He is Building a Palace (living stones and home)

I was reminded of this quote from CS Lewis' Mere Christianity recently and wanted to share it with you. It encourages me that God is actively at work in my life, even when things are not as I expected, even when they are difficult. We are living stones, being built into a spiritual house; God is making His home in us a we obey what Jesus has taught us. What an honour, and a relief... and a challenge to allow Him to work in me.

I pray this parable speaks to you this week!
Pastor Tracy

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"I find I must borrow yet another parable from George MacDonald. Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself."

CS Lewis, Mere Christianity

“You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
— 1 Peter 2:5
“Jesus replied, ’Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.’”
— John 14:23

THIS SUNDAY

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 25 @ 10am

THE BIBLE SAYS WHUT? GENESIS EDITION
Is Jesus in Genesis?
Tracy Dunham

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10:00 - Live Service & Kids Church (+Church Online)

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More About Grapevines (guest writer: Joel Bromley)

In last week's devotional, I shared some thoughts from my few days in Niagara-on-the-Lake. I had quite a few responses to it and wanted to share this one from Joel Bromley, who read what I had written and was reminded of God's faithfulness over generations. I share his email with permission and know you will be encouraged by it like I was. Enjoy!

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Hey Pastor Tracy,

It’s not NOTL, but these pictures are from the Beamsville/Grimsby area. The backdrop of these photos look like any other parcel of land in that area, covered in grapevines and trellis’.

You’d drive past it and not think a thing. In the winter (it might even have been February when these pictures were taken) it’s even more non-descript and lonely feeling there.

I researched this dirt and saw it not for what it was (non descript parcel of land like every other one beside it) and we went there for what it means and for what it used to be in our family line and the direction our family is going in and the part that the people who settled here have played unknowingly.

To anyone else it’s nothing, not worth more than whatever the value of the land or crops might be worth, but to our family, it’s part of our story and a bit of a bridge between the God fearing relatives that came to Canada after the American Revolutionary War and settled in Beamsville and where our family currently stands spiritually.

So, while it looks a certain way, to me, it shows the work of God.

Hundreds of years ago when these family members settled in America, some escaping from Religious persecution, and then after losing in the Revolutionary War for the north and settling in Niagara Region, God was working. These family members, when retreating to this land, clearing it and working it, never knew the path their great, great, great, great, great, great (I think it’s 6 greats but I’d have to check again) granddaughter and her family would be living for the Lord and praying that for generations to come this would continue to be true.

I don’t know who, if anyone, between that time and the present, followed Jesus (and we’re nothing great). But God. Whoo! Over hundreds of years, God was doing something that our current family is part of for as long as He lets us.

What is He doing on those properties? I don’t know. But He’s alive and active in the story that’s brought us to where we are!

Joel

THIS SUNDAY

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 18 @ 10am

THE BIBLE SAYS WHUT? GENESIS EDITION
Do Words Have Power?
Tracy Dunham

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10:00 - Live Service & Kids Church (+Church Online)

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Is It Still February? (deep work in quiet seasons)

This week, I was in Niagara-on-the-Lake (NOTL) for some meetings. Everyone who heard I was going there said something like, "Oh, that's nice!" Why? Because if you've ever been, you know it's beautiful and charming. My response was something like, "Theoretically, yes, but it is February after all." In other words, none of NOTL's famous gardens will be in bloom, many of the shops are closed for the season, and we don't even have a layer of snow to turn it into a real-life snow globe. February might be the worst possible month to be in NOTL.

But as I turned off the highway and made my way toward the town, and as I checked into my hotel and then walked for a few minutes up the main street to find a coffee, something else began to occur to me.

I have been reading This Too Shall Last, a book about how to find God's grace and the presence of Jesus in suffering that persists in preparation for our Sunday Night Conversation about Medical Assistance in Dying (watch for that in April). I'm sure the author's words were why I started seeing the lifeless trees and near-empty main street as something else. I saw what they were going to be. In a few months, this place will look completely different. The trees and gardens aren't dead; they are dormant, waiting for the season to change.

February isn't just a month to endure on the way to May. In some ways, it might be. But in other ways, its quietness and even darkness give space for a deep work.

I trust you're following this metaphor with me. There is no promise in scripture that any struggle, suffering or dark night of the soul will be over next week, month, year or even in this lifetime. But that doesn't mean that there isn't beautiful work being done in your life. If your life feels like you've been stuck in February for too long, breathe deeply. He's with you. I don't know why life twists and turns like it does, why it seems to stall out or rush by too fast, but I know for certain that God is present in each breath.

I hope that encourages you in some small way today. I'm looking forward to spring, but I appreciated my time in Niagara-on-the-Lake as well. I'm praying that is true of my heart and yours as well.

Pastor Tracy

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
— 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

THIS SUNDAY

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 11 @ 10am

THE BIBLE SAYS WHUT? GENESIS EDITION
Can You Negotiate With God?
Tracy Dunham

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10:00 - Live Service & Kids Church (+Church Online)

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The Bible Says Whut?! (we're in Genesis this time!)

