Bethel CRC Lacombe

Today we will be reflecting on Joshua 3, Crossing the River . Israel is at the end of their 40 years of wandering through the wilderness and they are preparing to enter into the Promised Land.  This is so much more than simply crossing a river, this is all about a change in their identity, a change in how they will see themselves. From nomads without a home, to a nation of people with a place to c...

This week we are returning to our summer series focused on the many references to rivers in the Bible. Rivers and water hold deep meanings in many passages and often point us to different aspects of who God is. We are reflecting on Amos 5:18-27, Let Justice Roll on Like a River. Amos shows up at a disturbing time in Israel and Judah’s history.  The people had turned their backs on living the way G...

Today we welcome Mark Patterson as he delivers a message from Luke 12:22-34.  May our Lord bless you as we gather together this day.

Today we welcome Pastor Neil de Koning as he delivers a message from Genesis 26:1-22, Living as Aliens in a Time of Crisis.   May our Lord bless you as we gather together this day.

This week we are continuing our summer series focused on the many references to rivers in the Bible. Rivers and water hold deep meanings in many passages and often point us to different aspects of who God is. We will be reflecting on Psalm 137, Weeping by the River . This psalm was written when Israel was taken into exile by the Babylonians and then mocked by being told to sing their songs of wors...

This week we welcome Elder August Luymes as he brings the message from Luke 24:15, Walking with Jesus.  Walking with Jesus is not always easy but he does walk with us, he does not forsake us and he carries us when we are too weak to walk. We are blessed to have so much loving care that we can live in joy and peace knowing the love of our Father in Heaven.

Today we are beginning a summer series focused on the many references to rivers in the Bible. Rivers and water hold deep meanings in many passages and often point us to different aspects of who God is. We will begin by reflecting on Psalm 46, and River of Gladness . God’s grace and blessings flow from his sanctuary to his people, bringing peace and hope, but God is also a God who protects His peop...

Today we are reflecting on Deuteronomy 4:7, Life Line . Prayer is an important part of our relationship with God, but is God always listening, can the life lines get cut off? 

Today we wrap up our series on Jars of Clay by reflecting on 1 Kings 11:1-13, Solomon: Tempted by Other Gods . Solomon is the wisest guy in the world and is still led away from worshipping God alone by his attraction to his pagan wives. Wisdom alone will not keep us close to God; it takes a strong relationship with God for that to happen. Thankfully Jesus stays in relationship with us so that we c...

Today we continue our series on Jars of Clay by reflecting on Matthew 26:69-75, Cowardly Peter. Archibald Robertson says that one of the tragedies of the cross is the bleeding heart of Peter. Judas has messed up really bad and can’t seem to accept forgiveness, is the same going to happen to Peter? Satan has sifted Judas and Peter, what is Peter made up of: wheat or chaff?  

Today we jump back into our series on Jars of Clay by reflecting on Exodus 4, Moses: Uncertain . Have you ever felt that God might be calling you to do something, take up a new challenge, perhaps take on a leadership or mentoring role but felt unprepared or not capable of following through on the sense of calling? Moses is being called to lead, a role that he was trained to as a child in Pharaoh’s...

We delay our series based on 2 Corinthians 4:7, Jars of Clay in order to celebrate Pentecost! The four pastors of Woodynook CRC, Wolf Creek Community Church and Bethel CRC will be collaborating on a sermon together based in Acts 2, via Zoom, for all three congregations. Pentecost is a coming together of people from many nations and peoples and being formed into the Body of Christ as the church. In...

Today we will be reflecting on 2 Samuel 11, David & Bathsheba. “ The heart wants what it wants .” Emily Dickinson wrote that. Depending on your age, you might connect this quote with Woody Allen or Selena Gomez instead. This is also what David might have said about his relationship with Bathsheba; the problem is God is calling for our hearts to want God more than anything else. This week, the...

