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Pondering

Matt George · Apr 12, 2023 ·

We sit pondering about God…

about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Our 1 God who is 3 persons…

We develop analogies that all fall short,

and concepts that are always imperfect.

All while missing the ‘I am who I am,’ that spoke to Moses.

The God who is all around us, waiting for us to get lost in their mystery.

Learning to be okay with analogies that all fall short,

and concepts that are always imperfect.

Learning to celebrate that our God is 1 being in 3 persons.

Revealed to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Then we will get up and walk with them…… into the unknown.

Trusting God

Matt George · Mar 2, 2023 ·

Have you ever been through a hard time and had someone say to you, “Just trust God.”? I know I have heard this at times and this response will often make my blood pressure rise. It is not that this statement is untrue but it is often a hard thing to do. How do we trust God when in the middle of a storm, with no control, and in an age of scepticism? This month in March at church we are going to explore this together and discover the tools needed to trust God in all seasons of life.

Please understand this doesn’t mean we won’t get it wrong or have times of doubt. It simply means we will know the tools to use so we can sit in front of Jesus and have him hold us, repeating to us, “I Know.”

Because while the storms rage, with no control, and in an age of scepticism, Jesus holds us every step of the way. We must practice and discover the art of trusting God. This involves us letting go of our idea of perfection, control, and wanting all the answers. When we do this we are meet by a God of pure love, who knows.

Jesus Have Mercy on Me

Matt George · Feb 7, 2023 ·

My world feels heavy and I can’t not bring myself to keep moving forward.

I go outside to look at the trees and take off my shoes so I can feel the earth.

“Jesus Have Mercy on Me.” I pray as my feet connect with the soil.

Looking around I notice some birds attempting to claim my leftover lunch, that missed my mouth when eating earlier.

The breeze blows through my hair providing some relief from the heat.

“Jesus Have Mercy on Me.” I pray again as I continue to centre myself.

The world seems a little bit lighter and I feel I can take the next step.

One step at a time seems to make life more manageable and less heavy.

“Jesus Have Mercy on Me.” I say as I got back inside.

Jesus Stood Still

Matt George · Dec 28, 2022 ·

There is a story in the Gospel of Matthew found in chapter 20 in verses 29 to 34. In this story Jesus’s ministry is growing and this story takes place before he cleanses the temple in Jerusalem.

          In this story he is leaving Jericho on his way to Jerusalem, where he will suffer the incredibly painful death of crucifixion.  On his way leaving Jericho, there are two blind man who hear that he is coming. They scream out to him and get told to be quiet, which leads them to scream out louder until Jesus hears. Then Jesus stops in the middle of this massive following and calls for them. The blindmen approach nervously and then are asked what they want… I imagine time would have stood still why they worked up the courage to ask, “LORD let our eyes be open.” This moment moves Jesus with compassion and leads to Christ healing them. These two men who are healed decide to follow Jesus and live a truly transformed life.

          What I find amazing about this story is that before the healing, we read that Jesus ‘stood still.’ How often do we stand still to hear God’s direction for us? What miracles are we missing because we don’t get stil long enough for God? I want to encourage you to take time in the beginning of this year to be still with Christ, so you can partner with them in the healings they desire to bring their creation.

Love Does Not Harm

Matt George · Dec 16, 2022 ·

The following is from Richard Rohr Daily Meditation from the Centre for Action and Contemplation. We hope the following will encourage you to sit with God in quiet contemplation.

Theologian Karen Baker-Fletcher speaks to paradox—the goodness of God and creation do not cause us to avoid suffering in our world and daily life, but to seek to love even more:

How can there be so much joy, pleasure and beauty in life? How can there be so much pain, hurt, suffering, and death? Why and how have these things come to pass? What is God’s intention for human life and for the rest of creation? Doesn’t God will something more for us—a love that does no harm? Doesn’t God will for us a compassionate and caring love, rather than a false love that strips humanity and creation of dignity? Can we experience such love in this life? Or do we have to wait until the hereafter—life after death? These are questions about the kingdom of God. They have to do with God’s intention for the reign of God. They make us consider our own responsibility as participants in God’s activity of a love that does no harm in the here and now, whether we are straight or gay, men or women, children or adults, laity or clergy. . . .

This life is good, valuable, and worth living. Hope is not only in the future. Hope is in the present.

From a womanist perspective, the reign of God does not have to do with a far-off, abstract, otherworldly, alien, and alienated place. To the contrary, the promise of the fulfillment of the Spirit’s healing, creating presence on earth is woven together with apocalyptic hope in the midst of the daily work and struggles of life. The reign of the Spirit is an ever-present reality. The hereafter is in the here and now. We live into it in our everyday acts. God moves as the strength of life, present in history and creation. God as the strength of life is the power of life. Given such power, whom should we fear? That which is the very strength of life transforms fear into faith, salvation, and hope. It means that we do not have to accept injustice and abuse while we wait for some better, eternal life in a world beyond the present. We can live into a love that is eternal and does no harm in the here and now. [1]

[1] Karen Baker-Fletcher, Sisters of Dust, Sisters of Spirit: Womanist Wordings on God and Creation (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1998), 117–118, 120–121.