It's time for the fifth installment of our Bible Says Whut? series! Why this again? Because there is so much to explore in scripture and when we're reading the Word we often have questions.

Do you feel confident that you can read the Bible and understand what you're reading? Are you tempted to skip over the passages that are uncomfortable or confusing? You're not alone. The heart behind this series is to remind every believer that the Bible is amazing and can be explored by anyone. Theological degrees are helpful but not a prerequisite for understanding the Word. There are resources that can help us dig through challenging passages and learn to know God more and more every day through His Word. Very, very exciting stuff.

So, if you're intimidated or don't know where to start, let me recommend Priscilla Shirer's "5 Ps of Bible Study." Watch the video below and click on the link for a downloadable PDF that you can keep in your Bible. The next time you're reading a passage that you don't understand, pull out the 5 Ps and see how scripture is opened up to you. It can definitely handle your questions.

In the meantime, get ready for Sunday... we're starting in Genesis 6 with the "sons of God", "daughters of men" and "the Nephilim." I can't wait!

See you then,
Pastor Tracy

THIS SUNDAY

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 4 @ 10am

THE BIBLE SAYS WHUT? GENESIS EDITION
Does God Have Regrets?
Tracy Dunham

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10:00 - Live Service & Kids Church (+Church Online)

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Ready to Share How Jesus Has Changed Your Life? (learn how on Sunday!)

We have a really special opportunity available on Sunday night and want to strongly encourage you to be a part of it. Go ahead and watch this 90-second video and then click the link to let us know that you can attend Life Shared on Sunday at 6pm. (Note: We will do all three parts of the series in one session, not over three weeks.)

Taking the fear and mystery out of sharing your faith will be worth your time!

See you on Sunday,
Pastor Tracy

THIS SUNDAY

SUNDAY, JANUARY 28 @ 10am

THIS IS THE WAY
Outside the Four Walls

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The Third Space (Groups start again next week)

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I recently heard a phrase I'd never heard before but immediately connected with. It's "a third place" or "a third space." According to a very helpful article I Googled, "A third place is a familiar public spot where you regularly connect with others known and unknown, over a shared interest or activity." Your first space is home, and your second is work but, especially in a post-pandemic time, people are realizing how important third spaces are.

I was excited when I heard this phrase on a podcast because without being told, I already knew that I had access to the best third space. On Sunday, Pastor Erin is going to be sharing the next message in our "This is the Way" series. This month our series topics have been "He is First" and "I Am Second." Next up, "We are the Third Space."

Church, we already have what the human heart is longing for - community that makes a difference in our lives where people know our names and are doing life with us. And, we have the best reason to create and nurture this space: Jesus. (Since, of course, He's why we gather!)

I won't scoop Pastor Erin's message, but I will point you to one of the most life-giving third spaces that I know of - Groups. New groups start next week and they provide such an excellent third space. They are a place to gather around our shared desire to know Jesus more, connect with others and be known by them. It is always worth the time you invest.

All the information is on our website but here are this season's Groups in a nutshell:

  • Financially Thriving: Biblical Principles for Your Finances - Tuesdays - starts January 30

  • Life Group with the Parks - Wednesdays - resumes January 31

  • Sunday Debrief - Wednesdays - starts January 31

  • Foreign to Familiar - Wednesdays - starts in February

  • Alpha - Wednesdays - starts January 31

  • Women's Prayer Connection - Mondays once/month

  • Men of Freedom - Saturdays once/month

See you in the third space!
Pastor Tracy

THIS SUNDAY

SUNDAY, JANUARY 21 @ 10am

THIS IS THE WAY
We Are the Third Space
Erin Jamieson

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10:00 - Live Service & Kids Church (+Church Online)

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For Those Who Wonder (have you thought about Alpha?)

The people in your life who are far from God generally fall into one of two categories: those who have never heard about Jesus or been to church and those who grew up in church and walked away from it at some point. We believe that both groups need to hear about the life-transforming power of a relationship with Jesus but they might come with different questions or even baggage from their experience with the church or Christians.

Often we think that the first group isn't interested in Christianity and the second have given up on it for good. But that is not necessarily the case, not by a long shot. We believe that following Christ is for everyone and that each person is called to know Him and needs to know Him. We believe He is the only way to eternal life and that message is for every one of our friends, neighbours, family members, and co-workers. If that's true, than we can expect that the Holy Spirit is having a conversation with each person and we are called to join in that conversation in whatever way we can.

This is why we love the Alpha Course. It doesn't matter what a person's background is, what their current beliefs about Jesus are or what experiences they've had with the church. It simply introduces them to Jesus and explores faith in Jesus in an honest and open way.

Alpha starts up again on January 31st. I want to encourage you to invite someone who needs to be introduced or re-introduced to Jesus. Who do you know who you think the Holy Spirit might be making ready to learn or be reacquainted with Him? Pray for them and take the step to invite them to Alpha. (We even have invitation cards available - look for them on Sunday! - and a digital invitation you can download at freedomkw.com/alpha.)

Let's introduce the people in our lives to Jesus this year! We're praying with you as you prayerfully consider who you will invite.

