Gray continues our series "Shaped by Jesus."  Understanding and welcoming the Holy Spirit’s role in spiritual formation is foundational to our relationship with God. When we accept Jesus as our Saviour, we become a child of God and our destiny is “to be conformed to the likeness of his Son” (Rom. 8:29). This is only possible because Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts and lives. We cannot transform ourselves but the Holy Spirit can. 

Ken kicks off our new series: “Shaped By Jesus" speaking from John 3:16 & John 10:10-11. Some of us have been going to church a long time and yet our lives don’t look much different today than they did 10 years ago.  Is being a Jesus follower about following the rules, being a good person, going to church and not being an axe murderer?  Or is there something more?  Something that brings about real change in our life?  Ken shares some personal stories and we also see what Jesus has to say about “..Flying Upside Down.”

Today Judi & David Owens zoom in from Africa to share how God's heart for people is evident in their ministry work at Arusha Vineyard church in Tanzania.

Andreas shares about his work with the Navigators through the lens of Luke 15, focusing on how students across Canada are discovering the Heart of the Father.

Brad Kinney, director of Journey Home Community, shares with us this morning. He picks up with our Luke 15 theme and shares stories of how Journey Home is looking for the lost sheep, coins and prodigals.  Listen in for the chance to hear directly from someone JHC has been helping and learn more about their ministry overall. 

Ken kicks off our traditional “Missions Month” by showing us the joy in God’s heart when someone comes to know him.  He looks at Luke 15 and we see Jesus trying to communicate to the religious leaders of his day what matters most to God.  They aren’t sure why Jesus is hanging out with the riff-raff of their day; surely he knows what kind of people they are.  Yet Jesus sees it differently.  So, he tells them stories to help them see what matters most to God.  Maybe the question for us is how do we experience the heart of Father God? And do the things that matter to God, matter to us as well?

Is the joy of the Lord evident in our lives this Advent season? It’s easy to see joy as the sense of excitement one gets when they receive something they do not have.  Then it becomes about getting things. As we look back at the first Christmas, we see in Mary a simple but profound joy.  She had every reason to complain, yet she found joy.  Ken will show us from John 15 that when we connect with Jesus, we connect with true joy.

In this second Sunday of Advent, we look at the themes of Darkness and Light.  What hope does Christmas offer for the darkness of our world and in our own lives?  Dwight Dee reflects on John 1:1-14 and how the light of Christ can overcome.

Elaine Dee wraps up our sermon series on The Kingdom of Heaven.  In the last of the parables Jesus taught about the kingdom of heaven we return to the same theme this section began with--that judgment will come at the end of the age. Sometimes it's hard to trust in that promise especially when chaos surrounds us on all sides. Jesus reminds us once again, however, that judgment will come but not according to our determination but all in God's own time. In the meantime, the kingdom of heaven will remain a mixed reality--with good fish and bad fish.  And, we are called to remain faithful and hopeful until the end of the age.

Ken Pierce continues our sermon series on The Kingdom of Heaven speaking from Matt 13:51&52.  Jesus offers a bit of a twist in the passage.  Instead of telling us what the kingdom of heaven is like, he shows us something about the kingdom of heaven that just may surprise us. He not only wants us to understand the kingdom of heaven but he wants us to embrace it and then give it away to others.  And, he wants us to be wise in how we handle this treasure.