St. Pete's on Repeat

What if Jesus never rose from the dead? What would the world look like? What would your life look like? Spoiler alert: it wouldn't be pretty. There'd be unresolved guilt and unmitigated fear. There'd be an aimlessness and purposelessness that would make this life hardly worth living. But Jesus has been raised from the dead, just as he said! Listen to this week's sermon to hear what a difference Jesus' resurrection makes for you.

Have you ever wanted to learn the guitar? Brace yourself for pain! Your fingertips are going to hurt - maybe even bleed! That is, until you develop calluses. Do you want to train to run a half marathon? Then brace yourself for pain! Your muscles and joints will ache. But after a few weeks (or months) you'll be able to run 5 miles without wanting to die. Do you want to be a stronger Christian? Be careful what you wish for! There is one way to grow in your faith, and that is through adversity and suffering... But fear not! God gives you some pretty great promises to hold onto while you experience your spiritual growing pains. Listen to this week's sermon to learn more.

I suffer from debilitating arachnophobia and thalaassophobia - the fears of spiders and deep water (It's a good thing I live in Alberta...). What phobias do you have? Fear of heights? Fear of public speaking? What about the fear of Jesus? In this week's sermon, I argue that even Christians suffer from a fear of Jesus and what he means for our lives. Nicodemus is a great example of it - not only the fear, but how Jesus himself conquers that fear for us. Listen to this week's sermon for more.

Forget UFC, MMA, WWE, this is the fight I would pay to see. Jesus was in a one-on-one dogfight with the devil, and did what you and I consistently failed to do - he won! Listen to this week's sermon to learn what Jesus' victory means for you.

Lent is tricky. There are so many mechanisms in place to make us feel bad about ourselves. But if regret and guilt and shame are the only things you take away from this season, then we have missed the point of this season. Listen to this week's sermon to hear what Lent is all about.

Have you ever heard the expression, "You are the only Bible some people will ever read"? It is so true. There are so many people in your life who have never bothered to crack open the Bible, but who nevertheless form their impressions about Jesus entirely based on what they see and hear from you. Is that scary? Intimidating? Daunting? It should be! We can't even begin to live up to Jesus' perfect standard - not even for ourselves, let alone others. But there is good news. Jesus lived up to his perfect standard for us, and - knowing full well our weaknesses and failures - he nevertheless calls us salt and light and equips us to be his distinctive Christian presence in this world to bring glory to his name.

Did you know that we don't go to church to become better people? We don't go to church to serve our community either. We don't even go to church to get to know the Bible better. The number one reason we gather every week has everything to do with what John the Baptist said when he saw Jesus: "Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" Listen to this week's sermon to hear the heart of Christianity and the purpose for your faith.

Do you know what baptism and biathlon have in common? In a word: sin. Sin is missing the mark - anything short of a perfect bullseye. It is not enough to get close. It is not enough to hit the target. God demands perfection. Not even world-class biathletes are perfect on the range. But in spiritual matters, we don't get 3 misses; we don't have the option of skiing a circle of shame to make up for our mistakes. We do have baptism, though. Baptism is God's way of washing your sins away. Listen to this week's sermon to learn more about this life-saving, life-changing sacrament.

There are so many unanswered - and unanswerable - questions when it comes to the Wise Men: Who were they? Where did they come from? What did they see in the sky? How could a star single out Jesus' exact house? The story is so compelling that it would make for a great movie. While there may be mystery surrounding the Magi, there is no mystery about the most important part of their story - what motivated them to migrate across the desert. It was Jesus. Jesus is what gave the Magi great joy. Jesus gives you great joy too. Listen to this week's sermon to learn more.

Whatever your problem, God promises that he can and will make it all go away. He has one answer for all that ails you, and even our Sunday School students could tell you his name. It's Jesus, the long-promised Saviour of the world, our Messiah. The question that challenges our faith is, "How can this be true when my life doesn't look like Isaiah 35?" Listen to this week's sermon to learn the answer.

In the days leading up to Christmas, it is not uncommon to see inflatable Santas strewn across the neighbourhood, or to hear Santa's name in jingles on the radio. On the surface, there may be some superficial similarities between Santa and Jesus, but it doesn't take too long to see some significant differences. Isaiah tells us what the Saviour came to be - the best kind of Judge for you and me.

Sometimes in the season of Advent we like to pretend as if we are still waiting for Jesus to come. We try to scrub our brains of the memory of his birth and relive the excitement again. There's something to that. There's value in understanding what Jesus' birth meant in the moment. But that's not what Advent means for you and me today, 2,000 years after Christ. Listen to this week's sermon to learn more about what Advent means for your life today.