Pastor Tracy

THIS SUNDAY

SUNDAY, JANUARY 14 @ 10am

THIS IS THE WAY
I Am Second
Tracy Dunham

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LIVESTREAM on Sunday!

10:00 - Live Service & Kids Church (+Church Online)

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This is the Way (new year, new series)

I believe that we were made for new beginnings. We read all through scripture that the story of humanity is that of needing and longing to be made new. And, of course, the path to new life through Christ. Perhaps that's why we look to new seasons and new years to help us reset and make positive changes in our lives. It's part of the longing of the human condition.

This week I cleaned out my closet, set up a new morning routine and organized my notes in a new app. Classic New Year's stuff. You likely have a little list of your own. Maybe you have made some resolutions or set some goals for January to help break some habits or establish new ones.

But I know that the best use of the energy that this new year brings is not a more efficient task list. It's inviting the Holy Spirit to give me new vision and to strengthen me as I sharpen my focus on the things that truly matter. I'm asking for creativity and faithfulness in my spiritual disciplines. These are the fresh things I truly need this new year.

As you breathe in a new season and all of the renewed energy that comes with that, I encourage you to lean into Jesus and, "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need." (Matthew 6:33 NLT)

In our new series, "This is the Way," we're going to talk about the foundations of what it means to follow Jesus. I pray it will be a great companion for what the Lord is doing in your heart in the first weeks of this new year. And, if you know someone who is curious about faith, invite them to join you on Sunday and to Alpha which starts on January 31st.

Happy New Year!
Pastor Tracy

THIS SUNDAY

SUNDAY, JANUARY 7 @ 10am

THIS IS THE WAY
You Are First
Tracy Dunham

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10:00 - Live Service & Kids Church (+Church Online)

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It's Time to Testify! (also, what day is it?)

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Does anyone know what day it is?

I love this week between Christmas and New Year's Day. It has a pace all its own. And, if you're like me, as you rest and reset, you reflect on the past year and start to wonder what's next in 2024.

This week's challenge is very simple: testify. Think about how God has met you, spoken to you, healed you or provided for you in 2023 and share it. Maybe it's as simple as a journal entry between you and the Lord, maybe it's a Facebook post or a text message to a friend. And, on Sunday you will have a chance to share that testimony with your church family during our 5th Sunday service. (If you won't be here, feel free to email me and I will share it on your behalf.)

He's been good. He is faithful. Let's share some good news about Him!

See you on Sunday,
Pastor Tracy

THIS SUNDAY

5th SUNDAY, DECEMBER 31 @ 10am

WAITING FOR JESUS
Lessons from 2023
Tracy Dunham, Erin Jamieson, Margaret Pfeiffer

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10:00 - Live Service & Kids Church (+Church Online)

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Advent Meditations: Love (the fourth week of Advent)

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This week's Advent devotional from Practicing the Way reflects on the love we have been given in Jesus.

You can download a PDF of all of these devotionals and share them with your family, print them for yourself or save them to read on your phone.

Pastor Tracy

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Read

"Prepare the way for the LORD, make straight paths for him." Isaiah 40:3

"This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us." 1 John 4:10

"All who heard it were amazed." Luke 2:18

"No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known." John 1:18

From the filling of Elizabeth and Mary’s wombs, to the messages of peace and proclamation that came with them, Advent is about one crucial thing: God pursuing us. We are, every one of us, Elizabeth’s empty womb. Burdened by our tiny love, in the darkness, desperate for divine infilling. The gospel isn’t that an empty womb can bring itself into life, but that Life indeed brings itself to it. Or as the Apostle John eloquently puts it, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us.” (1 John 4v10)

God promises himself, gives himself, and finishes what he started. All he asks for in return is our yes. That’s what all our feeling, anticipating, listening, and pondering this month has been about, the preparation of our hearts for the magnificent inbreaking of Christ who is always moving toward us in deeper and deeper waves.

It’s in that spirit that Advent is as alive today as it was then. Because God’s love is continually being born in us as we learn day by day to receive him now in our souls just as humanity did then. We are now ourselves the inn, singing to our deepest places with carolers of history past, “Prepare him room!” as Christ himself stands knocking on the door, longing to come and be with us (Rev 3:19-20). This is the beginning of all communion, simply taking time to receive this kind of love into our minds, hearts, and bodies. It doesn’t happen by accident, but by intentionally turning toward this God, the one who goes to any length to have us and who thinks good thoughts about us long before we think about him.

Advent is about living that into our lives, then turning it toward the world, as God did. We discover this Advent love when we un-noise our lives, enter into the stillness of God’s peace, and practice the joy of living into a reality bigger than we can feel or understand. Then, this revolution of love and peace bursts out of us with nuclear light amidst the barrenness of our own communities and spaces of living.

In Christ, God’s pursuing love sows pursuing love in us. It’s because of this letting-in of Love into our darkness, and our hoping and trusting in his desire to finish what he started, that we can obliterate divine insecurity and truly receive and respond with the angels, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:14) Hallelujah!

