Good morning! I hope you’re making this a great week. I’m generally not a big hockey fan (I know, how un-Canadian of me!) but I have to say it was great to see the NHL kick off their season. To me, it’s a little bit of normal which I’m glad to see. Plus, I’m very interested in the new all-Canadian division. Who knows, I might even start to follow it again as a result. There’s lots of things changing but not all change is bad I remind myself since I’m a guy who typically HATES change. I guess it depends on how you look at it.
Join us on Sunday! Join us on our livestream on Sunday as I continue our new series for the winter called “I AM: Jesus in his own words”. This Sunday we’ll be looking at Jesus statement: “I AM the light of the world.” What did he mean then and how does that apply to us today in 2021? Find our Sunday! As a reminder, our services are now livestreamed only in respect to the province’s current lockdown order. Please tune in either on Facebook Live or through our website www.guelphbiblechapel.ca or now on our YouTube channel! I hope to ‘see’ you on Sunday! Update from the elders I’ve had a number of people ask me already what the Ontario government’s new ‘stay-at-home’ order means and it’s a great question! We elders have discussed this. As we see it, we affirm the premier's order and the importance of doing our part but also we see our core functions as a church continuing on unchanged. When you read the actual order as published by the government and not get caught up in the media or commentary on social media, there’s no real change for activities and gatherings that would be considered “religious” in nature. I’d say I appreciate the government trying to strike a balance here and we will seek to be respectful of the degree of freedom we’ve been given and would encourage all of you to take the same approach. What this means is we don’t see this changing our gatherings or services; we do see that the premier and government's stay-at-home order as important to heed generally as an indication of the seriousness of the situation. I hope that clarifies. I’d encourage you to pray for wisdom for all of us as we navigate these tricky times. Thought for the Day: Renewal for a new year So, here’s the third thought, or tip, I’d like to share about finding resolve to carry on through the year: 3. Renew New Year’s should not just be a time of looking forward, it also should be a time of renewing old commitments, like marriage, family, and church. Before we begin grand plans to lose weight or develop a new skill—good creational goals—let’s begin by renewing the core commitments we already have. Our most vital work is what we do within the walls of our homes—loving our spouses or our parents and raising our children or co-operating with siblings. This creates an atmosphere of godliness and grace. We live out the gospel best when we live it out in the daily rhythms of repentance and forgiveness with loved ones. We must reject the lie that says success requires abandoning family commitments. We should also renew ourselves to the faithful body life of our church. This is not a shameless plug for GBC (no, really!). The local church is the center of God’s mission in the world, where we gather in community to declare Christ’s kingship each week, and where we work out our salvation in fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12) with brothers and sisters in Jesus. Do you need to get more closely connected with your church family? There’s lots of ways, even during Covid. Not sure how? Get in touch with me and I’d love to help you. Commitments to marriage, family, and church don’t always look or feel significant. But faithfulness in these core things over a long period is a radical, countercultural life. They form the habits of a disciple and show the world what it looks like to be a Christian. Renew your relationships, commit to them, and life will be more than bearable, it’ll become joyful. In His grip, Pastor Chris
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Pastor Chris"At GBC we're serious about the Bible, serious about the truths that are found in it and living in Him but also like to laugh, cry and experience life together." Archives
January 2024
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