July 03/22 TEACHING OUR CHILDREN TO LOVE GOD

Today is the third Sunday of  our Lenten series, John 2:1-11, The Miracle Worker. Picture Jesus at a wedding feast  when an embarrassing problem comes up; the wedding runs out of wine. This is a shameful thing for the groom and his family, so Jesus’ mother asks him to help. Jesus replies that it’s not his time yet, but in a spirit of grace, Jesus turns 6 jars of water into the best of wines. This was the first of many  signs revealing his glory. Our focus today is the meaning of this sign.

Today is the second Sunday of Lent. We will reflect on John 6:25-40, The Bread of Life. This story happens the day after Jesus fed 5,000 people with only 2 small fish and 5 loaves of bread. During the night, Jesus spent time with his Father and then walked on the water to join his disciples in their boat. Soon after arriving on the other side of the lake crowds begin to gather; their hope is to be fed again by Jesus, but also to put him on the throne in Jerusalem. Jesus challenges them on why they want him, telling them that he is the bread of life and  if they come to him, they will never go hungry. What does it mean to come to Jesus; what are you hungry for ?

Today  is the first Sunday of Lent.  During the Lenten season, we will reflect on the pictures of who Jesus revealed in the Gospel of John, beginning with Picture Jesus: The Living Water, John 4:1-15. As Jesus travels with his disciples from Judea to Galilee, he encounters a Samaritan woman at a well during mid-day; an unusual time of the day for someone to come to the well. Jesus asks her if she would be willing to give him some water and during their discussion, Jesus offers her living water so she would never be thirsty again. Jesus asks us the same question still today, “Do you want my living water?” How do you answer him ?

Today is Friendship Ministry Sunday. We will celebrate this ministry with our Friends and their mentors.  To wrap our series on Ephesians, we will reflect on Ephesians 6:10-20, The Armor of God. When we put on the armor of God, we are able to be brave, have courage, and stand firm in our faith against the devil’s schemes. Paul calls us to be strong, to stand firm, and to pray in the Spirit. All these acts fill us with the courage to trust in God and be his people. It’s important to remember that Paul is writing this from a prison cell and wants people to experience the same courage that he’s received from Jesus.

Today is Cadet Sunday. A time for us to celebrate our ministry to boys. Each Meeting their counsellors lead them to a deeper knowledge of Jesus and how to live it out. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians will direct our  reflection on the Cadet Theme “Rooted and Grounded,” Ephesians 3:14- 19. Good roots help us grow strong and healthy and we need to be rooted in good soil of the Bible. As followers of Jesus, we’re called to be rooted in the Bible, connected to the vine, and filled with the Holy Spirit 

Today we will reflect on Ephesians 5:1-21, Be Filled with the Spirit. In this chapter Paul focuses on being imitators of God by living as His children and living with love towards each other. We are challenged to a way of  thanks-living. He contrasts the ways of darkness with being light in the Lord, thus echoing back to Jesus’ call to be the light of the world. Paul then calls us to live as wise followers of Jesus rather than unwise. We  have a choice. Who are you going to be ?

Today we will reflect on Ephesians 4:1-30,  Unity of the Spirit. Paul returns again to his ongoing theme of grace in this letter, this time it’s about living out the grace that we’ve been given by God.  By living and growing together in the Lord it builds strong unity in the faith. Showing a maturity in Jesus; a growth in our faith, and recognition that how we live together, reflects to the world who Jesus is.

Today we begin a new series on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. We will reflect on Ephesians 1:1-14, Spiritual Blessings. Paul is reconnecting with the church in Ephesus, a church it seems that he has a special love for. Unlike many of Paul’s letters, he doesn’t have any errors or heresies that he’s addressing. This is a letter that reflects a lot on what the church is and how the church lives together. He begins by offering them a blessing and reminding them of who they are, where they find their identity.

Today we continue our series on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. We will reflect on Ephesians 2:1-10, The Lord and Giver of Life. In this part of his letter, Paul contrasts the difference between being dead in our sin and alive in Jesus. Paul focuses heavily on God’s grace in Jesus that brings about our salvation and new life. Love, mercy, grace, and faith are all things Paul touches on as being rooted in God’s kindness to us.

Today we will reflect on Matthew 2:13-23, A Nazarene, the story of how Jospeh took his family and fled with them to Egypt because of Herod’s murderous anger. Jesus becomes a refugee and spends time in a foreign land because it’s not safe for him in his own land. When they return to Judah after Herod’s death, they go to Nazareth in Galilee, far from the circles of power. Nazareth is a small village with nothing to distinguish it from any other village, in a province that also is not powerful or influential; an unusual place for a Messiah to come from.