Luke 1:26-38 - Mary was approached by the angel Gabriel and told she was the one to carry the “Son of the Most High”. She was curious and submissive, but she didn’t ‘feel the love’ until she walked 150 km to visit her relative Elizabeth. Together, they processed what was going on in their lives. That was the beginning of Christianity! Two believers…

Micah 5:1-5a - When the Wisemen arrived in Jerusalem looking for the ‘King of the Jews’, the scholars read our Micah passage and told them to go to Bethlehem. Bethlehem was the place of the king's birth. That prophecy had been given 700 years before Mary and Joseph trundled into sleepy Bethlehem. All of this: Micah’s prophecy, the difficulty of his…

The Israelites want peace without God as king. They have their own solution for national success: a new system of government. But there’s a flaw in their solution that will ultimately see them trapped by it … until the true king comes to rescue them.

Genesis 1:31-2:3 This is the beginning of the Beginning! The Creation story lays out many bedrock truths, including our purpose and God's purpose. The 7th day of Creation reveals that God is the rightful King and we are part of a good Kingdom. These two truths alone are the foundation for life-giving hope.…

“David and Bathsheba” is synonymous with leadership failure. It’s heartbreaking to hear of a person who walks with God, “a man after God’s heart,” ruining lives through an impulsive act. The passage is clear that “God was not pleased with what David had done” and, amazingly, God didn’t throw the towel in on David. Even at his worst, perhaps especia…

The Israelites were afraid of the Philistine champion, Goliath. They needed a champion to rescue them, and at just the right time, God sent them a shepherd king who risked his life to defeat the enemy. The God who sent David to rescue the Israelites is the same God who came to us as the humble shepherd-king Jesus and gave his life to save us all.…

The first human king of Israel was a flop. Saul had loads of promise, but he never learned to keep his eyes on God. God was a duty to Saul, not a friend, which meant Saul was always thinking of himself, what people thought of him, and what he needed to look good. Expert fire inspectors can tell what started a fire even after it has been put out. Th…

The tiny book of Ruth in your Bible is all about friendship. The name Ruth actually means friendship. Two women lash themselves to each other, wondering what God might do for them during a bleak time in their lives. It’s the story of hard work, courage, and God coordinating the needed pieces behind the scenes.…

It doesn’t take too long in the Promised Land for the people of God to begin to behave very badly. All the dreams of being a model nation with God as their king went out the window in a hurry. There’s no greater evidence for this than the last story in the book of Judges. Sometimes the Bible has PG-13 content. Judges 19-21 is rated R.…

A Canaanite sex worker, Rahab seemed as far from God as a person could be. But Rahab trusted that God would save her, and he did. God rescued Rahab from shame and into a whole new life with a whole new family. That’s what he does for us, too.

This was Israel’s big day! Everything had been pointing towards this. Everyone was excited and when the moment came, they blew it! Totally dropped the ball. Trusted leaders turtled and turned the people of God against God’s good (and challenging) plan. God still got done what needed to be done—it just took 40 extra years and made for one long campi…

The people of God were rescued from slavery - now what? God doesn't just free us from darkness, He frees us for a new life. In today's passage, we see the kind of people and nation God wants Israel to be!

As we continue journeying through the Story of God, you may find yourself encountering things you didn't expect. Bible ‘heroes’ who eat the forbidden fruit, get drunk, betray their brothers, and this week, one who does everything he can to avoid joining God in rescuing His people. There aren’t many Bible heroes, just a bunch of failing humans. God …

Joseph was Jacob’s favourite son with God-given dreams for the future. And then life went horribly wrong for him: his brothers betrayed him, he became a slave in Egypt, and ended up in prison. Where was God when all of this was going on? God was working everything together to save lives, save a family, and save Joseph himself.…

The second chapter of The Story introduces us to Abram and Sarah, God's choice for the parents of His chosen people. Not only do we meet Abram and Sarah, but we also begin to see what God is truly like. He chooses a very old, childless couple to start a nation. What is God after? Is He a cruelbeing who delights in rubbing people's noses in their fa…

This is where it all begins! In Genesis 1, there's hovering, waiting, and anticipation—then God speaks order into the chaos, and the world bursts to life. Every detail is intentionally crafted: places to live and creatures to inhabit them. And then, the nearly unthinkable, God creates humanity, a species charged with the sacred task of tending to H…

