Making a pickle is a time-consuming process. You need to make brine—a vinegary, salty solution—and then place cucumbers in the brine and leave them for up to six weeks. Growing as a disciple of Jesus is a lot like making a pickle. You want to mature quickly, but spiritual growth doesn’t happen instantly. Today’s message will encourage you to slow down, to take time, and to patiently commit to doing life with God.

A dominant narrative, even among Christians, is “I am a sinner,” but the New Testament narrative is that Christians are in Christ and are new creations. Therefore “I am a saint” is a the more truthful declaration. Though Christ dwells in Christians, sin remains, but its power has been broken and it must not reign. The secret to living the Christian life is to “abide” in Christ, allowing Him to shine through weaknesses and vulnerabilities

Sin has distorted humanity. Its effects are seen globally, in communities, and in individual lives. The narrative of scripture reveals a holy God pursuing unholy people with a plan to set them apart for His holy purpose. Like the temple described in the Bible, God has purified his people. He’s reconciled them through his son, Jesus, and has commissioned them to manifest his glory in the world.

When it comes to God, self-sacrifice goes much deeper. God so loved the world that he sacrificed his son, even when we had no use for him. In other words, God sacrificed for us when we were his enemies!

The world we live in teaches us that love and acceptance are determined by our behaviour; if we are good, get good grades, win the race, then we receive affirmation. If we fail, we experience rejection. We project this conditional kind of acceptance onto God, assuming God loves us when we are good and rejects us when we are bad. Jesus’ behaviour was shocking in his day—welcoming, spending time with, and dining with known sinners! His behaviour reveals his dominant narrative about God’s love for people.

Generosity happens when you live from a condition of abundance or when you’re moved by the needs of others. God is generous because he lives in a condition of abundance—his provisions can never be exhausted—and God is moved with compassion because he sees your needs and the needs of others and is always wanting to help meet them.

Governments exist to maintain justice and order. Servanthood is God’s intent for those who lead and support is required of those who follow. Join us for a special service where we’ll be meeting and praying for those running in this year’s municipal election.

Those who have experienced good things would likely agree that God is trustworthy while those who have suffered may think otherwise. There’s a lot of evil in the world and most people have experienced tragedy. Jesus reveals, however, that God is always trustworthy, even when things don’t go the way we want.

The dominant narrative about God for many Christians is that God is angry and punishes us for our sins. A closer look at scripture reveals that Jesus rejected this idea. Jesus and the New Testament writers steer clear of explanations on the cause and effect notion of sin and suffering, and instead call us to do good while humbly trusting in God who is with us in life’s challenges.