On the Day God Acts
Sunday Reflection
Read Heather Weir’s reflection, titled, “Wait for the Lord” from Sunday’s worship service. You’ll find it in the Sunday Reflections blog.
Scripture Notes
At about the 5.5 minute mark, it’ll be helpful to pause the recording to reflect on your own on the passage just read.
Scripture Reading: Malachi 3:16 – 4:3 (NRSV)
Then those who revered the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord took note and listened, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who revered the Lord and thought on his name. Read More…
Looking to Sunday
by Elaine Poproski
I had a conversation today with someone who’s part of a different church – a church primarily home to people in their late 20s and early 30s. She talked about how hopeless so many of the people in this demographic feel about so much of life. And it breaks her heart.
Last week, many of us struggled with the news stories that dominated the press: wildfires continued to rage through Australia, devastating that entire country; a Ukrainian passenger plane was shot out of the sky, killing all 176 people on board; and Meghan and Harry are stepping down from being royals (though what that actually means in practice is still unknown), in large part because of unyielding racism. Sure, that last one doesn’t seem to be quite at the same level as the first two, but in my mind it speaks to the on-going horrors of a world so infected by sin that hate, inequality, and racism continue to threaten lives.
Our world is in desperate need of Jesus. We need a glimpse of the kingdom He declared has come in Him. We need to see justice and equality lived out in real time and in real life. We need to experience the extraordinary, unconditional, sacrificial love of God as displayed in Jesus’ death and resurrection. We need hope. That’s why the sermons in our current series are so important.
Right now we have a variety of people (including myself) preaching about the challenge of being a Christian. You can check out Erinn’s sermon from last week, in which she reminded us that our weakness or brokenness isn’t something to be shunned, but is instead something to be stepped into. In our weakness, she reminded us, God’s strength shines through. This week, we are privileged to hear from my friend and colleague, Tim Tang, who is the director of Tyndale’s Toronto Intercultural Mission (TIM) Centre. Tim is also Pastor-at-large at East Toronto Chinese Baptist Church in North York. The reasons the sermons in this current series are so important is that our world is not going to know about the hope Jesus offers unless we live our lives in the way of Christ, which is a hard thing to do, but which is also non-negotiable for Christians.
As you prepare for Sunday, perhaps spend some time considering your own life and your own faith. Are there things Jesus requires that you find difficult? Where do you need to be encouraged? Where do you need to be challenged? What do you need from God and from your brothers and sisters in Christ – your church – to live more like Jesus lived?