The Heart of A Psalmist

Matt George · Nov 1, 2022 ·

In the month of November, we will be doing a series called The Heart of a Psalmist. The goal of this series is to dive into the Psalms and develop an authentic heart for God like we read throughout this part of scripture. This book was put together in the Second Temple Period (around 5th century B.C.E). The collection of this book is divided into 5 sections (1-41, 42-72, 73 – 89, 90 – 106, 107 – 150) which is indicated by a prose doxology of praise to God (except the 5th book).

          Psalms is a book of poetry but not in a rhythm sense rather in its drawing of parallelism.  It is often hard to translate due to Biblical Hebrew being a synthetic language opposed to analytic languages like English. A synthetic language combines multiple concepts into each word, while an analytic language breaks up concepts into separate words. The poetry of this sacred book finds away to still speak to us regardless of the translating difficulties.

Psalms seems to speak to our hearts and is often a book we search in times of trouble, sadness, anger, and exhilaration. May we learn to speak to God in an authentic way and develop The Heart of a Psalmist. Knowing that, “If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.” – Psalms 139:8 NRSV

Unknowing

Matt George · May 11, 2022 ·

Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditations from the Center for Action and Contemplation – May 11th, 2022

In his poem “Glosa á lo Divino,” John of the Cross reveals his deep trust in the mystery of “not knowing,” confident that it will lead him into greater intimacy with God. We share with you Mirabai Starr’s translation.

I would not sacrifice my soul 
for all the beauty of this world. 

There is only one thing
for which I would risk everything: 
an I-don’t-know-what
that lies hidden
in the heart of the Mystery. 

The taste of finite pleasure
leads nowhere.
All it does is exhaust the appetite 
and ravage the palate.
And so, I would not sacrifice my soul 
for all the sweetness of this world. 

But I would risk everything 
for an I-don’t-know-what 
that lies hidden
in the heart of the Mystery. 

The generous heart
does not collapse into the easy things, 
but rises up in adversity.
It settles for nothing.
Faith lifts it higher and higher. 

Such a heart savors
an I-don’t-know-what
found only in the heart of the Mystery. 

The soul that God has touched 
burns with love-longing.
Her tastes have been transfigured. 
Ordinary pleasures sicken her. 
She is like a person with a fever; 
nothing tastes good anymore. 

All she wants
is an I-don’t-know-what 
locked in the heart of 
the Mystery. . . .

I will never lose myself
for anything the senses can taste, 
nor for anything the mind can grasp, 
no matter how sublime, 
    how delicious.
I will not pause for beauty,
I will not linger over grace.
I am bound for
an I-don’t-know-what
deep within the heart of the Mystery.

—John of the Cross, Glosa á lo Divino, trans. Mirabai Starr

Domestication of the Cross

Matt George · Apr 26, 2022 ·

In our final message we looked at the Domestication of the Cross and how the cross should launch us to action for those being persecuted and treated as outcasts today. Below you will find the Podcast of this message due to our Video Camera having issues.

Shining Story

Matt George · Mar 3, 2022 ·

In our upcoming series called Shining Star we are diving into the book of Esther. This is an incredible book where God is never mentioned but is constantly working. In this series we are going to explore four things from Esther.

First, we are going to look at Moral Ambiguity & God because this book is full of drinking, sex, and broken Torah commands. Which doesn’t allow us to stay and black & white thinking, with a God that is working throughout all these moments.

Next, we will look at how this story can help us find the Courage to Pivot the Narratives forced upon us by society. Esther finds the courage to pivot a narrative that was going to lead to the mass genocide of her people.

After covering these two things we will have a special Sunday where the Kids & Youth take over our Church service. In this service they will help us discover more about looking out for God in action.

To conclude this series, we will explore how The Movement of God is Seen if we are willing to go on the journey of discovery. The author of Esther invites us on this journey by working tirelessly to avoid mentioning God by name or using religious language.

You Are Worthy

Matt George · Feb 15, 2022 ·

You Are Worthy

Let that sink in….

Too often we believe a lie.

A lie that traps us in fear.

Making us believe we are Unworthy.

This fear gains strength through misunderstanding of Scripture.

God has given each of us his divine spark.

The Breath of life was given to all humanity.

We all have a capacity for sinfulness,

While also having a divine image to shine.

God desires relationship with humanity because we are Worthy.

Our creator made us in a divine image,

And we each something special to bring to our world.

So, always remember YOU ARE WORTHY.

Just US

Matt George · Dec 7, 2021 ·

Have you noticed the ‘Us & Them’ rhetoric from all different angles lately? The rhetoric is not new, but we are becoming more polarizing each day. This extreme polarization is fueled by three main things: Social Media, Keyboards, & Fear. Let me unpack what I mean and how these things are like petrol being poured on a fire.

