Disciples

Sunday Reflection – September 3, 2023

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Jesus is the Messiah

Matthew 16 21 From then on, Jesus began telling his disciples what would happen to him. He said, “I must go to Jerusalem. There the nation’s leaders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law of Moses will make me suffer terribly. I will be killed, but three days later I will rise to life.”

22 Peter took Jesus aside and told him to stop talking like that. He said, “God would never let this happen to you, Lord!”

23 Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Satan, get away from me! You’re in my way because you think like everyone else and not like God.”

24  Then Jesus said to his disciples:

If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross and follow me. 25  If you want to save your life, you will destroy it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find it. 26 What will you gain, if you own the whole world but destroy yourself? What would you give to get back your soul?

27  The Son of Man will soon come in the glory of his Father and with his angels to reward all people for what they have done. 28 I promise you some of those standing here will not die before they see the Son of Man coming with his kingdom.

Kids Korner: Jesus predicts his death (Sept 3rd)

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Read Matthew 16:21-28 with your family.

In last week’s story when Peter told Jesus he knew Jesus was the Messiah, Jesus was so happy he said Peter’s statement would be the foundation for the new community Jesus was trying to build. This week we realize Peter didn’t understand fully what being the ‘Messiah’ meant.

Peter wasn’t a bad friend, and Jesus wasn’t calling him a horrible person for not understanding. However, Jesus was frustrated. Peter did not understand and instead of trying to understand and support Jesus, he tried to talk Jesus out of following through with God’s plan. The Messiah had to experience some hard things and actually die and come back to life so everyone would see the power and importance of everything Jesus was trying to teach.

It’s easy and more comfortable for us to say the bad things can’t happen and to turn away when other people are struggling, but that’s the opposite of what Jesus asked of us. Jesus wants us to face the hard things and help each other through hard things. Because, when we help others we are showing what true love looks like, and that is what Jesus came to teach us.

Sunday Reflection – August 27, 2023

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Jesus is the Messiah

Matthew 16 13 When Jesus and his disciples were near the town of Caesarea Philippi, he asked them, “What do people say about the Son of Man?”

14  The disciples answered, “Some people say you are John the Baptist or maybe Elijah or Jeremiah or some other prophet.”

15 Then Jesus asked, “But who do you say I am?”

16  Simon Peter spoke up, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

17 Jesus told him:

Simon, son of Jonah, you are blessed! You didn’t discover this on your own. It was shown to you by my Father in heaven. 18 So I will call you Peter, which means “a rock.” On this rock I will build my church, and death itself will not have any power over it. 19  I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and God in heaven will allow whatever you allow on earth. But he will not allow anything you don’t allow.

20 Jesus told his disciples not to tell anyone he was the Messiah.

Kids Korner: Jesus is the Messiah (August 27th)

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Read Matthew 16:13-20 with your family.

One of the more confusing things Jesus said was not to tell anyone he was the Messiah, even though we know that is who he was. Why wouldn’t he want people to know that?

Perhaps it has to do with what the people who lived around Jesus thought the Messiah would be.

There were a lot of different ideas about the Messiah. Some thought the Messiah would be a military leader to help get rid of the Romans. Some thought he would be a special king like King David who would talk the Romans into letting them become independent. Some thought he would be both the king and a military leader. Some thought there would be only one Messiah. And some thought there would be multiple people who were all the Messiah with specific jobs to do.

None of them imagined a quiet man who didn’t like violence, and told everyone to love each other and take care of each other. That was not the message anyone expected from the Messiah.

Jesus was the Messiah, but he was not who anyone was expecting him to be.

And maybe Jesus wanted to control the time and place of the announcement so people wouldn’t have the wrong idea about him.

Sunday Reflection – August 20, 2023

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Challenges and frustrations

Matthew 15 10 Jesus called the crowd together and said, “Pay attention and try to understand what I mean. 11 The food you put into your mouth doesn’t make you unclean and unfit to worship God. The bad words that come out of your mouth are what make you unclean.”

