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Our Father God relates to his people like a good mother relates to her children.
During personal distress of work changes, moving house, relational conflict, physical and mental illness it is comforting to know that God the Father (Matthew 6) will soothe our souls with his love, as a mother nurses and protects her children. Mother’s can relate to this imagery. The Bible uses the analogy of motherhood to describe God the Father’s love for us during distress so we learn about the character of God and motherhood.
Here are 4 passages that I shared with the church on Mother’s Day:
- Psalm 131:2. David’s soul was like a weened child in prayer relationship with God.
- Isaiah 66:7-12. God promises the hope of satisfying abundance for his distressed people like a child who is nursed, carried n Mom’s hip and bounced on her knee. Read the imagery of verse 11-12!
- Matthew 23:37-39. Jesus longs to protect and shelter God’s people, as a mother hen gather’s her chicks. Now Jesus is not a hen, but it is an analogy of God’s the Father’s motherly heart through the ministry of God the Son.
- 1 Thessalonians 2:7. God’s ministry to the church, through the Apostle Paul, was like the motherly gentleness of a nursing mother. In verse 11-12 of the same chapter, Paul’s ministry is balanced by the characterization of fatherly guidance.
On Mother’s Day, my Mom was present for the sermon and we went out for brunch at a nostalgic restaurant. In both settings, I was grateful to have the opportunity to thank my Mom for her love over the years. She has given me the experiences over time that enables me to better understand this side of God’s character. Good mothers glorify God’s character in words and deeds! Thanks for your comfort over the years Mom.
If you are reading this an wonder whether God’s arms of love are open for you to recieve his love, then you need only to look to Jesus on the cross. There he spread his arms wide for all to see that God’s love is available to any who come to him and seek refuge there. He quiets the greatest distress of sin’s guilt through making an atoning sacrifice for us. What a comfort to know he died and rose again for me. Jesus’ arms are open wide for us. Will we find solace there? I hope and pray that the motherly love of God the Father becomes a deep comfort to your soul during your distress.
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Today, I gave a short funeral sermon on the unique and exclusively Christian hope. Here is a polished summary of what I think I remember saying.
Funerals are important times to aid the processes of grieving and teaching.
I tried to be brief (7-10 mins not my normal 45-55min) and clear to benefit the audience and occasion.
I started by suggesting that on this occasion, they may be wondering, “What will happen to me after I die?”
I stated that my intention was to explaining the Christian hope as the resurrection of believers to eternal life with God, modelled by Jesus himself and offered to them.
I read and explained John 11:25-27:
John 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”
2. Jesus explains the condition that believers in him will have life, in spite of physical death. The Christian hope is unstoppable life winning over unavoidable death. Eternal life is a term referring to both quality and a quantity. Do you want eternal life with God after you die?
3. Jesus asks if she (Martha grieving Lazarus) believes his condition and claim. THe Christian Hope requires a personal profession of faith in Jesus. Today I asked the congregation at the memorial service if they believe that Jesus is their Resurrection and the Life. Do you believe this?
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. – 1 Corinthians 15:22-23
…knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. – 2 Corinthians 4:14
One Day of Extending Christ’s freeing love to the Spiritually Hungry in Roncesvalles and Parkdale.
Cheming and Marion led HPBC in a great outreach day!
Today was a great day of stepping out in faith to bless our neighbourhood through service and conversation then reflecting on the experiences as a group. Cheming is our Food and Clothing Bank Director. Marion is our Intercultural Initiaves Director. They are a dynamic ministry couple whom God has used to help churches overcome barriers in the way of them fulfilling their God-given desire in reaching out. They have been residents of this local Roncesvalles area for over 28 years!
Schedule of Activities:
10am-12pm: 9 people walked 2 out of 4 planned prayer routes around our neighbourhoods. The goal was to lovingly connect with our neighbours through conversation, service and general visual observation. We prayed for neighbours we met as we picked up garbage and prayer walked the planned routes. It was fun to be active outside together for a good goal!
12-1pm: When we returned to the church, we swaped stories and initial impressions over lunch. My mom and I picked up lunch from Village Bakery, one local donor of food to our Food and Clothing Bank. It was nice to eat with the people who had just reached out together. There was a sense of team solidarity as we shared meal after serving together in the cold spring weather.
1-3pm: 15 people joined the discussion time to de-brief the experience and discuss personal “burdens and barriers” to personally extending Christ’s freeing love to the spiritually hungry. We reflected on biblical passages, personal stories and guided reflection questions. The numerous questions and passages could be blog posts in and of themselves.
My personal highlights were 1. my direct conversations with numerous neighbours on Dundas and in Sorauren Park as well as 2. knowing that our church was stepping out in faith together in order to bless our neighbours. I believe we pleased God with these steps of love and faith together.
Tomorrow 10:30am: Join us at 1030am tomorrow for an outreach training message from John 4 followed by more discussion groups afterwards.
This was a soul-satisfying day of integrity for me and many others because we extended Christ’s freeing love to the spiritually hungry.
May God give us many more resources and opportunities do impact lives in High Park neighbourhoods.
An electoral map of our neighbourhoods.
4 prayer walk route maps plus garbage bags and gloves to pick up garbage.
9 High Parkers planning our 4 prayer walk routes. This means asking God's spiritual and practical blessing on people we see in our 'hoods.
Picking up garbage and chatting with neighbours behind the Sorauren Dog Park, near the train track fence.
Marion leading us in discussion and reflection on our individual and group learning experiences of the day.
Cheming is telling a personal story about overcoming barriers to friendships.
Group discussions about personal barriers and burdens to reaching out.
