Bethel Crc Lacombe

We will continue our study of the Canons by reflecting on John 3:1-21, Whoever Believes.   Jesus’ death for our sin washes us clean from the dirt of sin on our souls and hearts and makes us right with God.  But not everyone is washed clean; there are those who reject Jesus as their Saviour and choose themselves as ruler of their lives and so Jesus’ sacrifice is not applied to them, even though it is capable of washing away all the sin in the world.

We will continue our study of the Canons by reflecting on Ephesians 1:1-14, No Conditions.  In most of our relationships, we are loved or accepted because of something that we bring into the relationship.  When the relationship becomes too costly, it’s common to end the relationship and find new ones that fit us better and bring something of value into our lives.  Our relationship with God is different.  We have nothing to offer God, he has no reason at all to want a relationship with us, and yet he chooses us to be his children.  He gives us his love without any conditions, taking away our worry about not bringing anything into our relationship with God.  

This week we will begin a 5-week series on the Canons of Dordt.  This year is the 400th anniversary of the meeting of the Synod of Dordrecht where the Canons were written.  This is our least known and most misunderstood confession ad yet it’s a confession filled with great hope and comfort.  Most of us learnt the Canons through the word TULIP.  We are beginning our study of the Canons with the doctrine of total depravity by reflecting on Romans 3:9-20, Sin Infects Us.  We are also celebrating the Lord’s Supper today.  

Today we welcome Pastor Brian Schouten from Sonrise CRC in Ponoka, as he brings us God’s Word from Luke 12:13-23.

Today we welcome Diana Boot to our worship service as she shares with us her work in Uganda.  We will be reflecting on Luke 9:18-27, Who Do You Say Jesus Is? Some people say Jesus is a great teacher. Others say that he had a special relationship with God and is like a prophet. While others say that Jesus is God, the Son of God, and the Messiah.  Who we see Jesus as makes a difference in how we respond to Jesus, because if he’s simply a teacher or prophet, we can pick and choose what we want to accept from what Jesus says.  If he is God, the son of God, then our relationship with Jesus completely changes. 

Happy Thanksgiving!!  Today at our special Thanksgiving service, we will be reflecting on 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28, focusing on verse 16-18.  Giving Thanks In All Circumstances.  Paul reminds us to be joyful always, pray continually, and to give thanks in all circumstances.  God has blessed us and so we take time on Thanksgiving Day to say Thank You! for his blessings and presence in the past year.

Today we will be reflecting on Jesus’ invitation to Follow Me.  What does it mean to follow Jesus, how does that change our lives, our priorities, and our relationships with God, Jesus, others and ourselves? We all like to think that we chart our own way through life, but the reality is that we all find someone to imitate and follow, so who are you following? 

Today Pastor Jake wraps up to his series on the 3Ts by reflecting on Luke 18:18-30 Treasure. What does your treasure chest look like, what is it filled with? When it comes down to it, is the treasure you’ve collected and stored in your lifetime even yours? What does good treasure even look like? We will be exploring these questions and more.  We will also be celebrating the Lord’s Supper.  Please join us for refreshments in the fellowship hall after the morning service.  

This week Pastor Jake returns to his series on the 3T’s by reflecting on 1 Corinthians 12:1-31, Talents.  God has given each of us different talents or gifts.  Our culture tells us that we should use our gifts to do well in life for ourselves and our families and God doesn’t disagree, but His idea of family is much bigger that our culture’s.  Our gifts are given to us to use to build up our church family, to work towards unity, and for the common good.  This morning is also a commissioning service as we enter a new church year of learning, servicing and equipping each other to follow Jesus wherever the Holy Spirit leads us.  

This week our youth are the focus of our service, Pastor Jake will be preaching from Psalm 139, Where Can I Flee from Your Presence?  It doesn’t matter where you go, God is always there.  That can be reassuring for some and a bit frightening for others if you are trying to get away from God.  God reminds us through creation itself that he is here and he never gives up on reaching out to us. 

Pastor Jake will be beginning a short 3-week series called The 3 T’s.  We will be reflecting on Time, Talents (our gifts), and Treasure.  We will begin with Matthew 25:31-46 and Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, Time:  God’s Plan for Our Time.  Time is limited and we all have the same amount of it every day.  So how do we use our time, who do we use our time for?  Time is also precious and we have only so much of it to spend, so how we use our time while on earth is important. 

Pastor Jake will be wrapping up his series on trees in the Bible by reflecting on Revelation 22:1-6, The Leaves of the Trees are for Healing.  The Bible begins with stories of trees and the last chapter of the Bible includes trees whose leaves are for the healing of the nations. We all need healing; soul healing, physical healing, relationship healing and more.  Jesus came in order to bring healing in every area of our lives, overcoming the effects of sin through his death on a tree.  This fills us with hope and strength as we journey through life.  

This week Pastor Jake will be continuing his series on trees in the Bible by reflecting on Matthew 12:33-37, Make Your Tree Good.  Being healthy spiritually doesn’t just happen and there are many ways we can prepare and work the soil of our heart in order to be healthy.  We are called to do the hard work in following Jesus to make sure that we produce good fruit and are a blessing wherever God places us. 

Welcome to Bethel!  Today we welcome Mark Patterson as he leads us in worship.  “For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."  When something good happens in your life, doesn't it seem even better if you tell someone else about it?  If someone does something special for you, isn't it natural to let others know how much you appreciate what that person has done?  Today we will have the chance to tell others how you've seen God working in your life.  It might be an answered prayer, a divine intervention, a joyous event, or a new insight from the Word.  To God be the glory!

Welcome to Bethel!  Pastor Jake is continuing his series on trees in the Bible by reflecting on Psalm 1.  In order to produce good fruit, trees need to be nourished by a reliable source of water; as followers of Jesus we also need to be regularly nourished and Psalm 1 points us to meditating on the Torah as the source of our nourishment.   All are welcome! 

This week Elder August Luymes will be bringing us the Word from Luke 24:13-35, The Road to Emmaus.

This week Pastor Jake is beginning a short summer series, looking at trees in the Bible.  Trees are found in both the first and last chapters of the Bible and play a role in so many stories.  They provide us with so many things that bless our lives: sap, wood, bark, fruit, fresh air, and so much more.  We will begin by reflecting on Genesis 2, The Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil.  

This week Pastor Jake is wrapping our journey through Jonah by reflecting on Jonah 4, Angry at God.  When God’s grace is offered to people who have hurt us and we’re unable to see how they are punished for the hurt they’ve caused, we often find ourselves filled with anger and confusion.  How do we live with God’s grace to those who have hurt us, how does God’s compassion and justice hold together, a real and haunting question for many of us.

This week Pastor Jake will continue our look at Jonah, reflecting on Jonah 3 and Unexpected Grace. God’s grace often shines out at unexpected times and to unexpected people; it is not earned, but flows out of the relationship God has with humanity. 

Welcome to Bethel! This week Elder August Luymes is continuing our 4-week series on the book of Jonah.  We often skip over this prayer of Jonah and yet there is much to learn about confession, trust and God’s mercy.  When times get tough, we turn to prayer to reach out to God and God hears our prayers with a heart of compassion and grace.