Hebrews 11 is often referred to as the "Hall of Faith." It is filled with legends in Christian tradition. It is both inspirational and humbling. As much as I may want to be like these people, I can't help but realize that my name doesn't belong next to theirs. Or does it? At the end of Hebrews 11 - after listing out a litany of legends - the writer to the Hebrews says something amazing: God planned something even better for us. Listen to this week's sermon to see how you stack up with these heroes of faith, and exactly what it is that God gave you that's even better than anything he gave to them.

Which is more likely - a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, or a rich person to go to heaven? As harsh as it may sound, especially coming from our Saviour, Jesus says that it's harder to do anything to get into heaven. In fact, he says it is impossible... with man. But what is impossible for us is made possible by Jesus. We will never be able to do anything to earn eternal life, but that won't stop us from inheriting it by Jesus' grace. Listen to this week's sermon to hear about some of the many impossible things Jesus did and still does for us in love.

Would you rather hope that you'll have chicken wings for dinner tonight, or know that you will? Would you rather wish that your mother would get better and come home from the hospital, or know that she will? Of course, you'd rather know! There is certainty with knowledge. Knowledge can give you conviction and courage and confidence. Knowledge can empower and embolden you. But it all depends on what you know. This week we look at 3 "know" statements from 1 John 5 and in them find true confidence for right now and forever.

We don't often think about Noah at Thanksgiving, but his reaction to leaving the ark - after a year and 17 days cooped up inside! - can teach us a thing or two about gratitude.

Your service to God doesn't have match David's piles of precious metals and stones, but your service to God can equal or exceed even his thankfulness and praise, because of all the good that God has done for you, whether that's material wealth, physical health, professional success, personal happiness, or none of the above. Even if you have none of those things, you still have a God who gave his Son for a sinner like you, so that when you ask, “Who am I?” it is not with a sense of guilt or gloom, but with a spirit of thankfulness and joy. Who are you? You are someone God loves. You are someone God has saved. You are someone God has blessed. You are someone qualified and motivated to serve.

If you had 100 sheep and lost 1, would you leave the 99 in the open country to chase after the 1 wayward one? We are often comfortable with a certain margin of error. Some losses, while unfortunate, are nevertheless acceptable. 1 loss, let alone 1% is usually not a big deal. But it is to God. Listen to this week's sermon to hear what God does because he thinks you're worth it.

Why do we end every prayer the same way? What does "Amen" mean anyway? It's more than just a churchy way to say, "The end." It's actually a confident way to pray, "Yes! I believe!" Listen to this week's sermon to hear what gives us the confidence to pray to God with such certainty.

What would a world without evil look like? It'd be heaven on earth - a modern-day Garden of Eden. Of course, that's not the world we live in. There are many evils that we face day after day. Listen to this week's sermon to learn how God answers our prayer, "Deliver us from evil."

How are temptations like magpies? There are so many of them. They're everywhere. At just about any moment in time you can look out your window and count 1 or 2 or 19 of them. And, while you may successfully scare them off one day, they'll inevitably be back the next day, and the day after that, and the day after that. Listen to this week's sermon to hear what God did about temptation and what he wants us to do with them too.

What does God want? How could we possibly know? It's not like we can read his mind. Thankfully, he reveals, at least portions of, his will to us in his Word, and there he also teaches us how his will gets done in our lives.

God does not walk the streets of St. Albert, but you. God does not have a social media profile or a Twitter handle, but you do. For many people, the first impression they have of God is you, a Christian who carries God's name with you wherever you go. What you say and do has a big impact on the reputation of God's name. That's why the first petition that Jesus teaches us to pray is, "Hallowed be thy name." Listen to this week's sermon for more.

Why is it fitting to call God our Father? How does he behave like our Father? How should we behave as his children? Listen to this week's sermon to learn more.

