The Valley Of Hinnom - Everything You need To Know For Sunday
Hi Dear Church!
Michael Scott once said: Would I rather be feared or loved? Easy. Both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me.
Christ has always been at the centre of how I read the Bible. Jesus is the image of the invisible God! Therefore, Jesus is what God looks like and it is the most compelling part of the Bible to me, I've always loved Jesus; his life, teachings, and sacrifice He made. But this week was one of the first times I came to His words and felt truly puzzled. I'm ok with challenging teachings of Jesus, of course! But this time it was a little further than I'm used to, and I'll tell you why: Jesus is addressing fear in Matthew 10:16-33, and he gives the disciples two reasons not to be afraid of the coming persecution: 1. God is a lot scarier than the persecution you will face, so be more afraid of Him because he can send you to hell. 2. Don't be afraid because God is good, loving, and will take care of you.
My head was spinning: which one is it? Should we not be afraid because God is a lot scarier because he can cast us into hell? or because God is loving and even counts the numbers of hairs on our head? Can love and fear exist together like this?
I had to just sit with the tension, and the question and I just wanted to ask Jesus how these two things can work together? A threat followed by love? I sat and wrestled. And I still wrestle. But, something came to me through the Valley of Hinnom, and I look forward to sharing it with you all on Sunday. It's good to wrestle, I always find a better understanding of God at the other end. God is good. He's better than you can even imagine.
How to Join our Sunday Worship Service
It all starts at 10:30am this Sunday. You can join us:
By phone: +1 587 328 1099 then punch in the Meeting ID: 837 3523 5701
Check out the Sunday program with more important info for Sunday: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uiUW2NckYRlHvVF0vAFjllB6EmJYM_hl/view?usp=sharing
How to join our Sunday school call
We have a special call just for kids ages 4-12 which happens from 9:45am-10:25am on Sunday. You simply need to set-up your child or children with the zoom call, print off the colouring sheet, and we will take it from there!
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/72224822926?pwd=T3ZBNGQwU3AyeTRJNlFvVUpYWHJ0QT09
Meeting ID: 722 2482 2926
Passcode: V4FF08
Printable Colouring Sheet and Lesson plan is here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1p3s6aEeY4cTy8_ThwZtYH2gEzPpj_-6D/view?usp=sharing
I pray you come to see God as Jesus saw His father: as good and trustworthy. Wherever you're at, God loves you. See you Sunday!
Justin
