Okay, now what? (redeeming the time)

Here we are, about a month after social distancing began and to be frank, we're all over the map. In equal measures I've heard us saying that we are:

• busier than ever (homeschooling kids + working from home!)

• have way to much time on our hands (no sports, no activities, no little ones at home)

• stressed because everything is harder (lining up for groceries, simple household tasks, disinfecting all the time)

• anxious while working in an essential service (thank you, sincerely!)

• and everything in between

In truth, all of this happened so fast that no matter what your isolation looks like, it's a lot different than life was a few weeks ago.

But happily, one of the things I hear a lot is that you want to redeem the time, to use it wisely. You want to start doing devotions with your kids and some of the obstacles you've had before have been removed. You want to read and learn more and now Netflix is kind of losing its shine. You want to be physically healthy and being locked down to one location has given you the drive to get up and do something.

For me, now that the initial rush and crazy of this crisis has settled in a strange new normal, I am turning my attention to making sure that this time is not wasted. I'm asking myself how I can build new foundations and habits in my life that I've always known I've wanted and needed.

And yet, it can still be hard to turn these opportunities into something real.

So I'm calling us all to action. No, not to a complicated schedule that you have to follow! (Homeschoolers, you have enough of this going on. Praying blessing on all of you.)

Here's the challenge: Pause today and ask the Lord to show you one thing that you now have the space and time to do like never before. God speaks to us in different ways but if you listen, you'll hear Him. Maybe it will be something you read, something you see online, or an idea that just comes to mind. Lean into that. Write it down and start on it today.

While we can't choose what is happening in the world or in our current circumstances so much of the time, we can choose to allow God to work in us to redeem every season for HIs purposes in and through us. I have my "thing". I'm going to start today. How about you?

Pastor Tracy

“Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

— Psalm 90:12

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”

— Ecclesiastes 3:1

“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.”

— Proverbs 16:9

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This Sunday

Revealing Jesus
The Word of God

Join us this Sunday at 10am as Pastor Tracy continues our Easter series.

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

The Lord's Table at Your Table (how to do communion at home)

As we prepare for Easter weekend, you may have heard that our Good Friday communion service is still happening... livestreamed to your home. (FB Live, just like Sunday.)

You might wonder - how is that going to work? I don't know how to do my own communion! What should I say? I'm going to be so awkward!

Never fear. Communion is both simple and profound. It doesn't require any special title or designation to serve it to yourself or your family other than "Follower of Jesus". And if you look forward to it as another act of worship on Friday, it will be beautiful and not awkward.

But also, let me help just a bit.

Adults:

• Please have some communion emblems prepared before service begins on Friday. Grape juice and bread are great but do your best with what you have. If you need help getting communion emblems to your house, just let us know and we'll do our best to make it happen.

• I will be reading from 1 Corinthians 11:23-32 . If you can, have your Bible(s) open to that passage so you can read along with me.

• We'll have a moment for reflection and confession that you can participate in at home. Then I'll lead us through taking the emblems together.

• The best thing you can do is try and create an atmosphere that allows for these moments to be worshipful, thoughtful, and full of gratitude.

With Kids:

I know that last point in the section above might be hard to do with little ones at home. Blessings on your efforts. :) Margaret is sending out a great resource to help to prepare the kids for taking communion. Here's an excerpt that is helpful for adults and kids alike:

• During communion you will get a piece of bread and a little bit of juice.

• When we eat the bread, we remember that Jesus' body was broken for our sins.

• When we drink the juice, we remember the promise that we can be set free from all sin through Jesus' shed blood.

• We take a moment to be quiet and think about all of our sins - all the things we need to say "I'm sorry" for, and we ask Jesus to forgive us.

• We take a moment to pray and say "Thank You, Jesus, for your sacrifice. You have set me free!"

This weekend is going to be beautiful. Truly. With the extra space and quiet that the pandemic has created, we will have the chance to gather and reflect on the cross in new ways. We will be able to look at the suffering of Jesus with fresh perspective, knowing that He understands all of our heartache in our world right now and cares about every fear. We will be given the chance to lament and pour out our hearts to the Man of Sorrows and prepare our hearts for the celebration of Sunday.

I'm looking forward to all of it. See you on Friday at 10:00, gathered around the Lord's Table at your table.

