Ottawa Valley Community Church Sermons

This week in our Psalms Series we’ll be diving into Psalm 47. Vocation - Vocation - Vocation! Where can I find true meaning? Is it found in being a good person, being good at your work, being true to yourself, being an advocate for someone else?… Could there be ultimate meaning beyond all that? Psalm 47 points us towards our true vocation as “glory givers.” ! Please give Psalm 47 a read before Sun...

In moments of "soul distress," what can we do? While managing our emotions is complex, there are incredibly powerful steps we can take to impact our spiritual trajectory, both in terms of what we are saying to ourselves and what what we do. This week we’ll talk about the “do” part. Even in seemingly hopeless moments, there are tiny steps that can make a HUGE difference. The author of Psalm 42 lead...

This week in our Psalms Series we’ll be diving into Psalm 42. Even the most mature among us go through moments of the thirsty-soul… times when we are “downcast”… times when things just don’t seem right. How do we go from downcast to up-lifted? Psalm 42 offers practical suggestions to help us find our way through! Please give Psalm 42 a read before Sunday morning… get it rolling around in your hear...

What do the psalms call us to ADMIT to God and to ourselves? How do they help us to see things about God that invite us to ADORE Him? What do they show us about life to which we can ASPIRE! (Nod to Tim Keller devotional “The Songs of Jesus” for Admit, Adore, Aspire). This week we’ll be diving into Psalm 91. “Co-incidentally,” the Talmud (ancient Jewish writing) refers to this incredibly hopeful ps...

Focusing on James 4:1-10 and 1 John 2:15-17, we will look at what these biblical authors meant when they warned us strongly about "loving the world". What is this call that God has given each of us to love Him above all else? What does that look like? Jake takes us into the invitation of God for each of us to have our treasure not on earth, but in heaven.

Now that the resurrection has happened how are we supposed to live? What are some guiding principles that can guide us forward as we follow Jesus? Join us in our study of 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 as we talk about 4 ways we can position ourselves to walk into everything that God has for us.

Unexpected Joy: Easter offers us emotional whiplash in the most wonderful way. Imagine Jesus’ followers heartbroken over the death of their leader and friend. Now he is ALIVE!!!… walking talking and eating with them again. This is not a fairy story. It is an historical event that so impacted their lives that they fearlessly faced torture and death as they lived to express Jesus love to a world tha...

The peace Jesus brought to the world through this grief filled moment is more than relevant in these difficult times. Please join us as we take some time together reflect, pray and engage with the scriptures.

This Palm Sunday we’ll look at Jesus’ journey into Jerusalem. It was a perplexing time. While rulers scoffed, Jesus fans excitedly celebrated His coming into the city as their King. Jesus' steps revealed His true mission, not to bring political peace that would last a moment, but deep abiding peace that would ultimately set His people free forever! We’ll take a look inside sovereignty to celebrate...

Who’s directing this crazy show anyway?… Meet The Director. This week we’ll look at the story of the arrest of Jesus in John 18:1-11. We’ll wrestle through tough questions about freedom, sovereignty and control. How do we find faith and trust when the whole world seems out of whack?

Are we prepared to endure? A simple message this week. We never know what life has in store for us… many joys and many hardships. This week we’ll join Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane as he prepares to endure the cross. How did He prepare His heart to endure the most painful moments of His life?... How does He prepare us to follow?

How do we deal in times like these?… In what spirit? In the spirit of love for all mankind? In a spirit of fear or anxiety? In the spirit of Christmas??? In the spirit of having a lot of extra toilet paper? God wants us to give you a spirit of Power, Love and of a Sound Mind? Where does the confidence to live that way really come from?… especially when the world around you is going a little nuts!...

The Bread and The Wine…week #3 of our “Table Talk” series. This week we’ll look at Luke 22:14-15. We’ll celebrate communion together as we take a deep dive into Jesus’ audacious passover celebration. We’ll sit at the table as He invites into HIs new exodus from bondage into the true freedom that can be found through life with Him.

Setting The Table: This is Week 2 of our “Table Talk” series. This week we’ll look at Luke 22:7-13. We'll talk about what it means to cultivate a hospitable space for a life of conversation with Jesus.

Lent is a time of disruption and provides opportunity for self-examination, deconstruction and reorientation to the fact that its all about Jesus. Join us in Luke 22 as we come back to the person and story of Jesus and sit at the table with him and his disciples as he shares with them his parting teachings in these last hours before his death. Today sets the scene and all of creation waits with ba...

In this talk, we look in detail at specific spiritual gifts that are described in the bible, that one might categorize as Love Gifts: Adminstiration, Serving, Hospitality and Mercy. Ahren discusses what these gifts look like in action, and helps us identify if we have them, so that we may put them to use for God's glory.

Just a few more questions before we jump into the exploration of specific spiritual gifts: I’m not even a Christian yet… why is this relevant? How do you know your gifts are from God? How can I avoid awkward comparisons? What if they “don’t seem to be working?” What is my part and what is God’s part? How are spiritual gifts different from natural gifts? How can our gifts bring us together? Check o...

This week, we’ll be looking at Christian character as a vital component to a healthy expression of spiritual gifts in community! Be a gift before you use the gifts!

This week we take a look at the current relevance and effectiveness of the Christian in our society, and we lay a foundation regarding the gifts of the Spirit. Ahren discusses how Jesus, while remaining fully God, didn't operate out of his Godness, so that we can learn to do the things that He did.

Is your New Year's Resolution "worthy of your calling"? Listen in, as Jake shares a great reflection for the new year.

This week we chat about light, life and the end of death… new birth! Do you feel reborn? Do you feel limited, bound, restricted, sick, addicted, indebted or weak. What does it mean to walk in new life when the world seems at times like its in shambles. Can Christianity make you different? Can you actually be more free? Can you live fearlessly. We think that’s what the angels were singing about!

This week we’ll talk about divine condescension. Uncomfortable language, right?! What does it mean that the God of the universe came down. What does it mean that the Creator wore diapers? Phenomenal Cosmic Power… itty-bitty living space? How does that show love? What does it mean for how we relate to Him, how he relates to us, and how we relate to each other?

In 1739, just in time for Christmas, Charles Wesley wrote “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” It's been sung each year on stages, streets and malls in classical, pop, country and every style in between ever since. What is all the “harking” about? Each Advent service, we’ll unpack one stanza and mine it for the rich scriptural and theological treasure contained within. Five Verses, Five Life-Changing I...

One of the images most often used to describe what the church ought to be is a body… Jesus’ body in fact? What does it mean for a community of people to be the tangible expression of Jesus’ presence on earth? Is that hubris? Insane? Arrogance? How are we doing at it? Do we represent Jesus fairly? Why would someone want to be a part of us? Do you have to attend church to be part of the body? How ca...

Who is Jesus to the Church? CEO? Judge? Administrator? Santa? Bro? One thing is certain. Jesus is NOT your boyfriend... He's so much more than that! Eph 5:21-33