Jan. 29, 2025
Luke 4:14-21 presents a powerful moment where Jesus, in his hometown synagogue, declares
his mission by reading from Isaiah 61, proclaiming that “the Spirit of the Lord is upon me”
to bring good news to the poor, release the oppressed, and proclaim freedom to the captives, essentially announcing himself as the fulfillment of prophecy and the Messiah who will actively bring liberation to the marginalized; however, this message is met with resistance and anger from his own people, highlighting the challenge of accepting new truths, particularly when they disrupt familiar expectations and social structures.
Key points for reflection:
The Power of Proclamation:
Jesus boldly asserts his identity and purpose by directly applying scripture to
himself, demonstrating his conviction and authority in delivering God’s message.
Focus on the Marginalized:
Jesus specifically mentions the “poor,” “captives,” and “oppressed,” highlighting his
concern for those often overlooked and neglected by society.
Hometown Resistance:
The people of Nazareth, familiar with Jesus’ background, are not receptive to his
message, revealing the challenges of accepting new truths, especially when they
come from someone close to home.
The Nature of “Good News”:
Jesus’ message is not just about personal salvation but also about social justice
and liberation for the marginalized, challenging the status quo.
Our Response to the Message:
Do we readily accept the message of liberation and social justice that Jesus
proclaims, or do we resist it due to our own comfort or biases?
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Luke 4:18-19
NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
New Email Contact
Effectively immediately, please note the following email addresses for all church-related communication:
Pastor Eric: pastor@graceview.ca
Church Office: office@graceview.ca (unchanged and managed by our Secretary, Halyna)
A Note from Pastor Eric
Last week’s pulpit exchange with St. Giles Kingsway brought a wonderful opportunity – that’s right, you get to “enjoy” not just one, but two sermons 🙂
In case you’re not familiar, the Sermons tab on our church website features a selection of past sermon
recordings from various preachers. There you can now find Rev. Tim Bruneau’s sermon at Graceview and my message, “From Now On You Will Fish For People”, a personal testimonial of faith shared at St. Giles Kingsway.
Check them out here for your edification during this crisp, cold week.
https://graceview.ca/sermon-archive/
May we continue to draw closer to God and His call in our lives.
Joy in Christ,
Pastor Eric
From the Guatemalan Mission Team
The Guatemala mission team will be serving around 1000 children across 4 schools and an orphanage in mid-March.
We’re looking for donations of the following items:
1. Summer clothing for orphan babies/toddlers (0-3 years), young children (3-12 years) and young
moms (11-15 years)
2. Baby shoes, regular shoes, tennis shoes, socks and towels for children (1-10 years)
3. Diapers, blankets, bottles for newborns
4. Medicine and first aid items, such as Tylenol, Advil, Polysporin, bandages, alcohol swabs
5. Soft cover lightweight notebooks, crayons, watercolor paints, pencils, pens and calculators
6. Laptops and portable projectors in good condition
7. Deflated soccer balls, volleyball nets, ping-pong paddles, tennis balls
8. Uniforms for sports teams
9. Lightweight non-bulky toys such as stuffed animals
The weather in the region (Antigua) ranges from 12-30 degrees Celsius, so the clothing items should be
lightweight.
If you have any of these items in good condition, please make sure they are clean, sorted into clean bags by category, and you can place them in the clothing bin previously used for the Canadian/Ukrainian parachute donations. Thank you for your generosity! The babies and school children will be very blessed by your donations.
The deadline is March 2 nd .
Eldership Transitions
With heartfelt gratitude, we also want to announce that Maureen and Joan have decided to step down
from their roles as elders after decades of faithful service. Their decision is due to personal health
issues, and while we will deeply miss their leadership, we honour their incredible dedication to
Graceview (formerly Grace) over the years. Please join me in praying for their continued well-being
and strength during this new season of their lives.
A Message from Jerina Gacheri Kirema from Nyeri, Kenya
“Happy new year to Graceview presbyterian church, I hope this message find you in great health and high spirit. Am writing to express my sincere gratitude for the payment of my school fees received. Your kindness as played an essential role in my education by ensuring effective and smooth learning with a lot of concentration. I truly appreciate your dedication and support.
This is my last term (trimester) and I will be sitting for my final qualifying exam on March 2025. Once again, thank you so much for your generosity. Your support means a lot, and I look forward to our continued relationship. May Almighty God bless you all.”
WEEKLY GIGGLE
Someone asked the other day,,,,,,,,,,,,,
‘What was your favorite fast food when you were growing up?’
‘We didn’t have fast food when I was growing up, I informed him, ‘All the food was slow.’
‘C’mon, seriously. Where did you eat?’
‘It was a place called ‘at home,’ I explained!
‘Mom cooked every day and when Dad got home from work, we sat down together at the dining room table, & if I didn’t like what she put on my plate, I was allowed to sit there until I did like it.’
By this time, the kid was laughing so hard I was afraid he was going to suffer serious internal damage, so I didn’t tell him the part about how I had to have permission to leave the table.
Do you have any news or prayer requests that you would like to share? Drop me a line and I will be happy to include it in the Weekly Email. Have a blessed week, everyone.
Susan choppertini@hotmail.com
* Message from Pastor Eric: “FYI the Graceview website page has been revamped, so as to keep people updated of our activities and events. Visit us and enjoy all that is good about Graceview”. https://graceview.ca/calendar-events
* We also have our own Facebook page. (Graceview Presbyterian Church). This site shows the world all that we are and what we have to offer as a church. Check it out and be sure to “follow.”
Contact information for Pastor Eric Lee: 778-791-1741; pastor@graceview.ca
NB: If the phone number for Pastor Eric does not connect you immediately (technical issues?) call the church (416-621-0888) and press #1 for Pastor Eric.
Email for Iris: ericirishk@gmail.com