The Christmas Coronary

You polished off three helpings of turkey and stuffing, drank entirely too much eggnog, yelled at your kids and squabbled with your in-laws. And now there's a painful feeling in your chest: a feeling like you can’t take a deep breath. And really, come to think of it, you’re not feeling well at all.  Maybe it's stress. Maybe it's heartburn. But is it possible it could be a heart attack?    

The Christmas Coronary is a serious concern.  Of equal importance is keeping the Christmas heart, the one that rejoiced at the birth of our Saviour, healthy all year long. Two days after Christmas we'll gather to worship the Christ of Christmas who is also the Christ of Dec 27, and new year's eve and 2016 and... eternity.  Sunday, Dec 27, 10 a.m.

Christmas Day Service, 10:00 a.m.

Join us on Christmas morning for a beautiful service of scripture and song. "Now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love" (I Corinthians 13:13).

All I want for Christmas....

Kids - they always want their own way.  And if they don't get it, they get mad.  Unfortunately, kids aren't the only ones to use that approach.  Our Christmas wish list is all about "me" and about getting my way.  The Way of Love doesn't look like that at all. When we begin to understand, even in a limited way, what God did for us in sending Jesus to this earth, we will put "childish ways" (1 Corinthians 13:11) behind us.  We will be able to revise our Christmas wish list to include what we can do for others, as an expression of our love. Sunday, December 20, at 8:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.

Madison's baptism

This is Madison Boer, with her big sister Emma.  Madison was baptized a few weeks ago by her Grandpa, Pastor Jacob Boer. Congratulations, Madison!  With your parents, Jacob and Andrea, we thank God for welcoming you into His family.

From chaos to completeness

Those annoying puzzles!  Just when you have the last little ball ready to drop in place, someone bumps you and you have to start all over again.  The Christmas season can feel like that - so many little balls rattling around and nothing in the right place.  It's chaos! When Jesus came to earth as a baby, he knew chaos.  And Jesus understands the chaos in which we live.  But we are on a journey. It's the Way of Love, and it leads to completeness (I Corinthians 13:10). Completion and perfection will be ours through Jesus.  And already now, we can enjoy a foretaste of that completeness.   Sunday, Dec 13, 8:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.

Ryan Douglas Voorberg

Last Sunday we celebrated the baptism of Ryan Douglas Voorberg.  He's the son of Mark and Leeanne and a brother to Matthew.  We thank God for his gift of grace by which Ryan is welcomed into God's family!

Love changes how you live

We say that love changes everything.  When we discover that we are loved by God, love changes how we live and how we die.  But what does that look like?  The best picture of the changes that we experience is that of open hands. Love makes it possible for us to release our grip - on our money and possessions, on our opinions and convictions, and on our hurts and our anger.  We can release our grip because we know we are held safely in the arms of our heavenly Father.  And he will never let us go.  On this, the second Sunday of Advent, we continue along the Way of Love that brings us to Bethlehem.  Sunday, Dec 6, 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m.

Emerson James Boonstra

On Sunday, November 29, we celebrated the baptism of Emerson James Boonstra, baby boy of Josh & Hilary.  In the presence of lots of family and friends, we were reminded again that God's gift of grace is freely and undeservedly given.  Congratulations Josh & Hilary!