Amberlea Church

Christian Worship, Contemporary Music, Groups for Kids, Youth, Adults

Member of the Presbyterian Church in Canada
1820 Whites Rd, Pickering, Ontario, L1V 1R8
905-839-1383
Church Office: Tuesdays 9:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Worship: SUN 11:00 a.m.

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A lit path

August 03, 2023 by Rev. Mona Scrivens

Remember back in the day when you needed directions to a new place or were planning a route somewhere you would pull out a paper map? Or remember when you could buy a book of road maps for a particular area?  We would leave our big book of maps for Toronto in the car so that we could pull over - flip the pages - and find out what side street to take?

Can you imagine?  A paper map?

Today you pull out your phone and press the Google maps app and you can get a map of anywhere, literally anywhere in the world!  Not only that it will talk you through the directions so you actually don’t ever have to read a map at all! I have become so dependent on Google maps for almost every excursion because it even warns me about slow downs on my regularly traveled roads and will suggest alternative routes.

Shouldn’t the Word of God be that way too?

The psalmist writes in Psalm 119:105: Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

The Word of God is like a map.  It guides and directs us on the right path we should take. The Word of God throws a light onto the path that we should travel and even warns us about the “slow downs” or difficulties ahead.

As dependent as I am on Google maps I need to be even more dependent on God’s word to know where God wants me to go and how to get there. I need only to pull out my phone, press the Bible app to get comfort, direction, guidance and constant reminders of God’s love for me in a dark world.

During the month of August I will be away on vacation. We have a great number of amazing speakers planned. As I step back for a few weeks my desire will be to spend time in God’s Word as I prepare for the fall at Amberlea because, I know and I believe that God’s word is a lamp for our feet and a light on our path. May your path be illuminated!

Happy August to you all!

August 03, 2023 /Rev. Mona Scrivens

Perfect Peace

July 26, 2023 by Rev. Mona Scrivens

Have you every found yourself wound up about something? Perhaps someone said something to you that had you stewing for days? Or perhaps you looked at your bank account and a sudden rush of panic came over you as you realized that you are faced with another month of figuring out how to make ends meet. And you worry.

Our minds are powerful and the thoughts we think actually can effect our state of being.

Look at what the Prophet Isaiah says in Isaiah 26:3, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You.”

Peace is something we need desperately right now and the Bible has so much to say about it. Peace is mentioned hundreds of times but nowhere is it found more than in the book of Isaiah. And furthermore, it is the only reference in the bible to perfect peace.

Doesn’t the sound of perfect peace sound brilliant?

So, how do we find it?

Do we find our peace in which politician is voted into office? Or how much money is in our bank account? Or our relationship status? Or is our peace determined by the One who is in control of it all?

This perfect peace is accessible to you and me if our minds and hearts are fixed on God.   

For context, when Isaiah was writing this he was writing it to God’s people who were being severely oppressed by their enemies and yet they were able to tap into this perfect peace because their minds were steadfast —their minds and thoughts were fixed — on God.  We can do that too!

I know it is challenging right now, there is so much going on in our lives and in the world but I want to encourage you that this perfect peace  —not just peace but perfect peace — is available to you and me if we keep our minds and thoughts not fixed on the things of this world but rather fixed on God!

July 26, 2023 /Rev. Mona Scrivens

Have you ever felt anxious? A weight on your heart that feels heavy and cumbersome?

I am not a worrier per se, but every now and again, I am overwhelmed with such feelings.  Let’s face it, there always seems to be something to worry about:  broken relationships, unmet expectations, shaky finances, our children, our jobs, our health. And then add in natural disasters - like what we have just experienced with the wildfires in Quebec and Nova Scotia, wars —and more, so much more. And how many, of the things that we worry about, are largely out of our control?

The reality is we can’t always control what happens to us but we can choose how we respond. We can worry and be anxious which, I find, quickly turns to negativity or, we can choose something different.  We can choose to see the good in people.  We can choose to look for God’s fingerprints, and find things to be grateful for.

I realize that I might sound glib, like some poster saying:  “Hang in there”,  “Keep on the sunny side”, “Keep Calm and Carry on”, “It’s always darkest before the dawn”, “Be positive”… and I apologize if that is how I am coming across.  But have you ever seen a hummingbird?

I have one flying about just outside my window. There is a hanging planter basket full of nectar filled flowers that this hummingbird is feasting on. She is attracted to sweet things.  On the other hand, as I was driving up the road the other day, I saw two large black birds picking away at road kill. I think it is true that we will always find what we are looking for.

Darkness and light both exist in the world, as does good and evil. What will we look for?

What will we spend our time focusing on?

Darkness, and scary things are always happening. We don’t put our head in the sand and pretend its not happening but, do we choose to have it weigh us down to the point that we are consumed by anxiety and fear?

There may be things we can do, if so, do them.  But if the situation is out of our control —maybe, just maybe we should turn to the Light of the world. We can turn to the One who is already carrying the weight of the world — which means we don’t have to.

The hope we have in Jesus isn’t a collection of inspirational quotes on a poster.  It’s not positive vibes or wishful thinking. Our hope in Jesus is based on truth - on facts and faith.

So what can we do?

Proverbs 12:25 says, “Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.”

We can be a kind word for someone. Please don’t ever belittle what your words of encouragement can do for someone. It can change the trajectory of their day, and even their life.

What can we do for ourselves?

Let’s be kind to ourselves and let’s give ourselves a kind word and truth filled encouragement. Let’s fight our anxiousness with hope. Let’s refuse to settle for living afraid. And the next time we feel anxious or fear is weighing us down let’s ask God for help and encouragement. God is closer that we think and only a prayer away.

We always find what we are looking for

July 20, 2023 by Rev. Mona Scrivens
July 20, 2023 /Rev. Mona Scrivens
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