PODCAST

God has brought us together as a unique congregation with particular values, gifts and talents. He has placed us in a unique position to reach particular people with his light. Given who we are and who our neighbours are, what shall we do? We are going to brainstorm some mission activities for to set as goals for the next few years.

[Please Note: The audience responses have been edited or removed as they were not audible on the recording.]

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-10

(Recorded January 19, 2025)

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Who is our neighbour? The Parable of the Good Samaritan shows us we are to love anyone who comes across our path, including people who don’t like us. It eliminates the temptation to say “no” to being neighbourly to someone. But who, specifically, has God called us to minister to? Not at the expense of others, but for the sake of knowing how to prioritize our efforts? We must pray to the Lord of the Harvest to send workers into his field, including us.

[Please Note: The audience responses have been edited or removed as they were not audible on the recording.]

Scripture: Matthew 9:35 – 10:1

(Recorded January 12, 2025)

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Happy New Year! As we begin 2025, we are doing something a little different. We will be asking ourselves 3 questions, Who are we? Who is our neighbour? What, then, shall we do? Building on our work in the fall through the THRIVE curriculum from the CBOQ, we are spending time in discussion together to articulate our values. Who, specifically, has God made us to be? What is special about our church? Why has God put us where we are? What is our role in his Kingdom? What is our calling and how to we pursue God’s mission for us over the next few years? These are the questions we will explore together over the next three weeks. This week we are asking “Who are we?” I have prepared a shorter devotional that will lead into a time of open discussion and brainstorming as a congregation.

[Please Note: The audience responses have been edited or removed as they were not audible on the recording.]

Scripture: 2 Peter 1:3-4, Ephesian 2:4-10

(Recorded January 5, 2025)

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Advent 4
We are continuing to look at the actual texts of the Christmas story to discern the actual meaning of Christmas. The scandalous Magi were unexpected and surprising guests that first Christmas, especially because they were the only ones in Matthew’s account to actually understand what Christmas is about! As we count down the final days before the holiday, remember that Jesus’ arrival demands a response from us about the opportunity to be reconciled to God.

Scripture: Matthew 2:1-12

(Recorded December 22 2024)

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Advent 2
Many secular people want to keep Christ out of the Christmas holidays. Many Christians want to keep Christ in Christmas, but even many Christians have the wrong understanding of what Christmas is about! Christmas is about glorifying God because of the good news that a Saviour has come to redeem us and, in doing so, has made God infinitely more accessible to us all!

Scripture: Luke 2:8-20

(Recorded December 8 2024)

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Advent 1
As we enter this time of anticipation of Christmas, we are going to look at the book behind the story we so often take for granted. God always fulfills his promises, but not as we expect. God also doesn’t ask us for blind faith, but asks us to trust his promises based on his answers to other promises. We see this in Mary’s story.

Scripture: Luke 1:26-45

(Recorded December 1 2024)

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Thrive Series
Why has God put us here? Who is God asking us to reach out to? In what was probably Jesus’ first cross cultural missions trip, we see Jesus going “to the other side” to reach one man. “The other side” was more than just the other side of the lake! It was the other side of so many cultural taboos for the disciples. Jesus healed one man and left! But that seed produced a tremendous crop.

Who might Jesus be calling our church to reach out to, even if they are on “the other side”?

Scripture: Mark 5:1-20

(Recorded November 24 2024)

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Thrive Series
Why has God put us here? Why has God put is where we live and put our churches where they are? He has a purpose for us in our neighbourhoods!

Last week, we looked at how 4 friends brought a paralyzed friend to Jesus. Jesus dealt with the man’s deepest need, the need for forgiveness of sin. This week we are looking at Jesus fulfilling John’s words in John 3:16, bringing eternal life to the whole world, starting by seeking out one outcast woman with a terrible reputation. Like the Good Shepherd, Jesus seeks the lost and models for us the principle of seeking the lost as well.

Scripture: John 4:1-30

(Recorded November 17 2024)

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Thrive Series
Do our friends see our faith in action? As God’s ambassadors, as the body of Christ, we all have a part to play in continuing Jesus’ ministry on earth. That ministry is to show the world what it’s like when God’s rule of love is lived out. We have a ministry of reconciliation, which includes a ministry of healing. God has placed people in our lives and neighborhoods who need Jesus. Will they see our faith in action? Will we bring them to Jesus for the healing he knows they need in their lives?

– Discussion Questions:

• Who around me needs Jesus?
• Who in my life needs Jesus?
• Who in our neighbourhood needs Jesus?
• Who can I bring to Jesus?

Scripture: Mark 2:1-12

(Recorded November 10 2024)

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Thrive Series
God has forged all of us into one body, with all of our diversity. Uniformity does not mean unity. We are all part of the body of Christ and should not try to separate ourselves from it, even if we are different. When we learn to love those who are different from us, we model for the world what the Kingdom of God is like. Your role in the body is important. Do you know what your role is? Even if not, you matter in the body.

– Discussion Questions:

• Where do I fit in the body?
• What part am I?
• Who am I likely to dismiss?
• What parts of our church body are strong?
• What parts are weak?

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:12-31

(Recorded November 3 2024)

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