Superbowl Sunday

Last week felt super busy at work, so I guess it’s been a minimally productive

I was also going to write more last week but didnt...

Church @ The Gathering

Speaker Allison Froese

Queens anesthesiologist

Matthew

Following a very busy day for Jesus

Centurions daughter healed,

Healed ______

Healed the demon possessed

And escaped across the lake

“Foxes have holes, birds have nests, but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head.”

We never hear about that person again

“Let the dead bury the dead”

An understandable attitude was held by the man, he was caught between two loyalties

And we never hear about him again.

Jesus is coming across as insensitive, maybe a little hit hearteless, and very counter cultural.

Story about a woman who felt called by God to go overseas,

Her mother hinted that she did not want that outcome

The daughter did not go overseas

Everyone has their own agenda

Jesus was blunt because he knows how often our agendas soak up our energy 

Jesus wanted the energy to be directed properly.

Story from her life about being needed but unavailable

Taking a hard look at Jesus insistence about being counter cultural

Not fitting in, being odd

What intention does God have with your life?

That’s all for now!

Two weeks of church

It’s actually been two weeks since the last church so I’ve got a bunch of stuff to write about.

Two weeks ago 

Basically it’s been two weeks of learning about what house hunting entails, what things to look in a house when I’m walking through it for the first time

Also this week on Wednesday was the biggest story I’ll ever get to tell,

Highlights:

Dude puked on my couch,

Guy had the cops called on him

Everyone got home safe

Also some minor drama but that’s nothing to write home about

Church at The Gathering

Speaker, Christian ________

He’s associated with Queens, CBC interviewed him for Canadian Defense spending, etc

Topic on the 12 Disciples 

The 12 apostles in Australia,

In attrition, just like ours

Hammered by the tides and rough seas in their winter (North America’s summer)

The apostles weren’t just picked up off the street and dropping everything

There would have been a pre established relationships, they would have seen Him around, known him, etc

Jesus let them heal disease and drive out evil spirits

What authority did Jesus give you?

If you were sick you were an outcast, thought to be contagious, thought that you must have sinned, etc

Part of Jesus authority here was to be with people who society would have shunned,

Judas is an outcast, he is an Edomite, the others were from the house of Judah

He doesn’t fit in his worldview and understanding

Important to come with a skill set,

There more probably more women who ended up following Jesus, also men, but for historical reasons we don’t read about them

This eclectic team reflect the idea that we can’t be good servants without seeing the strength of others and their weaknesses as well.

We can’t do these things alone

WWJD, well we probably couldn’t guess

The instructions, go to the lost sheep of Israel

Proof of concept approach, 11 would have affinity there and would be able to mount a ministry with less friction than the other places mentioned

Learn to walk before you run.

You don’t need to go very far, go back to your own people

...

Take no gold or copper, take no extra sandals

Means to trust the Lord to provide

...

Protecting and understanding your own ecosystem,

...

Jesus gives Judas authority, knowing that he will fail, but Jesus knows that he has a different experience and he brought 

What authority has God given you?

What opportunities do you have in life where you’re able to walk away and leave something behind? Or where you are holding on to things where you should have left it behind?

First Sunday since I got back

Christmas is all over, I did get a chance to see all of my immediate friends and family so that was good.

I’m working on buying a house here in Kingston, realtors, mortgages and BGRS are all going to be taking up most of my down time I think.

Finances are on my mind a lot more since the bank literally dictates where I’ll be able to live now, so it’s all about making the banks give me as much money as possible.

My down payment is not going to be as high as 10% I don’t think, but I am for sure above 5% so that’s good for the future plans.

Church @ The Gathering

Refugee theme

Speaker - Mimi Merrill

Refugee Settlement coordinator of the diocese of Ontario refugee support DOORS

Jesus the refugee Matthew 2:13-23

...

Walking in the cold, refugees still do that in this day and age

V. 16 65.6 million displaced peoples throughout the world, only a fraction can arrive in a safe area

V.23 still a fear of the people in power, 

Mimi’s job working with refugees

Topic of government sponsored refugees

Make friends with them,

The things that are naturally understood for Canadians 

Myth questions

Do refugees take our resources? Only govt sponsored ones and only for the first year

Do refugees bring diseases? No, tests

Are refugees uneducated? Not the adults typically,

Is Trudeau too easy on refugees? There is a lot of paperwork to get into Canada

To be considered a refugee they need to leave their country, or else it is an internally displaced person.

Refugees finding people from their culture or language

Our meal is an international one.

That’s all for tonight!

Last Sunday before I go home

Just threw some ribs in the oven but I’m using my own bbq sauce instead of the recipe so it’s probably goona be off.

Long hair don’t care.

Last Friday was the Base Dinner, so all my DEUs are still at B1, it was a good time from 11:30-bedtime I was with my coworkers so that was pretty neat.

Apparently it was much better than it had been in previous years so good to know.

Church @ The Gathering

Shorter service due to advent Christmas carol reading

Reading from Matthew 2,

The Christ birth

Speaker Lisa Chisholm-Smith

The original Christmas Gifts

Matthew 2:1-12

Multiple choice questions 

It doesn’t say how many wise men came

It’s just traditional with the three gifts I think.

