Bethel Crc Lacombe

Today we jump back into our series on Jars of Clay by reflecting on Exodus 4, Moses: Uncertain. Have you ever felt that God might be calling you to do something, take up a new challenge, perhaps take on a leadership or mentoring role but felt unprepared or not capable of following through on the sense of calling? Moses is being called to lead, a role that he was trained to as a child in Pharaoh’s palace, but after 40 years tending sheep, he no longer felt able to do what God is calling him to do. Does God really give up what we need when we feel his calling, or do doubts keep us from listening or following through? Lots of questions come up in Moses’ story, not all easy ones either. 

We delay our series based on 2 Corinthians 4:7, Jars of Clay in order to celebrate Pentecost! The four pastors of Woodynook CRC, Wolf Creek Community Church and Bethel CRC will be collaborating on a sermon together based in Acts 2, via Zoom, for all three congregations. Pentecost is a coming together of people from many nations and peoples and being formed into the Body of Christ as the church. In a time when we’ve spent the past 2 months physically distancing from each other, we thought, as local CRC pastors that it would be a blessing for all of us to see that we may be physically separated, but in Christ, through the Holy Spirit, we are all one in Christ. 

Today we will be reflecting on 2 Samuel 11, David & Bathsheba. “The heart wants what it wants.” Emily Dickinson wrote that. Depending on your age, you might connect this quote with Woody Allen or Selena Gomez instead. This is also what David might have said about his relationship with Bathsheba; the problem is God is calling for our hearts to want God more than anything else. This week, the church also celebrated Ascension Day, the day Jesus returned to heaven in order to send us the Holy Spirit. It’s a day often forgotten, but Ascension Day affirms Jesus as God’s Son and the King of all creation! 

Today we will be reflecting on Genesis 27:1-40, Jacob: Liar. A few months ago, we reflected on this same story, looking at the theme of blessing. However, this story has a second theme, that of deceit and how Jacob’s deceit created so much brokenness and yet God never gives up on Jacob. He uses Jacob as the foundation for the birth of the nation of Israel and the coming of the promised Messiah. Jacob’s jar of clay has many cracks where God still shines through.

Today we will be reflecting on Genesis 38, Tamar: All Honour Sacrificed. Sin has a way of infecting generations of families and Jacob’s family is no different. In Jacob’s family deceit is a way of life and its ripples touches many lives and its hurt cause’s people to do things they never would otherwise. Tamar, Judah’s daughter-in-law is deceived and hurt by his two oldest sons and she is promised his youngest son as a husband, but she is deceived by Judah.  Tamar goes to great lengths to protect her honour and future. Where is God in such a time,how does his light shine through people like Judah and Tamar?

Today we will be continuing our series based on 2 Corinthians 4:7, Jars of Clay, we will be reflecting on 1 Kings 19:1-21, Elijah: All Hope Lost.  God uses people to build his kingdom here on earth, but the people he uses are not perfect and go through both the highs and lows of life.  In the highs, life is good, but in the lows, some of us will struggle hard with doubt and even depression, sometimes deep depression or despair.  Elijah goes through a time of despair even to the point of wanting to end his life.  How do we walk through hard times? As we go through, where is God?

This week we are starting a new series based on 2 Corinthians 4:7, Jars of Clay.  Today’s message from 2 Corinthians 4 has Paul saying “We have this treasure in jars of clay.”  When you stop and think of it, it’s pretty amazing that Jesus trusts us with the Gospel News; with sharing the Good News of Jesus with the world.  He especially uses those of us who have been broken and cracked by life; hurt and weak, often strange and odd to the world, to reveal the power of the Gospel in our lives and to invite others to accept Jesus’ love and heart renewal for themselves.  

Today we will be reflecting on the GEMS’ and their theme for this past year. We will be reflecting on 1 John 3:1-3, Loved! Our greatest desire is to be loved; if we miss out on knowing the amazing love of God for us, we will fill that empty place with something or someone else instead. We are loved so much by God that he makes us his children, a part of the family!

Easter Sunday! The church’s historical greeting on this day is: Christ is Risen, He is Risen Indeed! We will be reflecting on Matthew 28:1-10, He is Risen, Just as He Said. After Jesus’ crucifixion, the Jewish rulers were still afraid, afraid that something unexpected might happen to Jesus’ body.  Since they knew about Jesus’ claim that he will rise again in three days, they persuaded Pilate to post guards on Jesus’ tomb. As the saying goes, you can’t keep a good man down.  This is especially true if he’s the Son of God who has taken the sin of the world to the grave with him. What a great reason for rejoicing! 

