Ottawa Valley Community Church Sermons

When Jesus said, "I am the Good Shepherd," he was differentiating himself from those who were shepherding his people, Israel (and from those who shepherd us today). But he was also pointing out an important aspect of our relationship to him: in order to be under his care, we have to be willing to be under his ownership and direction.

Do you know the voice of your saviour? He alone is the door to abundant life, but we can easily be led astray by thieves and robbers if we are not familiar with our Shepherd's voice.

What are we filling up on? That's the question we're asking in part 2 of our discussion on "I am the bread of life." It's also the question at the heart of Lent: are we filling up on God, or something that ultimately won't satisfy?

As we enter into Lent, our desire is to understand who Jesus is and how that changes how we see ourselves. There are 7 "I am" statements that Jesus makes in the book of John. We're beginning with, "I am the bread of life."

Continuing our mini-series, "Epic: Tales from the Old Testament," Ahren leads us on a close examination of the story of Elijah under the broom tree to understand how God meets us where we're at.

Which kind of offering are you giving God? Digging deep into Romans 11:33 - 12:9, Ahren leads a discussion looking at what Paul has to say about our place in the body of Christ and how we are to serve self-sacrificially in gratitude for God's mercies.

We're starting a new series entitled, "Epic: Tales from the Old Testament," looking at obscure or lesser-known stories from the Old Testament and what they have to teach us (after all, they were included in scripture for a reason). First up, Ahren discusses the healing of Naaman in 1 Kings 5:1-19.

This week, Vince brings us a message on the Psalms and how they can be applied to our lives, our prayer time, and our worship.

We're kicking off the new year with our favourite annual trafition: pastor on the hot seat. Ahren fields questions from members of the congregation and does his best to answer them on the spot.

Part 4 of our Advent series is Emmanuel: God with us in the field. Looking at the story of the shepherds who first received the announcement of Jesus' birth, Ahren reminds us that our place of work should be dedicated to God, and our gifts are our sacrifices to Him. How do you respond to this reality?

The third part of our Advent series is Emmanuel: God with us in the seeking. Looking at the story of the wise men, Ahren digs deeper to explore their journey of seeking Jesus, and how God met them in many ways throughout the process, bringing them joy and guiding them to their ultimate destination: a place of worship. We can learn a lot about our own journeys of seeking Christ when we look at the...

In the second week of our Advent series, Ahren speaks on what it means to have God with us in moments of decision. Looking at Joseph's careful and difficult decision about whether to marry Mary (Matthew 1:18-25), we see that sometimes God's way is one we may never have even considered. God's way also isn't always the easiest one. Where might you be tempted to choose a decision that serves you inst...

As we come into the advent season, we will be exploring the theme of Emmanuel: God With Us. In this first sermon of the series, Ahren speaks on God with us in the waiting. When there is hurt or brokenness, when we feel lost, abandoned, or hopeless, even then we can trust in the promises of God and the hope of His return. Not only that, but we can count on Him to be with us in the difficult times,...

No one can live without hope. At a time when our world and our culture feel so lost in hopelessness, Vince reminds us that we have the only true source of hope in Christ's resurrection and his Spirit present within us. And that hope is not only for us, but for the world, as He is coming again to make all things right.

To continue our series on discipleship, Ahren addresses our societal mistrust of authority (and other people in general) and how this hinders our willingness to let other people speak into our lives. But one important issue this raises is the role and responsibility of Christian leaders and disciplers, and how that should look biblically.

How are we to find the time and energy needed for true discipleship? It seems that chronic exhaustion has become a normal part of our lives and culture. We're exhausted from living life in a way that God never intended for us to live. God offers something different: true rest, and running without weariness, when we rely on him.

Rooted: Growing Up and Growing Deep, is a sermon series on the importance of discipleship. In this talk, Ahren spoke on the Christ-likeness that defines disciples and how that requires holding a very unique, and often hard-to-accept, tension of truth and compassion, of humility and honesty. It's a balancing act – a narrow path, but one that leads to life.

Every man needs a fatherly voice in their life. For Timothy, that voice was Paul, his spiritual father. In honour of Father's Day, Ahren takes us through an examination of Paul's letters to Timothy to see the godly and fatherly advice that he has for Timothy and, by extension, all Christian men. Through Paul's words, we are reminded of God's hope and purpose for all our lives.

The redemptive power of God is the only force in the universe that can transform your identity. Peter was reminded of this in his conversation with Jesus on the beach. Despite all his grandiose promises to follow Jesus and give his life for the mission, Peter fell short. But when Jesus presented him with this opportunity for redemption, he realized that he couldn't live up to that perfect image he...

The gospel of John features many stories of Jesus' disciples wrestling with their faith. One of the most memorable accounts is that of Peter denying Jesus during His trial, leading up to the crucifixion. Ahren explains how this story serves as a beautiful reminder that, even when we fail God or refuse to own our faith, He still loves us and is working to lead us to where He wants us to end up. Som...

Doubting Thomas often gets a bad rap. But John uses his story as the linchpin for his entire gospel account, which was carefully written to highlight specific accounts that would persuade readers that Jesus was Christ and the Son of God. Why? Because we all wrestle with ownership of our faith from time to time. And Thomas' story not only reminds us that this is normal, but teaches us how we can de...

To help us celebrate Mother's Day, we are joined by special guest speaker Beryl Orok, who is speaking on the important role that God has given to mothers. While acknowledging how difficult this day can be for some, Beryl reminds us of some powerful examples from the Bible of mothers who followed God's leading and example in caring for their families.

This week, we're joined by three special guests: Murray Cornelius (Executive Director for Internatioal Missions at the PAOC), Pastor Munetsi Zowa, and Bishop Never Muparutsa. They share a little bit with us about the impact of international missions, particularly in Zimbabwe, and how they have seen the church growing. Bishop Never then takes some time to remind us about the importance of the missi...

What keeps us from seeing Jesus? That's the question Ahren answers this week while looking at the story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35). In this passage, we encounter some disciples leaving Jerusalem after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, but what they don't realize is that Jesus is walking alongside them. Why can't they see who he is? There are times or areas in our lives w...

Guest speaker David Ruis, Director of Vineyard Canada, shares some words of wisdom and encouragement with us from the Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13). In our foolishness, we tend to plan our lives out without ever knowing what's coming ahead. When we do, we can easily become overwhelmed when things change unexpectedly. But, through this parable, God invites us to be wise and to look f...