever!

Today we will reflect on Matthew 27:45-49 and John 19:28-30, My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me? This is the darkest time for Jesus as he takes the sins of the world on himself, experiencing God’s forsakenness on our behalf. The light of the world is hidden in darkness as the sun is darkened for 3 hours, reminding the people of the judgment of God and the Day of the Lord. Jesus cries out with words from Psalm 22; in this psalm which points so strongly to the cross, we hear a deep agonizing cry of lament that leads to a declaration of the Lord’s victory. But the victory comes with unimaginable pain.

Today we will reflect on John 19:25-30, Here is Your Son, Here is Your Mother. Even while on the cross, Jesus is thinking of others. We’ve seen him ask for forgiveness for us, we’ve seen his grace to the criminal, and now we see his concern for his mother. As the oldest son, Jesus is responsible for the well-being of his mother. He places Mary in the care of the beloved disciple, John. Jesus has a larger view of family, seeing it as a covenant community that hears God’s word and puts it into practice. Family is about being part of a community of people committed to following Jesus and becoming more Christ-like.

Today we will reflect on Luke 23:39-43; Romans 8:1-4; 33-39, Today You Will be With Me in Paradise. The thief on the cross asks Jesus to remember him. There is no fear quite like the fear of being forgotten. The beauty of Jesus is that he doesn’t forget us and because he doesn’t forget us, we have salvation, a place with Jesus, even after death. The Bible gives us different images of what Paradise is like, the one thing that connects them all is that this is where we find Jesus and that even after death we will be with Jesus. As Paul writes, “nothing can separate us from the love of Christ,” not even death !

Today we are once again celebrating the sacrament of baptism. We will be reflecting on Psalm 139:13-14, Fearfully and Wonderfully Made. Psalm 139 reminds us of how precious each one of us is, and how God actively shapes and forms each one of us in the womb. The Psalmist confesses that all God’s works are wonderful, God is the original creator who has created us in his own image! In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul picks up on this theme, when he writes that we are masterpieces of God. Next Sunday we will be blessed to place God’s sign and seal on another child of God, a masterpiece of God!

Today we are beginning our Lenten series: Words from the Cross. We will reflect on Luke 23:24-25, 32-34, Father, Forgive Them. In many situations, forgiveness is one of the most difficult things to offer to someone. Jesus emphasizes the importance of forgiveness in his prayer when he teaches us to ask for forgiveness for our sins. He then goes on and teaches that when we forgive, then the Father will forgive us, but if we do not forgive, then the Father will not forgive us. This is a frightening thought in so many ways! On the cross, Jesus who never sinned and yet was tortured, falsely accused, and then sentenced to death an innocent man asks the Father, “Forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Forgiveness takes a deep trust in God and a humility that takes hard work to cultivate in our hearts, souls, and minds!

Today we are celebrating the baptism of Pax, the newest member of our church family.  We will reflect on 1 Samuel 1:27-28 and 1 Samuel 2:1-10, God’s Faithfulness. The birth of Samuel to Hannah and Elkanah came about after a long season of prayer to God. In Samuel’s birth, we see God’s faithfulness and presence, and how God can transform our grief into great joy. In Hannah’s prayer, she rejoices in God and his faithfulness, looking back to God’s long presence with his people and how he humbles the proud and exalts the humble. In Hannah’s humility, she offers Samuel to the Lord, recognizing that our children are a gift given to us, but they are God’s children first. We have a responsibility as a covenantal community to walk alongside the parents to help them raise Pax to know and love the Lord. 

Today we are celebrating GEMS Sunday. Our Bethel GEMS will be participating and leading us in our worship service on their theme for the year; Romans 12:1-2, Transformed. Paul calls us to not conform to the patterns of our world but to be transformed. We’re transformed by the renewing of our mind so that we become new people, focused on Jesus and able to know what God’s will is and to follow it .

Today we will wrap up our series on what we hunger for, by reflecting on John 6:35-51, A Hunger for the Gospel. Jesus gives us a picture of the gospel message in this short passage. Jesus gives life as the bread of life, he comes from heaven to claim his people and they will have eternal life. Jesus is both fully human and fully God and so he’s the only one able to give us life and forgive us all our sins. Death and sin are part of the world, but Jesus is returning to restore and reconcile all creation to himself.