Luke 11:1-101 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”2 He said to them, “When you pray, say:“‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.'”5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.' 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”Prayer Is a PrivilegeSo, I warned you that during this new worship series I'd be leaning on you for some more interaction during these sermon/Bible study hybrids. Well, I want to hear your voices right away. I have a bit of a quiz for you: Name that Emoji! I'm going to show you 4 hand-themed emojis and I want you to tell me what they mean. If you sent this in a text message, what would you be trying to communicate? Here's your first one: What does this emoji mean? “Hi.” How about this one: “Love”And this one? “OK”And here's the last one, which can be a little tricky: “Prayer” Now, there's some controversy about whether this is supposed to be prayer, or a high five, but I can send you the definitive, scholarly articles debunking the whole high five myth. This is the emoji for prayer. If you were to send this emoji to your friends – whether they're Christian or not – chances are that they would immediately understand what this is. That's the interesting thing about prayer. It's ubiquitous; it's everywhere. People of just about every culture and background may not be able to write a dictionary definition for prayer, but they would be able to recognize it when they see it. Now, they may need some explanation, information, guidance, but even in our increasingly post-Christian world, prayer is still pretty common knowledge; and even in thoroughly Christian circles explanation, information and guidance are still very much needed. We heard it a moment ago in Luke's Gospel: One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”[1]Even Jesus' own disciples – his inner circle – needed explanation, information and guidance for prayer, and so do we. That's why for the next 9 weeks our focus in worship will not only be prayer in general, but the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray. I gave you some sermon notes pages. If you grabbed a bulletin, there was one inside. If you didn't grab a bulletin, they were still available to you from our service team today. We'll use these as the basic outline for our conversation today (and throughout this series), and you can see that the first question on the page is a simple one: What is prayer? Let's read a few Bible passages that describe prayer before we try to define it: May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.[2]Have you ever noticed that at the start of every single worship service, while the bells are still ringing, I stop and pause and face the altar for a minute? I'm praying these words from Psalm 19. It's a good way for any of us to approach a worship service. How does King David describe prayer here in Psalm 19? It can be something spoken or just thought in your mind or felt in your heart. How about another Psalm of David? Trust in God at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.[3]How does David describe prayer here? It's a pouring out of the heart. Prayer is pouring out our soul to God. If we have fears, concerns, worries, we can unload them on God. If we have joy and happiness and gratitude in our hearts, we can raise them up to the Lord. Whatever we are thinking or feeling we can communicate to our God in prayer. Which leads us to the dictionary definition you would find in the back of your Small Catechism: Prayer is an act of worship in which we speak to God from our hearts. It's a simple thing, right? Prayer is the way that we talk to God. But there's a whole lot more to prayer than just blurting out your unfiltered thoughts to the Lord. Prayer is a command God gives us. He says: Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and faithful.[4]How should we approach prayer? With devotion and diligence and faithfulness. Prayer is not something God wants us to do willy-nilly, whenever we feel like it or remember to. He commands us to be devoted and watchful and faithful, to make it a regular practice we do intentionally and purposefully.Or how about what Samuel says:“As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you.”[5]What would Samuel call a failure to pray? A sin. Prayer is a command of God, not to be taken lightly but to be obeyed. And yet, that command is not burdensome. It's a privilege and a joy, a gracious invitation from our God: Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.[6]Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.[7]What does God invite you to do with prayer? To turn to him in time of need, to unburden yourself from your cares and worries, to rely on him to get you through your most challenging moments in life. Yes, prayer is “speaking to God from the heart.” But it's more than that. It's a command of God we are meant to faithfully obey, and an invitation we gratefully accept because of the promises God makes us. I'm going to read a series of passages for you now, and, as you can see on your sermon notes page, we can think of them from both a negative and a positive perspective. As I read them, I want you to think about how you can fill in these blanks, but not only that. I also want you to think about why these passages give you confidence to pray to God at all: This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.[8]God never _ignores us_. God always _hears us_. Now why would that promise give you confidence to pray to God? Because in prayer, you're not talking to a brick wall. You're not voicing your fears to the void. You have an audience who wants to hear from you and promises to hear you. God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?[9]God never _lies_. God always _keeps his promises_. Why would this promise give you confidence to pray to God? Because he's trustworthy. You can count on him to tell the truth and you can rely on him to keep his promises. He's not a hypocrite like we can often be. He doesn't make promises he doesn't or can't keep. He's steadfast and dependable.