Weston Park Baptist Church

As the church grows more and more people are brought into God's kingdom. People who are different from us but still persons created in the image of God. This is a central point in our story of Philip meeting the Ethiopian Eunuch who is seeking to know God (Acts 8). How does Philip respond to this outsider - a person different by nationality, ethnicity and gender? Does Philip reach out or reject the God-seeker? Such questions remain as critical issues in our day which is marked by varying degrees of prejudice, racism, oppression and hatred.

As the early church grew, challenges arose that threatened its unity. The apostles responded with prayer and trusted Spirit filled leaders to serve practical needs. This Fathers Day, well reflect on how God uses ordinary people, fathers, mentors, and everyday servants to build His church and carry out His mission. Faithful service, whether seen or behind the scenes, is vital in Gods kingdom.

On this Pentecost Sunday we hear Luke's stories of the sick being healed, individuals being saved, and the apostles being released from prison in the middle of the night by the angel of the Lord! Wondrous times celebrating the power and work of the Holy Spirit of God! Even so the Holy Spirit continues to work in the church of Christ as we are receptive to his leading and obedient to his call.

The early church was a community satiated with love, generosity and compassion. As contemporary Christians we look back on those days with a certain wistfulness of spirit. We ask ourselves if the church cannot experience such grace, kindness and compassion for others today? Yet the early church was not perfect as the desire for first place and greed for money was not unknown. As such, Lukes community of faith is both a model to emulate and a cautionary tale of negative outcomes.

Resistance in our faith journey is a fact and occurs both on a personal and collective level. What is needed is an ongoing dependence upon God to meet the daily challenges and hurdles that come our way. Especially important is to be receptive to the fresh inspiration of the Holy Spirit in our day to day faith walk. To seek the presence and power of the Spirit of God is critical if we are to overcome the subtleties of the evil one. May we learn from Peter and John as they model this dependence upon God as thy pass through difficult and challenging times.

The church in action energized by the Holy Spirit brings about healing, restoration, and new life. Such blessings happen not through our own power but by the power of Jesus. So it is Jesus, through his church, to all of humankind - this is what it means to be the people of God revealing the Kingdom of God. And this is what is occurring as we pick up the story of Peter and John and the healing of the lame man. It reveals the new life of Gods kingdom coming to fruition through the Spirit of Jesus who lives within us.

In Acts 2:42-47, we see a church that thrived because of its devotion to teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer. This passage shows us the marks of a community deeply rooted in Christwhere love, care, and growth happen naturally. Join us as we explore how we can become that kind of church, a place where everyone can find belonging and purpose.

The church comes to life through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit invades our lives through the work of Jesus Christ and energizes us to become witnesses of Christ in both word and deed. We become ambassadors of Jesus! We become His hands and feet to usher in His compassion, mercy, and love to a hurting world. May we receive the call of the Great Sender and become his sent ones to our urban world.

Much of life is about waiting. We wait for all kinds of things concerning employment, family relationships, school, holidays and much more. We also spend time waiting upon God and listening for his direction. It is this experience of waiting that we find as we begin our series on The Book of Acts. It raises the question for us of What is the nature of our waiting? Is it an empty waiting of just looking at a clock or do we wait in expectation that God is working in our midst? The disciples find that as they wait in trust God is bringing about a new epoch of empowerment by his Spirit.

The resurrection of Christ is the defining point in the history of humankind. Death has been defeated and resurrection life is ours in Jesus Christ! As a result we are invited to live the abundant life even now as we make our journey under God's sun. May our reflection on Matthew's account of the empty tomb (Matthew 28) fill us with the hope and joy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ on this Easter weekend.

A key question continues to be "Who is Jesus?" It was asked in the first century (Matthew 21:10) and continues to be asked today. Is Jesus primarily a great teacher? A good model for living? A crazy person? Or our ever present living Lord? During this Easter season may we keep exploring this pivotal question of 'Who Jesus Is?' and continue to deepen our relationship with our living Lord.

As we come to the close of our reflections on King David we hear the exciting words of "an eternal covenant" instituted by Yahweh God. God wants to be in relationship with David and all in his train forever. And through Jesus the Son of David we are members of this eternal covenant. Let us rejoice and give exuberant thanks to our gracious God for the wideness of his mercy and love.

Throughout First and Second Samuel we hear about David. But in 2 Samuel 22 we hear the voice of David speaking in first person David speaking directly to his loving God. No longer the voice of a Warrior but David speaking as a poet announcing his love to his loving Father. In this Psalm we also are invited to offer our praise and devotion to our Most High God who remains faithful and kind throughout each and every generation.

Join us this Sunday as we explore Davids powerful confession after being confronted by the prophet Nathan. Through this moment of truth, we see both the consequences of sin and the boundless grace of God. No matter our failures, God offers forgiveness and restoration when we turn to Him in repentance.

King David is described as a person who has a heart after God, yet he is also a person who carries his own foibles. The story of his relationship with Bathsheba and his orchestration of Uriahs death makes this fact very clear. Nevertheless, the Lord remains faithful to David despite his unfaithfulness. It is this response of grace and forgiveness towards David that brings encouragement to our sinful hearts today. Gods amazing grace is available for us all so let us go to him continually with honest and authentic hearts.

David has experienced the compassionate love (kindness) of God and he wants to share it with others. Specifically he remembers his deep friendship with Jonathan and wants to express his loyal love to Jonathan in a tangible way towards members of Jonathans and Sauls families. David does not hold on to enmity with the descendants of Saul but rather demonstrates an attitude of forgiveness and kindness to them. In this action we have a linkage to the kindness of God (v3) and how we are also called to forgive our enemies and forsake our attitudes of bitterness, anger and holding on to old grudges. May we have the grace to emulate King David and his greater King Jesus Christ.

In the mercy of God the Shepherd King is not only established on the throne of Israel but his heirs are to be established as a dynasty forever. This Davidic Covenant becomes the genealogical foundation that culminates in Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God (Matthew 1:5-6). As a result the Davidic Covenant becomes the connection point for our own relationship with Jesus and our participation in the new Israel of God (Galatians 6:16).

Davids journey to the throne was long, but he remained faithful, trusting Gods timing. In2 Samuel 5:1-12, well see how discipline in waiting, obedience, and stewardship prepares us for Gods plans. Join us as we learn to trust His process!

Watch at: https://youtu.be/3wCmHyd0vno

Our passage tells the famous story of David having the opportunity to kill King Saul in the cave but he chooses to spare his life. Indeed, Saul is delivered into the hand of David but David waits upon God to act in his behalf. The narrative invites us to reflect upon the question What is in our hand? We also are given opportunities and capacities to know and serve God. May we recognize our chances to serve God and do so with grateful and trusting hearts.