Wilderness Wanderings

A Christian devotional for the wandering journey of the Christian life. New devotionals Monday, Wednesday & Friday, created by pastor Michael Bootsma of Immanuel Christian Reformed Church of Hamilton, occasionally featuring guests. The Sunday sermon at Immanuel is also downloaded. Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Staying on the Altar 01/07/2026

Staying on the Altar Don’t pay back evil with evil…My dear friends, don’t try to get even. Leave room for God to show his anger…Scripture says, “If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. By doing those things, you will pile up burning coals on their heads.” Don’t let evil overcome you. Overcome evil by doing good (17-21). The Heidelberg Catechism teaches us that we have a natural tendency to hate God and our neighbor (A 5). That seems about right. To repay evil with good seems overly optimistic. Getting even is our natural bent. Have you ever seen a three-year-old, when another child takes his toy, offer a second as well? Hardly. The child immediately works to retrieve said toy, often violently. Whether its children playing in the park or adults striving to get ahead, we do not tolerate others doing us harm. Our immediate reaction is to seek retaliation. But God calls Christians to be different. This is one of the unique qualities of the followers of Jesus. Romans 12 begins with a view of God’s mercy, we offer ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to him. This conclusion, “overcome evil by doing good”, is where we keep crawling off the alter! God wants us to return good for evil and we say, ‘fat chance’, we want justice, in other words, vengeance. In life, we encounter truly difficult people–individuals who wound us, wrong us, betray us, making us want to strike back. Justice, we think, demands that they know the harm they’ve caused and receive punishment. We believe that this is our right. Yet, as gospel people, a sincere, forgiving love should be our response. This is how we embody the gospel of our God in Christ: “overcoming evil with good.” This is what Jesus did in his ministry and, ultimately, in his death. Jesus met the evil of this world head on with love and grace, not balled-up fists and merciless judgment. Living in love and harmony with difficult and evil people is what it means to be caught up in the rhythms of the gospel. That’s who we are as Christian people. It’s wrong to get the greatest gift of God’s grace and then turn right around and take revenge on others. “My dear friends” could be translated, “my dear agape people”. Agape is that special, divine love that we get by grace alone. People who have been graced with God’s agape can’t turn around and live vengeful lives. Bad things happen. That is an unhappy fact of life in this world. The gospel calls us to absorb such evil, to show Christ to the world not just when doing that is easy but to display the grace of Jesus precisely when it is most difficult. Others will say we have a right to justice; to see the evil doer punished. The gospel demands something else. The only way into this life is to keep God’s mercy towards me clearly in view; to remain submitted to God’s way instead of the world’s system. We can’t do this on our own. But that has been Paul’s contention all along, “in view of God’s mercy.” We have received; therefore, we can give. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: “May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he’ll do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39634300

Finding Rest 01/05/2026

Finding Rest Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress; I will not be shaken (Psalm 62:5-6). Well, Advent and Christmas are behind us again. Our wall calendars have been exchanged for fresh ones (if we still use those). This means that Wilderness Wanderings returns to its Avodah series. A refresher is likely needed. What is this series about? Why return to it? Here is why: the rhythm of work and rest was established by God in the beginning. It was part of his declaration: “It is very good”. Since the fall, it has been especially important to maintain this rhythm. It keeps reminding us that we are creatures and not gods. As such, we are finite, limited. We need replenishing: physically and spiritually. Regular rest times put us in a place of dependence on God. Rest also puts our work in context. We are created to be productive, but not dependent on our productivity. When Israel was freed from Egypt, she was freed from endless work. All through the wilderness years, she learned to depend on God for sustenance. Certainly, we need to work to live in this world. But it is God who gives “the ability to produce wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:18). Sabbath reminds us of this. Almost everything in our culture wars against this. There is massive pressure to work ourselves to death. Our culture says: you don’t have enough, work harder, buy more stuff, work harder to maintain your stuff, to enjoy your stuff, and to upgrade your stuff. Work even harder so you can leave a pot for your descendants, if you have had time to produce any. That’s crude. But it makes the point. Christians do well to be counter cultural on this. To delightfully rest for refreshment’s sake; resting so God can renew us. Many in our culture hate their work because they never rest. Work is only a means towards pleasure that in the end, disappoints and leaves one fatigued. Tired people do not enjoy life. We are constantly pressured to be busy, busy, busy. When we are not busy, we binge watch and doom scroll. In God’s invitation to rest, God wants us to join him in enjoying life, remembering that all of it is his gift to us. We teach children to be thankful for gifts received. Adults regularly need to relearn this. Thus, we return to Avodah, which is the Hebrew work translated both as work and as worship. On Mondays, I will give a meditation encouraging all of us to offer our ordinary weekly activities as sacrifices to God. As Paul once wrote, “whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). On Fridays, I will give a meditation encouraging us to take rest seriously, rest that refreshes. We all need to instruct ourselves, “Yes, my soul, find rest in God”; and remind ourselves, “my hope comes from him”. Some of us need to work on Sundays. This makes it even more important to build rest into schedules. Each Wednesday, a meditation from our Wilderness Wanderings archive will be published. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: “May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he’ll do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39592170