“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”[10]God never _withholds good from us_. God always _gives good gifts_. Why would this promise give you confidence to pray to God? He's so much more than just a shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen. He can actually do something for you, and what he does for you is always good. That's why we should pray to God! He always hears us, always keeps his promises, always gives us good things. That's why we should pray to God. But now for a harder question. Why should God listen to us? The short answer is, he shouldn't. Consider Isaiah's warning in chapter 59:Your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.[11]What could prevent God from hearing our prayers? Our sin. It's not an inability on God's part or a failure to hear. He's not the one to blame when our prayers are not heard. We are. It's our iniquities that separate us from God. It's our sins that hide his face from us. This is where it gets real. Prayer is meant to be a really happy thing – a lifeline with the Lord – but our sin can sever that cord. Isaiah even warns people who persist in their sin: “When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening.”[12]Is there a sin you persist in? Have you gotten so addicted to a substance or a secret habit that the moment your eyes see it or your lips taste it you feel powerless to do anything but disobey God? Have you given up trying to live life by God's rules and just given in to whatever feels right in the moment? Have you made choices that have consequences that make you feel uncomfortable to be around certain people because of what you've said or done (or haven't said, or haven't done)?Prayer is supposed to be a beautiful thing that keeps us connected to God throughout every moment of our lives, and yet our sin threatens to muddy it all up and separate us from our God forever. And yet, God still commands and invites even sinners like us to pray to him. God had every right to turn his face from us forever, and yet his ears are still attentive to our prayers – not because of us, but because of him, as Daniel prayed in Chapter 9: Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see… We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay.[13]What did Daniel appeal to when he prayed to God? God's mercy and love to forgive. And forgiveness is exactly what God sent Jesus to give us. Even though our sin separated us from him, he bridged the gap and spanned the gulf that our sin created, through his sinless Son Jesus Christ. God sent Jesus to be our Saviour, to give his life as a ransom for our sin, to wash all our sin away forever. Through Jesus, God promises you: In him we have redemption through his blood. The forgiveness of sins.[14]In Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith.[15]Our sins would have separated us from God forever… had it not been for Jesus, for the sacrifice he made for us on the cross, for the forgiveness he won for us through his blood. That's mercy. That's grace. That's the reason you can be sure that God does listen to your prayers, despite your many sins, because God's love for you is greater than your sin, and he wants you to be reconciled to him. That's one of the reasons why God invites you to pray in the first place, so that you can say with David and the many generations of sinners who have prayed before you: Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.[16]What was David appealing to when he asked God to cleanse him from his sin? His mercy and unfailing love and great compassion. That's what you can appeal to as well. That's the reason you can be sure that God does listen to your prayers, because he loves you and has forgiven you, because your God is merciful and gracious and compassionate. Why should God listen to our prayers? He shouldn't, but he does because he loves you.So, because God loves you, because he commands and invites you to pray, because he makes all these promises about prayer, how should we pray? Let's take one last look at Luke's Gospel today. Jesus tells a parable about one friend going to another friend at an ungodly hour of the night to ask for 3 loaves of bread for a guest popped in. The guy with the bread doesn't sound thrilled at the prospect, but then Jesus says: I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.[17]In other words, even if your friendship isn't strong enough to get your buddy out of bed, your boldness will. The good news is, God loves you even more than your best friend does and God's love for you would cause him to leap out of bed for you at the first knock on his door. But as Jesus says later, you still have to knock: “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”[18]Jesus wants you to be shamelessly audacious in your prayer life. Shameless – not that you have nothing to be ashamed of. There are going to be plenty of situations in your life that you need God's help with that are entirely your fault, situations in which you have every reason to be ashamed. But you should never be too ashamed to ask, because you know who you're asking, i.e. your compassionate and gracious God who loves you and forgives you and promises to bless you. Jesus invites you to be audacious in your prayer life – don't be afraid to ask God for anything, big or small, whether you think you deserve it or not. That's for him to decide. But you can ask. Jesus gives you that permission and invitation. Prayer is a privilege. It's a precious gift from God, a lifeline with the Lord, a constant source of communication with your compassionate God. Don't take it for granted. Obey God's command. Accept his invitation. Pray with devotion and faith in your heart to the God who promises to hear and answer you according to his good will. I mean it! Right now! There's a space on your sermon notes page. Write your prayer there. There's a space in our service right now. Pray for anything with shameless audacity to the God who promises to hear and answer you according to his good will. Amen. [1] Luke 11:1[2] Psalm 19:14[3] Psalm 62:8[4] Colossians 4:2[5] 1 Samuel 12:23[6] Psalm 50:15[7] 1 Peter 5:7[8] 1 John 5:14[9] Numbers 23:19[10] Matthew 7:9-11[11] Isaiah 59:2[12] Isaiah 1:15[13] Daniel 9:18,19[14] Ephesians 1:7[15] Galatians 3:26[16] Psalm 51:1,2[17] Luke 11:8[18] Luke 11:9 St. Pete's on Repeat RSS