Reflect

Receiving God’s love isn’t ultimately an intellectual exercise, but an experiential one. This week, as we live into Christmas, consider taking five minutes a day to simply receive God’s love for you. The best time for this is in the morning, before you pick up your phone or begin your day. You might like to sit in a comfortable place with your palms facing up, and pray a simple prayer like ‘Father, I receive your love for me into my mind, my heart, and my body.’ Then, as your mind drifts here and there, repeat the prayer and allow it to soak you through. Remember that God says he is loving, patient, kind, gentle, and protecting; allow yourself to just receive that into your deepest place. You may feel something or you may not, that’s okay. The most important thing is making yourself available to receive. Allow God to do the rest.

THIS SUNDAY

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 24 @ 10am

WAITING FOR JESUS
Waiting for Love
Tracy Dunham

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LIVESTREAM on Sunday!

10:00 - Live Service & Kids Church (+Church Online)

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Advent Meditations: Joy (the third week of Advent)

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This week's Advent devotional from Practicing the Way reflects on the joy we have been given in Jesus.

You can download a PDF of all of these devotionals and share them with your family, print them for yourself or save them to read on your phone.

Pastor Tracy

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Read Luke 1:26-38, 2:19

"I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way." Luke 7:27

"You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus." Luke 1:31

"But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." Luke 2:19

It’s not only for peace that the Spirit visits our listening, but for the promise. All this barrenness, anticipation, hope, and the word of peace in the story of Advent is drawing us toward one profound and cosmos-shaping revelation: Christ is arriving to us.

But it’s no small thing that he arrives himself as a seed, sown into the darkness of our lives, carried in the womb of humanity. God’s beatific vision is one that grows up in our midst, as ordinary and common as any of the rest of us. Christ is the same with you and I today.

We, too, are invited to hold Christ and his promises within us, gestating in the midst of our daily living as hidden miracles, anticipating their full birth in God’s timing. That’s the great beauty of Advent — God has come to us and is in our midst. Like Mary, we’re invited to “ponder these things in our hearts” as we carry the presence of Christ in each season and in every place of need. Because if we’re living listening lives, we’ll hear God saying to us in many little ways that we too will “conceive and give birth” (Luke 1v31). Through Scripture, a visit of God’s joy to the heart, a passing comment in a conversation with a friend, or through a line in a book or song, God speaks to our everyday needs and longings.

All these little messengers are meant to stir anticipation. To alert us and begin to open us up. Each one awakens us to a bigger picture, the expectation of change, the arriving presence within us of his love. And it’s through this practice of holding God’s promises within us, and living into them, that true spiritual joy springs up. Because joy is living in the delight of what God is going to do, as much as what he already is. It’s prophetic like that. That kind of joy, like God’s peace, is transcendent because it can live untouched by the taunts and terminalities of this world. It’s not based on what we experience today, but on who God is and what he has said he will do.

Be the biblical promises of Christ’s ultimate victory or his own personal word to us today, by calling them to memory and holding them within our hearts, we can more fully live in the joy that God is and will arrive to us. Yes, Christ is coming, but in Mary’s story we discover that he’s also already here. Sown in our midst, growing up within us, pouring out his peace and love.

Reflect

Reflecting on recent times, what little messengers has God sent to you that are a source of joy? Consider taking some time this week to ponder God’s promises, be they biblical or personal, and to “ponder them in your heart.” You might like to write them down, journal about them, or share them with a friend as a way of remembering.

You might like to sit with the scripture, “On that day you will realize ... I am in you” (John 14:20), and allow the joy of Christ’s presence in your very soul to fill your daily living.

THIS SUNDAY

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17 @ 10am

WAITING FOR JESUS
Waiting for Joy
Tracy Dunham

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10:00 - Live Service & Kids Church (+Church Online)

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Advent Meditations: Peace (the second week of Advent)

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This week's Advent devotional from Practicing the Way reflects on the peace we have been given in Jesus.

You can download a PDF of all of these devotionals and share them with your family, print them for yourself or save them to read on your phone.

Pastor Tracy

PS - for you keen observer, the order of themes (hope, peace, joy, love) often changes from church to church. Our Advent series, "Waiting for Jesus" is using the order hope, love, joy, peace this year so they don't line up perfectly with these devotionals. If you noticed, good eye!

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Read Luke 1:7-25

"A voice of one calling in the wilderness." Luke 3:4

"Do not be afraid." Luke 1:13

"Do not be afraid ... you have found favor with God." Luke 1:30

There’s a quietness that comes to us when we take a moment to feel the barrenness in our lives. We discover our inner wilderness. A wilderness that, as it turns out, becomes the very womb of our hearing the voice of the Spirit.

That seems to be where Luke wants to take us in his advent story because he immediately moves us from Elizabeth’s barrenness to Zechariah’s encounter with the angel of God in the temple. It’s there during Zechariah’s time of burning incense — a type of prayer — that the angel visits him with good news. He’s alone, Zechariah’s attention is toward God, and finally, he’s quiet enough to listen to the voice calling in his wilderness.