Growing Small 01/04/2026

The Mountains 01/02/2026

The Mountains Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved and will endure forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, now and forevermore. Evil people will not always rule the land the Lord gave to those who do right. If they did, those who do right might do what is evil (Psalm 125:1-3). Jerusalem was a walled city on the top of a mountain surrounded by other mountains. Standing on top of those walls, looking out at those mountains, an Israelite could feel secure. From those walls the psalmist declares: like the mountains surrounding this city, so the Lord surrounds His people. Even today, many Christians have ‘holy spaces’—places and/or times where they regularly encounter God. There we look to our Lord to surround us. The Songs of the Ascents remind us that holy spaces are an important part of our faith—they provide focal points for our relationship with God. They aren’t necessary, but they are helpful. In his covenant with Israel, God promised to be their God and called them to follow His ways. If they reject His ways, they cannot count on His protection. He will be against them if they persist in rebellion. How do we use this psalm to strengthen our own faith? One way is to consider Jesus’ beatitude, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). Meek does not refer to someone who gets walked over, but rather, to someone who has trained to do what is right. They do it even when it is difficult. They are the righteous, those who trust in the Lord and are not shaken. Such folks will inherit the earth, a promise that will be completely fulfilled with Christ’s return. This psalm concerns the refugees who came back from Babylon and struggled to establish a righteous Israelite society in the land. They were opposed by various stronger nations, and by many fellow Israelites who gave up on righteous living to pursue dishonest gain. The righteous were often left in the economic dust of these two groups. They wondered where God’s protection for them was. It was tempting to abandon their vision of an obedient nation. ‘Don’t give up,’ says the psalmist, ‘evil folks will not endure. In the end, the righteous will dwell securely in the land.’ God will see to it. As they gathered in Jerusalem, the holy city, and worshipped together at the temple, some measure of confidence was restored. In our holy spaces, we call on God to surround us like the mountains and keep us safe from the wicked ones and those who turn aside to crookedness. May we all find our ‘holy spaces’ in which we gain new strength for the days of our journeys. Life in God's church is not much different from that of Israel of old. It is not easy to live righteously before God, to love him and neighbour. May this psalm fire our imaginations to hear with new ears Jesus’ solemn assurance, "In this world you will have trouble. But be encouraged! I have won the battle over the world" (John 16:33). May this psalm encourage us to live faithfully before him in the year 2026. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: “May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he’ll do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39569035

Lost 12/31/2025

Lost After three days [Jesus’ parents] found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers (Luke 2:46-47). Of all the stories about Jesus’ childhood, why would Luke choose to tell this story? Certainly, there were more interesting ones; stories that would give us a flavour of what his youth was like. This story fills in the portrait of Jesus being painted. In Philippians 3, Paul details how he had been the perfect Jew. Luke is picturing Jesus with similar colours. He was born to and raised by pious Jewish parents. Only men were required to attend the religious festivals, so Mary’s going shows deep family piety. With this family setting, Luke invites us to consider the kinds of things our children learn from us. Do our words and actions match the faith teaching that our children and grandchildren receive? Is our piety mostly showy, as Jesus decries in Matthew 6, or does it reveal a deep faith in God’s activity in this world? Can those around us notice our growing faith? Jesus and his parents were well integrated into their community. This three-day trip was traveled in caravans for protection. That Jesus’ parents did not worry about him for the first day, indicates that they expected others to be looking out for him. They were likely looking out for other children and youth. Jesus’ family seems very ordinary. In that day, it was not unusual for students to gather at the feet of the rabbis to discuss the Jewish faith and how to live faithfully with God. This was usually in a group question-and-answer format, as Luke indicates. Thus, Jesus’ interaction with the rabbis was not unusual. That he didn’t leave Jerusalem with his parents was unusual, but the focus not here. Luke wants us to recognize that even at this young age, Jesus has amazing knowledge of the things of God. Those listening to him are astonished at his understanding, a reaction that will occur later to Jesus’ miraculous work (8:56). Already early in life Jesus values the pursuit of comprehending God. Jesus’ interest in God was not a product of his unique divine sonship. Rather, it was the outcome of a life lived among those who walked with God. It pictures how all of us should prioritize our lives before God. The way he lived his life and pursued God faithfully reflects how we should seek God’s face. When David was dying, he counselled his son with these words, “If you seek [the Lord], he will be found by you” (1 Chronicles 28:9). Luke is illustrating this truth. Finally, this story illustrates something that one of Jesus’ brothers would later write, “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere” (James 3:17). Jesus and the religious leaders would come to logger heads, but that was because they were threatened by him, refusing to believe that he was the Son of God. They pursued their own power rather than submitting to the Lord. Jesus began by submitting to them. As you ponder the year that was, consider these things. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: May the God who gives hope fill you with great joy. May you have perfect peace as you trust in him. May the power of the Holy Spirit fill you with hope. /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39557475