12 Then his disciples came over to him and asked, “Do you know you insulted the Pharisees by what you said?”

13 Jesus answered, “Every plant that my Father in heaven did not plant will be pulled up by the roots. 14  Stay away from those Pharisees! They are like blind people leading other blind people, and all of them will fall into a ditch.”

15 Peter replied, “What did you mean when you talked about the things that make people unclean?”

16 Jesus then said:

Don’t any of you know by now what I am talking about? 17 Don’t you know that the food you put into your mouth goes into your stomach and then out of your body? 18  But the words that come out of your mouth come from your heart. And they are what make you unfit to worship God. 19 Out of your heart come evil thoughts, murder, unfaithfulness in marriage, vulgar deeds, stealing, telling lies, and insulting others. 20 These are what make you unclean. Eating without washing your hands will not make you unfit to worship God.

21 Jesus left and went to the territory near the towns of Tyre and Sidon. 22 Suddenly a Canaanite woman from there came out shouting, “Lord and Son of David, have pity on me! My daughter is full of demons.” 23 Jesus did not say a word. But the woman kept following along and shouting, so his disciples came up and asked him to send her away.

24 Jesus said, “I was sent only to the people of Israel! They are like a flock of lost sheep.”

25 The woman came closer. Then she knelt down and begged, “Please help me, Lord!”

26 Jesus replied, “It isn’t right to take food away from children and feed it to dogs.”

27 “Lord, this is true,” the woman said, “but even puppies get the crumbs that fall from their owner’s table.”

28 Jesus answered, “Dear woman, you really do have a lot of faith, and you will be given what you want.” At that moment her daughter was healed.

Kids Korner: Frustrations (August 20th)

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Read Matthew 15:10-28 with your family.

Today’s Bible readings give us two stories of frustrations and challenges. First a Pharisee challenges Jesus and his followers for not washing their hands properly before they ate and how that made their meal ‘unclean’. The second story is Jesus being challenged by a mother from Canaan who wanted her daughter healed, and this time Jesus was the one who was unreasonable.

Often we teach that Jesus was perfect, that he couldn’t make a mistake, and that he knew everything about a conversation before it started. Thinking about Jesus like that means we have a hard time relating, because people are always making mistakes. So it’s time to forget about ‘perfect’ Jesus, and start to see him as a regular person who sometimes said and did the wrong things.

But… Jesus was a person who could quickly learn. He learned from the Canaanite mother that God’s love and hope was for everyone, not just the Hebrew people.

With his own followers he reminded them that there was no good food or bad food, that it was the things that come out of our body that cause problems, not the things we put into our body. If we lie, steal, and hurt people we are ‘unclean’. Jesus taught us that was not the way to live.

We are to love others always… even strangers.

Sunday Reflection – August 13, 2023

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Walking on water

Matthew 14 22 At once, Jesus made his disciples get into a boat and start back across the lake. But he stayed until he had sent the crowds away. 23 Then he went up on a mountain where he could be alone and pray. Later in the evening, he was still there.

24 By this time the boat was a long way from the shore. It was going against the wind and was being tossed around by the waves. 25 A little while before morning, Jesus came walking on the water toward his disciples. 26 When they saw him, they thought he was a ghost. They were terrified and started screaming.

27 At once, Jesus said to them, “Don’t worry! I am Jesus. Don’t be afraid.”

28 Peter replied, “Lord, if it really is you, tell me to come to you on the water.”

29 “Come on!” Jesus said. Peter then got out of the boat and started walking on the water toward him.

30 But when Peter saw how strong the wind was, he was afraid and started sinking. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.

31 At once, Jesus reached out his hand. He helped Peter up and said, “You surely don’t have much faith. Why do you doubt?”

32 When Jesus and Peter got into the boat, the wind died down. 33 The men in the boat worshiped Jesus and said, “You really are the Son of God!”

Kids Korner: Walking on water (August 13th)

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Read Matthew 14:22-33 with your family.

Even people who don’t know much about Jesus have heard about Jesus walking on water.