Pastor Tracy

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Easter Sunday

While there's no shame in wearing sweatpants to watch church on livestream... on Easter Sunday we're challenging everyone to dress in their Easter best and gather at the screen to celebrate the resurrection of Christ with us! (And, of course, we want you to take a photo and share it with us!) Let's mark the significance of this day in every way we can.

Check our Facebook page for an invitation to our Easter service you can share.

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This Sunday

EASTER SUNDAY
Revealing Jesus
Alpha and Omega

Join us this Sunday at 10am as Pastor Tracy continues our Easter series.

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

Easter Weekend Celebrations and More! (be in the know)

Ready for a few updates? Here we go!

There is a lot going on at church! Sure, the format of things has changed, but we love how we've been hearing from you and all the ways we are connecting with you.

Please don't forget that if you need help/prayer or want to help/pray, head over to Freedom Responds and let us know. Let's do everything we can to BE THE CHURCH in the middle of this crisis.

I know that many of us are tired or overwhelmed. We are with you and we are for you. We love you and are praying that in the strangeness of these days, when it can be hard to find your footing, you will know the peace and presence of Christ. In any way you can think of, be sure to connect together, encourage one another and share with others the hope you have in Jesus no matter what is happening in the world around us.

The Lord bless and keep you.

Pastor Tracy

Good Friday

For this special service I invite you to gather around the table with your family and join my family for worship and communion from our home. Any kind of bread and juice will do but if you need some communion supplies, we'd be happy to arrange a contactless pickup or drop-off for you.

Easter Sunday

While there's no shame in wearing sweatpants to watch church on livestream... on Easter Sunday we're challenging everyone to dress in their Easter best and gather at the screen to celebrate the resurrection of Christ with us! (And, of course, we want you to take a photo and share it with us!) Let's mark the significance of this day in every way we can.

Our Pavilion Project has been postponed until 2021. We are looking forward to when we are able to break ground on this building safely and celebrate its completion together with our neighbours. We'll keep you up-to-date when we have a start date in our calendars!

The Annual Business Meeting has been postponed until further notice to ensure full participation of our membership. It will be great to get together, share vision and do business when it is possible.

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This Sunday

PALM SUNDAY
Revealing Jesus
The Root of David

Join us this Sunday at 10am as Pastor Tracy starts our Easter series.

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

Living Bread and Bread (fed by the Word and one another)

If you've been around church long enough you might remember (or still have!) a little plastic loaf of bread with scripture verse cards sticking out of it. It was inscribed with "Our Daily Bread". (I just checked - you can still get them on Amazon!)

Jesus said in John 6:51: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."

So Jesus is the One who gives true life and truly sustains us.

John 1:1,14: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us."

We have every reason to celebrate and treasure the scriptures. Jesus is the Living Word, our Daily Bread, and He fulfills the Law and the Prophets and speaks through the Bible. Amazing.

Here's what else is amazing - that never changes; not in the midst of a pandemic, not while you're facing a layoff, not while your kids' school year is uncertain and no matter what is announced in the next press conference. He is still speaking, He is still giving hope and life and peace to everyone who trusts in Him. He is still answering prayer. He is still with us. I have planted two feet firmly in these truths.

On Sunday, we are going to gather around the Word and remember how powerful it is to speak into our lives, into the lives of our family members and into the lives of everyone God has put in our lives. We are walking into unprecedented times with an opportunity to mobilize as His Church like never before. I invite you to join me on Sunday and celebrate the Word together with your church family and allow your heart to be anchored there again.

See you on Sunday,

Pastor Tracy

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Here's what's coming up on our livestream service via Facebook this week...

• Songs of worship with Rob (listen ahead of time on YouTube, Spotify or iTunes)

• Prayer from scripture with Pastor Erin

• A kids moment with Miss Margaret

• Pastor Tracy's message from 2 Timothy 3:13-17

• Closing song: The Blessing

• Lobby Time with Pastor Tracy

NOTE: If you are not a Facebook user, never fear! Go to www.facebook.com/FreedomChurchKW and you will be able to watch the livestream. (Some features will be disabled if you are not logged in.)

The video of the service will be available on our Facebook page shortly after it is finished. It will also be uploaded to YouTube within a few hours - find it through our website. So may options for you to stay connected!

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This Sunday

5TH SUNDAY
Celebrating the Word

FOLLOW THE LIVE STREAM ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE.

