The Good News is that God changes us into something beautiful something remarkable. Even as a caterpillar is changed into a gorgeous butterfly so God transforms us into the image of his beloved Son. We dont deserve it. But he does it out of love. It is a work that happens from within by the activity of the Holy Spirit (layer by layer the old self i…

Watch at: https://youtu.be/uN9vgq20AlsBy Thomas Le Roy

As we make our way in the spiritual journey we often experience some turbulence between faith and doubt. We are like the father of the ill boy who cries out, I believe, help my unbelief! At our core we truly do believe in Gods loving presence but in the moment we are caught up in lifes storms and fears. Jesus encourages us to find our rest in him f…

The journey of a disciple is a journey of faith. Mark makes this point as he interweaves the stories of the chronically ill woman and Jairus the synagogue ruler who pleads to Jesus for his dying daughter. Both characters demonstrate faith as they come to Jesus asking for help. The question for us do we live with an attitude of faith or are we contr…

Watch at: https://youtu.be/YMDSBe9IR0MBy Dr. Alan Davey

Jesus ministers to people wherever they are at. He also ministers to us wherever we are at. This is the message of the Good NewsGods gracious love for us wherever we are at. Peter learns this truth over time by being present to Jesusin the synagogue, in his house, on the streets, in times of seclusion and while traveling from town to town. It is be…

Jesus takes the initiative in calling us to become his disciples. The question is Will we pay attention to our lives and respond with a 'yes' when our moment comes?" As an example, Jesus calls Andrew and the unnamed disciple to follow him in the words Come and see." Andrew then later invites his brother Simon to come check out the new found Messiah…

The women of Easter go to the tomb expecting to meet a dead Jesus. Instead, they find an empty tomb and a resurrected Christ! The angels message to them not only heralds Jesus victory over death but announces the forgiveness and restoration of wayward disciples. The community of disciples are to go forward with the mission of Jesus to proclaim the …

On the way to the cross Simon of Cyrene has a moment with Jesus unceremoniously, Simon is compelled by a Roman soldier to carry the cross of Christ. In that moment Simon meets Jesus and his life is changed (not only for him but for his family!) If we are alert we also will have our moment with Jesus. He goes before all of us and at the right time w…

Watch at: https://youtu.be/BHOXyHPlyOkBy Thomas Le Roy

As Jesus continues in ministry he faces greater and greater oppression. the resistance comes to a head in his perceived welcoming spirit to the outcasts of society. Selecting Levi, the tax-collector, and attending a party with Levi's friends was seen as poor judgment (and being a bad example to others!) What the Pharisees don't understand is the ad…

Jesus models for us a heart of prayer and compassion. His fundamental desire is to know the heart of Abba and then translate his vision into action for Gods kingdom. As our leader Jesus reveals the import of prayerful conversation with Abba and the intentional activity of keeping in step with his Spirit. As Jesus disciples we are called to imitate …

Jesus begins his ministry by announcing the Good News of the kingdom of Godthe kingdom is drawing near now! Along with this declaration Jesus begins the process of building a community of disciples to assist him in his kingdom work. He calls and the disciples respond with a bold yes joining his band of followers. This pattern of call and response r…

Jesus breaks into our world to announce the Good News (not the Bad News!) that the kingdom of God is drawing near. He invites us to change our attitude from one of pessimism to one of hope and our lifestyle from one of self-centeredness to a concern for the other. As we make these changes (repent and believe) Jesus promises to travel with us so we …

The writer of Psalm 30 has experienced challenging days of sickness and has cried out to God for help. Graciously his prayers are heard and he is healed from his sickness. As a result the psalmist is filled with joy and gives exuberant praise to his god in heaven. As such, the psalm is a wonderful example of the circle of thanksgiving thanks is off…