Too often we pay attention to the extra things Jesus did, like turning water into wine or walking on water, or even healing and feeding large numbers of people. When we have stories of all these big things happening, it’s easy to forget that that was not what Jesus wanted us to remember about his teachings. Those things might get attention, but the real message from Jesus was love each other and take care of each other.

Jesus also wanted us to trust him. That was why he invited Peter to walk on the water too. When Peter was focused on Jesus and trusted Jesus, Peter was able to walk on water. As soon as he looked down or started to doubt, Peter sank.

We might never walk on water, but we can trust Jesus to show us how to live the way God wants us to live, and that is to show love and caring for everyone else.

Sunday Worship – February 20, 2022

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Gathering

We come not always knowing what to expect.
We come rejoicing in God’s generosity and care.
We come to pray and sing and celebrate the hope of God’s promise.

We come to share our knowledge that God reaches out to each of us and welcomes us to be disciples.
We come to help the world become a better place.
We come to worship.

Hymn

Confession & Words of Assurance

God, we are so conditioned to respond in kind. We are so worried that when the reckoning comes, we will find ourselves left with the short end of the stick. And not without reason. The powerful take and take and lie and lie and oppress and oppress seemingly without consequence.

Teach us to love with skill.
Teach us to love with precision.
Teach us to love with abandon, trusting that when we step into the ocean of Your abundant love we will receive the blessings of Your abundant life.

Believe the good news of the gospel:
In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Thanks be to God!

Story Time

Scripture

 

Treat Others With Kindness

Luke 6 27 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.

32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful,just as your Father is merciful.

37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Sermon

 

 Prayers

Loving God, we see so many opportunities to show Your love to the world, and yet we hesitate, not sure if we should get involved, so we return to You and hold others up to the light.

We pray for first responders, medical staff, scientists and so many others who have helped make our lives safer, healthier and stronger. We know they are tired and have to give out of pools that are almost empty. We pray that our respect will help them find renewed energy, and that they will sense Your strength flowing through all they do.

We pray for the vulnerable, the hurting, the captive, the ones who seem to have agency in their lives but are restricted by situations or people who can’t see the need. Help them find a way out, a way of compassion and assurances that they are never alone.

We pray for our children, our elders, our friends and family. Sometimes things in life make us question each other, wondering why we make the choices we do that lead to disagreements. Help us listen to each other and find the path that represents Your way of walking together.

All of these prayers and so may more we pull together and pray the prayer tradition has taught us…

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

Hymn

Blessing

Go now, turning grudges into grace.
Turn fractures into forgiveness.
Turn hardness into hearts broken open by love.

And may the love of God, creator, redeemer and sustainer be with you always. Amen

Kids Korner: Treat others as you would like to be treated (February 20th)

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Read Luke 6:27-38 with your family.

This week we continue with Jesus and his followers together on the plain. Jesus is still teaching them about how to treat each other and how to treat people who might not agree with you.

One part of this story stands out: Often grown-ups and the church call it ‘turn the other cheek’, and think it was said to let people be mean to you for Jesus’ sake. That is not what it really means.

Jesus lived in a very different world than we live in. That culture believed in honour and shame. Anything you did that was bad would bring shame to you and your family, and anything you did that was good would bring honour to you and your family. People took this kind of behaviour very seriously. But as we know, Jesus wanted to change the world, not keep things the same as they were.

When Jesus said ‘if someone slaps you, give them the other cheek to slap too’, what he was really telling his people was to stand up to the shame culture. You see, anyone who was more important could slap you. So men could slap women in public, bosses could slap employees, everyone could slap children and slaves, but only on one cheek, and only by hitting them with the back of the hand one time. By offering the other cheek, what Jesus was saying was to shame them for their poor behaviour of hitting. It did not mean accept for more abuse and mistreatment. You shamed the hitting person by not bowing away and leaving. By standing tall you broke the accepted ritual of hitting and shamed the person who hit you, instead of being shamed yourself.

Jesus wants us to change the world, and little actions help to do that.