Today the carpenter’s hands are nailed to a cross, the King of kings is crowned with thornsand wears the purple robe of mockery. Today he sets us free, himself imprisoned on a tree. Today is God’s Friday. We come in worship.

This fifth Sunday of Lent we will continue our Lenten series by reflecting on Leviticus 23:33-44 and John 7:37-43, The Feast of Tabernacles. It’s also Palm Sunday. The Feast of Tabernacles remembers the time Israel spent in the wilderness in temporary dwellings. When you journey or wander through the wilderness, especially for 40 years, thirst is a constant companion and Israel needed to depend on God to provide enough water for the entire nation every day of those 40 years! In the New Testament, Jesus invited anyone who is thirsty to come to him and drink, implying to the people at the festival, that he is from God who satisfied the thirst of their ancestors, but Jesus will provide generously: rivers of living water. 

We continue our Lenten series on the Feasts of Israel by reflecting on Leviticus 23:23-25, The Feast of Trumpets. In this Feast, the trumpets, or shofars are blown to call the people to experience God’s presence again. In the harvest, it was easy to get so caught up in the work that we can forget to remember that God is here with us and calls us to experience his presence each day. God’s presence changes us, his holiness leads him to judge our sin, but his love leads him to take our punishment on himself! We also plan to gather together in spirit and celebrate the Lord’s Supper together.

We continue our Lenten series on the feasts of Israel by reflecting on Leviticus 23:15-22 and Acts 2:1-13, The Feast of Weeks-Pentecost. This is a feast that reminds us to be generous with the blessings God has given us, especially in the harvest. There are echoes to the story of Ruth and Boaz and to the coming of the Holy Spirit. It also became connected to the gift of the Law. We will explore how these events are all connected.

This Lenten season we will be reflecting on the Feasts of Israel.  We continue by reflecting on Leviticus 23:9-14, The Feast of First Fruits. This is a feast that calls us to a deep trust in God. By offering God our first-fruits, we are saying to God, “We trust you that you will provide for us and send the rain and sun as needed so our crops can grow, be harvested and our people will be able to eat.” This is also a festival of anticipation and excitement as the hard work of harvest is beginning and the fruit of the people’s labours are being realized. 

This Lenten season we will be reflecting on the Feasts of Israel.  We continue by reflecting on the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Leviticus 23:6-8 and 1 Corinthians 5:6-8. The Feast of Unleavened Bread is also part of the Passover Feast and it focuses on the importance of finding the sin in our lives and then cleansing our hearts and lives of sin. This is not something we have the strength to do in our own strength, for this we need the blood of Jesus, the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit.  

This Lenten season we will be reflecting on the Feasts of Israel.  We will be looking at each of the feasts God calls Israel to celebrate found in Leviticus 23. We begin today with the Feast of Passover, Leviticus 23:4-5. The Feast of Passover remembers the exodus of Israel from slavery under Egypt and how the Angel of Death passed over the houses of those Israelites who painted their door frames with the blood of a lamb.  A sign that the freedom of those in the home were purchased through the blood of an innocent lamb.  The beginning of Israel claiming a new identity, one found in God rather than as slaves.  

This week Pastor Jake will lead the service while Elder August Luymes will be bringing us the Word.  We will be returning to Luke 24 and Jesus encounter with two of his disciples on the road to Emmaus, focusing on what Jesus said that made their hearts burn.  

This week we are wrapping up our series on Spiritual Disciplines by reflecting on the discipline of worship and looking at Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4:1-42.  Jesus tells her that a time is coming when we will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth.  What does this mean?  How can we worship in the Spirit and in truth? How does this show us who Jesus really is?  

This week we are celebrating our Friendship Ministry.  We will be reflecting on Mark 5:21-43, Face to Face with Jesus: Touching Our Lord.  This is the story of a young girl who is so sick.  Her father comes running to Jesus to heal her.  While on the way, another woman who has been sick for a really long time touches Jesus, hoping for healing.  Today we will be reflecting on Jesus as a healer, but also on asking some hard questions.  Questions like: why doesn’t Jesus heal me; am I not healed because I don’t have enough faith; How can I find peace even when I don’t get healed by Jesus?   

This week we are celebrating our Cadet ministry and inviting the Cadets and their counsellors to help lead us in worship.  We will be reflecting on Jeremiah 29:10-14, focusing on verse 12, Hi God, It’s Me.  God wants us to come and talk to him, to stay in contact with him in our day to day lives, sharing with him our day to day stuff and inviting him to be part of it with us.  Our God is also our Father and he’s always eager to hear from us.  We will be focusing on the personal nature of prayer.