Daily Prayer Request – Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Pray for Unity in the Spirit. Pray that we will all have a similar desire to see God’s will done through and in HMC. Pray against satan’s tricks being used in our midst e.g hurts, anger, unforgiveness. Pray that we would keep our eyes on God’s leading and trust Him to sort out the things we don’t understand.

Walking With Jesus – Prayer Exercise

SCRIPTURE:

Read the Scripture several times until you feel “at home” with the passage.

Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; they were kept from recognizing him.
He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”
They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
“What things?” he asked.
“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”
He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.
When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.”

—Luke 24:13-34

REFLECTION:

Imagine this interaction happening now and that you are an active participant on the road.

Who is on the journey with you?
What does the landscape look like?
What are some of the sights and sounds that surround you?
How would you feel about Jesus visiting your home?
What would conversation involve?
What is Jesus response to your questions?

Picture sitting and eating with Jesus. Imagine Jesus reaching for the bread, asking God’s blessing on it and then sharing the loaf with you. Can you feel the warmth, smell the sweet aroma, and taste the goodness of God?

Scripture says “their eyes were opened and they recognized him”

  • Where have you recognized Jesus walking with you this past week?
  • Who else has been a companion on the road and with whom you have shared and heard share life stories this past week?
  • What can we offer as a prayer for those who have travelled along the road (wisdom, peace, physical & spiritual healing, thanks).

Bulletin – April 1, 2018

Thank you for choosing to celebrate the Risen Saviour with us this morning!

A big THANK YOU to the Missions Planning Team and the Men in Action for putting together a wonderful Easter breakfast. And thank you to all of you who took part. Your donations will make a difference in the lives of Saugeen First Nations children!

If you’re able to help with the clean up, please make your way downstairs to the kitchen following the service.

HMC EVENTS

Our office will be closed tomorrow for Easter Monday.

The Young at Heart are welcoming Spring with a focus on healthy living as they gather on Thursday, April 12 at 11:00 with special guest Amy Dow from the Hanover Health Team. Hot luncheon will follow. $16 tickets are available in the foyer today.

Join us on Sunday, April 15 at 6:00 p.m. for another evening of prayer.

PRAYER REQUESTS

Please continue to uphold Rick Pake in prayer as he faces health concerns. Also pray for Pam and family as they journey together.

Please pray for the couples who have signed up for the couples retreat later this month. Pray that God would being to work in their hearts even now as they prepare for a time of reconnection and growth.

CELEBRATE!

You are invited to help Phylis Klein celebrate her 90th birthday with a Come & Go gathering on Saturday, April 14 from 2-5 p.m. in the overflow.

PLEASE NOTE

We have been doing some reorganizing of offices. Due to these changes, the Admin Centre is no longer available for meetings. Please remember to let the church office know when you are planning to use the building for any meetings or gathering.

If you haven’t yet picked up your Large Print Daily Bread please grab it from the reception desk.

HIKE FOR HOSPICE The Grey/Bruce Hospice CHAPMAN HOUSE has been in operation for almost one year. This facility is always at capacity with a long waiting list. Fundraising is happening to go towards opening more beds. Support this cause by sponsoring someone participating in the hike on Sunday, May 6. Talk to Evelyn Howe, Brenda Kaufman, or Lyndsay McGregor to donate.

Embracing the Call – Easter Prayer Exercise

SCRIPTURE:

When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.
Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, but even with so many the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.
When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”
Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”
Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”

—John 21:9-22

REFLECTION:

Read the text a couple of times and imagine you are on the beach with the disciples and Jesus. What do you see, hear, smell and taste? Pay attention to the thoughts and emotions that are stirred within you as you listen.

Imagine you are Peter. How do you feel when Jesus keeps asking you in you love him? How do feel about what Jesus asks you to do to demonstrate your love?

In what way have you been tempted to compare your path of following Jesus to someone else’s?

In what way is Jesus calling you to demonstrate love for him by loving others?

What does it mean for you to keep your eyes focused on Jesus without comparing your journey to someone else’s?

Take some time to pray, asking God to guide you on your journey.

(Sharon Garlough Brown: Extra Mile: A Story of Embracing God’s Call p306)

Make Our Guests Feel Welcome This Easter!

 

Hey Everyone!

 

Easter is quickly coming upon us, and if you are like me, you are getting excited for the service Easter Sunday morning!  I love the celebration of the reality that Jesus did not stay dead, but He is alive, giving new life to all who will accept it!

