Advent has two different but related meanings: It means the anticipation of something big. And it is the arrival or introduction of something big. We live in the in-between age of Jesus’s first advent (our candles and trees and gifts and a baby born in a manger) and his second. We celebrate AND we anticipate. In… Read More »Advent-Hope (December 1, 2024)
On this Sunday before Advent begins, we are reminded advent is a time to prepare for Christ’s coming. But is it possible that we should also prepare for this time of preparation? We will look at a very familiar Christmas passage of Scripture, and perhaps see something new in it, to prepare our hearts for Advent. sermon:… Read More »Signs and Wonders (November 24, 2024)
We just finished our look at the Lord’s Prayer. It is a ‘big’ prayer that covers all the bases and sets the foundation of our lives and ministry. Today we’ll zoom into one prayer … For the ‘one’ in our lives that we long for and look for. Paul, in Colossians, gives very specific prayer… Read More »One … Until (November 17, 2024)
On this morning of Remembrance with November 11 as is the day when our country acknowledges those who fought and gave their lives in the pursuit of peace, we celebrate Communion, a time when we remember the great sacrifice of Christ who gave His life for our salvation. sermon: Remember What Was; Grateful for What… Read More »Remember What Was; Grateful for What Is (November 10, 2024)
The kingdom of God is now and not yet. Jesus began by instructing us to pray for God’s kingdom and his will to be done on earth. He ended the prayer by declaring – as a fact – that the kingdom is already in place, the power and the glory are God’s now and forever.… Read More »Thine is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory, Forever and Ever (November 3, 2024)
What defines us? As a Christian? As a Baptist? As a church?As we celebrate together our CBOQ family through our own “CBOQ Sunday”, we reflect on these distinctions and consider (non-exhaustive list of) markers of a Christian life. We’ll also share why we do what we do during our services. sermon: Markers of a Christian… Read More »Markers of a Christian Life (October 27, 2024)
We will spend more time considering “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Forgiveness is often misunderstood and/or shallowly defined. This Sunday we’ll consider that forgiveness is the foundation of reconciliation and redemption and the process that ends in “new creation.” sermon: “Christ-centred Forgiveness” (Matthew 18:21-22) with Pastor David Donaldson
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “In ordinary life, we hardly realize that we received a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.” God’s goodness is all around us, nature, people, celebrations, food. Today we’ll pause, we’ll be intentionally thankful to consider God’s blessings, his gifts and this… Read More »Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart (October 13, 2024)
Temptation is something that draws us away from God. Temptations constantly try to shift our attention away from God. Yet Jesus says we can be led away from temptations. Let us embrace the promise offered in this prayer. sermon: Moving Towards the Heart of God (part 5): And lead us not into temptation but deliver… Read More »Moving Towards the Heart of God (part 5) (October 6, 2024)
“Forgive us as our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” This sentence is, for me, the most challenging of them all; Do I really understand what God has forgiven me for? Do i really forgive others? Do I forgive myself? Do i really know what forgiveness means? This sentence will take two… Read More »The Heart of Forgiveness (September 29, 2024)