Feeling our own barrenness does that, anticipation does that. It increases our faith, makes room for God to speak, sharpens our spiritual ears. Because God isn’t so interested in competing with the noise of our world. And it is noisy. Now more than ever, it’s possible to live from wake to sleep again without ever being quiet enough to feel the depths of us where God lives. We can become foreigners to ourselves, unwittingly crowding God out.

Like Zechariah, we need to turn toward our own inner temple, toward prayerful silence, solitude, and stillness, and not toward the quick satisfactions of our noisy world, that we might hear the Spirit speaking to our aches. And how does the voice of God arrive to us? The same way it did to Zechariah, with the word of peace; “Do not be afraid” (Luke 1v13).

When we un-noise our life and build the place of prayer within us, peace becomes a continual reality. We no longer live at the mercy of circumstance but can experience firsthand what Jesus meant when he said, “the kingdom of heaven is within you” (Luke 17v21), experiencing the peace that “transcends all understanding” (Philippians 4:7).

To anticipate the arriving Christ, we must make room, draw ourselves away, and listen. When we do, we inherit Advent peace, and as we’re about to see, it’s in this very place of prayerful listening that the seed of our promise is about to be planted within us.

Reflect

Sitting in the quiet and in your place of greatest need, take a minute to still yourself and invite the Spirit to speak a word of peace to you.

This week, consider holding Psalm 46v10, “Be still, and know that I am God,” in your heart. When anxiety, lowness, distraction, or fear beckon, recall the passage in your heart, creating an inner room for the King of Peace to dwell.

The angel of the Lord spoke to Zechariah when he was burning the incense, which is a biblical image for prayer. If you don’t already, try practicing moments of intentional silence, solitude, and stillness each day as a way of making yourself available to the voice of the Spirit to speak.

THIS SUNDAY

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10 @ 10am

WAITING FOR JESUS
Waiting for Love
Tracy Dunham

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10:00 - Live Service & Kids Church (+Church Online)

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Advent Meditations: Hope

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The season of Advent begins on Sunday. It is a beautiful season of waiting, anticipating, and awakening. We reflect on how the Israelites waited for the Messiah and how we also wait for His second coming.

To pull our minds and hearts to the gift of the coming of Jesus, I will be sharing an Advent devotional or meditation each week from Practicing the Way. This week, we begin with reflecting on the hope we have been given in Jesus.

You can download a PDF of all of these devotionals and share them with your family, print them for yourself or save them to read on your phone.

Pastor Tracy

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Read Luke 1:5-7

"The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God." Mark 1:1

"Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive." Luke 1:6-7

Before every dawn, there is deep night. Between each breath, a quiet and trusting suspension. Before the earth drinks the rain, it travels in silence from the clouds that send it. Every good arrival is preceded by a waiting, a suspension, a liminal moment.

So it is with hope. It must begin with awakening. With a felt awareness of what isn’t and what can’t be. We only need hope when the moment seems bleak, when it looks as though life is unchangeable, on a path toward greater pain, grief, or loss.

That loss may be in the dreams we once had for ourselves or someone we’ve lost. It may be in the physical or mental healing we’ve been seeking without respite or the deep loneliness we feel. It may even be our sense of the absence of God, our inability to love him like we long to, our lack of spiritual vitality.

It’s important to feel all that. To truly know that neither we, nor this world, can fix ourselves. Because without an admission of our little or large terminalities, we’ll have no room for the miracle of hope.

Luke begins the story of Advent right here, with a barren woman named Elizabeth. He tells us she’s a true believer, righteous, blameless even, but lacking in what was likely her very greatest longing — a child. Luke wants us to remember that healing starts in our pain, in our darkness. But also that to live in the spirit of Advent is to anticipate God in the midst of it.

Hopelessness beckons the Miracle. Touching our longings honestly, and allowing ourselves to feel them, is the true beginning of hope. It necessitates it. In the midst of our great need arises the first in-breaking light of incredible news. Christ is soon arriving.

Reflect

What is your most vulnerable grief or hope this Advent season? If you like, take a moment to open this longing up to God and sit with him in it. You could journal your feelings, draw a picture that illustrates them, or sit in deep silence with the Spirit, feeling them and directing them toward the loving gaze of God.

This week, carry something with you that signifies your grief or hope. Holding it before God, beckoning the miracle.

THIS SUNDAY

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 3 @ 10am

WAITING FOR JESUS
Waiting for Hope
Erin Jamieson

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LIVESTREAM on Sunday!

10:00 - Live Service & Kids Church (+Church Online)

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The Simplicity of God's Will (rejoice, pray, give thanks)

Today is Thanksgiving in the U.S. Some of you are keenly aware of this and have even taken time off work to watch football! This means that tomorrow is Black Friday... and then there is Cyber Monday... and basically we're on the fast track to Christmas.

These next few weeks can feel like A LOT so I wanted to share a simple word of encouragement with you today. God has a plan for every day this season (and beyond, of course) and He's already let you know what His will for your life is. It's stated with simplicity in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:

““Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.””

As we step into the seasons of Advent and Christmas and launch into a new year, keep these verses close to your heart. Rejoice, pray and be thankful and you will be right in the middle of the will of God. It won't always be easy, but you can choose to keep yourself focused on Christ as we get ready to celebrate His incarnation.

