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Download the PDF Jan. 28, 2026 As I sit here on a very snowy Sunday, wearing my sweats, as I have been under the weather since Friday, I marvel at the amount of snow that has fallen with more in the forecast. Being a born and bred Canadian, snow does not intimidate me. There are pictures of me, in my youth, standing beside a snowbank which was a good 2 feet higher than me. I have plowed through the highways…

Download the PDF Matthew 4:12-23 CommentaryChelsey Harmon This is a different version, or perhaps we could say a similar story, to the discipleship calling narrative we had in the Gospel of John. Some of the same players are here though, even if in lesser roles: John the Baptist looms in the background and Andrew and his brother Simon Peter are here again—seen by Jesus. We even get an emphasis on prophecy being fulfilled and themes of light and darkness (albeit this…

Download the PDF Last week we all had to endure a day of very high winds. Now, I have to admit, I can tolerate heavy downpours of rain, blizzards, sleet, hail, etc. However, strong winds make me very uneasy. I had the “pleasure” a couple of years ago to witness a tree being blown over onto my back fence wiping out a good portion of it. Not only that, but spears of branches were impaled into the ground just as…

Download the PDF Reflecting on the Christ Candle means recognizing Jesus as the “Light of the World,” dispelling darkness, bringing hope, love, and peace, and symbolizing His pure life and presence among us, prompting believers to carry His light through selfless acts and share His message, transforming the world one flame at a time. It’s a call to open our hearts to God’s immense love, follow Him, and be His hands and feet in a world needing His transformative power, especially…

Download the PDF Dec. 17, 2025 The Fourth Sunday of Advent symbolizes Love, focusing on God’s profound love in sending His Son, Jesus, to save the world, culminating in His birth. It shifts focus from John the Baptist to Mary’s faith and the imminent arrival of the Messiah, representing God’s ultimate gift and the fulfillment of promises, bringing the themes of hope, peace, and joy to a climax before Christmas.  Key Meanings & Themes: In the Advent Wreath: This Sunday invites reflection…

Download the PDF The Third Sunday of Advent, called Gaudete Sunday (Latin for “Rejoice”), signals a shift in the somber Advent season to joyful anticipation because Christmas and Christ’s arrival are near. It’s a moment to pause penitential practices, symbolized by wearing pink (rose) vestments or lighting a pink candle on the Advent wreath instead of purple, reminding us to find deep, spiritual joy in God’s promised salvation, even amidst hardships.  Key Meanings & Themes: Traditions: Worship Calendar Dec. 14 – Advent 3…

Download the PDF Dec. 3, 2025 “Advent is the season where the silent night becomes a sanctuary for peace, and the angels’ song echoes in the recesses of our hearts, proclaiming ‘Peace on earth.’” — Jeremi Richardson. This Sunday, we light the second candle on the Advent wreath; the atmosphere is bathed in a serene glow, echoing the theme of peace. The journey through Advent continues, and on this Second Sunday, our hearts turn toward the profound and transformative concept…

Download the PDF Nov. 26, 2025 When called upon the pray before or after a meeting, I am instantly very doubtful about my abilities to lead anyone in prayer. To me prayer is a very personal thing and to do so out loud in front of others makes me feel extremely vulnerable. How does it come so easily to some people whereas I am grasping at straws to find the correct words so that I can sound “prayerful”. I am…

Download PDF Nov. 19, 2025 The fall bible study came to an end yesterday. We were privileged to watch 8 episodes of season 5 of the Chosen. It depicted the time from the entry into Jerusalem up until Jesus’s arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. I cannot stress enough how much of an impact this series has had on me and on others who have attended. Not only has it piqued my curiosity into what more the Bible has to…

Download the PDFLuke 21:5–19 offers reflections on the impermanence of earthly institutions like the Jerusalem temple, the dangers of false prophets, and the reality of persecution for followers of Christ. It encourages endurance and trust in God, promising divine wisdom and strength during times of trial and adversity. The passage ultimately grounds believers in the hope that God’s presence transcends destruction and that a faithful life requires perseverance.  Key themes and reflections Worship Calendar Nov. 16 Not One Stone Left on…

Nov. 5, 2025 Remembrance Forever young, in Flanders field they lie,In peace in silent seas, on foreign shore,In place with name unknown, in land unseen.And we, perhaps forgetting, walk on byTheir sad memorials, and think no moreOf lives now passed, and lives that might have been.In park and green and village marketplaceThey stand, these ageing monuments – and weLook past the loving tributes carved thereonAnd never slack or slow our hurried paceTo call to mind the fading memoryOf these young…

Download the PDF Oct. 29, 2025 Remembering Tree Service It is with much emotion that, this Sunday, we again remember our dear departed friends and loved ones whose names appear on that magnificent Remembering Tree at the back of our church. Sometimes, when I am alone in the church, I will actually touch the names of the ones who had a big impact on my life and who I miss to this very day.  Ted Wallace and I became very…