What if...

I was thinking, that the last time we gathered at the Amberlea Church building, I preached on What if.  

It was the last sermon of the sermon series called 20/20 Vision, YOU in 5 years.  Over the course of 5 weeks we looked at: 

Who do I want to be in 5 years, 

Where am I currently going, 

Why is it so hard to change, 

How do we change and 

When do we make those changes and then we talked about what, not what but what if?

What if our plans don’t go as we planned?

What if life happens differently than we thought?

Well, what if seems to have happened!  Who would have imagined when we began this new year that we would be in this situation today?  

If you recall or maybe you want to check out the audio sermon, we talked about Mary and Martha. Jesus went to his friends house for dinner. Mary sat at Jesus feet and listened and learned, while Martha banged pots in the background because Mary wasn’t helping. And what did Jesus say,  this is taken from Luke 10:38-42  (The Message):

"Martha, dear Martha. You're fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it. It's the main course. And it won't be taken away from her." 

What did Mary choose? 

• to prioritize time to be at his feet

• to listen to what Jesus says

• to build and strengthen a relationship so rich, so strong that no matter what happens … like a global pandemic…your relationship with Jesus can not be taken away.

Some of us, in the what if season have found ourselves with some extra time.  Take advantage of it, spend time with God.  While at home build your relationship with the God that loves, and protects, and provides for you in ways that you may not even yet realize.  Message me for resources… for you, couples, families, seniors… there are so many amazing resources that are available out there.

Take this time to pray for those who have, in this what if season found themselves exceedingly busy — working to keep us safe. Take time by yourself and with your family to PRAY for our health care workers, doctors, nurses, - those in the grocery industry who are loading trucks, stocking shelves and cashing us out.  Pray for those who have been stopped in their tracks because the what if happened and they are now ill with COVID 19.  

Take this time, if you can, to sit at the feet of Jesus — chose the main course because when the what if happens — it cannot be taken away from you.

I miss being in the church.  I miss gathering with you, singing praises to our God, watching your faces when I tell a bad joke, and I miss gathering around the table with you as we take together the Lords Supper.

This coming Sunday is the first Sunday of the month and it is Palm Sunday and we will not forget gathering around the table. The what if has happened and we will not allow it to side track our relationship with Jesus.  So, we are going to do this differently.

In preparation for next Sunday I would ask you to look in your kitchen for:

• a small piece of bread or a small cracker (a goldfish cracker will do if that’s what you have).  

• a small amount of grape juice (or red wine, if you prefer, or whatever you have). 

Please don’t go out to buy anything special. These are symbols and God understands.

Here is what we will do, I will finish up part 4 of our series on Miracles. Then I will lead us in communion. Gather everyone who want to take part around your screen, and let’s take communion together.  

The message will be recorded, so if you need to pause and get more little fishy crackers because the kids ate them before the time… you can.  No worries. When we take communion, let’s approach it in reverence, and humility. We do this to remember. We remember the love that God has shown each one of us. We remember that God is still in charge!

Then please join me for coffee time on Zoom at 11:45 am.  We will have a chance to see one another an chat. 

• Okay since you actually read this to the very end let’s have some fun!  When you join on Zoom, I will ask a question about this blog. The first 3 people to message me on Zoom will receive a prize that will be delivered to your home next week.  Happy Easter!!!!

But it does mean that you will need to join us on Zoom. 

I can’t wait to see you!

Until then God bless you and Be Well.

The Potter's Hands

It has been an unusual time and I am sure by now you have heard all the news about Covid 19 your brain can take in.  So, here is something completely different.  It is a reminder that you are God’s own creation.  God’s masterpiece. It is a reminder that you are loved, adored actually, and created in the image of God, for the purposes of God.  My new hobby has reminded me of that and I wanted to share my learnings with you!

I have discovered pottery.  I am very new to this hobby but the moment my hands touched the clay I knew it was something I needed to do. To take a lump of clay and to create something with it, is nothing short of spiritual for me.

Jeremiah 18:1-4

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. 4 But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.

Isaiah 64:8 says this

Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.

The words of scripture depicting God as the potter becomes palpable when I am at the wheel.

So here is what I have learned.

1.  Centering. The lump of clay first has to be centered in the middle of the wheel.  In order to centre, you have to apply some significant pressure on it, but without centering you will never get a pot made. It can be a difficult and often tedious process but it is absolutely necessary to make a successful pot. Like scripture tells us, we are like the clay and we too have to be properly centered in God before God can start to mold and shape us.  