Rejoicing, praying and grateful with you,
Pastor Tracy

THIS SUNDAY

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 26 @ 10am

THE PRESENCE OF GOD
We Are The Temple
Tracy Dunham

Join us for our IN-PERSON SERVICES OR
LIVESTREAM on Sunday!

10:00 - Live Service & Kids Church (+Church Online)

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On Mission (working together here and around the world)

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For the past several weeks, one of my least favourite ministry tasks has been going on behind the scenes at Freedom... we've been working on the 2024 budget. We have a team that does great work with this each year but of course, as Lead Pastor, I still need to spend quite a bit of time just looking at it, thinking about it, and trying to be sure we haven't missed anything or made any mistakes. It's an absolutely necessary process but I wouldn't call it the highlight of my year!

We will be working on the general operating budget until late in 2023 but it's not the only budget that we work on in the fall. This is also the time of year that the Missions Committee, Finance Committee and Board consider our missions giving for the coming year. What is God asking us to do in the new year? Do our missions partners still align with our core values? How can we commit to missions giving in a thoughtful and also faith-filled way?

2024 will be a special year for us in Missions. We will be launching our own Miss Margaret as a full-time Global Worker in Guatemala! We've known this for more than a year and the time has come for us to make some financial commitments to her that will reach into the next two years. It's been extremely exciting for us as we've worked on the 2024 and some of the 2025 missions budget... a lot more fun than budgeting for office supplies! And, not to leave you in suspense, but you will be hearing more about this in the coming weeks.

We believe in the mission God has given us as a church. We believe in making an impact here in Kitchener and in supporting those who are sent out from here to engage the world for Christ in other countries and contexts. Our missions giving budget is an expression of faith and obedience to what we believe God is calling us to do. It depends on each member of Freedom asking themselves, what is God asking me to do to support His mission through my local church?

As we get toward the end of this year, we are doing well in our General Fund and also well behind our target for missions giving year-to-date. (63%, $13,765 of our $22,000 goal.) This is an unusual circumstance for Freedom. At the end of the year, we will fulfill our commitments to our missions partners (for details, go to freedomkw.com/missions) and any shortfall in the Missions Fund will be covered by the General Fund.

The economy has been tough this year. So many people are worried, uncertain or struggling in their financial lives. That's reality to be sure. And still, as the people of God, we are called to trust Him in and with everything. As He cares for us, would you join Rob and me as we pray about what God would have us do to support the spreading of the Gospel in Kitchener, Canada, Guatemala, Ethiopia and Cambodia?

As you know my heart, you know this is not about guilt or obligation. This is simply an invitation to help us meet a need and believe in how God might stretch us for the global mission this year, into 2024 and beyond!

A few practical items:

  1. You can meet our missions partners and learn more about all of this on our website: freedomkw.com/missions.

  2. You can learn how to designate to our Missions Fund on our website: freedomkw.com/give

  3. You can hear from our Global Worker in Ethiopia, Jeremy Feller, this Sunday morning in service! Join us in person or online at 10am.

Finally, let me say thank you. Your generous giving to our General Fund has been unprecedented this year. Your response to meeting practical needs in our community (gift cards for seniors, food pantry donations, furniture and household items for a family new to Canada...) is inspiring and beautiful. God is using us, church. Let's keep pressing into lives of generosity!

Pastor Tracy

THIS SUNDAY

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 19 @ 10am

THE PRESENCE OF GOD
We Have Seen His Glory
Tracy Dunham

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LIVESTREAM on Sunday!

10:00 - Live Service & Kids Church (+Church Online)

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About Tarrying (time in His presence)

The older folks in church used to use a certain word to describe spending time in God's presence. If there was a time of prayer around the altar, especially on a Sunday night or during a camp service, it was said that people were "tarrying".

To tarry means to "stay longer than intended" or to "delay leaving a place". What an appropriate word to describe waiting in God's presence.

Have you ever tarried? Have you had the opportunity to set everything else aside and delay leaving a time of prayer or worship? Have you had the chance to do that lately?

The writer(s) of Psalm 42 seemed to be describing what it's like to have experienced God's presence and know how soul-filling it is, that when you're in His presence, it's like quenching a desperate thirst.

"As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?" (Psalm 42:1-2)

I wonder if we overestimate our own power and underestimate the effectiveness of being filled freshly with the Holy Spirit, of tarrying in His presence so that our souls can be refreshed and we can fully access all that we need for life and godliness as we get to know the Lord more intimately? (see 2 Peter 1:3)

I'll be the first to admit that there seem to always be pressures on our limited time and energy. But still, I can't say more emphatically how the choice to find a quiet place with Him will always be the best thing and the most valuable time you can spend.

To that end, I'd like to invite you to Deep Roots on Sunday night. It's a quiet time of worship followed by a directed time of prayer. It looks a little different each month as we gather, but it always has the same effect - time set apart to simply be in the presence of God. We start at 6:30 and would love to have you join us for an hour or so.