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

How are you different? (this week's call to action!)

In this series we've been celebrating the Word. We had lots of great things planned for 5th Sunday, March 29th, not the least of which was a potluck after the service, but, you know, our plans have definitely changed!

But even in the midst of change (and even better than the dishes that we would have shared that Sunday), we still want to find ways to celebrate the Word. Here's what I'd love - to hear the stories of how Scripture has made an impact in your life. Have you had a moment of encouragement, direction, correction or anything else from reading the Bible?

I can't tell you how helpful it would be to your church family to hear your story.

We don't need to be in the same room to share this kind of celebration.

Here's your call to action. Click this link and tell me about a time when the Bible has made a significant impact in your life. It doesn't need to be long or complicated, just a simple testimony of how incredible the Word of God is that will challenge and encourage others. (I'll be sure to get your permission before we share any story publicly.)

I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to hearing from you. Yeah, you. Don't leave it to someone else. You have a story to tell and we're ready to hear it!

Also, here's an outline of what you can expect from our livestream service on Facebook this week...

• A couple of songs of worship

• A kids moment with Miss Margaret

• A message from Romans 7

• Closing thoughts and live Q&A with Pastor Tracy

The service will run about 45 minutes. We'll be live a few minutes before 10:00 so jump onto our Facebook page and be sure to CHECK IN, SAY HI in the comments and let your church family know that you're watching with them! Our staff will be online with you to respond to your thoughts, comments and questions as we worship together.

See you on Sunday!

Pastor Tracy

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Our Easter series starts on Palm Sunday, April 5th. Who are you inviting?

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This Sunday

The Bible Says Whut? Part 3
Romans 7

Join us this Sunday at 10am as Pastor concludes our series.

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

Easter is Coming! (He is risen indeed!)

A month from today is my favourite day of the year - Easter Sunday. We have been working on our special services for Easter weekend and the message series around it for weeks and weeks. No surprise, but I - CANNOT - WAIT.

This year our theme is "Revealing Jesus". Every message is taken from the book of Revelation, specifically the different titles and names that Jesus is called, and what they reveal about who He is. Starting on Palm Sunday and using Revelation as a reference we're going to do our best to reveal Jesus week after week.

The question is: who are you bringing with you to hear about Him this Easter? Is there a co-worker that has been asking you questions about faith this past year? Is there a family member who has shown interest in church lately? Is there a friend who is looking for something more in their life? Whoever it is and whatever their background, Jesus is, in fact, the answer. We believe that with all of our hearts and it is our privilege to shout it from the rooftops as often as we can and definitely in this season.

One month until Easter Sunday. Link arms with your church family and together let's bring the hope of Christ to as many people as we can. Will you join me and bring someone with you?

He is risen indeed!

Pastor Tracy

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This Sunday

The Bible Says Whut? Part 3
Leviticus

Join us this Sunday at 10am as Pastor Tracy continues our series.

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

People Investing in People (it's Ray of Hope!)

Allow me to introduce you to or reacquaint you with one of our missions partners. Ray of Hope works right here in Kitchener and provides life-changing services to people in need. They demonstrate the love of Christ to those who are disadvantaged, marginalized, or troubled. Their vision is: "People investing in people. Inspiring Hope. Transforming Life." Wow - it's no wonder that we count it a privilege to partner with Ray of Hope. Their vision and ours share so much in common.

Ray of Hope works in so many different areas of our community. Specifically, they focus on:

• Community Support

• Refugee Support

• Youth Justice

• Youth Employment

• Youth Addiction

For the past several years we have been sending a team every other month to make and serve a meal at the Ray of Hope Community Centre. This year, even as we continue to do that, we have a plan to raise funds over and above the cost of the food to be able to bless their ministry in some way at the end of the year. 

We appreciate everyone who has served with our Freedom team at Ray of Hope and invite you to get involved if you want to participate with us. (Just email Katie and let her know you're interested.)

Thank you for partnering with us as we support this great work in our community and our missions families!

See you on Sunday, 

Pastor Tracy

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This Sunday

The Bible Says Whut? Part 3
3 John

Join us this Sunday at 10am as Pastor Tracy continues our series.

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

Finding Out WHUT the Bible Says (and prizes to boot!)