Today we will be reflecting on Genesis 27:1-40, Jacob: Liar. A few months ago, we reflected on this same story, looking at the theme of blessing. However, this story has a second theme, that of deceit and how Jacob’s deceit created so much brokenness and yet God never gives up on Jacob. He uses Jacob as the foundation for the birth of the nation of Israel and the coming of the promised Messiah. Ja...

Today we will be reflecting on Genesis 38, Tamar: All Honour Sacrificed . Sin has a way of infecting generations of families and Jacob’s family is no different. In Jacob’s family deceit is a way of life and its ripples touches many lives and its hurt cause’s people to do things they never would otherwise. Tamar, Judah’s daughter-in-law is deceived and hurt by his two oldest sons and she is promise...

Today we will be continuing our series based on 2 Corinthians 4:7, Jars of Clay , we will be reflecting on 1 Kings 19:1-21, Elijah: All Hope Lost .  God uses people to build his kingdom here on earth, but the people he uses are not perfect and go through both the highs and lows of life.  In the highs, life is good, but in the lows, some of us will struggle hard with doubt and even depression, some...

This week we are starting a new series based on 2 Corinthians 4:7, Jars of Clay .  Today’s message from 2 Corinthians 4 has Paul saying “We have this treasure in jars of clay.”   When you stop and think of it, it’s pretty amazing that Jesus trusts us with the Gospel News; with sharing the Good News of Jesus with the world.  He especially uses those of us who have been broken and cracked by life; h...

Today we will be reflecting on the GEMS’ and their theme for this past year. We will be reflecting on 1 John 3:1-3, Loved! Our greatest desire is to be loved; if we miss out on knowing the amazing love of God for us, we will fill that empty place with something or someone else instead. We are loved so much by God that he makes us his children, a part of the family!

Easter Sunday! The church’s historical greeting on this day is: Christ is Risen, He is Risen Indeed! We will be reflecting on Matthew 28:1-10, He is Risen, Just as He Said. After Jesus’ crucifixion, the Jewish rulers were still afraid, afraid that something unexpected might happen to Jesus’ body.  Since they knew about Jesus’ claim that he will rise again in three days, they persuaded Pilate to po...

Today the carpenter’s hands are nailed to a cross, the King of kings is crowned with thorns and wears the purple robe of mockery. Today he sets us free, himself imprisoned on a tree. Today is God’s Friday. We come in worship.

This fifth Sunday of Lent we will continue our Lenten series by reflecting on Leviticus 23:33-44 and John 7:37-43, The Feast of Tabernacles . It’s also Palm Sunday. The Feast of Tabernacles remembers the time Israel spent in the wilderness in temporary dwellings. When you journey or wander through the wilderness, especially for 40 years, thirst is a constant companion and Israel needed to depend o...

We continue our Lenten series on the Feasts of Israel by reflecting on Leviticus 23:23-25, The Feast of Trumpets . In this Feast, the trumpets, or shofars are blown to call the people to experience God’s presence again. In the harvest, it was easy to get so caught up in the work that we can forget to remember that God is here with us and calls us to experience his presence each day. God’s presence...

We continue our Lenten series on the feasts of Israel by reflecting on Leviticus 23:15-22 and Acts 2:1-13, The Feast of Weeks-Pentecost. This is a feast that reminds us to be generous with the blessings God has given us, especially in the harvest. There are echoes to the story of Ruth and Boaz and to the coming of the Holy Spirit. It also became connected to the gift of the Law. We will explore ho...

This Lenten season we will be reflecting on the Feasts of Israel.  We continue by reflecting on Leviticus 23:9-14, The Feast of First Fruits. This is a feast that calls us to a deep trust in God. By offering God our first-fruits, we are saying to God, “We trust you that you will provide for us and send the rain and sun as needed so our crops can grow, be harvested and our people will be able to ea...

This Lenten season we will be reflecting on the Feasts of Israel.  We continue by reflecting on the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Leviticus 23:6-8 and 1 Corinthians 5:6-8. The Feast of Unleavened Bread is also part of the Passover Feast and it focuses on the importance of finding the sin in our lives and then cleansing our hearts and lives of sin. This is not something we have the strength to do in o...