He is the Christ

 He is the Christ

                Who do people say that Jesus is? One person

answered his name is Christ for a reason—he is the Messiah.  But what does this really mean? Christ Messiah—they are the same because Jesus is the Anointed One, the one born to die to rise again. He is the Son of God and yet one with God.

                There are many names used as others tried to define Jesus. He himself used different examples so that people would figure out who he is for themselves. This was so that they could relate to Jesus in the way they felt comfortable. Jesus is our Shepherd, the gate, the Way, truth and life. When others called Jesus the King of Kings those who inherited the throne of leadership, objected. It was this group of people who saw their leadership being threatened, yet Jesus calmed them down by saying that his kingdom was not of the earth, but of heaven. So we might ask who is Jesus who we call King of Kings?

                Jesus is the human form of God, born of the woman Mary, raised by faithful Joseph along with siblings. Yet his purpose was not to live an ordinary life, but to change people’s lives from the ordinary to lives filled with hope. God knew that the creatures the people he made cycled back and forth in disobedience to his teachings. He loved the world he made and so in time Jesus was born as a human baby. He was the promised Messiah that one people had waited generations to see. Many believed that he would change the world by using the structures of power in the world. But, this was not God’s plan for Jesus.     

                Yes Jesus would change the world, but through his sacrificial death and resurrection.  It is through Jesus’ death there is hope for the world. It is through his resurrection that we have received the gift and hope of life eternal. But we must believe in Jesus’ purpose and that he is God’s Son, our Saviour.

                As we approach Reign of Christ Sunday- take time to reflect on how Jesus is your king, the Promised One the messiah for your life. If you are unsure, what does it mean to follow Jesus knowing that he came to save His people and that they would receive abundant life through Him.

                Who is Jesus for you? Shepherd, king, messiah, friend, way..?

PRAYER

God of grace we give thanks that you fulfilled your promise to us in giving us Jesus as our Saviour and Lord. Help us to see him for who he is as your Son and our hope. We praise you God and thank you. Amen.

We Will Remember Them

 

Remembrance November 10, 2021

We will remember them.

                These are the words spoken as part of the Traditional
Act of Remembrance, which will be enacted across the country on November 11. But who and what are we remembering?

                People will respond to this by saying those men and women who fought and died on foreign lands in order to maintain and save our way of living. What about the many who fought and were wounded or returned home with invisible wounds? Are we remembering them and honouring them as well?

                As the trumpet plays “The Last Post” hearts become heavy when we recall the many who have served, died and left many grieving.  For many years this Act of Remembrance has called us together as a country and we do so out of gratitude because of the lives we are now able to lead. Those who served did so, for the purpose of caring for the futures of the next generation. They had no idea if they would be the parents of that generation, but through time, some did, many did not.

                Songs of lament or grief are often shared at Remembrance Services to remind us that this is not a time of celebration and joy; but a time of mourning the losses endured by Canada as a whole throughout its history. Men and women left the country on an adventure, but instead of seeing the sights of foreign lands, they became a part of the world history and the casualty count.

                Remembrance Day is significant as we need to continue to support our troops, to encourage those who are willing to serve and to be thankful that they need. Wearing a poppy is a visible sign of your support of veterans who served in the past and those serving today. It is also important to show you are willing to listen and learn. For many of us cannot remember, so we must think. Let us remember this as we reflect on the words by John McCrae: “In Flanders Fields”.

PRAYER

God of love we give thanks for those men and women who gave their lives for the sake of others. Help us to honour them and remember them with hope for the future. May peace prevail on earth. Amen.

A Review of the Old Testament for Modern Times

 

November 3, 2021            Bible Course

                Last week a small group gathered in the parlour of

our church to begin again a Bible program which was developed in England and is now being distributed through the Bible Societies around the world. The Bible Course is an overview program which describes the themes of the Bible broken down into sections so that those not familiar with the Bible will have a new understanding of what is contained in God’s Word.

But what is our purpose in doing this program? The purpose is to reacquaint ourselves with God’s story as to what was, and is known in human history. Before the pandemic, we had made our way through the Old Testament and comments made varied about what had been shared so far. But, because it is over a year and half ago since we started, we decided to recap the Old Testament again.

What is the fall of man? What is the covenant God made with Abraham and Noah? What kind of relationship does God really want with us, the creature he created in His image? Many people might say that these topics are not relevant to the world of the 21^st century, yet they are because if we truly had taken responsibility of caring for God’s creation we would not be facing climate problems today.

But like the story goes, we learn from mistakes of the past in order not to repeat them!

                Those participating in this course are starting to connect with the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil as well as the Tree of Life in Genesis and in the vision of Revelation. We have also recognized that God – as Creator the Son and Spirit was present at the time of creation. It is in time that God sends Jesus to earth to save and redeem us.

Just how wonderful are the words of the Bible. But they are only wonderful if we take the time and read them every day! There is so much knowledge in them that we often forget what we read earlier, but there is always something new as we take on and learn different perspectives. We must read the Bible and discover what the text says itself. What is the story, the characters doing? And then we must then ask, now what? What does this passage mean for our lives today?  This is how we listen for God’s Spirit to open our minds and hearts to what God is trying to teach us.

These past weeks we have been singing the hymn “Wonderful Words of Life”; a hymn which reflects how we communicate with each other and especially how we learn from God and relate with Him. The Bible gives us stories of people who lived in different eras in history. Yet many of them face similar situations as we do and we can connect because we are all a part of human history. God made us all, and so we need to understand this for who we are and who we might become in our lives.

What does it mean to hear the story and interpret it for us today? It means listening to what is read and shedding light upon it from today’s perspective. For we must remember that even two years ago we would never have thought that the world would be in lockdown and pandemic was a word used in science fiction. Perspective has also called us to reflect upon our relationships with family members and friends. And hopefully the relationship you have with God! Let us remember this as we take time to read the Bible and know who you are as a child of God.

PRAYER
God of grace encourage us to take the time each day to read the Bible and understand it from our 21^st century eyes. Show us what we need to know today, and teach us with love and hope how we are able to grow in relationship with you. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.