Message from Grant Myles-Era on April 20, 2025

We join the crowd on a dusty road just outside Jerusalem. There’s a strange buzz in the air—hope, tension, confusion, joy, and fear. Palm branches are raised high to welcome in a King. But, this week we will not see the coronation of a king; we will see the beginning of a confrontation.

Message from Melody Anderson on April 6, 2025

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." – John 15:5

Sadly, we live in a world where promise-making is often followed by promise-breaking. Cheap promises are simply one more tool in the toolbox that people use to get their way, gain support or otherwise exercise power. From politics to business, to friends and family, and even, tragically, in the church, promises made and promises broken are all too common.

During this season of Lent, on our journey towards Easter Sunday, we will focus on the only One whose promises can be depended upon, regardless of the cost to the promise-maker. "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." – John 14:27

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

--John 14:16-17

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God[a]; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

--John 14:1-3

After 8 weeks of investigation into the world of the Bible we ask a final clarifying question:

"What might our conclusions be?" Or to put it more bluntly, "So What?" What does it mean for God's people to embrace and to live into our role as recipients of a written word, which was made flesh in Jesus, full of grace and truth?

"Whose is the Bible?"

This question invites a range of responses. It could point to issues of copyright in different translations or to the various religious traditions that claim the Bible as their own, asserting their right to interpret its meaning. Perhaps the simplest answer is found on the cover of many editions: "God's Word." Yet, beyond questions of ownership or control, this question also touches on something deeper. The Bible is not merely possessed—it shapes, forms, and transforms those who engage with it. In this sense, the question of "whose" the Bible is may be less about who owns it and more about who is being shaped by it.

This week we will be considering three questions:

Which books have been considered Scripture?

Which translation is most helpful?

Which scriptures do I prioritize?

"Which?" can be a difficult question to use when interrogating the Bible. While sometimes we hear quick and easy answers to these questions, we will be exploring the way church history and the Holy Spirit have played roles in the bible which we have today.