On Sunday we started part three of our Bible Says Whut? series. It's all about digging into difficult or neglected parts of scripture and building up skills and confidence to study the Bible for ourselves. It is always so much fun for me to prepare for these messages!

This time around we're going to add some incentive to dig deeper into the Bible. We've created age-specific challenges that will encourage good habits in the Word and also make you eligible to win a sparkly new study Bible of your very own. (Don't count yourself out if you already have a Bible that you love because if you win you could give the best gift ever to someone that you care about!)

Here's the challenges for each age group in our church family...

JK - Grade 2: Learn & recite the books in the New Testament in order.
Grade 3 - 6: Learn & recite the books of the Old and New Testament in order.
Miss Margaret will be sending some more information for our kids so check your inbox.

Grade 7 - 8: Take notes in four sermons in the month of March (Friday or Sunday).
Grade 9 - 12: Complete the YouVersion reading plan assigned by Pastor.
Pastor will be talking to the youth about this so listen and watch for that.

Adults: Complete a 28-day streak in the YouVersion app.
Read whatever you want, just be sure the "streak" on your home page reaches 28.

We'll have some stations set up on 5th Sunday, March 29 when you come to church so that you can show your work and enter your name to win one of the Bible prizes.

Um, yeah. This is going to be fun. I. Can't. Wait.

And, of course, 5th Sunday is going to be themed around how amazing the Word of God is and we're planning a great service and potluck that you won't want to miss. Yeah!

In the Word with you,
Pastor Tracy

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This Sunday

The Bible Says Whut? Part 3
Jude

Join us this Sunday at 10am as Pastor Tracy continues our series.

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

A Prayer to Listen (a way to rethink evangelism)

This article was sent to me a few weeks ago and I've been itching for a chance to share it with you. This call to share Christ by listening and serving others by really hearing their hearts is really beautiful and challenging. In fact, we can apply this principle widely in our lives as we strive to act and speak like the One we're following: Jesus. So very simply, I encourage you to click on the image and read it through.

Jesus, teach us to listen.

See you on Sunday,
Pastor Tracy

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This Sunday

The Bible Says Whut? Part 3
Philemon

Join us this Sunday at 10am as Pastor Tracy continues our series.

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

IMPACT. (are you ready? it's happening!)

Around here we've been thinking about impacting this community... a lot! As we gear up for the Pavilion Project and get the word out to our neighbours in Williamsburg, I'm constantly reminded that as we CONNECT and TRAIN, we can't neglect taking Jesus' message of life transformation outside of these walls to create IMPACT.

Have you made a financial commitment to invest in the Freedom Pavilion Project? We need every person to join us in this goal so that the vision can become reality and this property would take another step toward being a Life Transformation Campus. (Scroll down to see the details of how to do that.)

But, of course, it goes beyond these 10 acres and into the world beyond us. And that's why it's such a joy for us to support our missions partners. We set our missions giving goal at $20,000 for 2020 after receiving over $28,000 in 2019. Wow! I shared this plan on Sunday during the service but if you missed it, click the link below to read about it.

And we're not done yet because your generous giving to our church means that we can keep dreaming and resourcing all that God is calling us to outside of these walls even as we grow and change and become more like Christ as we do life and ministry together.

I want to encourage you to consider for yourself and your family how you can invest this year. Our sacrifices for the kingdom are never in vain and open up blessing and opportunity for His purposes that we can only imagine.

IMPACT for the kingdom!
Pastor Tracy

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This Sunday

Common Sense Faith
Pray For It

Join us this Sunday at 10am as Pastor Tracy continues our series.

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

CONNECT. TRAIN. (ready for IMPACT)

Here's the deal: You know as well as I do that we need people in our lives. Real people, not their digital avatar. We were meant to connect because when we do, well, a lot of great things are possible.

That's the opportunity we're offering up at Connecting Point. My relationship with Christ gets deeper and more sincere when I do it with others. My ability to grow is massively stunted when I try and do it on my own. So I don't. Connecting with others is on my calendar. It happens when it's cold and rainy, it happens when I've had an exhausting day, it happens when I'm celebrating a victory, it happens because I know I can't develop in my discipleship without it.

Two of our core values at Freedom are CONNECTING AND TRAINING: Building real relationships with God and others and learning to think and act like Jesus. Connecting Point was created as a great option to do both.