2. Transforming. While the clay is spinning on the wheel I push down on the top of the clay to create an opening in it. The size of the opening is gradually increased and the sides are pulled up until a cylinder is formed. My hands are applying pressure on both the inside and outside of the clay to mold, shape, and transform it into the pot.  But, here’s the tricky part, it must be the appropriate amount of pressure. Too much pressure and the pot will collapse, to little pressure and the clay will not move up and the pot will not grow.

3. Water is so important.  A lot of water used to make a pot. It’s interesting that God says His word is like water to our souls.  Without water we become dry and hard and God can’t work in our lives and it’s the same with the Potter.

Centering, Pressure and Water.

In the same way, as we like the clay, yield to the hands of God, God literally molds and transforms us into the person that we were meant to be. Sure we can fight, dry up, tense up and get stressed or we can surrender ourselves to God’s love for us.  We can choose to trust that God is control and that God is shaping us, molding us, preparing us for God’s service. 

Will we still feel pressure, will we feel pain?  Perhaps yes, but surrendering to God’s faithfulness and love will allow us to deal with it better.   There is no better place to be but in the Potter’s Hands!

*********************

Want to watch the video version of this blog? Check out our Amberlea Facebook page!

*******************************

Check out our website regularly for how to access our YouTube Channel to watch the sermons posted every Sunday. Then join us on Sunday at 11:30 am for our virtual “Coffee Hour” on Zoom. Find the link on the website. It will be great to SEE you!!!

We are committed to being available to you during this unusual time.

Be well!

Faith muscle memory!

The craziest thing happened.

On our way home during a very long car ride from Ottawa, the radio station we were listening to was playing songs from the early 80’s. It was disco music.  

 The craziest thing happened. If you had asked me to name the title of the song, I couldn’t. But when the music played I sang along, the words just pouring from my mouth.  It didn’t even feel connected to my brain.  During the instrumental part, I wouldn’t have been able to tell you what the next words, were but when the chorus returned so did the words. It was nuts!  It was planted so deep into my mind.

 What is that even about?  I sometimes forget why I’ve gone into a room, but I remember all the lyrics to an 80’s song I haven’t heard in decades.

The mind is wild, isn’t it?

 Is that what it’s like with our faith?  A faith “muscle memory”, as it were?  

 Faith and faithfulness are grounded in the Word. 

 At times of crisis it’s tempting to respond with anxiety, anger or even revenge to the challenges we face. Unfortunately there are plenty of people in our midst who model this response.  

 James, the brother of Jesus, wrote that responding negatively to life’s challenges may be the result of not being steeped in God’s word. Instead, James says, we are to, “humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.”(James 1:21b)

 The question is this: Is the Word of God so planted within us that it can ground us in times of crisis? Put another way, is the Word of God so planted within us that in extraordinary times, when we least expect it but need it the most, it’s there? 

 I ask myself, would the Word of God and the actions they beg come out of me as effortlessly as the disco tune?

 How many times had I heard that ‘80’s disco song before it implanted in my mind? 

 To have God’s word planted within us takes time spent reading and reflecting so that, in times like now, it pours out of us without us even thinking about it!

 Doesn’t that sound great?

 So what can we do?

 Read, reflect and respond. Listen to sermons online. When things get back to normal participate in a Life Group.  And of course open the Bible. Let God’s word bathe us in peace, hope and inexplicable joy in this time. As we continue to soak in God’s word may it naturally pour out of us like a disco tune!

++++++++++++++++++++

During this unprecedented time we will be suspending onsite gatherings at Amberlea. This of course means that we will not be gathering for Sunday worship. However, you will be able to hear (and now see) the sermons online! Just go to https://www.amberleachurch.ca and click Online Worship. You have the option to just listen to the sermon or watch on our YouTube Channel (so you don’t forget what I look like ;). Keep up with our new sermon series entitled: When Pigs Have Wings! Sermons will be posted on Sunday at 11 am. Then at 11:30 am, join me at Google Hangouts (info on Online Worship page) where we can chat! So excited!!!

We are figuring out fun and creative ways to build community in isolation. That being said, if you need anything please contact the church at admin@amberleachurch.ca or RevMona@amberleachurch.ca

Looking forward to connecting on Sunday!

Be Well!