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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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Thrive Series
God equips those he calls. God calls all Christians to bear witness to his authority and equips us to do that with different spiritual gifts. Our focus should be on the giver of the gifts, the Holy Spirit, and using our gifts as he directs us to the glory of Christ. Part of discerning our personal calling and our congregation’s calling is to consider the gifts that God has given us and consider what he may have particularly equipped us for. Serving in our gifting is a powerful way to bear witness to God’s work in the world.

– Discussion Questions:

• What am I gifted at?
• What am I passionate about?
• When do I feel God’s pleasure?

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

(Recorded October 27, 2024)

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Thrive Series
We have been listening to God in order to discern God’s values and mission for our church. Starting with the big picture of God’s loving pursuit of fallen people, we then looked at God’s call to all churches to focus on fellowship, formation and mission. Now we are zooming in closer to God’s call to each one of us as Christians in 3 stages: service, gifting and the body of Christ.

As part of our formation, cooperating with the Holy Spirit to become more like Christ, we will develop a posture of service.

– Discussion Questions:

• Why do I serve?
• Whom do I struggle to serve?

Scripture: John 13:2-17

(Recorded October 13, 2024)

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Thrive Series
What is God’s calling to all churches? Through fellowship, formation and mission we are to bear witness to God’s loving pursuit of fallen people to reconcile them to himself. Mission means that we are God’s ambassadors of reconciliation with a priestly role of making use of our direct access to God to bring his word to people in need of salvation.

– Discussion Questions:

• As an Ambassador, in what ways do I use my access to God?
• As an Ambassador, to whom could I bring Jesus?

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; 1 Peter 2:9-10

(Recorded October 6, 2024)

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