Wilderness Wanderings

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. (1 John 4:10-12) One of the most foundational gifts that God has given to us is his love embodied in Jesus C...

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms (1 Peter 4:10). Last week, we began a four-week series growing out of the Vibrant Congregations Conversation that Immanuel Christian Reformed church had over the summer. The first week was focussed on the spiritual discipline of waiting. Today, we turn our attention to o...

An extended Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings!   The text is Galatians 3:23-5:12 from the New International Version of the Bible.   Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection!  To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it  here on YouTube .   Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC: immanuel...

"Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name." But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how muc...

On Tuesday, while preparing this edition, I set the publication timer incorrectly and as a result it did not get released. I'm sorry. Let it remain as a lesson in waiting. So here it is.    When the day of Pentecost came, all the believers gathered in one place. Suddenly a sound came from heaven. It was like a strong wind blowing. It filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw somethi...

"For," said Peter, "it is written in the Book of Psalms: "'May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it,' and, "'May another take his place of leadership.'  Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, beginning from John's baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must becom...

One day Jesus was eating with them. He gave them a command. "Do not leave Jerusalem," he said. "Wait for the gift my Father promised. You have heard me talk about it (Acts 1:4). Today, we begin a new series. Wilderness Wanderings was launched in the early days of the first COVID lockdown to help shepherd our congregation (Immanuel Church in Hamilton Ontario) through the pandemic. During this past...

An extended Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings!   The text is 1 Samuel 16 from the New International Version of the Bible.   Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection! To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it here on YouTube .   Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC: immanuelministries...

Vindicate me, Lord, for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the Lord and have not faltered. Test me, Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness (Psalm 26:1-3) At first glance Psalm 26 feels unreachable. How on earth can we pray, "I have led a blameless life"? But as we study the po...

The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad. (Psalm 118:22-24) Anyone familiar with the New Testament will know that these verses from Psalm 118 about Jesus being the cornerstone show up all over.  Verse 24 is also where our song "This is the Day that the Lo...

I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you (Genesis 28:15). Let's return once more to this word to Jacob -- a part of God's promise to him as he fled his brother's wrath. I've often wondered how African slaves sold on the American auction block kept hope alive. Likewise, how did thos...

As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. (Luke 9:51) Today marks a new season for many of us: the official end of summer and start of fall, the beginning of school, the beginning of a new season of activity.  And so as we start off a number of other things, it's a good idea to consider how we start anew in our commitment to follow Jesus into...

A Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings!  The text is James 5:7-11 from the New International Version of the Bible.  Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection! To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it  here on YouTube .  Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC:  immanuelministries.ca Dive I...

"The king rejoices in your strength, Lord. How great is his joy in the victories you give! You have granted him the desire of his heart, and not withheld the request of his lips" (Psalm 21:1-2). Psalm 21 is obviously a song of victory. It is not difficult to imagine the people of Israel singing these words as David returned victorious from battle. The day is perfect for Israel: king and people are...

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire ha...

I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you (Genesis 28:15). These words are part of the promise God made to Jacob as Jacob flees from his brother's wrath. The Bible is full of promises like these: from God's promise to Adam and Eve to bring redemption all the way to Jesus promise tha...

Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, my soul. I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God. (Psalm 146:1-5)  ...

May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you. May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion. May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings. May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. May we shout for joy over your victory and lift up our banners in the name of our God" (...

An extended Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings!   The text is Luke 9:57-62 from the New International Version of the Bible.   Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection! To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it here on YouTube .   Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC: immanuelministrie...

In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor. About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. …when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, "Please come at once!" Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs t...

As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the Lord's people who lived in Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years. "Aeneas," Peter said to him, "Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your mat." Immediately Aeneas got up. All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord. (Acts 9:32-35) After the scatter...

"Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with [Moses] and proclaimed his name, the LORD. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, 'The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the childre...

"The Lord replied, 'My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.' Then Moses said to him, 'If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?' And the Lord said to Moses, "I will do...

I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you (Genesis 28:15). The Christian faith is deeply rooted in the promises of God. As Hebrews 11 so famously puts it, " Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended f...

An extended Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings!   The text is Galatians 3:23-5:12 from the New International Version of the Bible.   Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection!  To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it here on YouTube .   Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC: immanuelm...