Bethel Crc Lacombe

Today we are continuing our series based on N.T Wright’s book Broken Signposts. We will reflect on John 13:1-17; Broken Signposts – Love. Jesus lives out His love for His disciples through the act of washing His disciples’ feet. Love can be really hard, especially when the person you are showing love to is actually working against you. We all ache to be loved. However, many people feel alone and unloved today. Love is a signpost that points us to Jesus and his sacrificial love. Love that led Him to the cross, so that we can be reconciled and experience deep unconditional love.

Today we will begin a series based on N.T Wright’s book Broken Signposts. As Wright recognizes, “signposts name a reality and point us in a direction.” The signposts we will reflect on point to deep meaning that help us understand the world and its challenges. However, these signposts are broken and let us down. This is why we will turn to the Gospel of John to show us how these themes point us to Jesus and the kingdom of heaven. We will reflect on John 3:16-21; Broken Signposts – Justice. Jesus is sent to the world not to condemn it, but to save the world through Himself. We know that things aren’t the way they should be in our world and that injustice is all around us. Something needs to be done to make things right, but what? Jesus came to shine His light into the darkness and invite those who love the darkness to come into His light 

Today is our commissioning service for all those involved in our various children and youth ministries; a sign that our new church year is here! We will be focusing on Proverbs 22:6 Training Our Children. Beginnings are important. The better the beginning, the stronger the finish; this is true for our children and especially their faith. In Old Testament Israel and throughout Scripture, it is both the parents and the faith community that are responsible for raising children in the faith. It is a reminder that we are part of the family of God together 

Today we welcome Pastor Frank de Boer to lead us in worship. We will reflect on Lord’s Day 32 and Ephesians 5:1-20, 2:4-5,8,9 - Saved by Grace or Good Works? If we are saved by grace, then why do we need to be good? If our good works are needed for salvation, then why do we need grace? The theme is that our good works come from living out our faith that comes through God’s grace 

Today we are finishing our series on the Prophet Nahum. We will reflect on Nahum 3 Yahweh – Destroyer of Evil, Restorer of Creation. As we saw in the first two chapters of Nahum, the Lord is slow to anger, but he will address the evil in the world and hold those responsible accountable for their wickedness. This is a big part of why Jesus came to earth: to engage Satan on our behalf, battling for our hearts, souls, and minds and drawing us back to the Father 

 Today we welcome Chaplain Rick Mast to lead us in worship. We will focus on Mark 12:38-44; 14: 1-11, A Good Kind of Giving during our service today. The book of Mark concerns itself with addressing/answering this question: Is Jesus REALLY the new King, The Messiah? The people in his day were (sometimes literally) dying to know! Jesus surprises people. He challenges regular and accepted practices. Jesus does this in order to explain, herald and usher in God's new kingdom - a kingdom we would not be able to figure out on our own, with Jesus as the head of it all (fully human and fully God, a servant and a martyr). A widow's last two coins and another person's alabaster jar of very costly ointment. Two stories of giving, similar and different. Jesus acknowledges only one gift with great praise. Surprise! God's kingdom will continue to surprise...

Today we welcome Pastor Bill Nieuwenhuis to lead us in our worship service. Today will focus on Pauls’ letter to the Corinthians in his sermon, Insights into the Heart of God. At the heart of the Christian faith is the doctrine of the Trinity.  This doctrine proclaims that God is three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit; yet one God. It is a teaching that is hard to grasp. It leaves us wondering about the true nature of God and how we are to understand his very nature. As the Apostle Paul brought his correspondence to the Corinthian Church to a close, he extended the blessing of the triune God upon them (2 Corinthians 13:14).  In doing so, the Apostle revealed something very important about the very heart of God himself.  In this blessing, each person of the Trinity extends to God’s people a particular aspect of the Almighty’s heart.  When we consider our great God from this perspective, we suddenly realize we are indeed a very blessed people.

A look through the book of Acts, focusing on how the Holy Spirit worked in the early church.

Today we will reflect on Nahum 2 – Yahweh – Warrior for His People. The Lord warns Nineveh through the prophet that an attacker is coming up against them. This would be a shocking warning against the most powerful empire in the world at that time. The Lord then promises to restore the splendor of Jacob, a reminder that this vision of Nahum is as much about comforting Judah as it is a warning to Nineveh. Jesus warns us about persecution and suffering for following Him. So many people do not acknowledge Jesus as their Lord and are willing to work against His followers for their own wants. Jesus will allow this for a time, but we know that He is returning one day to raise up His people in splendor and take His place as King of kings defeating all those who stand against Him and His people.

Today we are starting a short series on the Prophet Nahum. We will start by reflecting on Nahum 1 Yahweh – Judge of Evil and Refuge for His People. Israel is being oppressed by the Assyrians, represented by their capital city of Nineveh. This occurs after the prophet Jonah warned the Ninevites of God’s anger. They repented, and God showed them mercy. However, Nineveh didn’t turn completely and God is preparing to punish Nineveh and rescue the Israelites. 