Doegishness 12/29/2025

Doegishness “Why do you boast of evil, you mighty hero? Why do you boast all day long, you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God? Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin: He will snatch you up and pluck you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living. But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever (Psalm 52:1,5,8). David is hiding from King Saul and his murderous paranoia. When the priest Ahimelech gives David refuge, Doeg tattles on him. Having volunteered to kill the priest, Doeg kills Ahimelech and 83 of his clan. When he’s done, he feels macho: a warrior to be reckoned with. This prompts David's sarcastic line, "Why do you boast of evil, you mighty hero?" (Psalm 52:1). The Bible traces this "Big Lie" from the Garden of Eden in Genesis to the Lake of Fire in Revelation. The "Big Lie" can be understood in various ways. It is the lie that says, “I have created myself; I am like a god; I command my own destiny; I am self sufficient and autonomous; the meaning of life is pleasure, self fulfilment, or independence.” When we live out of the "Big Lie”, we deceive and manipulate people for our own ends. We make ourselves the centre of our universe. One question becomes most important: "What's in it for me?" Cut off from God's goodness, we become evil in our intentions, feeding our own selfishness. God comes to shatter the "Big Lie" that started in the Garden. When Adam and Eve fell, they did not become like gods, as Satan promised. Instead, they simply found themselves naked and jumped into the bushes. There, God confronted them, showed them their sin, executed His judgment by throwing them out of the Garden to wander across the earth. We are still tempted, however, to live without God, but He doesn't leave us alone. He comes with a gracious warning to show us our choices: to live with Him in the truth or live without Him in the "Big Lie." This Psalm addresses these choices. The psalm exposes the stupidity of the "mighty person" who trusts in herself or in his money, choosing evil rather than God's goodness. Such a person loves lying and has a "deceitful tongue" to cover up their evil. God will bring such people to ruin. The righteous will be in awe and laugh at such stupidity. The psalmist will be among them in God's house, worshipping and waiting on the Lord. Rather than finding life's meaning in himself, he finds it in the mercy of God and the goodness of His name. But doesn’t a little of Doeg live in all of us? Jesus has the cure for doegishness: “Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:4-5). As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: May the God who gives hope fill you with great joy. May you have perfect peace as you trust in him. May the power of the Holy Spirit fill you with hope. /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39529665

What Do You Want? 12/26/2025

What Do You Want? "How lovely is your dwelling place O Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God” (Psalm 84:1-2). Let’s begin with a simple question, “What do you want?” Some of you may be looking in the refrigerator to get some breakfast. I’m not interested in your breakfast. This is one of those annoyingly profound questions like what you want your legacy to be. What do you want for your life? or from your life? I get irritated with stories in which a character immediately knows the answer to such a question. I find it depends on the day and the things happening around me. I'm not always sure if there is one thing that I really want. We all have appetites and longings: a bigger house; a faster car; better make-up; successful children; political position. We want many things. But getting these things doesn't satisfy. In fact, they tend to kill us. We humans have an infernal habit of mistaking the things God gives for the God who gives them. We tend to worship the things God gives, rather than God himself. As Paul once wrote, "They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator-who is forever praised! Amen" (Romans 1:25). God made everything for His glory, to reveal His greatness. The things He created all point back to Him. They remind us that He is our true home, our destination. Sin makes creatures our home rather than God to whom they point. Worshipping God's creation will be our death. The psalmist knew this. He was away from Jerusalem and longed to be home. Not because he worshipped that city but because in Jerusalem was God's temple, God's presence on earth. That is where he encountered God. That was joy. This is even truer for us, followers of Jesus. We are his temple. God is right here, where we are. But do we want him? is he our joy? We can take either of two roads. On the one road, we focus on all the things that we can’t enjoy right now and feed our longing for them. The other road is the one the psalmist took. Rather, than feeding his longings for stuff, he fed his longing for God. We can take that road too. We can ask the Spirit to sift our desires so that we increasingly desire him. Then, when someone asks us that irritating question, “What do you want out of life?” we know our answer. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: May the God who gives hope fill you with great joy. May you have perfect peace as you trust in him. May the power of the Holy Spirit fill you with hope. /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39519965