How much is enough? That's a good question for a lot of things - money, clothes, food, recreation, etc... How much of God's Word is enough? Jesus wrestled with this same question on the night before he died. He still had so much more that he wanted to say to his disciples, but a) there wasn't enough time, and b) what they had heard from Jesus up to that point was enough, but even more c) Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to guide them into all the truth. Listen to this week's sermon to hear how God still does that for you.

Does it ever feel like we live in a godless world? Are you ever troubled by or afraid of the troubles and dangers of this life? You're not alone. And by that, I don't just mean that other people can commiserate with you. I literally mean it. You are not alone. Jesus may be gone from this world - ascended into heaven - but he has not abandoned you. He still sends you his Holy Spirit to be with you and help you. Listen to this week's sermon to learn more about the peace that Pentecost promises you.

What do you picture when you think of a kingdom? A castle, maybe? Or a throne and a crown? Jesus began and ended his public ministry speaking about the kingdom of God. But even by the end his disciples were still confused as to what his kingdom would look like. Thankfully we have his ascension to clear up any confusion. Jesus' kingdom is not a realm, but a reign.

In John's Revelation, God gives us a brief tour of what our future heavenly home will be like. In this portion of the prophecy, John highlights 3 things that will not be there and explains how their absence means joy for us today and forever.

You can literally be God's gift to humanity, but if you do not have love you are nothing and you gain nothing. That's how important love is. It's necessary for a Christian, and in 1 Corinthians 13 the Apostle Paul explains not only what love is and does, but why it's so important.

