Today we wrap up our theme of GROUNDED AND GROWING, by reflecting on John 4:27-38, The Fields Are Ripe for Harvest. Our passage this morning is part of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. Through advent, we’ve reflected in the images of growth, and now Jesus is reminding his disciples that the fields, the world, is ripe for a harvest of souls, the good news has come, the Messiah has arrived, and salvation is at hand. We have the gospel, the good news, and it’s meant for the world! Are you ready for the harvest, are you ready to reap the harvest for our Lord? 

Today is Christmas Day! We will be reflecting on Isaiah 61, Psalm 98, Luke 2:1-20, The Promised Seed. If Christ’s birth was ordinary, there wouldn't be angels announcing it. If Christmas was all about a cute baby, then the shepherds wouldn’t have left the field, nor the magi their home. “Do not be afraid,” we read in Luke 2, “for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.” The point isn’t that a baby is born, but that the long-awaited Messiah is born. God “has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness.” But before we get too excited, this same Psalm warns, “he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity.” Christmas is a time of wonder and awe, but also a time to reflect on our relationship with God. 

Today we will reflect on Isaiah 37:26-32; Psalm 36:5-12; Matthew 1, The Loving Gardener. For plants to truly flourish and for there to be an abundant harvest, the gardener or farmer needs to carefully tend to them. Whether it’s a few plants on a patio, a back yard vegetable garden, or acres of corn, for plants to thrive, someone needs to care about their health: make sure the conditions are right and that there aren’t weeds competing with them for nutrients and water. In scripture, God is the loving gardener. It is God who carefully watches and tends our souls to make sure the harvest is plentiful, and scripture shows that God has been doing this for generations: “Once more a remnant of the kingdom of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above” (Isaiah 37:31 ).

Today we will reflect on Isaiah 41:17–20, Psalm 126, Luke 1:46–55, From Wilderness of Despair to the Flourishing of Joy. Isaiah talks about the living nature of water, of how it can restore us, and how it brings life in even deserts. All through Scripture, nourishing rain and rivers serve as a picture for spiritual nourishment that God gives to quench our thirsty souls, bringing joy. In the passages next week, it is the poor and needy, those who are weeping, the lowly, and the hungry who are given this gift, while those who have lots already end up with nothing. We ask ‘why’ and Isaiah tells us, “So all may see and know” and testify, “The Lord has done great things.” This points us ahead to Jesus’ return when the world will be set to right and those who experience need will flourish.

Today we will reflect on Isaiah 27:1-6; Psalm 85; Matthew 3:1-12, From Repentance to Growth. Our world is full of prickly weeds—full of sin. We are all sinners, whether we want to admit it or not. While this is an uncomfortable truth, we need to sit in that reality. We need to take off our rose- colored glasses and truly look at the world and look at ourselves. This is where the Advent journey takes us. It is a journey among dangerous dragons, prickly weeds, and a warning from John the Baptist that judgement is coming. We need to understand our need for a Savior before we celebrate Christ’s first coming and eagerly anticipate Christ’s second. When we are able to be real about our sin, we are able to better appreciate what Jesus experienced on our behalf so that we might experience God’s forgiveness and grace.

Today is the first Sunday of Advent. We enter Advent by reflecting on Isaiah 11:1–9; Psalm 72:1–7, 12–19; and Luke 1:26–38 A Shoot from a Stump—A Sign of Hope. It’s been a long time since the last prophets from God have come and spoken to the people, 400 years. There have been political upheavals, making life hard, and God’s people often feel that the only thing that has happened is they’ve simply changed oppressors. What is happening with God’s promises? Will the Messiah ever come? Were the prophecies true? Is there any reason to hope? How about today? Is there reason for hope when times are dark? There is hope, both then and now. Out of a seemingly lifeless stump a shoot comes fruit; not a weak shoot, but one that bears fruit. An angel comes to Mary and announces the coming of the Messiah through her! This shoot is going to make all things right, a promise that still holds today. Will we hold on to the promise like Mary ?

Today, we will reflect on Jude’s letter to a church where there are members who have embraced some of their culture’s values on sexual values and practices. Our God is a holy and pure God and calls us as his children to purity and holiness. God has given us a way of relating to each other, of living with each other that leads to us becoming more Christ-like and to help us flourish as his children, growing more and more into who he has created us to be. The temptation is to make God into our image rather than living into the image of God.

Today, we will have Pastor Ed Jager leads us in worship. We will be reflecting on Matthew 6:12,14-15; 18:21-35, The Gospel of Forgiveness According to Matthew .

Today, we will be reflecting on Acts 4:1-31, Speaking the Word Boldly. Peter and John have been told not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. Their witness was so powerful that people believed their witness about Jesus and accepted Jesus as Lord and Saviour, and this threatens the rulers and elders of the Jews. Peter, John, and the other apostles led many people to Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit and were able to clearly and boldly share who Jesus is and show the people their need for Jesus.

Today, we will reflect on Luke 18:9-17, Qualities of the Kingdom – Humility. Jesus is travelling to Jerusalem, and it’s getting closer to when he will take all our sins on himself. Jesus’ teaching takes on a deeper intensity as he seeks to instill in his disciples a strong foundation of what the kingdom of heaven looks like, what the qualities of the kingdom are. Jesus looks at the quality of humility and the importance of having a humble heart. He offers a parable of a Pharisee and a tax-collector, both praying, but coming to God with very different attitudes. We will reflect on these attitudes.