Flickering Lights 12/24/2025

Flickering Lights And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near (Hebrews 10:24-25). There is a scene in the sixth Harry Potter movie that offers an image of the church. Harry’s guardian, mentor, friend, and father/grandfather type figure, Albus Dumbledore, has just been murdered by a trusted friend. Dumbledore was the leader of those fighting against the rise of evil. Now he lies dead, at the foot of the Hogwart’s walls. Thus far in the story, Hogwarts was the only truly safe place against Voldemort’s encroaching evil regime. It is a scene of despair and hopelessness. Horror-stricken people are gathering around the fallen body. Eventually, one of them raises her wand in the air: the tip glows with light, as if it were a candle. It’s a statement of defiance against evil. One by one others raise their glowing wands. Soon there is a small halo of light above those who will continue to resist the forces of evil. Hope is still alive. In Monday’s devotion, I reflected on the opening words of Hebrews which introduces the grand themes about Jesus which are worked out in the rest of the book. But Hebrews can be summarized in these four words: Jesus is the greatest. The thing is though, at Christmas, Jesus is little more than a flickering candle: he lies with little fanfare in a feed trough. After his resurrection, when he returns to the glory of heaven, he leaves behind a group of disciples who have no idea what they are up against. They don’t know what they are supposed to do or how to get started. They don’t even really understand what Jesus was doing. Yet, they are the ones whom he leaves behind to continue his work. Those of us who call ourselves Christians are the descendants of those first disciples. 2000 years later the church is now an international organization, and one would think she would have her act together. But truth be told, she still seems to flounder, not quite sure what she is supposed to do or how to do it. Christmas reminds us of our humble beginnings. It also reminds us that Jesus told us to remain humble. The mission of the church is accomplished through acts of service. It was when Jesus got down on his knees to wash his disciples’ feet that he told them to follow his example. Jesus is present with us through these simple acts. Hebrews is a heady book, picking up grand themes from the Old Testament, arguing how Jesus is far superior to anything that took place back then. It’s often a slog for people to get through the book. When it finally gets to the application the author simply tells us to spur one another on to good deeds and to keep meeting together. On our own, the flickering candle of our faith and love tends to get snuffed out by the winds of evil and selfishness. But together our combined faith and love, fanned into flame by the Holy Spirit, dispels the darkness, at least a bit of it. That is why that scene from Harry Potter reminds me of the church. We need each other. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn. /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39510330

What Can We Say? 12/22/2025

What Can We Say? Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high (Hebrews 1:1-3). Human words muddy the beauty of this profound text. How can we convey the intensity with which God desires to communicate with his people? At many times and in many ways! Adam and Eve in the garden in the cool of the day, God calls out, "Where are you?" God leads Israel out of Egypt with fire and cloud and chisels his intentions for them on stone tablets with his own finger. God calls Israel back to himself with fire by burning up Elijah’s alter. And in a quiet whisper he asks Elijah, “What are you doing here?” All these communications pale in comparison to His Son. He now speaks to us through His own Son. What can we say about Him? This is the Son who will inherit all things. When the history of this age comes to its grand conclusion, this Son will reign overall. What can we say about this Son? This is the Son through whom God created the world. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made" (John 1). What can we say about this Son? He is the radiance of God's glory, the exact imprint of his nature. If we care to see God, all we need to do is look at this Son. What Jesus does and says is what God does and says. What can we say about this Son? Not only will the world be his in the end, not only was the cosmos created through him, this Son continues to hold the universe together by his powerful Word. Because we can see the smallest details through microscopes and far away galaxies through telescopes, we might forget that if it wasn't for this Son, the entire universe would disintegrate. And this magnificent Son, he became flesh through the womb of the Virgin Mary. He made the journey from heaven's glory to die on a cruel cross thereby reconciling us to God. This Son who lay helpless in Mary's arms, who lay exhausted in a tempest tossed fishing boat, who lay dead in the tomb is now seated at the right hand of God in glory. There is a mystery in this grandeur. God speaks to us through his son, a babe. The light of the world voluntarily reduced his splendour to that of a candle. He is the radiance of the glory of God. He is the exact imprint of God’s nature. He is a babe in his mother’s arms, as vulnerable as a flickering wick. These are the kinds of words we take to the top of a mountain (or the roof of our houses), look at the stars and ponder. To these words there can be only one response -- falling on our knees in amazement. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn. /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39470165