 

Easter is a great time for new faces to check out our church.  Easter is one of those seasons where guests are more likely to accept an invite.  So I want to encourage you to do four things this Easter that will help our guests feel welcomed here at HMC:

 

1) Invite your friends!  If you want them to feel welcome here, they first need an invite.  And everyone loves a good celebration.  What a great day to invite your friends to be a part of!

 

2) Park with your heart:  Someone told me this phrase this week, and I love it.  Serve our guests from the heart by where you park.  Our parking lot is getting full, so if you can park in the far away spots, or maybe on the street to make room for our guests, or even walk to church if the weather is nice, that would go a long way in creating space for our guests.

 

3) Find new faces and genuinely welcome them:  If you see new people in the church, go over and say hi.  This doesn’t have to be weird, or overdone, but go over and introduce yourself, and welcome them here.  And be ready to answer any questions they may have about where they need to be in our facility.  Being new is a scary thing, but a warm welcome quickly makes people comfortable.

 

4) Make space in our space:  When you have guests in your home, you make space for them.  Maybe you give up your favourite chair or spot so that they can be comfortable.  Our church is also our space that guests are coming into.  Our space is looking more full each week, and will be even more full this weekend.  With that in mind, please (if you are physically able), make room for those coming in by moving to the centre of the rows of seating, leaving the empty spaces on the aisles so that open seats are easy to find for our visitors.  It has been said that once your church appears to be 80% full, visitors feel like there is no room for them.  We would never want our visitors to feel like there is no room for them to join us.  Please open up space by moving in.

 

Breakfast is at 8am until 9:30 Sunday morning, and our service will start right at 10am.  It will be an exciting service right from the start, so make sure you don’t miss it!

 

—Dave

Misplaced Worship — Sermon Video

Matthew 21:1-11 New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King

21 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

5 “Say to Daughter Zion,
    ‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
    and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”[a]

6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

“Hosanna[b] to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”[c]

“Hosanna[d] in the highest heaven!”

10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Footnotes:

  1. Matthew 21:5 Zech. 9:9
  2. Matthew 21:9 A Hebrew expression meaning “Save!” which became an exclamation of praise; also in verse 15
  3. Matthew 21:9 Psalm 118:25,26
  4. Matthew 21:9 A Hebrew expression meaning “Save!” which became an exclamation of praise; also in verse 15

New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

 

Key Idea:

Do you worship for an experience, or because of substance?

1) Jesus as an earthly, victorious king:

a.) Palm branches
b.) The covered road
c.) A lack of understanding
d.) Cries for deliverance

2) Jesus as the eternal Saviour:

a.) Riding a colt
b.) The completion of prophecy
c.) Jesus knew who He was

Application: How do we avoid misplaced worship?

1) We worship Jesus just because He is God.
2) Seek simply to worship, without preference–based restrictions.

Are You Praying for Your Pastor?

I can’t say it enough: “I need your prayer support.” In fact, that would be the reality for all our pastoral staff here at HMC. We need the people of HMC regularly taking time to pray for us.

I often wonder what the affect would be on our church if the church were to commit to praying for our pastoral team?

We would love it if you would pray for us.

Check out this video (ignore the first minute of preamble) for some important reasons why the church needs to be praying for their pastors.

—Pastor Dave

Daily Prayer Request – Monday, March 26, 2018

Pray for increased creativity. As God leads, may out staff and leadership be able to be creative, and may we have the courage to try new things as God leads by His Spirit. May we be excited with a willingness to try new things in new ways as we seek to Gather and Go, and as we do, may we be sensitive to God’s lead.

In The Garden – Easter Prayer Exercise

SCRIPTURE:

Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch[d] with me.” And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”
—MATTHEW 26:36-46

REFLECTION:

Ponder that Jesus is returning to the scene of the crime – the garden, the place where Adam and Eve committed the first sin. Now Jesus knows the time has come for Him to suffer, die and be raised to life to pay the price for our sin.

Imagine you are Christ in the garden. Imagine how would you pray to God. If you were Jesus,

  • What would you pray for?
  • How would you react i
  • If you knew you were going to suffer?
  • How does God respond?What feelings bubble up inside you?

ACTION:

Now focus on a concern/burden/suffering you have in the present (e.g.: health, work, financial, relationship, addiction, etc). Instead of focusing on the problem, instead of focusing on the pain, anxiety, stress – surrender those feelings and turn to God; let your first reaction be a prayer. When you are ready, speak to God from your heart.