Welcoming Jesus back

We've all said it: "Don't worry, it's not the end of the world!"  Popular media - movies, novels - depict the end of the world as we know it as an ominous, frightening event.  We are curious about Christ's return, but mostly we are fearful. And so, when John McArthur, Chuck Swindoll, and David Jeremiah preach a gospel that says that we Christians will be snatched out of this world when that day of terror arrives, we are ready to embrace the rapture as gospel.  The world may go to hell, but God is going to rescue us from disaster in the nick of time. 

In his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul says that we are going to meet the Lord in the air. The word “meet” here is a technical term referring to a custom in Paul’s day. It’s a custom whereby a reception party would be sent out to meet a visiting dignitary and then escort that person on the final part of their trip into the city.  

Of course, this is not a foreign concept to us.  It’s like going to the airport to welcome home your son or daughter who has been overseas for several months.  Oh, they could get a cab, we could greet them when they get to the house.  What’s a few more hours.  But what kind of a welcome would that be?  We go to the airport.  And rather than wait at the curb, we even park the car; so what if airport parking is expensive.  And we position ourselves at arrivals, watching the board to see if the plane has landed.  And then we fasten our eyes on the door through which he will come.  

This is the way we will "meet Jesus in the air" when he returns.  And when we returns, rather than the annihilation of our world, he will make all things news - a new heaven and a new earth (Rev 21). "Encourage one another with these words; encourage one another and build each other up" (I Thess 4:18, 5:11). Join us for worship on Sunday, March 9 at 10 a.m.

You gotta have faith

You gotta have faith, but not a blind faith.  True faith is both a knowledge & a conviction that God's Word is true, and a deep-rooted assurance that my sins have been forgiven (Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 21).  Knowledge and assurance. That's not a blind faith, it's a faith with substance.  And this faith is the means by which God's grace comes to us.  Join us this Sunday evening, Mar 2, at 6:00 p.m.  For our morning service, at 10 a.m., we welcome Seminarian David VanEyk as we celebrate that this Sunday is Transfiguration Sunday.

A FISH dinner

Well, not really a fish dinner... That's lasagna Rachel is holding.  FISH is our youth group- Friends In Service for Him.  Last Saturday's dinner was a fund raiser to support those who plan to go to the All Ontario Youth Convention in the May.  Dinner was great!  See the rest of the pictures on the slide show running to the right.

Sex and s'mores

"S'more" = a contraction of "some more."
When it comes to biblical directives regarding sex, we expect some finger wagging and lots of "don'ts."  The commands against sexual immorality, warning about a lack of self control, and against doing wrong toward another are all there in Paul's letter to the Thessalonians.  But those commands are sandwiched between two "s'mores" - that we are to live in such a way that more and more we please God and show love for one another.  That puts those sexual commands into a positive framework. This Sunday, Feb 23 at 10 a.m., we continue reading Paul's letter (I Thess 4:1-12) as he deals with "other matters" - matters like our sexual conduct.

Go for the gold

Paul has some words of encouragement for the Christians in Thessalonica, and for us: even when life is tough, even when those closest to us hurt us the most, God can make our love "increase and overflow."  Even when things don't happen the way we want them to, we can still go for the gold.  I Thess 3.  Sunday, Feb 16, 10:00 a.m.  We also gather for worship at 6:00 p.m. Rev John Bouwers leads that service.

He walks on water

This Sunday we worship in the context of grief.  Willi Paul died in a tragic accident last Sunday.  In our darkest moments, we can hear Jesus speak the same words he spoke to the disciples when he approached them, walking on the lake:  "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid" (Matt 14:22-32). Pastor Ken Benjamins from Brantford brings the message this Sunday, Feb 9 at 10:00 a.m.

What does your pastor look like?

Everyone has an image in their mind about what a pastor looks like and what he or she does. Sometimes that picture isn't a good one, and rumors can fuel the fire.  Paul knew all about that.  So he held up a few pictures for the church in order to show them the resemblance between him and what a pastor should look like.  We read about those pictures in I Thessalonians 2: 1-12, Sunday, Feb 2, at 10 a.m.