Same with three kings, the text does not say

Connection with Isaiah 60, 1,3,6b

“King of the Jews”

...

Matthew 27:37

Date of dec 25, until the mid 300s.

Pope Julius of Rome declares it and it coincided with the winter solstice festival.

Cry of a tiny babe - Bruce cockburn

What gifts do you have to offer Jesus?

The Gathering after breaking the AirPod

This weekend I went to the board games night hosted by the anime club.

It was a good time, mostly played games that I brought.(wait nope I only played games I brought)

And then went to dinner afterwards, and after dinner I noticed I lost an AirPod, and I found it, take a look.

Yeah it’s rough, 

Rip Apollo(R), you will be missed.

Now The Gathering.

Announcements:

Bible study tonight,

Speaker: Rick Rowland

Beauty in small things matter 6:5-15

“Prayer”

The smaller you go you still see beauty and design and structure.

God is lavish with his creation.

We are impressed by immensity, but more impressed by gods attention to what should be obscurity

Story about his small home town school, and his smal hometown united church

The difference between small communities and big communities.

In prayer we merge our small needs with gods infinite provision for us.

Now I lay me down to sleep I pray the lord my soul to keep

And _______ I be a child of thee?

Learning about informal prayers, everyday language, etc

When you pray do you like spontaneity or a set prayer

Do you ask god for things or do you think he will provide

Do you think prayer strengthens your relationship with god and other people

Mr Dallas philosophy prof at Southern California university

Wrote the divine conspiracy

“Prayer is talking to god about what we are doing together.”

Jesus wasn’t against people being seen praying..

He was against people praying to be seen.

The Lord’s Prayer broken down:

Informal but respectful

Provision and protection

Giving god the glory. (Thine is the kingdom...)

Things that we cannot see are still real.

Heaven is very near to us

God is our father

Small is not a bad thing

God will provide and protect if we rely on him.

We have free will.

‘The Three Essential Prayers’

Help me, thank you, and wow

Story about riding a bike and dozing off.

Meal

Small group bible study

Acts 2:1-13

The Gathering after Cuba

Well that’s ends my vacation,

Overall it was very relaxing, a good chance to reconnect with my Bro’s and see who their current friend group is.

South America/Oceania was very enjoyable. Still quite touristy, but I enjoyed my time there.

I need to conglomerate my friends pictures soon

Announcements:

Something happening Dec 12,

Small group studying Acts later tonight

Speaker Georgiana Stewart

Do not worry?!? Matthew 6:25-34

Story, disaster befalls a town 

Pat did not leave the town.

I sent a car, boat, and helicopter to save you

Do not worry is a commandment, similar to ‘“love your neighbour’

Context to the passage,

What’s going on, previously? Afterword?

Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is teaching crowds and crowds and crowds about the kingdom of heaven, who gets in and how.

Earnings about hypocrisy, self deception, etc

No one can serve two masters, hate one, love the other, or be devoted to one and disloyal to the other.

Priorities.

What matters most in our lives?

Where do we look for security and sense of worth.

A grade, a degree, a legs status, a relationship etc

These are not bad or undesirable.

But, when we put something ahead of God in our list of priorities, it is not pretty

How do we tell we are striving for the kingdom?

Doing God’s will and not falling into deception?

Aside from full contrary things to the gospel we can’t.

Don’t we want exact gps coordinates, neon signs, etc

Striving for the kingdom feels like stumbling along, two steps ahead and it’s vanished.

Thomas Mertons Prayer

 Humility and uncertainty,

Our desire will hopefully please you, and I will trust you always

Discussion:

Think of something that might get in the way of striving for the kingdom of God for you.

The Gathering before Cuba

Announcements,

Regular gathering on 2 Dec, something else on 9 Dec

Normal Gathering on the 16th?

Today is all-saints day (the day/Sunday after Halloween) 

Speaker Sylvia Keesmaat

The law and the Kingdom: was Jesus joking?

Matthew 5:17-20

I’ll talk about the law! How thrilling...

I have not come to abolish. The law and the prophets.

- the whole story of who Israel was. The law embedded in that story.

It’s purpose is to shape us into a certain community and what that looks like as followers of Jesus

An idea of what the kingdom looks like on earth

The sabbath laws.

-traditions of not using money on a Sunday

The purpose of that in the sabbath is that it gives everyone a rest from labour and economic transactions

Historical Israel and obeying laws

Leaving for the widow the orphan and the poor, the refugee the immigrant and the alien

You don’t squeeze everything you can from your land

Leaving for nature as well.

Deuteronomy 22, don’t just leave your neighbours ox out. Build a parapet around your roof, don’t let people fall off the roof

Don’t wear clothes with wool and linen, it will fall apart know the limits of creation

Tassels on the prayer cloak

They are all about the health of community, about the vulnerable

Given the world/culture in which we find ourselves,  what kind of laws would create a community that demonstrates hope and _______ for the vulnerable.

Supper and discussion time

That’s all for now.