Watch at: https://youtu.be/cO4dWw6NWHoAf Bonnie Parsons

We live in a society filled with fear. We are fearful for our kids, jobs, money, elections, wars you name it and we worry about it! Yet, the Epistle of 1 John emphasizes that as we trust in Gods love fear is cast out and we will experience the peace of God. Our choice is fear or faith. Trust or anxiety. Confidence or worry. The invitation is to res…

This Sunday, well explore one of the most profound truths in Scripture: God is love. In 1 John 4:7-12, John invites us to reflect on the depth of Gods love for us. We'll dive into what it means to love others as God loves us sacrificially, unconditionally, and perfectly. Together, well discover how this divine love transforms our lives and is perfe…

Jesus is our example in living a loving, giving life. Indeed, he gave himself so we might have life and encourages us to imitate his practice of loving sacrificially for others. The question is Will we follow the lead of Jesus? Will we take our eyes off ourselves and see the plight of our neighbours and do what we can to alleviate their needs? May …

As children of God we have the promise of continual growth through our connection with Jesus. We enjoy the gift of eternal life which begins now in our everyday. When we see Christ our transformation will enter a new phase as we become like him in our eternal state. Of course, there are incredible promises to take hold of in our broken world. Yet, …

John (the Evangelist) uses the two images of 'master/disciple' and "parent/child" to describe a believer's relationship with God. First, we are invited to follow Jesus as both our Lord and the Leader of our lives. Secondly, we are graciously determined to be children of our Heavenly Father. Both images explore the relationship of intimacy that we s…

In the heady days of the Roman Empire John cautions the church of Christ to not become overly enamoured with the glory of Rome. As a civilization it was no doubt impressive but the seeds of descent were already taking root. In light of this reality John encourages believers to see what is passing and what abides forever. The question for John's chu…

The First Epistle of John begins with the famous statement that God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all (v5). John the Evangelist also affirms that Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12). In both cases light communicates illumination and guidance for the way we live our lives. The Father and the Son join together to provide all the…

Psalm 139 is a treasured Psalm of the church of Christ. It reminds us that our 'all-seeing' and 'all-knowing' God is present with us in every circumstance of life. Nothing lies beyond the care and touch of our loving God. It is for this reason we can trust Him as we pass through both the blessed and challenging epochs of life's journey.…

Watch at: https://youtu.be/ZUcAPOXN2pkAf Thomas Le Roy

Watch at: https://youtu.be/EVgxGexPEgcAf Thomas Le Roy

Watch at: https://youtu.be/jbf84-V3y40Af Thomas Le Roy

Watch at: https://youtu.be/XRzhfmAYjv8Af Thomas Le Roy

The psalmist calls us to give thanks to God for his enduring, compassionate love. He encourages us to be mindful of Gods loving presence in our day to day. We are not to grow absent-minded or become forgetful of what is most essential. Rather, we are to remain full of God always praising him for his faithful care.…

The smallest psalm in the Psalter is Psalm 117. It is little in size but powerful in its message. The psalm focuses on two key attributes of God - His 'loyal love' and his 'never changing faithfulness'. God remains faithful even when we are faithless! It is for this reason that we are called to praise (and enjoy!) our magnificent triune God.…

The Psalmist presents a picture of God as both high above creation as well as being near to us in our everyday world. (Theologians call this combination as God being both transcendent and immanent.) As a result we can place our faith in a mighty God who travels with us in the nitty-gritty of our taxing and troubling world.…

Our Journey of a Disciple series focusing on the life of Peter comes to a close with the story of Peters restoration to ministry (John 21:1-19). Peter has denied Christ three times and now he is restored by three times vowing his love and service to the risen Christ. In this story Jesus is revealed to be a patient and forgiving Master who gives us …

Jesus gives his disciples a new commandment that they are to love one another even as Jesus has loved them. They are to love one another with a sacrificial love as Jesus has modelled before them. The question is the same for them and us , How will we respond to Jesus love and the call to love each other? Will we accept Jesus love or push his love a…

The foot-washing event in the Upper Room is a powerful enacted parable recorded by the Evangelist. By washing the disciples' feet Jesus challenges the assumptions of his own disciples (and the society at large). Jesus is pointing out that a pyramid model of "power over others" has no place in the new Kingdom of God. Rather than "power over" we are …

Watch at: https://youtu.be/DGsvm50P9BkAf Thomas Le Roy

Watch at: https://youtu.be/1eP81TNaCpwAf Dr. Alan Davey

The transfiguration story is told in each of the Synoptic Gospels - (each on e has their own details of the event.) However, the key is that Jesus changes into his glorious state ("metamorphosis") before Peter, James and John. They are given the precious gift of gazing upon the beauty of the glorified Christ. Along with this visual epiphany they he…

The key question in the Gospel of Mark has to do with the identity of Jesus Who is Jesus is the crux of the matter! Jesus asks this question specifically when he asks his disciples Who do you say that I am? Peter gets it right when he answers, You are the Christ! The challenge for the disciples (and us) is to understand and live out the truth of th…

The Good News is that God changes us into something beautiful something remarkable. Even as a caterpillar is changed into a gorgeous butterfly so God transforms us into the image of his beloved Son. We dont deserve it. But he does it out of love. It is a work that happens from within by the activity of the Holy Spirit (layer by layer the old self i…

Watch at: https://youtu.be/uN9vgq20AlsAf Thomas Le Roy

As we make our way in the spiritual journey we often experience some turbulence between faith and doubt. We are like the father of the ill boy who cries out, I believe, help my unbelief! At our core we truly do believe in Gods loving presence but in the moment we are caught up in lifes storms and fears. Jesus encourages us to find our rest in him f…

