Weston Park Baptist Church

Who are you? We often define ourselves by our careers, accomplishments, failures, or the roles we play in life. In Exodus 3, Moses is a man struggling with his identity after forty years in the wilderness. But before God tells Moses what to do, He reveals who He is. Through the burning bush, God's call, and the powerful declaration "I AM WHO I AM," we discover that our confidence is not found in o...

It can be argued that Moses is the main character in the Old Testament story. Moses is the one that God communicated his Torah to on the top of Mount Sinai. Moses is the one who loeads the children of Israel from Egypt to the promised land. Yet, in the story of Moses there are long periods of hiddenness when God is in the background of his life. Perhaps it is the same for all of us - there are tim...

Paul ends his letter to the Colossians by underlying the importance of making our faith attractive to others. We are to do so by being mindful of both our speech and our actions. Outsiders are not reading the Bible however they are reading us as followers of Jesus. It is up to us to live pleasing lives so that the broader community is drawn to Jesus by our grace, kindness and love.

We are invited to put on the characteristics of Christ that is to become "Christ-ians". To put off the self-centered self and put on the "loving self" of Jesus. Jesus is our model. We are to imitate him. As we do so we "rediscover the road to human-ness". We give up the fractured self and become whole in Abba.

This Sunday, we continue our series in Epistle to the Colossians with a message from Colossians 3:111 titled Raised With Christ. Paul reminds us that following Jesus is more than outward religion. As believers raised with Christ, we are called to leave behind the old life and live with a new identity and renewed purpose. Join us as we reflect on the truth that resurrection changes people.

In the continuing study of Colossians we are looking at Colossians 2:6-1 where we consider what it means to have initially received Christ Jesus the Lord and what follows afterwards. How do we continue to live our lives established in the faith? We re-visit the text from Colossians 1 where the apostle exclaims, "Christ in you the hope of glory."

This week we look at Colossians 1:15 to 23 and the powerful truth of who Jesus really is. Not just a teacher or example, but the image of the invisible God, the creator and sustainer of all things, and the one who reconciles us through the cross. As we explore the supremacy of Christ, we are invited to move beyond simply believing in Jesus to placing Him at the very centre of our lives.

In this post-Easter season the Apostle Paul encourages us to embrace two fundamental truths: i)live gratefuly, i) stay rooted in Jesus. As we commit ourselves to these two imperatives we will live happy and productive lives. In Paul's language we will 'bear fruit' as we live in the knowledge, hope, and joy of the resurrection.

Jesus invites us to join him in living joyful, creative lives of passion and productivity. We are able to do this as we intentionally stay connected to Christ. As we "abide" in him we draw upon the strength of the Holy Spirit who energizes us and enables us to live at 100% capacity. Even more the resurrected Christ invites us to become his friends and that makes all the difference.

On Palm Sunday, we celebrate Jesus arrival in Jerusalem, but the crowd misunderstood who He truly was. In John 14:114, Jesus speaks to troubled hearts and reveals one of His most powerful I am statements, I am the way, the truth, and the life. This message reminds us that even when life feels uncertain, peace is not found in having all the answers, but in knowing who Jesus is.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd who cares for his sheep. He calls us by name and we are invited to follow him in obedience. He watches over us in every situation. Indeed, nothing can prevail over us (including death) because nothing can snatch us out of his hand. We are His and He is ours and together we enjoy the Fathers abundant eternal life.

The Gospels are full of stories that speak about the nature of our relationship with God. In one of the stories Jesus speaks about the nature of shepherding including the use of the sheep-pen (John 10). To our modern ears the parable is a bit of a leap but in reality it still applies to our faith journey. It focuses on Jesus as our Shepherd and our need to stay close to him. The point being that s...

The feeding miracles of the Gospels all contain a symbolic dimension pointing to a deeper union with God. Do not settle for a superficial relationship with the Divine but seek a closer walk with God. It is this union of intimacy that Jesus proffers when he says "I am the bread of life." Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty" (John 6:35). Let's n...

Paul is encouraging us to establish a baseline in our lives of joy, faith and hope in Christ. Our Lord has overcome evil and granted us eternal life. As a result, the challenges we face on a daily basis can be met with an attitude of calm and confidence that God is with us and will enable us to live as overcomers. For this reason, we can live joyfully and not be overtaken by anxiety and fear. The...

In Philippians 3:1220, Paul reminds us that the Christian life is not about having arrived, but about continuing to follow Christ with faithfulness and perseverance. This Sunday, well reflect on what it means to press forward together as a church, avoiding both legalism and complacency, and living as citizens of heaven in the present. As we grow in Christ, we are invited not to stand still, but to...

This Sunday well be in Philippians 2:1218, where Paul invites us to take our faith seriously while trusting deeply in Gods work within us. Together well explore what it means to work out what God is already doing in our lives, how spiritual growth happens over time, and how our lives can shine with Christs light in a challenging world. Well also be reminded that even in sacrifice and difficulty, j...

Paul reminds the Philippian church to establish their spirit of unity upon the blessings they have received in Jesus Christ. Whatever differences they might hold are insignificant compared to the bounty they share in Jesus. As a result the Apostle Paul encourages the members of the community to be generous and kind to one another even as they hold different opinions on various matters. To emphasiz...

Paul gives thanks for both the prayers and the help of the Holy Spirit as he writes to the Philippian church from his jail cell. In his mind the partnership of the community of faith and the support of the Holy Spirit will bring about his deliverance. We also experience the work of God in our lives as we rely upon Christs presence and actively engage his church in a spirit of prayer and devotion....

The human journey is meant to be a path towards authenticity, integration, and wholeness. For this to happen we need to embrace our spiritual connection to God so that we become 'spiritual/physical' beings. The apostle Paul argues that this maturation process takes place as we allow the love of Christ to fill us with his abounding love. As this 'filling up' happens Chist's love abundnatly spills o...