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In April 2008, I was called to Pastor High Park Baptist Church. My heart was and remains this: to create a local movement of evangelistic discipleship for Jesus. My conversion, calling plus experience in seminary and para-church evangelistic leadership were my credentials. The first few years of my efforts here were very difficult for a number of reasons. In 2010, we brought pragmatic consultants from the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches of Canada to help us try to rediscover God’s original mission for this church, declare core values and set a strategic goals. This resulted in some renewed passion and ministry alignment at the leadership level and some of the core members of the congregation. Since then, challenges persist in operationalizing the plan. We struggle to activate adequate human, spiritual, financial, emotional resources for our mission. The faithful few are fatigued. We fight failure in faithfulness. God give grace and has mercy and our lips remain above water. We can all become revived as a missional minded group. In recent months, numerous (mostly external and practical) circumstances have emerged that have prompted opportunity to seek God for what he sees in the future of High Park Baptist Church. We are currently asking God questions like this: “What does God want us to look like in ten or fifty years?”/ “What do we need for living the mission that will lead to God’s preferred future” / “How can we walk into all God’s plans and promises for our church”. Thank you for your prayers as we work hard to discern God’s vision of our future. We believe that Jesus is leading us into his preferred picture of the future that will produces passion for service in us as we follow him “out of the boat” by faith.
What is important to us? Our church views this intersection and building to be central to our identity. We desire for God to fill this building through our personal evangelism and outreach to the area. We desire to disciple those whom God brings our way. We have ministry departments that reflect our sensitivity to our environment’s demographics. We are a loyal and kind people, like a family. The long term members and central staff (paid and unpaid) are highly esteemed and very involved in the decisions we make on important matters. We know these present decisions are to be made with great reverence for our past and future. We want continuity and comfort, yet are willing to step out in faith if it is the will of God. God is clear in Scripture that our greatest joy comes from stepping out in faith and trusting his promises. We can experience great things, which he has planned to have happen if we work in the Spirit for the fame of his name.
At present, I believe the leaders and congregation may be leaning towards a merger with Westminster Chapel’s mission, staff, resources and congregation. Having said that, we have only begun to explore and there is much research to be done. To use a hockey analogy: that is not a final score, but a report after the first period of play. Discernment experiences remain for us (board, staff, members, congregation) to be had before we can bring you a motion to formally and legal negotiate an action plan on an option. Please continue to uphold in prayer the long term, best interests of the Lord Jesus’ Kingdom, our precious congregation, the unique city of Toronto and these lovely local neighbours. Change is a sign of health, but it will bring personal price to be paid. God’s dream for us will involve discomfort, like trying to cross your arms a different way. It will not be easy or automatic. Faith adventures never are. We need to count the costs and weigh the options then make a decision in faith for his fame. It will be very exciting to walk by faith together into the future God has in mind! As always, we need God’s wisdom for decision making. We need wisdom from God to know what he wants us to do so that we can walk by faith into his dreams for us, our church and our city so that the nations and generations to come may be blessed by the gospel ministry we are entrusted with.
Our Mission, Values and Goals are clear. Together, we now seek God’s vision for how it will look and the resources to accomplish what he has already called us to do and be. Will it be a developer or a partner or we just get a revival internally? Only God knows, so we ask him to lead us in unity into his preferred future.
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Howdy Y’all RumBloggers,
My retreat in Dallas was delightful! Sporting events and concert, seminary retreat and research, sun burns in 80 degrees heat and soul-comfort-food in southern hospitality! I went with my good friend Brian, who had a conference for the Canadian branch of Compassion International in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. While he was at his Compassion conference, I took in classes and chapels at Dallas Theological Seminary. The teaching, the weather, the food, the people: they all worked together to refresh my mind. In the evenings we took in sporting events and Texan foods. Here are some pics, reflections and video from one chapel.
1. Upgraded Spiritual Retreat at Dallas Theological Seminary.
I took in an upgraded serving of excellent teaching through the classes and chapels at Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS). I thank God for the opportunity to listen to and talk with Dr. Bock, Dr. Bingham, Dr. Warren as well as many current and prospective students (Patrick, Jonathan and Jessica, et al.) and staff (Marnie, Josiah, Emily, et al.). At Friday’s chapel, Chuck Swindoll talked about the importance of cultivating close friendships to survive the loneliness and sorrow of success. Please watch the embedded video link below. Many of Chuck’s ideas apply to my life and might do to yours as well. I appreciate the loyal love of my family, close friends and a few fellow Christians on mission. You know who you are! I am so thankful to friends who have double my joy and divided my grief. Brian was a great friend to me during this week. We had many great talks. Thanks Brian! I am thankful to my best friend, the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for my sin and rose again to give me eternal life now and forever. I trust him as my rock and refuge during despair and lament seasons of the past and future. Jesus is the ultimate friend.
Click here for Swindoll on Friendship: http://media.dts.edu/i/?MediaItemID=bce7b454-89ec-41d3-9368-d76aca64cfeb
2. Upgraded Sporting Events at American Airlines Centre and Cowboy Stadium.
One of the themes of our trip was upgrades. We got upgraded seats at the Dallas Mavericks game (18 rows back from the court) and Stars’ game. Upgraded seats to the Rodeo at Cowboy Stadium so that we were close enough to get dirt kicked on us by the bulls. We got upgraded field passes for the Dierks Bentley concert. We got an upgraded hotel room. We got an upgraded rental car. Everything is upgraded bigger in Texas! I hope this won’t be “Dallas” time I get to the Lone Star State. Yehaw, that was refreshing fun!