Here's what's happening at Connecting Point that might get you started, or be the 'what's next' for you this year. I'll be there - join me!

MARRIAGE ON THE ROCK

This group will focus on building Christ-centred marriages.

JOHN: LIFE-CHANGE SERIES

This study is a deep-dive into the gospel of John with relevant application from the life and teaching of Jesus. (Purchase a book at the NEXT Centre.)

ORDERING YOUR PRIVATE WORLD

We have planners, calendars, and to-do lists to help us organize our business and social lives. This study is all about organizing the other side of our lives—the spiritual side. (Purchase a book at the NEXT Centre or on Amazon.)

WOMEN'S GROUP STUDY ("SISTERS" BY LIFE CHURCH)

This group is for women who want to go deeper in Christ and build relationships with other women at the same time.

PLUS... we are offering everyone the chance to COME FOR DINNER before CP (sign-up online) so that you can take the stress out of getting here on time and have a chance to get to know your church family better. #winwin And, if you need childcare for Preschool or younger, please sign up online as well.

Of course, all of this information is on our website so that you can figure out if this would be a good way for you to make time to connect and train. And even if it's not this, connecting and training are core values for a reason. We believe that life in Christ gets deeper and richer when we are intentional about connecting, training and impacting.

Together in Christ,

Pastor Tracy

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This Sunday we are going to start collecting pledge cards for the Welcome to Our House Pavilion Project. We need to raise another $30,000 in cash or pledges to start construction. Pray about how your family will invest in what's next at Freedom!

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This Sunday

Common Sense Faith
Surrender It

Join us this Sunday at 10am as Pastor Tracy continues our series.

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

Are you dreaming for Freedom? (well, I am!)

I can't count the number of days I've driven up the church driveway and shaken my head in disbelief as I looked over our whole 10 acre property. It's just so amazing. It's ours because a generation ago there was a group of people (just like us) who had a vision to reach even more people in Kitchener with the life-transforming message of of the gospel. There is so much space, so much life, and so much to dream about that I haven't gotten used to that view even more than a decade after I came to Freedom.

Our church isn't big or famous, but we've worked hard to be well known in our community and be about more than just us. We've also worked hard to focus our efforts on things that will truly matter for eternity - making disciples. We've focused on connecting with God, choosing to be in community with one another, learning to think and act like Jesus and changing the world around us for HIm.

But, of course, we're far from feeling like we're done. We know that in some ways we're just getting started. We're as committed as ever to staying in step with the Spirit and He is always ready to move, to transform hearts, to draw people to Christ and to guide us in everything we do.

When we talk about what's next, when we spend many hours over many months developing the Pavilion Project, when we explore new ideas for Connecting Point groups, when we create new resources... or whatever else we're doing, I get excited. Why? The plan that God has for us is stunning and we get to be right in the middle of it and it's totally amazing.

Doing this kingdom-based life together is an adventure like no other. If you haven't already, jump right in, get invested and see what God might have for you as an irreplaceable part of the body of Christ.

And I hope to see you on Sunday night at 6:30 for our Pavilion Q&A. We're getting ready to make a significant financial commitment to this project as a church and we want to hear from you and link arms together as we go forward.

So glad we're together for this adventure!

Pastor Tracy

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This Sunday

Common Sense Faith
Tame It

Join us this Sunday at 10am as Pastor Tracy continues our series.

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

AKA James/Jacob/Iakobos (a beautifully crafted punch in the gut)

As we work through this series from the book of James I want to continue to invite you to go deeper. It's invaluable to know as much as you can about the text you're reading in scripture: the context, the original readers, the intended audience, the author and more. For this book and this series as well as for anything else that we study in the future, there is always so much more than we can cover on a Sunday morning.

In light of that, here are some resources for the book of James that you can explore outside of Sunday mornings that will help drive these passages more deeply into your heart and mind so that they can be lived out every day.

VIDEO: The Bible Project (embedded below)

YOUVERSION READING PLANS: Click here for some options

DEVOTIONAL BOOK: Life Change Series

Your study bible will also have some great insights as you read through the book of James. I hope you will join me and dig a little deeper with me through this series.

See you on Sunday!

Pastor Tracy

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This Sunday

Common Sense Faith
Show It

Join us this Sunday at 10am as Pastor Tracy continues our series.

