Wilderness Wanderings

A special, extended Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings!  The text is Philippians 2:1-11 from the New International Version of the Bible (though, this time you'll have to look it up yourself!).  No Dive In questions. 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 Imma...

A special, Good Friday edition of Wilderness Wanderings.  The text is John 15:9-17 from the New International Version of the Bible. To see this sermon in its context of our Good Friday worship service, you can find it here on YouTube .  Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC:  immanuelministries.ca Join us for Easter too!    

From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" (which means "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?") (Matthew 27:45-46). Today is April fool's day. But there is no tomfoolery in our text. Here we find the darkest, deepest mystery of the scriptural story. The Son of God hangs on...

About an hour later another asserted, "Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean." Peter replied, "Man, I don't know what you're talking about!" Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times."    And he went outside a...

When Jesus' followers saw what was going to happen, they said, "Lord, should we strike with our swords?" And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. But Jesus answered, "No more of this!" And he touched the man's ear and healed him" (Luke 22:49-51) That sin tries to cover its tracks is not unusual. We have heard stories of people showering their spouses with a...

When Jesus entered the temple courts, he began to drive out those who were selling.   "It is written," he said to them, "'My house will be a house of prayer'; but you have made it 'a den of robbers.'" Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him. Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all...

A special, extended Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings!  The text is Luke 7:11-17 from the New International Version of the Bible (though, this time you'll have to look it up yourself!).  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 wi...

For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.  For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:7-9). It used to be that Christian preachers loved to preach about J...

Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom,   but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Corinthians 1:22-24)   While church shopping, Jews demanded signs: what (miraculous) sign will you give us to prove that you are the Messiah?  Greeks looked fo...

We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 1:3). Many Christians are familiar with the triad of faith, love and hope as found at the end of 1 Corinthians 13 where it is written, "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love" (13)....

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousne...

This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. You said, 'No, we will flee on horses.' Therefore, you will flee! You said, 'We will ride off on swift horses.' Therefore, your pursuers will be swift!' ( Isaiah 30:15-16). We return to this passage from Isaiah. The reflec...

A special, extended Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings!  The text is Luke 7:11-17 from the New International Version of the Bible (though, this time you'll have to look it up yourself!).  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 wi...

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:12-13)   Some of us have had the experience over this pandemic time of being run ragged, laid off, fighting over too little t...

This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. You said, 'No, we will flee on horses.' Therefore, you will flee! You said, 'We will ride off on swift horses.' Therefore, your pursuers will be swift! (Isaiah 30:15-16). John Wayne exemplifies the American way. If its in...

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.  If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you." (John 15:9-12).   Hanging onto hope can seem like a hard thing to...

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13) With the snow melting and the temperature rising bit by bit, many hearts are filling with hope. As bird song wakes us in the morning and hibernators emerge from their hide-aways, its easier to find joy in life. As the trickle of COVID vaccines m...

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? … No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, w...

A special, extended Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings!  The text is Matthew 24:1-14 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:  immanue...

        "He will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body" (Philippians 3:21). The gospel story sounds too good to be true. It is the story of sheep rescued from a dark and fearful wilderness by the strong arms of a fierce shepherd. It's the story of children released from prison, of demons unmasked. It is the story of fearful disciples in a storm-tossed boat; the sto...

The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. (Romans 8:16-17)   Part of our Christian hope is that God will indeed transform our current frailty into the glorious flourishing of new creation. That does not me...

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed (1 Corinthians 15:51) . During Monday's devotion, I promised more reflections on Psalm 25 under the theme "Is the Captain on Board?" Sometimes life gets in the way, in this case, life and death. Yesterday, our congregation was invited to rejoice with the Joustras in the birth of a baby and to grieve with the Groenewege...

The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." (Romans 8:15)   Hope propels us out into the world.  And, as we ask the thorny questions of how to live in light of hope, we look to our Father and we remember that we are his children.  Our hope is in God, thro...

Today, our text comes from Psalm 25: Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long (Psalm 25:4-5) . There is a story of a young Naval graduate, who after completing his first overseas cruise, was given an opportunity to display his talents at getting his ship underway and out of port. The young offic...

A special, extended Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings!  The text is Matthew 24:1-14 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:  immanue...