The journey of a disciple is a journey of faith. Mark makes this point as he interweaves the stories of the chronically ill woman and Jairus the synagogue ruler who pleads to Jesus for his dying daughter. Both characters demonstrate faith as they come to Jesus asking for help. The question for us do we live with an attitude of faith or are we contr…

Watch at: https://youtu.be/YMDSBe9IR0MAf Dr. Alan Davey

Jesus ministers to people wherever they are at. He also ministers to us wherever we are at. This is the message of the Good NewsGods gracious love for us wherever we are at. Peter learns this truth over time by being present to Jesusin the synagogue, in his house, on the streets, in times of seclusion and while traveling from town to town. It is be…

Jesus takes the initiative in calling us to become his disciples. The question is Will we pay attention to our lives and respond with a 'yes' when our moment comes?" As an example, Jesus calls Andrew and the unnamed disciple to follow him in the words Come and see." Andrew then later invites his brother Simon to come check out the new found Messiah…

The women of Easter go to the tomb expecting to meet a dead Jesus. Instead, they find an empty tomb and a resurrected Christ! The angels message to them not only heralds Jesus victory over death but announces the forgiveness and restoration of wayward disciples. The community of disciples are to go forward with the mission of Jesus to proclaim the …

On the way to the cross Simon of Cyrene has a moment with Jesus unceremoniously, Simon is compelled by a Roman soldier to carry the cross of Christ. In that moment Simon meets Jesus and his life is changed (not only for him but for his family!) If we are alert we also will have our moment with Jesus. He goes before all of us and at the right time w…

Watch at: https://youtu.be/BHOXyHPlyOkAf Thomas Le Roy

As Jesus continues in ministry he faces greater and greater oppression. the resistance comes to a head in his perceived welcoming spirit to the outcasts of society. Selecting Levi, the tax-collector, and attending a party with Levi's friends was seen as poor judgment (and being a bad example to others!) What the Pharisees don't understand is the ad…

Jesus models for us a heart of prayer and compassion. His fundamental desire is to know the heart of Abba and then translate his vision into action for Gods kingdom. As our leader Jesus reveals the import of prayerful conversation with Abba and the intentional activity of keeping in step with his Spirit. As Jesus disciples we are called to imitate …

Jesus begins his ministry by announcing the Good News of the kingdom of Godthe kingdom is drawing near now! Along with this declaration Jesus begins the process of building a community of disciples to assist him in his kingdom work. He calls and the disciples respond with a bold yes joining his band of followers. This pattern of call and response r…

Jesus breaks into our world to announce the Good News (not the Bad News!) that the kingdom of God is drawing near. He invites us to change our attitude from one of pessimism to one of hope and our lifestyle from one of self-centeredness to a concern for the other. As we make these changes (repent and believe) Jesus promises to travel with us so we …

The writer of Psalm 30 has experienced challenging days of sickness and has cried out to God for help. Graciously his prayers are heard and he is healed from his sickness. As a result the psalmist is filled with joy and gives exuberant praise to his god in heaven. As such, the psalm is a wonderful example of the circle of thanksgiving thanks is off…

At times God seems distant/absent and we cry out from our hearts, Where are you God? In such experiences we long to hear from our Father in heaven but the only response is silence. It is this theme of silence and waiting upon God that is captured in Psalm 88. The Psalmist becomes our representative in passing through such difficult and painful days…

he seasons of the heart are not always the sunny summer months or the extravagant colours of the spring season. There are also the coldness of winter and the melancholy of autumn. The winter of Psalm 39 speaks from the winter blast of sickness, disappointment, and length of years. The tenor of the psalmist is one of absence and distance from God wh…

Watch at: https://youtu.be/qroc22ZxAvIAf Elizabeth Davey

Watch at: https://youtu.be/Y5ZyzpQTlTkAf John Maury

As we begin a new year we look to our God who has been our dwelling place throughout the generations. God is our true home (not the house or apartment where we live.) The invitation is to keep looking to God through all of the ups and downs of life - the times of joyful presence and painful absence. As we live in this manner we are able to live "wi…

God is a near God. He continually reveals himself to us in surprising ways both through his creation and in his word. It may be in a newly formed star in the night sky, a baby born in a manger, or three strangers showing up at your front door bearing gifts. The key for us is how do we respond to these moments in time? Do we have receptive hearts th…

The angel's message to Joseph (as recorded in Matthew's Gospel) centres on the two names of his newborn child: Jesus and Emmanuel. The name 'Jesus' means 'God saves' because 'he will save his people from their sins'. The second name 'Emmanuel' translates as 'God-is-with-us' referencing Jesus' mission as God's representative to humanity. Together th…

Praise in challenging times is not always easy. The human overcast hangs heavy and blocks out much of the sun's rays. Yet the call to praise persists and asks us to lift our eyes above the darkness of the cloudbanks. Such was the case for doubting Zechariah. Will he (and we) raise our spirits high to perceive God's new work of transformation in the…

The story of Advent is the story of Gods love for humankind. God comes to us in Jesus so that we might live close to him forever. May we recognize God as a close God a near God. May we open our hearts to him in this Advent season.Af Dr. Alan Davey

The message of the incarnation of Christ comes to us in a variety of texts including the Gospel nativity stories as well as texts from the Epistles. Today we begin with a Pauline text from Philippians which simply reminds us that, God is near (Philippians 4:5). In this passage we are encouraged to live in joy, peace and gratitude all because Jesus …

The writer of Deuteronomy invites us to remember Gods blessings in our lives remember and not forget. In my mind this is a needed exhortation because frequently we do forget all the blessings we have received from God. Instead, we focus on the problems we are facing in the moment or we become distracted by the busyness (and projects) we are running…

Watch at: https://youtu.be/srzxzdJHZBQAf Dr. Alan Davey