Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger is but for a moment;
his favour is for a lifetime.
Weeping may linger for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.
and praise you in the council of the elders.”
   ~Psalm 30:4-5

 

After the Storm – Tom Thomson. 1917

“Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and you delivered them from their distress.
You stilled the storm to a whisper
and quieted the waves of the sea.
Then were they glad because of the calm,
and you brought them to the harbour they were bound for.
Let them give thanks to you, O Lord, for your mercy
and the wonders you do for your children.
Let them exalt you in the congregation of the people
and praise you in the council of the elders.”
   ~Psalm 107:28-30

 

Mustard Tree – uncredited internet image

 

” He also said, ‘With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.’ “
   ~Mark 4:30-32

 

This week we look at abundance. In a world obsessed with having more of everything, of keeping up with our neighbours, of valuing ourselves in terms of our possession, Jesus has a radical message for us – we have enough. God promises us enough. Sometimes we don’t recognize the abundance that we do have – even from the smallest sources. May we take time, today and everyday, to notice how those little things can bring the abundance of God, when we allow God to take over.

Uncredited internet image

“And the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, ‘He has gone out of his mind.’ And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, ‘He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.’

And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, ‘How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered.
‘Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin’— for they had said, ‘He has an unclean spirit.’
   ~Mark 3:20-30

 

This week we explore how we share the Gospel with others. 

“Observe the sabbath day and keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. For six days you shall labour and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, or your son or your daughter, or your male or female slave, or your ox or your donkey, or any of your livestock, or the resident alien in your towns, so that your male and female slave may rest as well as you. Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the sabbath day.”     ~Deuteronomy 5:12-15

 

 

This week we explore the Sabbath. How well do any of us keep the sabbath? We often find ways to slip around the full sense of rest on the sabbath. The idea of taking time to show praise and honour to God is our true sabbath. How might we do that authentically when we keep the sabbath?

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.”

 

 

This week is Trinity Sunday, and we celebrate God in three persons: Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer. This doctrine can seem confusing and fuzzy, and we often struggle with the concept. Today we will look at how the Trinitarian God moves us in our lives, often without our acknowledgement. Each facet of God fills its own role, while beautifully complimenting the others. As a whole, it is a wonderful model for us as Christians to guide our behaviour as we interact with the world and each other.

 

Transformation 8, HyunRyoung Kim. Mississauga, ON. 2016
“After meditation, seeking freedom in spiritual sense, continual change, bold expression”

 

 

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many.  1 Corinthians 12:12-14

 

 

This week we celebrate Pentecost.

 

In today’s scripture lesson, we hear about the miraculous events of Pentecost. Fire and wind descend, people who are moved by the Holy Spirit begin to speak in many languages. This is the beginning of the Church. In a word it is awesome. But is this story about the first disciples still relevant? The question we will reflect on together is how the Holy Spirit is at work in our lives.