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

So, What's Next? (a reminder to ask the question)

Today's email is intended to act as a bit of a Public Service Announcement. We started last year in a series from 2 Peter and asked a simple but profound question: What's next?

The idea isn't to hurry unthinkingly from one thing to the next, it's to keep in front of us the need to be following Christ... and 'following' is a verb. We aren't chasing what's new for the sake of keeping up with fads or keeping ourselves distracted. We're intentionally choosing to keep growing, to keep fresh water flowing into our lives and to continue to challenge ourselves as disciples. So great!

My PSA is as follows: What's next for you?

As we establish routines for 2020, let's keep bravely asking the question and having our lives transformed daily by the Holy Spirit at work in and through us.

Need some help figuring out what's next? We've got you covered.

Online: www.freedomkw.com/next
In Person: NEXT Centre in the Lobby (after every service)

Together in Christ,
Pastor Tracy

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This Sunday

Common Sense Faith
Forbid It

Join us this Sunday at 10am as Pastor Erin continues our series.

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

Common Sense Faith (for reference... it's Thursday :))

If you're like me you'll find yourself in a bit of a fog today. It's kind of a wonderful but disorienting thing that happens between Christmas Eve and the beginning of the new year... you're not quiet sure what day it is, you've been unplugged from your routines for long enough that you're starting to really chill out and you've spent more time with the people you love than usual. For reference, it's Thursday. :)

So let's take advantage of this beautiful season when we clear the cobwebs, refocus on new things and feel energized in new ways and dive into our new teaching series. For the next seven Sundays we're going to be stepping through the book of James, an incredibly practical guide to our faith and how to live it out in the real world, what it looks like and what it doesn't. I've called the series "Common Sense Faith" because of the way that James teaches, a sort of no-nonsense approach to what it looks like to follow Jesus every day in real life.

Are you ready for what's next? Let's step into 2020 ready to be transformed by the Word!

See you on Sunday,

Pastor Tracy

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This Sunday

Common Sense Faith
Consider It

Join us this Sunday at 10am as Pastor Tracy starts our new series.

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

A Moment of Worship (#BeholdHim)

What an incredible week we've had - truly. We've celebrated and we've worshipped. We've invited and we've responded. We've given and we've received. We've gathered in anticipation of knowing Him more and we've shared in the mystery of Immanuel, God With Us. A very merry Boxing Day to each of you.

We sang this song while we lit candles on Christmas Eve and I wanted to share it with you again as we continue to worship Him this week.

In His peace and joy,

Pastor Tracy

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This Sunday

5th Sunday Celebration
A Year in Review

Join us this Sunday at 10am as celebrate what God has done in and through us this year!

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

A Question and An Invitation (#JesusIsNotARoleModel)

We've been talking about inviting people to church and into conversations about faith this month a lot. Do you ever find it hard to know what to say about Christianity vs. other religions or just aren't sure what you believe about it? I was sent this video and immediately wanted to share it with all of you. I think you'll find it to be helpful for your personal faith and a good reminder of some important truths. But I hope you'll also be inspired by the simple challenge to ask questions, listen to others and share who Jesus really is and what He came to do. It's a worthwhile 15 minute investment.

Enjoy!
Pastor Tracy

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YouVersion Bible Reading Plans for Advent

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This Sunday

God With Us
”Always”

Join us this Sunday at 10am as Pastor Tracy wraps up our Advent series.

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

Jesus is the Reason for the Season (a way to focus on Him this Christmas)

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

— John 1:14

How's everyone doing? Are you loving the season? Will you be glad it's over?

I'm always working hard to fight the tendency to define Christmas by everything that has to get done. I know the season is about Jesus and I can easily find myself lamenting the pressures and costs that inevitably come in December. Certainly that's not the purpose or focus of Advent but alas, as I write this my inbox and social feeds are filling up with Black Friday deals.

In case you find your heart in this annual struggle as so many of us do, I simply want to offer one remedy that we've incorporated into our family this year. Nothing points us back to the 'reason for the season' like being in the scriptures, reading about the Word who became flesh and dwelled among us. If you haven't started already, here are a few reading plans from YouVersion for you to make a part of your days this month to keep your heart pointed toward the living Word. (see images below)

My prayer for my family and yours is that we will all draw closer to Jesus as we anticipate the celebration of His arrival.