At times God seems distant/absent and we cry out from our hearts, Where are you God? In such experiences we long to hear from our Father in heaven but the only response is silence. It is this theme of silence and waiting upon God that is captured in Psalm 88. The Psalmist becomes our representative in passing through such difficult and painful days…

he seasons of the heart are not always the sunny summer months or the extravagant colours of the spring season. There are also the coldness of winter and the melancholy of autumn. The winter of Psalm 39 speaks from the winter blast of sickness, disappointment, and length of years. The tenor of the psalmist is one of absence and distance from God wh…

Watch at: https://youtu.be/qroc22ZxAvIBy Elizabeth Davey

Watch at: https://youtu.be/Y5ZyzpQTlTkBy John Maury

As we begin a new year we look to our God who has been our dwelling place throughout the generations. God is our true home (not the house or apartment where we live.) The invitation is to keep looking to God through all of the ups and downs of life - the times of joyful presence and painful absence. As we live in this manner we are able to live "wi…

God is a near God. He continually reveals himself to us in surprising ways both through his creation and in his word. It may be in a newly formed star in the night sky, a baby born in a manger, or three strangers showing up at your front door bearing gifts. The key for us is how do we respond to these moments in time? Do we have receptive hearts th…

The angel's message to Joseph (as recorded in Matthew's Gospel) centres on the two names of his newborn child: Jesus and Emmanuel. The name 'Jesus' means 'God saves' because 'he will save his people from their sins'. The second name 'Emmanuel' translates as 'God-is-with-us' referencing Jesus' mission as God's representative to humanity. Together th…

Praise in challenging times is not always easy. The human overcast hangs heavy and blocks out much of the sun's rays. Yet the call to praise persists and asks us to lift our eyes above the darkness of the cloudbanks. Such was the case for doubting Zechariah. Will he (and we) raise our spirits high to perceive God's new work of transformation in the…

The story of Advent is the story of Gods love for humankind. God comes to us in Jesus so that we might live close to him forever. May we recognize God as a close God a near God. May we open our hearts to him in this Advent season.By Dr. Alan Davey

The message of the incarnation of Christ comes to us in a variety of texts including the Gospel nativity stories as well as texts from the Epistles. Today we begin with a Pauline text from Philippians which simply reminds us that, God is near (Philippians 4:5). In this passage we are encouraged to live in joy, peace and gratitude all because Jesus …

The writer of Deuteronomy invites us to remember Gods blessings in our lives remember and not forget. In my mind this is a needed exhortation because frequently we do forget all the blessings we have received from God. Instead, we focus on the problems we are facing in the moment or we become distracted by the busyness (and projects) we are running…

Watch at: https://youtu.be/srzxzdJHZBQBy Dr. Alan Davey

Watch at: https://youtu.be/X_wQelYSzL4By Bonnie Parsons

Pastor Edson Torres is preachinfg this Sunday. Pastor Edson is the pastor of Projeto Restaurando Vidas, the Brazilian Portuguese church that worships at Weston Park.

Jesus leaves the upper room with his disciples and they pass through the Kidron Valley on the way to the garden of Gethsemane. It is a time of preparation for our Lord as he steels himself for the onslaught to come. He knows very well that Judas is intent on betraying him to the authorities and his demise is certain. Yet he is committed to protecti…

God has a vision for us a greater arch that stretches over our lives to give us meaning and purpose. The question we face is; will we discern this greater purpose? The prophet Isaiah speaks about such a purpose in his phrase the valley of vision. It describes a life lived open to Gods movements in our spirits, hearts and minds when we live this way…

Our loving God travels with us in solidarity knowing all about our weaknesses and anxious hearts. He travels with us in our valleys of discouragement and resistance always ready to renew our hearts. The prophet Isaiah underlines this truth as he affirms that the Valley of Discouragement will become a place of refreshment and repose. Our ultimate st…

Gods word to us is always one of hope. It is a message of Do not fear but keep trusting in the goodness and grace of God. It is a message of love and acceptance in spite of the waywardness of ones past. Truly God is our Good Shepherd who has revealed himself in the Good Shepherd of Galilee (Joh 10). It is this message of comfort and acceptance that…

