Weekly Newsletter
the life of your church….! FROM THE MINISTER’S DESK Most of us carry concerns for the suffering of loved ones; worries for the burdens of friends. In Mark’s gospel he tells the story of how some people came to Jesus with a paralyzed man carried by four friends. It wasn’t easy to get their friend in front … [Read more…]
the life of your church….! FROM THE MINISTER’S DESK The gospel writer Mark tells us that Jesus commonly used parables in his public proclamation and explained everything in private to his disciples. John Calvin said Jesus’ use of parables was his way of accommodating to the capacity of hearers. Had Jesus spoken in a direct way he … [Read more…]
the life of your church….! ROADMAP TO REOPENING In-person Worship Sunday, June 13th The Ontario Government has announced that we are moving to Step 1 of the RoadMap to Reopen on Friday, June 11 AND churches are now allowed up to 15% capacity in Step 1. Therefore this Sunday we will be open for … [Read more…]
the life of your church….! FROM THE MINISTER’S DESK News of the discovery of unmarked graves of children on the sites of Canada’s Indian Residential Schools dominated news outlets this week. There are no easy answers in knowing how to respond to this, another tear-stained blood-soaked page in this painful history. In Psalm 130 we read, ‘with … [Read more…]
the life of your church….! FROM THE MINISTER’S DESK In the Church calendar this coming Sunday is Trinity Sunday. Trinity—the teaching that the one God exists in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But why is it important? For one thing, Christian faith is rooted in the oneness of being between Jesus Christ and God the Father. According … [Read more…]
the life of your church….! FROM THE MINISTER’S DESK Pentecost is observed on the seventh Sunday after Easter—this coming Sunday. It marks the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in power upon the church. The following reflection on the Holy Spirit is from a fourth century sermon by the theologian Saint Basil the Great. “Simple in himself, the Spirit … [Read more…]
the life of your church….! FROM THE MINISTER’S DESK Today is Ascension Day in the church calendar—forty days after Easter. The gospel writer Luke tells us that when Jesus ascended to heaven the disciples “returned to Jerusalem with great joy.” It is apparent that the disciples did not take this as being abandoned by Jesus. They do … [Read more…]
the life of your church….! FROM THE MINISTER’S DESK Jesus said, “I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.” It is wonderful to think that God wants his joy to be ours. It is instructive to remember that Jesus said this as he … [Read more…]
the life of your church….! FROM THE MINISTER’S DESK If you have friends who belong to churches of Eastern Orthodox confession I remind you to greet them with “Happy Easter” this weekend. Sunday, May 2 is Easter in their tradition that marks dates according to the Julian calendar. The Western church—that includes Central United—follows the Gregorian calendar … [Read more…]
the life of your church….! FROM THE MINISTER’S DESK “I am the good shepherd,” said Jesus, “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” In the larger context of this saying of Jesus, you could understand the word translated ‘good’ as ‘genuine’ or ‘true,’ a meaning the word also connotes. I am the genuine … [Read more…]