Do you have doubts and questions and fears? So did the disciples! Even after they personally witnessed Jesus' resurrection they still needed Jesus' persistent presence, and he graciously gave it to them. He gives the same to you. While you may not be able to put your finger where the nails were, like Thomas did, God gives you something he never gave Thomas or any of the disciples. God gives you his Word, written FOR YOU so that YOU may believe and have life and peace in his name.

Philippians 2:5-11In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.Jesus: The Name Above All NamesIn Greek, it's just six letters long. In English, five. In Hebrew, only 4. And yet that two-syllable word is the name above all names, the name at which every knee shall bow. Jesus. We've heard his name on average once every minute since our worship service began today, and for good reason. He's our Shepherd, our Saviour, our King. His name should be on our lips, and it should inspire praise, but it hasn't always been that way. This morning I want to explore what Jesus' name has meant in the past, what it means today, and what it means for our future. Jesus. It was a name whispered with hushed excitement by the Passover pilgrims gathered in Jerusalem that year. They were excited because for the last three years Jesus had been building toward celebrity status by his powerful, sometimes controversial, public speaking, by his signs and wonders that defied logical explanation, by his challenge to the status quo and the powers that be. That's why their excitement was hushed and whispered. There had even been rumours that if Jesus showed his face in Jerusalem, he'd be arrested or worse, maybe even made to disappear. The Jewish leaders had threatened his life. His own disciples were publicly pleading with him not to attend the Passover. Everyone was wondering if Jesus would show. If there had been such a thing in those days, you'd have to imagine that Jesus' name and Jesus' face would have been plastered all over the checkout aisle tabloids, e.g. “Jesus: Messiah or Menace?” “Will Jesus Join Jerusalem Jamboree?” As silly as those tabloids are, there's often (sometimes only) the tiniest grain of truth to them. In this case, the rumours were true. Jesus' name wasn't only whispered with hushed excitement by the Passover pilgrims, it was muttered in dark corners and behind locked doors by a murderous mob of Jewish leaders. You can even imagine it as an agenda item for one of their covert councils, e.g. “What are we going to do about Jesus?” The Jewish ruling council didn't much care for Jesus. In fact, they had been actively searching for a way to kill him for almost 2 years.[1] And as Jesus was approaching Jerusalem this time, they had finally found their answer. Just days before his arrival, they held a furtive meeting with one of Jesus' own disciples who had agreed to betray him. You can bet that the name Jesus was on the minds and in the mouths of those Jewish leaders. And then the sun rose on Sunday morning. At first, they must have thought they were hearing things. All of a sudden, the name that had haunted their dreams and that they had been obsessing over for months was in the air; they could hear it with their waking ears. They went out to investigate and there was a proper parade praising that name. People waving palm branches and piling up their pullovers to provide a carpet for Jesus. The Jewish leaders couldn't believe their ears. To them, it was like nails on a chalkboard. They even reprimanded Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” But Jesus replied, “If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”[2] The truth is, Jesus deserved that praise. He had earned every syllable. And although the full significance of their words flew over the heads of most of the people in the crowd that day, the Apostle Paul gives us a short and simple summary of just what Jesus did to deserve every note of every song they sang.Christ Jesus, who, being in very nature God did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage… made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.[3]Jesus is true God from all eternity. He is almighty, all-powerful, all-knowing. He is everywhere all at once and fills every space. He had all authority and every advantage imaginable as he sat at the right hand of his Father in heaven. But Jesus didn't view his divinity as a feather in his cap or something he was entitled to enjoy purely for his own benefit. Instead, in love, he was willing to give it all up for you. Paul says, “He made himself nothing.” Jesus left heaven to become human. He emptied himself of the full use of his divine power and privilege. He was born of a woman and lived in this world limiting himself to the confines of a human body, choosing to suffer things that had been foreign to him, like hunger and thirst and exhaustion.Even before we get to the next sentence of Paul's letter, we can see something here in Jesus that is rare in this world and that we seldom see in ourselves: true, honest-to-goodness humility. Jesus had certain rights and privileges and powers, but he chose not to claim them in order that he could be a benefit to you. It's tax season. It's not gaming the system or exploiting loopholes if you claim your deductions and collect your refunds. You have a right to them. But what do we often do with our rightfully earned refunds? We fund our next vacation. We pay off debt. We go out to dinner. How many of you have given away your entire refund to somebody else who needed it more and didn't keep a cent for yourself? Even if you have, your tax refund is a fraction of your financial resources throughout the year. Some of us don't even factor it into our family budget, so it becomes little more than monopoly money that we get to do with whatever we want. The point is, we might manage momentary humility and selflessness sometimes, but has any one of us ever made ourselves nothing, emptied ourselves, chosen not to use any of our powers, rights and privileges for our own benefit but have dedicated all of them in loving service for someone else? I don't know a single person who could make that claim.But Jesus could. Jesus did. And that's why we praise him on Palm Sunday. He didn't organize this parade. He didn't orchestrate his own praise. It was freely given by people who didn't even grasp the full gravity of their words or actions, and who certainly didn't know what would happen later that week. But we do.Paul goes on, “And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross!”[4]Jesus didn't just give up all his powers and privileges. He gave up his life on a cross for you. For all the times you've selfishly claimed your rights and resources and used them solely for your own benefit, Jesus gave up everything had and was for you. For all the times you've prioritized service to self over service to God or others, Jesus made himself a servant to God and to you. He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross – and there he paid the price for your sins and mine. By giving his life, he was forgiving your sins, freeing you from the eternal consequences of your actions, ridding you of all guilt and shame, and filling you with his selfless, self-sacrificing love. Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.[5]The Passover pilgrims on that first Palm Sunday couldn't have possibly predicted what would happen later that week. But you and I know, and that's why we continue to praise his name today. We follow traditions that are thousands of years old, but with more information and therefore also more appreciation for what Christ Jesus has done and what his name means for me now and in the future. Now I can breathlessly mouth that name in silent prayer the moment I first hear the latest piece of news from Ukraine, or from my doctor, or from the family member of a friend who just passed away. “Christ Jesus, you who gave all you are for me and for the world, provide the peace I'm missing, the peace that transcends understanding, the hope that can only come from you, but the confidence of knowing your selfless, self-sacrificing service in love for me and everyone involved.” Now we can join together in confessing our sins and receiving God's forgiveness in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who was so filled with love for you that he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross![6]Now we can impress his name on our children, and teach them to love that 5-letter, 2-syllable word that means the world to everyone who believes. Now we can sing his praise, knowing that it may be too often out of tune and too seldomly done, but that one day soon every knee shall bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.[7]How I look forward to that day, when the praise we give his name on days like today sounds paltry and imperfect compared to the unending hymns of praise we will sing every day and throughout all eternity in the heavenly home of Christ Jesus, the long-promised Saviour of the world, our humble but praiseworthy Lord and King. To him be all glory and honour and praise forever and ever. Amen.[1] John 5:18[2] Luke 19:39,40[3] Philippians 2:6,7[4] Philippians 2:8[5] Philippians 2:9-11[6] Philippians 2:8[7] Philippians 2:10,11 St. Pete's on Repeat RSS