We live our lives as passing guests before our living God. During our life pilgrimage we are invited to come into a relationship with God so that we know him more and more through each passing day. At times our days are blessed and joyful and at other times we experience seasons of aridness and tears. But through it all God remains our loving God w…

Last Week we considered the valley of darkness and this week, the valley of victory. Life often presents itself in such a manner - we travel from the mist and move into clarity. When we enjoy such seasons of victory and strength we need to be especially cognizant of God's blessings and goodness to us. David models such a thankful heart as he praise…

We all travel through the valley of darkness at some point in our lives. It can take the form of depression, anxiety, sickness, loss, loneliness there is no end to the shades of darkness we can experience. What we know is that God travels with us as a companion through it all. He is a faithful Shepherd and Friend who accompanies us at every step of…

The Apostle Paul recognizes that the body of Christ (the Church) is not going to agree on everything (it never has!) Differences of opinion even on key matters have always existed in the community of faith. The initiation is to always hold on to what connects us which is our shared life in Jesus Christ (living and dying in the Lord). Indeed, we are…

Rev. Karen Fox is a Chaplain at Baycrest health sciences centre for older adults providing all levels of living and care.Today Karen will be using a variety of Gospel text to consider the topic, "While on the Journey".We appreciate Karen's involvement in our church community over the years and look forward to what God has laid on her heart to share…

Watch at: https://youtu.be/UwwN0kmfvXMBy John Duyck

Watch at: https://youtu.be/D1sHvUUp97cBy Mary Ann Blaksley

Watch at: https://youtu.be/TEDS-L-GYroBy John Maury

In the early church Christians were known as people of love: love was the rubric of the church of Christ. Today, we must pause and ask ourselves if we are truly known as a people of love. The Apostle Paul exhorts us to "wake up" to our fundamental calling to be lovers of God and our neighbour. Nothing is more important than this essential quality. …

The Apostle Paul invites us to make our declaration of faith clearly and boldly. We are to say our great yes and not a banner no! and this yes is to be repeated each and every day. It is this energetic dynamic which is to characterize both our relationship with our loving Abba and our service for his kingdom.…

The season of Pentecost teaches us that the Spirit of Jesus is with us in whatever situation we face. In Romans, the Apostle Paul especially notes that the Spirit helps us in our weakness whatever form of weakness we are facing in this moment. The Spirit is our Helper to give us the strength we need to become overcomers in Jesus name.…

Jesus makes the bold declaration that he is the bread of life and that all who receive him will experience eternal life. He is to become our soul food and as we chew on him we receive his Spirit that enables us to become our true selves in Christ. May we say yes to Jesus so that we become fully available for the purposes of Gods kingdom.…

Jesus invites everyone who is thirsty to come to him and drink. We all are thirsty for something but are we thirsty for Jesus? We long for many things but do we long for him? This is the question we must face as we listen to Jesus proclamation during the festival of Booths. It is risky if we turn to him then we must turn away from other choices and…

The story of Jesus conversing with the woman at the well (John 4) reminds us of the truth that Jesus is interested in us all as persons created in the image of God. Every person is valued because every person is human. No one is left out. It is for this reason that we are invited to worship God in spirit and in truth. Our spirit to Gods Spirit pers…

The season of Pentecost reminds us of the indwelling and empowerment of the Holy Spirit within us. We are never alone because the Spirit of Jesus is with us at every turn. No matter how big or small, the Spirit is our companion through all of the ups and downs of life. For this reason the angel of the Lord announces to the prophet Zechariah the cla…

In our narcissistic and utilitarian culture we choose to be the centre of our own universe. Furthermore, we often make God a useful agent in furthering our own agenda. It is to such self-centred attitudes that Ezekiel addresses his prophetic writings. He encourages the people to give up their selfish desires and be receptive to the Spirits overture…

The season of Pentecost is a celebration of the work of the Holy Spirit in our world. A prime evidence of the Spirit's work is the birth and experience of the church in every nation. Yet, the Spirit's creative energy has been demonstrated from of old including the very creation of the heavens and the earth. It is to this universal creative speak th…