Today we will complete the series on Hebrews. We will be reflecting on Hebrews 13 How Shall We Live. The writer wraps up his letter with a call to community and with phrases of encouragement: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you;” “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Then lastly, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” The thread flowing through all of them is the assurance that we can depend on God.

Today we are continuing our series based on the book of Hebrews. We are reflecting on Hebrews 12:14-29 God – A Consuming Fire. The writer to Hebrews calls us to holiness; a strange call for many people today. We’re called to a way of living with God. We do this by coming to him in a spirit of reverence and awe, with an awareness of God’s holiness and majesty. The writer takes us to mountains, drawing our eyes upward to God in order to hear his voice. God is a consuming fire, a God who, through Jesus’ sacrifice, burns away our old selves in order to reveal our new selves as his children. 

Today we continue our series based on the book of Hebrews. We will be focusing on Hebrews 11 Faith – A Way of Life. Hebrews is all about faith; what it means and what it looks like in the lives of actual people in the Old Testament. Faith is the foundation for the hope we have in God’s promises and what Jesus accomplished for us on the cross. Faith helps us to live sacrificially for the generations after us and not for our own wants and desires 

We are continuing our look into the book of Hebrews. We will be reflecting on Hebrews 9 The Tabernacle – A Picture of Heaven. The writer of Hebrews now takes us into the tabernacle, the tent of worship given to Israel at Mount Sinai as a center of worship and the rituals given to them by God. The tabernacle is given as a copy of heaven and heavenly things. It points us to God, to who God is and what God desires of his people. It gives a hint of what God is going to do as he deals with our sin. The tabernacle is an image of coming closer to God.

Today we are continuing our series based on the book of Hebrews and will be reflecting on Hebrews 7-8:6 Jesus – Like Melchizedek. We start to see the priestly influence of the writer in this part of the letter. The writer connects Jesus to Melchizedek, a king and priest who shows up out of nowhere in the Bible. Yet Abraham treats him as a superior. He even offers this previously unknown king 10% of the spoils of the battle he’s fought in order to save his nephew Lot and Lot’s family. Aaron, Moses’ brother is the head of the line of priests in Israel, but Melchizedek comes way before Aaron. His is a much older line. The writer connects Jesus to this older priestly line that comes out of the power of an indestructible life. This is another interesting thought the writer introduces. 

Today we are continuing our series based on the book of Hebrews. We will be reflecting on Hebrews 5:11-6:3 Maturing Our Souls. It’s easy to slip into complacency about our faith, doing all the right things, but never really engaging our faith in deeper ways. Sometimes we will depend on others to make sure we’re learning more about the Bible and God, but we don’t do the hard work of figuring out what that means in our day to day lives. The writer challenges the people to become more mature in their faith, to be able to eat solid food rather than being content with milk.

Today we are continuing our series based on the book of Hebrews. We will be reflecting on Hebrews 3:7-4:16 -The Sabbath Rest. The writer of Hebrews invites us to make sure that we enter into the sabbath rest God offers us through Jesus. He roots sabbath rest in creation. The first thing God does after creating humanity is to invite them to spend the day with him. Together they get to know the very good creation. The writer also ties the exodus of Israel to sabbath rest. We are invited to experience freedom from the work week and pressures of providing for ourselves and our families. By spending the day with God in his very good creation, we are pointed to the renewal of creation at the second coming of Jesus.

Today we are continuing our series based on the book of Hebrews. We will be reflecting on Hebrews 2 The Son – One of Us. In chapter 2 we are challenged to remain close to Jesus, remembering that Jesus told us that if we love him, we will keep his commands. We’re reminded that Jesus is the source of our salvation and that if we ignore this, there is punishment for our sin. Jesus is crowned with glory and tasted death for us so that through Jesus, we are made holy as part of the family of God. We don’t often use the language of holiness today. Jesus came and became human like us, so that we could be made holy, through his sacrifice on our behalf, and find strength in Jesus when we are tempted.

Today we are beginning a new series based on the book of Hebrews. Hebrews is a letter written by someone who has very close connections to the temple. It is filled with priestly references, images and focuses on a sacred and holy approach to Jesus. We will begin with reflecting on Hebrews 1 The Son –  The Eternal One. The author starts by introducing us to God’s Son and who the Son is: heir of all things, the one through whom all things are created, the exact representation of God’s hypostasis or substance and being of God. The Son is eternal and his years will never end. So much to reflect on and think about!

Today we are wrapping up our four-week series on Gifts from God by reflecting on Acts 2:42-47 and Acts 4:32-37, The Gift of Generosity. A few weeks ago, we reflected on the church as the body of Jesus - how we belong to Jesus and to each other. This is reflected in how we use the financial gifts that God has blessed us with. When we see that there are those who are struggling and need help, we realize that those who have been blessed with much are encouraged to be generous and help each other out. Following Jesus creates a different kind of community and way of living that often may seem odd to those outside the church because of our commitment to each other