What if God gave out high school-style letter jackets for Christians? Everyone who excelled at a certain part of their faith would earn pins and medals. How many would you have? No matter how many you have, Paul would have had more. But he didn't care! It's not about how many accolades you can rack up or how much praise you receive. Our hope and confidence for the present and the future come from outside of us. As Paul put it, "a righteousness that is not my own." Listen to this week's sermon to see how Christ gives you confidence no matter how many (or few) pins and medals you might earn.

Never in the history of the whole world has there ever been a people more privileged to enjoy God's powerful presence than the Israelites. And yet, a million or more of them died very preventable deaths in the desert. The Apostle Paul warns us that if we're not careful, the same thing could happen to us. Listen to this week's sermon to learn from history so that you're not doomed to repeat it.

Normally it wouldn't be a compliment to be called a chicken. The name implies that you're scared, flighty, likely to run away at the slightest sniff of danger. But when Jesus calls you a chicken, it's the most comforting name you could be given. Listen to this week's sermon to find out why.

Luke 6:27-3827 But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”Know and Show Unnatural LoveSome of you are going to tune out what I have to say today. You'll listen. You might even make eye contact and bob your head in understanding – you'll get it between your ears – but when you hear what I have to say, you'll think to yourself, “There is no way that I am going to do that.” The heart in your chest will laugh out loud, you'll dismiss it, and you'll move on with the rest of your day. This is what I have to say: Love your enemies. I mean, it's not difficult to imagine enmity. We live in a world that is full of hostility and hatred. There were credible rumors that Russia might wage war on Ukraine this week. Our prime minister enacted the emergencies act this week, empowering local police agencies to forcibly bust up blockades and disperse people whose protest began peaceably but has become a lightning rod for hatred and violence. There is plenty of enmity in this world, but Russia isn't my enemy. The protesters and counter-protesters across the country in Ottawa aren't your enemies. That's not who Jesus is telling us to love today. He says, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also…”[1]Your enemy is the person who does these kinds of things to you. He's the troll who lurks on your social media page and cuts you down every chance he gets. She's the person you have history and bad blood with – the one you haven't spoken to in years because you can't stand to be in the same room with each other. It's the neighbour girl who's bullying your children, the brother-in-law who cheated on your sister, the contractor who cheated you out of thousands. If you're like me, you can name the people who have done these things to you. You might even still be able to see their faces in your mind's eye. You might not call them your enemies or your nemeses, but that's who they are; that's what they've done to you. Now imagine that God has gathered up all these people and put them in a police lineup. There's a stack of files on the table in front of you listing all the ways they've hated and hurt you. But Jesus points at them, turns to you and says, “Love your enemies.”Could you do it? Do you love your enemies? What would that even look like? I'm not convinced that we always know – or are willing to admit – what love is. Let me start by telling you what love is not. Love is not a warm and fuzzy feeling you get when you look at someone. You don't have to like someone to love them. Love isn't just a feeling. But love is also not just being nice to people either. You can be nice to people you don't love at all. You can even be nice to people you hate. Love isn't just an action. Love is an attitude. Love starts in the heart. It's a willful way of thinking and feeling about someone. Love does not leave room for anger or bitterness or resentment, even when that person has wronged you. The love that Jesus calls for goes beyond circumstance. It doesn't depend on anything that anyone else does to you or for you. It isn't nullified by hatred; it doesn't require reciprocation. Love is a willful, intentional, unconditional attitude of the heart. But it's also an attitude that takes action. Love is sincere that way. It doesn't just say the right thing, it does the right thing, regardless of whether anyone else does the right thing or not. That's what Jesus says: “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that.”[2]In other words, God calls us to do something that runs contrary to our human nature. It's natural to be nice to people who are nice to you. It's unnatural to be nice to people who hate you. Enemies are not just people we don't care for; they're people who hurt us, who have wronged us, who have brought pain and misery into our lives. And they're the ones God tells us to love! But do we? Do you love your enemy? My guess is that you don't have to search your heart long to find a grudge you're holding onto – resentment, bitterness, anger toward someone who has legitimately hurt you. It's only natural, but it's still sinful, a symptom of a greater spiritual problem in our hearts. When we cannot love our enemies, we're sitting in judgment over them. We're condemning them, i.e. holding their sins against them, if not with our words, at least with our hearts. But Jesus says, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.”[3] In other words, if we hold other people's sins against them, and refuse to forgive them when they hurt us and love them when they hate us, then we should be held to the same standard. Then we should expect not to be forgiven when we hate and hurt other people, when we speak ill of them and give them a taste of their own medicine. Then we should be judged and condemned for our sins.But that's the beauty of God's love for us. It's not like ours. His love isn't conditional; it doesn't depend on whether we love him back. He doesn't just love us when we're loveable. He doesn't just love us because of what we can give to him. If that were the case, he'd never love us at all! No, God loves us in spite of us. Jesus says, “He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.”[4] God is kind to you and me. That's why he sent Jesus. I mean, think about who's saying this to you. It's not me! This is not my idea. It's Jesus. Jesus is the one who is telling you to love your enemy. And Jesus is not telling you to do anything he was unwilling to do for you. Jesus loved his enemies. The Jewish leaders were plotting to kill him for the better part of a year. One of his own disciples had decided to betray him. And yet Jesus didn't run away or hide from the Pharisees and Sadducees. He didn't curse out Judas. He kept preaching and teaching to them, giving them every opportunity to change their hearts and their minds. Even when Jesus was on trial for his life – accused of crimes he did not commit, abused at the hands of his own countrymen, nailed to a tree by callous Roman soldiers – he didn't curse anyone, he didn't fight back. He prayed for them! He asked his Father in heaven to forgive them, even as they were in the process of killing him! Someone once said that forgiveness is a necessary part of love, and that to forgive someone means that you are choosing to bear all the hurt and pain yourself, to spare the person who did you wrong the guilt or shame that they deserve to feel. We don't always do that. We want the people who hurt us to feel the pain they inflicted on us, even if they apologize. We want the person who embarrassed us, to writhe in discomfort as they beg for forgiveness. But not Jesus. That's not God's love for you. Jesus chose to bear all the hurt and pain himself. He didn't hold a stitch of it against us. In love he forgave us. He embodied everything he calls for from us. He loved his enemies. He did good to us, he blessed us, he prayed for us, even though we sinned and continue to sin against him. He was willing to give everything for you without expecting to receive anything from you in return. That's how much God loves you. “He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.”[5] Jesus loves you and forgives you. But he even goes beyond that. He gives you a new lease on life and a new way to look at the world. You don't have to scratch and claw and demand that people treat you with respect. That doesn't make you a doormat for people to walk all over. It makes you like Christ, your Saviour, who showed you perfect love, and now invites you to reflect that love to your enemies. You don't have to insist on being treated properly by everybody. You can even be treated poorly and painfully. That doesn't mean you're losing out on the best that life has to offer. It means that you already have the best that Jesus has to offer. He says, “Love your enemies… then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High.”[6] Our reward is our relationship with God, and there's no better relationship that we could enjoy than being his children.Love your enemies. It's easier said than done, but our Saviour said and did it for you. Now may his love inspire yours in return, and may his words not fall on deaf ears, but on forgiven hearts that are ready and eager to be merciful, just as our Father is merciful. Amen. [1] Luke 6:27-29[2] Luke 6:32,33[3] Luke 6:37[4] Luke 6:35[5] Luke 6:35[6] Luke 6:35 St. Pete's on Repeat RSS

Would you rather be a bush in the desert whose very life depends on every drop of moisture that falls from the sky? Or would you rather be a tree planted by a stream of water that never runs dry? When you put it like that, it doesn't sound like much of a choice. Then, why do we so often choose the bush? Jeremiah explains why in his prophecy and the answer has everything to do with where we root our hearts. Listen to this week's sermon to learn more.