After the most successful speaking event in the history of the world -where the entire city repented - Jonah was still despondent. He had hoped for God to punish his enemies, not forgive them. In response, God provided a comforting plant and then a tiny worm to challenge Jonah’s hard heart. We really don’t know how Jonah ultimately responded.…

John 21 finds the disciples back at their old tricks! Back home and fishing. After witnessing the greatest event in history, the resurrection of Jesus, they were unsure of what to do next. So, they returned home and resumed fishing, their old profession. But surprisingly, despite being experienced fishermen, they got skunked—zero fish in the boat. …

Jonah, the reluctant evangelist, gets a second chance! He heads to Nineveh, the wicked city, to proclaim God’s judgment: “Forty days and Nineveh will be overturned!” To everyone’s amazement, the people of Nineveh didn’t harm Jonah but instead humbled themselves and repented. And God, in His mercy, turned away from His fierce anger. What an incredib…

What do you do when you’re between a rock and a hard place? Jonah the prophet, did what most of us do—he prayed. Even though he was running from God and was prepared to die rather than obey what God had called him to do, when push came to shove, Jonah prayed. Prayer is a powerful thing to do when you want and need your life to change.…

Jonah is an example of how not to take the good news of Jesus to people. His actions, heart, and focus were all wrong. But God won’t give up on this failed prophet—he goes after him in love.

How can we share the wonderful news of Jesus and all He has done for us? What power, perspective and pattern should we follow? Evangelism isn't about following a strict formula; it's about following Jesus. Let's stop viewing evangelism as that scary thing that we relegate to our "outgoing" Christian friends and recognize it as our opportunity to jo…

Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness happened at the hands of an enemy who wanted to derail him … and who now wants to destroy us. We need to be aware of this enemy’s presence, stay alert to his methods, and learn how to avoid them.

We’re halfway through our study of Jesus’ three temptations. One aspect that often goes unnoticed about this event is His incredible restraint. Such humility! In a situation that might suggest a dramatic "clash of the Titans" with lightning bolts and grandiose speeches, Jesus' response to Satan’s second temptation is remarkably succinct—just one li…

Temptation is unavoidable. To be human is to be tempted. Jesus was tempted, which is reassuring. For the next three weeks, we’re looking at the story of Jesus's temptation. It is always interesting to notice which temptations the devil uses to try to hook different people. This Sunday, we look at the devil’s attempt to get Jesus to turn stones into…

Worship means more than singing but never less. The last book of the Bible, Revelation, reveals scenes in heaven filled with lots of singing! While Revelation isn’t all about singing and dancing, the creatures of heaven and earth sing because Jesus is King, and everything will be made well. It's clear that we are meant to worship and sing even when…

Acts 2 reminds us that while we can and do worship alone, the best worship happens when we’re together! The Bible offers no picture of the day when heaven comes to earth when we’ll be off on our own as individuals! We’ll stand, kneel, and bow with the millions who have called Jesus LORD. The church got off to such a start; 3,000 people were stirred…

The Bible is often the story of how humans get things wrong. Thankfully, there are exceptions! David dancing before the ark of God is the story of the day—humans (mostly) got it right. This is a bright picture of worship. Worship is when God is honoured, and people come alive.

The world misses out on so much worship! God does amazing things daily, yet we often shrug our shoulders, thank our ‘lucky stars,’ and keep our foot on the pedal. Not Miriam! Miriam understands that worship happens when people notice what God has done, find words (and tambourines), and get up and dance in celebration of God’s good gifts.…

Is worship an optional activity for religious people? Why does worship matter? The truth is that we all worship—it’s just a question of who or what we worship. The story of Cain and Abel shows us that who we worship forms our hearts, guides our actions, and determines our lives. Worship really matters!…

Paul's letter to the Ephesian church reminds them of how we are made alive in Christ, transformed by His grace into a new creation. We are able to live life with a new purpose and identity as a masterpiece of God's design. Outdoor Christian Educator and guest speaker Ryan Lamoureux will use the monarch butterfly from God's creation to illustrate th…

Paul finishes his letter to the church in Rome with a list, not exactly best-seller material. His aim wasn't literary acclaim, although his work became influential; instead, he was interested in fostering and fortifying connections. Reflecting on Paul's list may have you thinking about your own list: the people God has used in your life to bring yo…

Paul never recovered from God including the Gentiles in the salvation invitation. Like some of us, perhaps, he felt like some people should be excluded by virtue of where they were born or how badly they have behaved. More than included, Paul instructs that former ‘outsiders’ should be treated as precious insiders, treated even better than we would…

Human beings need reminders about how to get along, and Christians are no exception. We especially need reminders about how to love each other while we disagree. Paul draws the believers' hearts and minds back to what Jesus has done, and that paves the way for loving each other well through conflict.…

How do we live with Jesus in a society that opposes him? Paul tells us to wake up to our resurrection hope. When we do that, loving others and rejecting sin in our own lives makes sense.

