Early that first Easter morning, the women went to the tomb expecting to find death — but instead, they found a message that changed the world: “He is not here; he has risen.” The angel’s words turned fear into wonder, confusion into calling, despair into new beginnings.
And then came this promise: “He is going ahead of you into Galilee; there you will see him.” Jesus isn’t just alive — he’s ahead of us, leading us into what’s next. He’s not only more powerful than death — he’s more than life itself, the source of everlasting hope.
On this Easter morning, we’re invited to remember that resurrection isn’t only something that happened long ago. It’s what Jesus does now — moving ahead of us in every moment, calling us forward to follow him into forgiveness, purpose, and forever life.
Final part of our Holy Week series: "Jesus Is"
Heavenly Father as we gather today we follow a man through the darkest hours of his life. We will hear him be handed over, struck, mocked, tried, and killed. We will see what human power does to a human body.
But we gather under this truth: that the one we follow today was, and is, more than a body.
He was more than the hands they bound in the garden, more than the face they struck in the hall of the high priest, more than the flesh they nailed to a cross on a hill.
And we, made in his image, are more than our bodies too — more than our wounds, our failures, our fear.
As we listen again to what happened, open in us what cannot be closed, reach in us what cannot be buried, and hold us, O God, in the weight of this day.
Amen.
Part 3 of our Holy Week series: "Jesus Is"
We gather to remember a God who did not stay at a distance. He is more than a creator who wound up the world and stepped back. More than a ruler who issues commands from on high. More than a servant, even though he knelt and washed feet. He is the God who loved us all the way to death, and who calls us, even now, by name into his name.
Part 2 of our Holy Week series: "Jesus Is"
On that first Palm Sunday, the crowds welcomed Jesus as their king. They shouted “Hosanna,” laid down palm branches, and celebrated His arrival with joy and expectation. But the kind of king they were looking for—and the kind of king Jesus came to be—were not the same.
It’s a bit like calling out for help when you’re in trouble. You know you need rescuing, and you have a clear picture in your mind of how that rescue should happen—what it should look like, how quickly it should come, and what it should fix. But when help arrives, it doesn’t look the way you expected. It takes a different approach, goes deeper than you imagined, and begins to deal not just with the immediate problem, but with something far greater beneath the surface. That’s something of what is happening in this moment. The crowd cries out, “Hosanna—save us,” and they’re right to do so. But they don’t yet understand the kind of rescue Jesus has come to bring.
And as we hear this familiar story again today, we are invited to do the same: to look more closely, to listen more carefully, and to allow Jesus to reshape our expectations. Because Jesus is not just the king we imagine— He is more than a king. He is more than we expect.
Part 1 of our Holy Week series: "Jesus Is"
If you’ve ever watched an apprentice learning a trade, one of the first things they learn is how to carry things properly. At first, they try to lift things their own way and it usually doesn’t go well — the load is awkward, heavy, and uncomfortable. But over time the master shows them the right way to carry the weight and balance the load.
In our readings today Jesus invites his disciples into something similar. He tells them that anyone who wants to follow him must deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow him. It’s a challenging image, but it reminds us that following Jesus isn’t about avoiding the weight of life — it’s about learning to walk the path with him.
And Paul reminds us that the way Jesus walked his own path was with humility, trust, and obedience to the Father. So this week, we reflect on what it means to have the same mindset as Christ as we move from self, to self-sacrifice and grow closer to Jesus.
Final week of our Lenten series: "Closer to Jesus"
You can fake a lot of things in life — but you can't fake fruit.
A tree doesn't announce what kind of tree it is. It just grows — and eventually, what it produces tells you everything you need to know.
And that's exactly where Jesus and James land today in the readings. It's possible to say all the right things, show up in all the right places, and carry the language of faith without any of the life of it. But sooner or later, the fruit tells the real story.
Our theme — From Faith to Fruit — isn't a guilt trip or a checklist. It's an invitation. Because real faith is alive. And if it’s alive, it grows. And if it grows, it produces something the world around us is desperately hungry for — the visible fruit of a life grounded in God. This kind of growth begins as we listen to his voice and let his truth take root in us.
Part 5 of our Lenten series: "Closer to Jesus"
What does it mean to follow Jesus on a Monday? Or a Wednesday afternoon? Or in the middle of a frustrating conversation, a difficult decision, or just another ordinary day?
We can sometimes treat our faith like it belongs here — in this room, on this day. But the life Jesus calls us to doesn't stay within these walls. It was never meant to. This week we're looking at a theme that is both simple and deeply challenging: From Sunday to Everyday. This theme holds an invitation before us. Not just to attend worship, but to become worshippers. Not just to hear the Word, but to carry it with us into every corner of our lives.
Part 4 of our Lenten series: "Closer to Jesus"
What does the Lord require of you?
It's a question Micah asked thousands of years ago, and it still cuts right to the heart. We come to worship with our offerings, our rituals, our best attempts to get it right — and God simplifies it all: do justice, love mercy, walk humbly.
But then as we will hear Jesus tells us a story about a servant who was forgiven an impossible debt — and walked out the door and grabbed his neighbour by the throat. And we realize how easy it is to receive mercy and forget to extend it.
That tension lives in all of us. We want justice when we've been wronged. We want mercy when we're the ones who've fallen short. This morning, we are reminded that the God is the one who defines both — and the one who invites us, even transforms us, to hold them together the way he does.
So as we prepare to hear him speaking through his Word we reflect on the God who doesn't just demand justice from us, but who is just. Who doesn't just ask us to be merciful, but who has shown us mercy beyond measure.
Part 3 of our Lenten series: "Closer to Jesus"
There are moments in life when we sense that God is inviting us deeper. Not just to know more about Him, but to truly walk with Him. Not just to go through the motions of faith, but to be shaped by it.
Our theme today, from Complacency to Conviction invites us into that deeper place. It speaks to the quiet work God does in our hearts — the refining, the restoring, the renewing. It reminds us that faith is not a static thing; it is a journey. A journey that stretches us, challenges us, and ultimately draws us closer to the heart of Christ.
As we turn now to God’s word, may we listen with open and expectant hearts—ready to hear his voice and respond in faith.
Part 2 of our Lenten series: "Closer to Jesus"