Social Time:
Sunday Morning at 10:30 AM.This is our main worship service. Sunday School and a Nursery are offered.
Click for an INTRODUCTION TO THE SCRIPTURE for this week.
Social Time:
Sunday Morning at 10:30 AM.A time to visit, after the service. Coffee, tea, juice and refreshments are offered.
Those wishing a more complete analysis of these lessons may locate them at either of these websites:
http://www.spirit-net.ca/sermon.html
http://seemslikegod.org
Seventh Sunday of Easter - May 4, 2008
(May 11 and 18 are farther down the page)
ACTS 1:6-14. With Jesus gone from their midst and the promised kingdom of the Messiah not yet a reality, what was to happen next? Luke answered this question not only for that time, but for all time. The power of God that was at work in Jesus had now passed to the assembled community of men and women who followed him from Galilee to Jerusalem, had witnessed to his resurrection, and now formed a visible community of faith awaiting his return. The church is still that visible community of today.
PSALM 68:1-10, 32-35. Unique in the Psalter, this psalm has been described as a collection of short songs and fragments possibly used in a sacred procession at some festival. It celebrated the sovereignty and providence of God.
1 PETER 4:12-14; 5:6-11. A threatened persecution seemed close at hand. The writer encouraged the faithful to remain steadfast after the example of Jesus in his suffering. The hope of the afflicted rested on the promise of the constant presence of Christ who had called them to share his glory. The beauty and resolute faith of the passage still strengthen modern disciples of Jesus who may well grow weary in a violent and unbelieving world.
JOHN 17:1-11. It is most unlikely that these are actual words of a prayer by Jesus himself. More probably they are a meditation by the author of the Gospel on the humanity and divinity of Christ as seen in his earthly ministry, and on the divine character of the ministry committed to the church. At the heart of this passage is the essential message of John's Gospel: Jesus has been fully revealed as the Messiah/Christ, the Son of God with all divine authority and power. As such he gives the eternal life of God to those who believe in his true nature now glorified by the resurrection.
Pentecost Sunday - May 11, 2008
ACTS 2:1-21. This dramatic event on the Jewish Feast of Pentecost, fifty days after the resurrection of Jesus, marks the formal beginning of the Christian Church and its mission in the world. Several themes stand out in the story:
1) The gift of the Spirit gave the apostles power to witness to the resurrection of Jesus, the key to their faith and our faith.
2) The witness of the apostles was to be universal.
3) The gift and the mission were the fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel recorded in the Hebrew Scriptures.
NUMBERS 11:24-30. (Alternate) Since many New Testament stories originated as reinterpretations of Old Testament stories, this unusual anecdote could well have been the source for the story of the first Pentecost.
PSALM 104:24-35. This psalm celebrates God’s creation. It may have been modeled after an ancient Egyptian hymn to the sun. This portion of it emphasizes the life-giving and life-sustaining gift of spirit without which no creature can exist.
1 CORINTHIANS 12:3-13. Paul quotes what was most probably the earliest Christian statement of faith: “Jesus is Lord,” which can only be said sincerely through the gift of the Spirit. Then he goes on to cite what effect the Spirit has in the Christian fellowship through its varied expressions. Finally, in a still vivid metaphor he describes the Spirit activating the Christian fellowship as the visible body of the risen Christ. Note especially Paul’s claim in verse 13 that this Spirit-filled body consists of all who have been baptized without any ethnic, economic or any other distinctions.
JOHN 20:19-23. Unlike other the other gospels and Acts, this is a different account of the way Jesus gave the Spirit to his disciples. This occurred on the evening of the day of his resurrection as the disciples cowered in fear behind locked doors. Several previous references in John’s Gospel said that the Spirit could only come after Jesus’ ministry had been completed with his death and his glorification through resurrection had taken place.
JOHN 7:37-39. (Alternate) John used this incident from one of Jesus’ many interactions with the Pharisees to declare Jesus’ promise of the gift of the Spirit after his resurrection.
Trinity Sunday - May 18, 2008
GENESIS 1:1-2:4a. This magnificent poem tells of God’s creation of the world in an orderly fashion during a six day period. It presents a statement of faith not a credible scientific hypothesis. While science may be able to give us plausible understanding of how and when the universe came into being, it cannot take us beyond the mystery of the beginning to God’s gracious spiritual purpose as this poem does. That theme is found in the repeated refrain, “And God saw that it was good,” after each act of creation, and the final Sabbath blessing in 2:3.
PSALM 8. Reiterating the majesty of the creation poem above, this psalm reflects on what God has done and still does in the universe in which we live. More than that, it states how we humans fit into the plan of God as conscious stewards of creation.
2 CORINTHIANS 13:11-13. The Corinthians had many fights among themselves and with Paul. He ends this letter, however, with an appeal to them to live peaceably with one another so that they may truly experience the love and peace of God. His final trinitarian benediction is still in common use in many church services. The word “communion” is often translated as “fellowship.” It actually means the sharing of the Spirit which is the love of God communicated to us through Jesus Christ.
MATTHEW 28:16-20. Many scholars hold that the original gospel text may have ended at verse 17 and that the closing commission was added in the 2nd century. It does bring the gospel to a fitting conclusion. The church has used this commission as an effective mission statement ever since. The words confirm the tradition shared by both the Gospels of Luke and John and Acts that Jesus did commission the disciples to carry on his ministry in the world. The ecumenical fellowship still uses this trinitarian formula as its common heritage.