Social Media is set up to get a reaction and keep our eyes on the screen. A complex computer algorithm has figured out the thing that keeps humans glued to a screen. which is often our outrage. We spend time on our phone looking at things the algorithm knows will keep our attention. Social Media is even where many of us will get our news reports, which are fixed to meet the algorithm we created. This means we often don’t hear from opposing opinions unless it is a click bait item which will spark outrage. This has stopped us from seeing the perspective of the other, keeping us entangled in our algorithm where we feel it is ‘Us & Them’.

Keyboards enable the fire set by the social media algorithm to grow faster. We can show easily pick the other apart when they remain an object. This allows us to speak to people by typing things on a keyboard we would never say in person. We become disconnected from the other, unable to see them as a person. Since there is no social interaction which creates a lack of social cues, there is a constant state of misunderstanding. A voice is created in our head about how the person sounded, and the social cues they are giving which often is not accurate. We stay brave behind our keyboards saying things and creating social cues for the other while dehumanizing them.

Fear keeps us in this place where we stay trapped behind our keyboard and create friendship groups that are presented to us by our social algorithm. What else are we to do but see the world becoming increasingly divisive, which allows our fear takes hold of us, telling us to stay away from the other. A narrative is created in our head where the other (those who don’t agree with us) are out to get us and lack the level of humanity we possess. Making us conclude that the only we can do is fear them because they will hurt, attack, and potentially show us there is more to the narrative developed inside our heads.

Our society is facing an out-of-control forest fire where we are attempting to create a world where it is ‘Us & Them.’ Pushing rhetoric and narratives that enable us to dehumanize someone who thinks differently. I believe as followers of Christ it is time to do the work in putting out this forest fire because there is no ‘Us & Them‘, there is JUST US. We are all humans created with a divine spark, and Genesis 1:27 makes that clear,

“So God created man*Hebrew word here includes both men and women* in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” – ESV

As Christians let’s show the world there is only JUST US by stepping out of comfort zones. Building relationships with the others who think differently to us and having face to face conversations while enjoying a meal, coffee, beer, or wine together. Hearing the heart of others without attempting to tell them how they are wrong. Creating an atmosphere where we can share our opinions without judgement and persecution because we are all humans doing the best we can on this planet. Always remembering that,

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” John 3:16-17 ESV

by Pastor Matt George

True Community

Matt George · Oct 6, 2021 ·

Have you ever wondered about what it means to build true community? The Early Church was known for building true community that found favor among all people regardless of religious difference. We read this in Acts 2:42-47

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

As Christians we should be known by the true communities we build. Communities that are inclusive, gracious, and supportive. Where people could disagree with our religious standpoint but be unable to fault our ability to build communities that holistically looks after individuals. Sadly, this is not what the Church and Christians are known for throughout our world.

We are doing a series diving into how we can build these kinds of communities like the Early Church. This would enable the church to become contagious again and help others connect with the love, grace, mercy, and peace of Christ that surpass all understanding. Our hearts as Christians should always be to remove any obstacle stopping others from connecting with the heart of God.

Listen to Others

Matt George · Aug 6, 2021 ·

Check out our recent Midweek Devotional where we hear the Communion Message from Mal Spooner (August 1st, 2021).

More Rooms?

Matt George · Jul 29, 2021 ·

Check out our Midweek Devotional about our upcoming series for the month of August.

The Good Samaritan

Matt George · Jul 7, 2021 ·

Check out our recent Podcast that takes a deep dive into the story about the Good Samaritan.

Encouragement

Matt George · Jul 6, 2021 ·

Check out our Midweek Devotional on Encouragement by watching the YouTube video included in this post.

Rebuke of Mary

Matt George · Jul 6, 2021 ·

Check out our recent Podcast that dives into the Rebuke of Mary.

Cling to the Promise

Matt George · May 26, 2021 ·

The following is a spiritual imperative from Henri J. M. Nouwen book titled The Inner Voice of Love: A Journey Through Anguish to Freedom.

Do not tell everyone your story. You will only end up feeling more rejected. People cannot give you what you long for in your heart. The more you expect from people’s response to your experience of abandonment, the more you will feel exposed to ridicule.

You have to close yourself to the outside world so you can enter your own heart and the heart of God through your pain. God will send to you the people with whom you can share your anguish, who can lead you closer to the true source of love.

God is faithful to God’s promise. Before you die, you will find the acceptance and the love you crave. It will not come in the way you expect. It will not follow your needs and wishes. But it will fill your heart and satisfy your deepest desire. There is nothing to hold on to but this promise. Everything else has been taken away from you. Cling to that naked promise in faith. Your faith will heal you.

The First Appearance

Matt George · Apr 8, 2021 ·

Check out this Midweek Devotional where we look at the first appearance of Jesus after the resurrection in the Gospel of John.

New Lens

Matt George · Apr 6, 2021 ·

Listen to our Good Friday Message and may God’s grace and peace be with you.

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