If anyone should go and tell the world about Jesus, who should it be? Should it be that one friend who's gone through the crucible and has come out the other side with even stronger faith? Should it be your pastor who has literally trained for years to do just that? What about you? Why not you? The people who are the most qualified to speak about God's goodness and mercy are those who have received it themselves. Not even the angels in heaven have that kind of qualification. But you do. That's why God calls, cleanses, and commissions you to for him, so that you can bring the saving news of Jesus to those who need it most.

At our church, it's immediately obvious that baptism is a big deal. You literally have to walk around a 3,000lb baptismal font the instant you walk through the front door. We literally built the church around the font. Why? Because of 3 words that Paul wrote to his friend Titus about baptism: He saved us. Listen to this week's sermon to unpack those 3 words and see what they mean for you.

Jesus is the Light of the World that brings salvation to the ends of the earth. Listen to this Epiphany sermon to hear how he shines in you and through you.

What kinds of preparations do you still need to make before Christmas? Do you have to get the cards in the mail, the presents under the tree, cookies in the oven? While you're preparing your house and home, don't forget to prepare your heart. That's why God sent John the Baptist - to teach us how to prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ at Christmas. Listen to this week's sermon to learn how to repent and why you can rejoice this Advent season.

Some of the things God calls us to do sound silly, or sometimes even irresponsible. But the account of Palm Sunday reminds us that Jesus has the power, right, wisdom, and - most importantly - the will to work through you to accomplish his purposes. Listen to this week's sermon to find out more.

Who has the most authority in your life - your parents, your partner, your premier? Who gets the most glory? Who has the most power over what you do? Sometimes it feels like life is not only out of your control, but it's out of God's too. On Christ the King Sunday we remember who the real King of kings is, and what makes Jesus different than every other king that has ever or will ever live. Catch this weeks sermon to celebrate Christ as your King now, forever and always.

We don't know much about what the future holds, but in the last words of his last prophecy to Daniel, God does reveal 4 key things that we can expect for our future. Listen to this week's sermon to find out why you have reason both for fear and confidence.

What if there was a book that recorded every single thing you did wrong, every hasty comment, every uncharitable thought? Spoiler: There is! And not only that, but there will also come a day when that book will opened and read aloud for everyone to hear, and God will sit in judgment over your eternal soul. How confident would you be of a favourable verdict? What are the chances that you would escape punishment? For Christians, we have all the confidence in the world - not because what is or isn't written in that book, but because of the one who will read it. Listen to this week's sermon to find out where your confidence comes from.

What gives Christians confidence in the face of opposition and oppression? The story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego serves as an inspiration for raising children in God's Word, persisting in faith even when circumstances aren't favourable, but above all, it is a story about putting faith in the God who saves. Listen to this week's sermon to see how all these truths apply to you today.

Sometimes when we read God's Word, especially sections like the 10 Commandments or James' epistle with all it's directions and instructions, we can come away feeling like Christianity is all about following the rules. In reality, God is not after what you can offer him by what you say or do. God is after your heart. In this week's sermon we explore a little bit more what it means to give your heart to God.

There is a big difference between what the world considers to be wise, and what God calls wise. Listen to this week's sermon to learn more.

You can't exactly hear faith by using a stethoscope, or see it by scanning your body with an MRI machine. But God has given you tools to assess the vitality of your faith. Listen to this week's sermon to find out whether your faith is dead or alive, and what you can do to resuscitate it.

What is your wealth worth to you? Is it a safety/security thing? Is it a status symbol? Is it a way for you to do the things you love to do? Those are all very common ways to view the value of worldly wealth. The problem is that's not the value God places on the wealth he gives you. Listen to this week's sermon to hear the true value of what God gives you, and how you can use that wealth wisely.

Do you believe in Jesus? If someone challenged you to prove that, how would you? James offers one option: Do what God says you should do! James isn't writing a blueprint for how to get to heaven. He's not suggesting that we can earn God's love. He's laying out a blueprint for how to live the Christian life here on earth, and showing us how we can show gratitude for God's love. And it all starts with closing our mouths and opening our ears - being quick to listen and slow to speak. Listen to this week's sermon to learn more about living the Christian life.