Romans 12 is the description of what happens when God’s mercy overflows in a church’s life. Lifelong attitudes change, love becomes genuine, mocking enemies are not met with equal and opposite force but, quite the opposite, with peace and gentleness. Be praying even now for how God will speak uniquely to your small group.…

All along, we’ve been saying that God’s heart is to see us INCLUDED. That’s why Jesus came, and that’s the subject of Paul’s letter to the Romans. At times, Christians forget God’s radical inclusion of them and go back to the old patterns of competing and comparing. Sadly, that was happening in the Roman Church. Paul has one powerful dose for that …

The resurrection changed everything! The story includes an invitation, a blessing, and a commission for the first witnesses … and for us today.

I love it when people have the gift of communicating clearly. Paul, following Moses in the second half of Deuteronomy 30, does exactly that: communicates clearly. Here’s what it means to become and be a Christian: it means believing the Resurrection and not keeping that good news to yourself! Clear, but not easy! This is something you’ll do for the…

The word “predestination” tends to get the hair on the back of people’s necks standing on end! Nobody likes the idea of God choosing who is ‘in’ and who is ‘out’. Paul doesn’t really mean to tackle that question in this passage but he does intend to talk about what God’s plan is for humanity and how we are included in carrying that plan.…

The world is broken and in pain, and so are we. All of us suffer, including (maybe especially) followers of Jesus. But Jesus gives us resources for walking through suffering: a perspective shaped by hope, prayer to process pain and grief, and the promise of his forever, unlimited love.

One of the struggles with Christianity is knowing how it really works. We can feel shame because we do something wrong or we're not doing enough. We re-dedicate ourselves hoping the next time is a charm. Or we think the point of life is to ‘go to heaven and take as many people with us as possible’. Is that what Jesus intended? How can we know what …

Paul is really getting to the heart of the matter! Many of us who read the Old Testament come away scratching our heads. Why didn’t these people, God’s Chosen People, do what they were told? Why are the early Scriptures so full of failure and frustration? They had everything going for them. God was on their side, yet they experienced failure after …

One of the modern struggles for those who trust Jesus is what to do with suffering? How can a loving God allow suffering? That question did not trouble Paul in the least. He knew that suffering, at least for now, is a universal human experience. The real question for Paul was: How does the cross of Christ redeem suffering? He dives into that, and, …

What does it mean, and what does it look like to ’trust God’? It’s one thing to talk about theories or doctrine; it’s another to actually do it! Enter Abraham and Sarah, two people staring down the barrel of a hopeless situation. Faith may not look like what you think.

We have a problem: sin. It has us trapped. But God has an amazing solution! By grace, he justifies us, giving us what we could never earn. The good news of Jesus is that by faith, we are included in God’s rescue.

Paul explains the Christian faith by pointing out our sin and God’s wrath, not your typical pitch for someone trying to make a sale! Thankfully, Paul isn’t trying to make a sale; he’s playing for keeps and knows there’s only one right way to do that: “tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” With much restraint, Paul gives a sum…

Paul wrote to the small church in Rome even though he’d never met them. They were one church he hadn’t planted. In some ways the letter is him making friends. Good friends make us feel included; they let us know that we belong. It wasn’t something that Paul did that included the believers in Rome; it was what Jesus had done and was doing in them th…

The Christmas Story ends with a downer. Dead babies. Few of us know the story, and fewer of us talk about Herod’s killing of the innocents. The message is clear, though: Jesus is on a mission in a world that really knows how to hurt each other. There’s no candy-coated church person experience; we face all the same rotten stuff along with the world.…

The staggering Christian claim is that God became one of us, stooping so low as to be born and, more, born to a poor young woman. It all seems so “un-glorious”. How else could he fully enter our troubles and struggles? He gets us; better than that, he came to set everything right. Merry Christmas, indeed.…