See you on Sunday,
Pastor Tracy

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This Sunday

God With Us
”In the Storm”

Join us this Sunday at 10am as Pastor Tracy continues in our Advent series.

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

Christmas is a Time to... Invite! (and love, and give, and share, and...)

One of the best things about this season is how much time we spend thinking about others. We think about gifts that people would like and what their favourite foods are. We think about the less fortunate and marginalized and look for ways to be generous. We think about people's schedules and coordinate times with friends and family that work best for everyone. We send notes and thank people for being in our lives and for what they've meant to us through the year. Christmas is an amazing season.

So while you're thinking about others, why not think about the most important way that you can impact someone's life this year? Introduce them to Jesus. Or, for those who know about Him but are far from Him, reintroduce them to Jesus.

There are so many ways you can do that, of course, but we've tried to make one of those ways as easy for you as possible... just invite them to one of our Christmas services! We are intentionally building these "Christmas in Williamsburg" events to be engaging and relatable and most of all, ensuring that we share Jesus with everyone in the room.

That's just the beginning, of course. Any guest that you bring to church will be most impacted by how you share your life and story with them afterward. But it would be our pleasure to help to set the stage and introduce your friends and family to the Light of the World, Immanuel, this Christmas.

Our big and fun Christmas service will be on Sunday, December 22nd during our regular service time at 10:00. Why? We want you to be able to invite people who already have standing traditions in their families and wouldn't be able to attend on Christmas Eve.

Our Christmas Eve service will be candlelit and centred on worship, as we gather our hearts up and get them prepared for Christmas Day.

Both are open to everyone, both will share the beautiful story of Jesus coming for us and both are a great opportunity to invite someone to church as a starting point for their life transformation story to begin (or continue!).

Oooo... I can't wait for Christmas! We have invitation cards available at the church and you can also click the button below so you can simply download the invitation and share it with the person you're thinking about this season or on your social media accounts.

In the meantime, see you on Sunday for another beautiful Advent service with guest speaker, Joanne Goodwin.

Pastor Tracy

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This Sunday

God With Us
”In the Wilderness”

Join us this Sunday at 10am as our guest speaker, Joanne Goodwin, brings the next message in our series and specifically share about mental health.

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

Sacred Rhythms (using the calendar to help us worship)

“In the future, when your son asks you, ‘What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the Lord our God has commanded you?’ tell him: ‘We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.’”

— Deuteronomy 6:20-21

The Israelites were instructed to use the patterns, sacraments, and structure of the law to point their children to God, passing from one generation to the next who He is and what He had done. How very beautiful.

The historic Christian church has followed versions of its own calendar through the centuries with much of the same intent. There are seasons throughout the year that draw our hearts and minds to different aspects of our faith, specifically the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. We don't always give it much thought in our tradition but as we come to the beginning of Advent, it's good to pause and remember that our celebration of Christmas begins with a season of longing and expectation.

“The Christian year represents the historical unfolding of the life of Christ and his sure return. One may observe that Advent deals with the coming of Christ; Christmas, his birth; Epiphany, his [being made known] to the Gentiles; Lent, his journey toward death; the Great Triduum, the last days of Jesus’ earthly life; Easter, the time to celebrate his resurrection; and Pentecost, the time to experience life in the power of the Holy Spirit.”

— Robert Webber, Ancient-Future Time

As we begin this with the Cycle of Light on Sunday, here is a sacred rhythm to consider all year long:

Cycle of Light

• Advent: 4 Sundays before Christmas Eve

• Christmas: 12 Days from December 25 to January 5

• Epiphany: January 6

Cycle of Life

• After Epiphany: January 7 until Lent (Christ’s ministry on earth)

• Lent: Ash Wednesday (40 days, not Sundays) to Thursday of Holy Week

• Great Triduum: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Vigil Saturday

• Easter: Sunday, 50 days, includes Ascension Day, ends on Pentecost

• After Pentecost: 6 months, also called Ordinary Time

There is a lot to learn and discover in this pattern of worship. I'm excited to being Advent with you on Sunday and remember again how much we needed Christ to come as our Saviour and are longing for Him to come again.

See you on Sunday,
Pastor Tracy

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This Sunday

God With Us
”In The Valley?”

Join us on Sunday at 10am as Pastor Tracy begins our Advent series.

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.