Often on Sunday evenings (especially as it gets colder and darker!) it can be hard to think about driving back to the church for this time. But in all the years we've been doing Deep Roots, I have never left and wished I'd spent the hour in any other way. Not once.

Whether it's Deep Roots or some other time that you are able to get alone and spend time with the Lord, receive today's email as a reminder that when you come near to God, He will come near to you. (James 4:8) It's worth tarrying.

See you on Sunday,
Pastor Tracy

THIS SUNDAY

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12 @ 10am

THE PRESENCE OF GOD
Even More Undignified
Erin Jamieson

Join us for our IN-PERSON SERVICES OR
LIVESTREAM on Sunday!

10:00 - Live Service & Kids Church (+Church Online)

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Shaken Up (a student devo)

I so enjoyed our service on Sunday. I remember "Youth Takeover" services when I was growing up in church and I couldn't have imagined the impact that had on the adults in the room. Well, now I am an adult in the room and I'll tell you, my heart was full. I've shared a couple of essays from our students in the past few weeks. Today's devo is a repeat of what was shared on Sunday morning, something that Sarina had shared on Redefine's IG page and read to us at the beginning of the service. (Scroll down to watch the video if you prefer!)

Let's continue to pray for our students as they seek God with all of their hearts and are being discipled to follow Jesus!

Enjoy,
Pastor Tracy

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By Sarina

Recently, I read the book of Habakkuk. And, I found out that a good chunk of the book is Habakkuk crying out to God and he seems, at times, to be questioning the future of his people who were dealing with heavy oppression. And, though Habakkuk was unsure about how long the hard times would last, God answered him and reassured him that He had plans for their benefit. So, that book of the Bible ends with these verses:

“Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as sure-footed as a deer, able to tread upon the heights.” (Habakkuk 3:17-19)

When all of the things that we rely on are shaken up (in the case of Habakkuk and his people it was the livestock and farm crops and in our case it could be church leadership, parents, finances, a friend group, or other similar things), we can still be completely sure-footed wherever God leads us and absolutely confident though we can’t see the future because He is our strength every step of the way.

Has anything felt shaken up in your life recently? How is God helping you to trust Him and be sure-footed despite your circumstances? What are you praying to God that He will reveal to you in uncertainty?

THIS SUNDAY

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 5 @ 10am

THE PRESENCE OF GOD
Show Me Your Glory
Tracy Dunham

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LIVESTREAM on Sunday!

10:00 - Live Service & Kids Church (+Church Online)

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Losing and Finding Identity (an essay by a grade eleven student)

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As we get ready for 5th Sunday (Youth Takeover!), I was privileged to read another essay from one of our students, Vaughn. He is in grade eleven and, like the essay I shared from Sloane a few weeks ago, was also tasked with writing about his identity. Again, I was so encouraged and asked Vaughn's permission to share a few paragraphs from what he wrote.

As we get ready to finish our (In)Secure series, I can't tell you how important it is that everyone, especially the next generation, get a firm grip on who they are in Christ. Hearing how the Holy Spirit is working in our students gives me so much hope for the church!

Enjoy,
Pastor Tracy

________________________

By Vaughn Jamieson

Identity is a series of characteristics that come together to form what a person is or is not; this is a vague definition of identity since identity can be interpreted differently depending on who you ask. My identity resides in Christianity. Christianity is a religious belief in one God. The ideologies of Christianity can be found in a series of books and letters that tell a story of God's people, called The Bible. In this world, not all Identities go hand in hand. For example, my identity clashed with my religious beliefs, and this caused my identity to fall apart; I was left with hurt and depression, but eventually, I found hope and healing through my religious identity. 

During the beginning of my tenth-grade year in high school, I met a group of roughly twenty people, who did not have faith in any religion, which they displayed in their day-to-day life. After a couple of months of building relationships and spending time with these friends, I would come to adopt their habits. During this time, I was less aware of the sins I was committing thus drifting me away from my religious identity. I was walking by sight and not by faith, essentially stopping any growth in my religious beliefs. Though I was attending church, I didn't have a desire to pursue my beliefs. I had a false sense of security and happiness that I didn't understand at the time.

In Matthew 7:24-26 it says, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against the house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” (NIV Bible, Matthew 7.24-26). This passage is a metaphor for your lifestyle and identity; this is because the rock stands for Christ and the house is your identity, regardless of what is going on such as the storms in your life. As long, as you are planted firmly on the foundations of Christ and his teachings, your house won't crumble. [When I was spiritually confused], I wasn't sure where to get back into my faith. I ended up finding the Forest Fellowship Club (FF) at school through a friend. As soon as I entered the room, I felt a sense of belonging; this moment would kickstart the healing process.

As time went on, I found myself praying during my quiet times at work just telling God what was happening in my life. I found that this helped me form an identity in Christ because I was able to lean on Him by discussing my life and emotions. Other parts of healing consisted of asking questions and rebuilding my faith with what pieces I had left over. I began to think about what I was singing during worship. Digging into the lyrics, I had powerful moments where I felt comfort, love, and a strong Identity in my faith. I would also consistently write down these thoughts in a journal. Praying, worshiping, and journaling helped me grow to where I am.

As of right now, I feel as if I have a purpose and I feel happy and content in my circumstances because I know my identity in Christ is firm. I continue to seek out and build on my religious identity through the Word. My identity is planted in Christ and I choose to dig my roots into the rich Word of God. I use that to bud beautiful flowers expressing outwardly to my friends that I am not ashamed of my identity. Throughout my experiences, I learned a lot about myself and about my religion. Now is the practical application of those teachings in my life which in time can hopefully be shared with those around me. I know I have come a long way from being broken and lost, to growth and healing; I have found my Identity. From being left in the dark, finding my identity again and where I am now has been a journey that has shaped me. Without God, I would not be here today and I thank him for everything.

THIS SUNDAY

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 29 @ 10am

(IN)SECURE
I Can Fight

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10:00 - Live Service & Kids Church (+Church Online)

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Taught By God (praying for love)

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As we continue to work our way through Ephesians on Sunday mornings, we are looking for ways to live (chapters 4-6) like the people we have become (chapters 1-3).

We are using this lens to spotlight our core values (Connect, Learn & Engage) and something keeps coming up over and over again. Certainly, it's in Ephesians, but sometimes you start to see themes emerge in your personal study or in conversations and you start to pay special attention to what the Holy Spirit might be saying. Have you ever had that happen to you?

What I keep hearing is love. Simple, but powerful. If we try to keep the unity we've been given by Jesus, if we try to connect with others, if we try to engage with our neighbours and tell them about Jesus, but we aren't doing it in love, we're missing it. As I read in a commentary recently, "You can have all the right ‘truthing’ but if you don’t have love, it’s for nothing." That's the idea of 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, isn't it?

This really came together for me in a recent Bible In A Year reading from 1 Thessalonians 4:9. The Apostle Paul says to the church, "Now about your love for one another we do not need to write you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other."

They were taught by God to love each other? I mean, wow. That's the kind of love that we need in order to live lives that are worthy of the call we've received. (Ephesians 4:1) We need God to teach us what love looks like and how to love others well, in a way that reflects His heart for His image-bearers.

I want to connect with my church family, I want to learn to think and act like Jesus and I want to engage the world with the transforming message of the gospel. I am called to be a disciple of Jesus and let these things mark my life but always by learning what real love is from God so that I can minister with the grace given to me.

I've been challenged to pray that I would be like the church in Thessalonica and would be a student of God's love with Him as my teacher. I'll offer the same challenge to you: Would you pray with me that we would be taught by God to love each other?

In Christ,
Pastor Tracy

THIS SUNDAY

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 22 @ 10am

(IN)SECURE
I Am Engaged in Mission With Jesus
Tracy Dunham

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10:00 - Live Service & Kids Church (+Church Online)

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What Did You Learn Today? (it wasn't nothing!)

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For some of you, the very thought of school makes you uncomfortable. All you wanted to do was graduate grade 12 and never look back. I get it. The word “learn” often makes us think about negative experiences in a classroom setting. Maybe you associate it with bullies, academic struggles, an unreasonable teacher or just the angst of being a teenager.

Whether you loved school or wish I would stop reminding you of it, the good news is that learning isn’t limited to what we did in K-12. Learning is happening all the time. What did you learn today? Big or small, important or inconsequential, it wasn’t nothing.

Another one of our core values is LEARN. (We talked about ENGAGE last week.) I truly don’t want you to be intimidated by that word, no matter how brutal your grade eleven math teacher was. I want every member of Freedom to be excited by the idea that they are called to learn to think and act like Jesus. Each of us is enrolled in the life-long course of following Him, studying Him, imitating Him and being challenged by Him.

There isn’t an entrance exam, there are no prerequisites and you don’t have to sit in a classroom. This learning happens as you live your life surrendered to Christ and apply yourself to surrendering to His life-transforming work in you.

This learning happens as you pray and listen to the Holy Spirit. He shows you His will, reveals Jesus to you, shines light on things that need to be illuminated, convicts what needs to change and strengthens you with all the power you need to live what you have learned.

This learning happens as you read the Bible. Little by little you understand the heart and character of God. As you are exposed to wisdom and truth, your mind is renewed and your thinking changes. New thinking leads to peace and faith and finding everything you need through your knowledge of Him.

This learning happens as you walk alongside others who are also learning. As our small group went through a simple list of questions last week, we found ourselves listening to one another’s ideas and insights, asking more questions and searching for answers in the bible together (yep, we even opened Google on our phones to help us find what we were looking for!). I learned so much from their desire to know more and I hope they learned from mine, too.

Learning to think and act like Jesus is transformative. Opportunities to learn are all around you, every day. They all require a degree of intentionality and in my experience, every ounce of effort pays off in dividends.

So, what are you learning today?

Learning with you,
Pastor Tracy

THIS SUNDAY

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15 @ 10am

(IN)SECURE
I Am Learning to Be Like Jesus
Tracy Dunham

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LIVESTREAM on Sunday!

10:00 - Live Service & Kids Church (+Church Online)

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