The Doctor is In! 12/21/2025

Possibilities 12/19/2025

Possibilities Walking down the street, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked, “Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind?” Jesus said, “You’re asking the wrong question. You’re looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do (John 9:1-3). We are exploring what it means that Jesus is Immanuel, “God with us.” In the Old Testament, light is an image that gets attached to Immanuel. In John’s gospel, this image explodes onto the page like a light bulb given power in a dark room. Our text is one of those detonations. The disciple’s understanding of the world is turned on its head. The disciples ask, “Why is this man blind? Who sinned causing this blindness?” They are trying to understand the condition, meaning, and purpose of this man’s life. If he is blind, if he is disabled, isn’t it because he or someone has sinned? Why would he be this way if no one had sinned? In their way of looking at the world, a problem like blindness was always the direct effect of someone’s sin. Today, we think such ideas are old fashioned. We are too educated for such simplicity. But just hold on. What is our gut reaction when someone is homeless or a refugee? For many of us, our first response is to ask why. To step back and analyze the situation. And isn’t that exactly what the disciples were doing? Analyzing the situation, making it fit into their worldview. They don’t see a man in need of healing, do they? They’re blind to his pain. They want an answer to a theological question. Likewise, we try to explain what we see as unfortunate, lamentable, regrettable. But in doing this we place ourselves at the centre of our questions; God is put on the sidelines. In our text, Jesus flips the disciples’ thinking on its head, as he so often does. In responding to their question, Jesus shifts their focus from the blind man to God and to Himself as the Light of the World. He says to them, “Don’t look for someone to blame. Look instead for what God can do. This man needs light and I am the light of the world.” Jesus intends to point us beyond the problem to the possibilities it presents. When we see an afflicted individual, we should not start with blame, but rather how can peace, comfort, and healing for this person show the glory of the God. We should be about the business of bringing wholeness to them. Jesus continues to rebuke his disciples when he says, "While it is still day, we must do the works of the one who sent me. Night is coming. Then no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” In other words, don’t let your opinions deflect you from the task that God has put you here to do. How often do we analyse and dissect rather than act to bring God’s light into the world? How often do we apply our theological minds to working out why something is the way it is, rather than doing what we can to right the wrongs we see? In being the hands and feet of Jesus, others discover through us that Jesus is Immanuel, God with us. To paraphrase Jesus, “Whoever has eyes to see, let them see!” As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn. /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39444535

Peace, Joy, Mercy 12/17/2025

Peace, Joy, Mercy When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me” (John 5:6-7). Jesus loved to ask questions. Some were innocent enough, like “Will you get me some water?” (4:7). Some were asked to encourage people to leave him alone, like the time he asked the Jewish establishment, “Where did John get his authority, from man or from God?” (Matthew 21). Others helped a listener probe deeper into Jesus’ identity, like when he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” Still others, like the one in our text, are a set up. The question does seem a bit strange, but the setting helps us get a handle on it. Jesus went up to Jerusalem, the city of peace. He went to celebrate one of the Jewish feasts, a joyful event praising God for his work of deliverance. The scene is the pool named Bethesda, which means ‘house of mercy.’ So, the location is peace, joy, mercy. We are expecting a happy story. Instead, we are told that this pool is surrounded by a great number of disabled people, but we focus on one person. He has been lying there for 38 years. That’s a long time by anyone’s reckoning. We might want to know about the magical nature of this pool. How is it that only the first person who touches the pool after it is stirred gets healed? Was it really an angel of the Lord who stirred the pool? But Jesus does not oblige our curiosity. He wants us to focus on this person lying here for 38 years. How many times has he seen the water stirred and he has not been able to touch it because someone else was always faster? Has he given up hope? Has he given in to his condition and expects to live out his life begging for scraps from passing feast goers? Jesus asks, “Do you want to get well?” Some suggest that Jesus wanted to know if the man had any hope left; it being a requirement for healing. Others suggest that Jesus was exposing that the man had become comfortable in his paralysis and did not want to get better. He needed to start taking responsibility for himself. These issues are not part of this story. The man doesn’t answer Jesus’ question. He just says, “Hey man, what I want doesn’t really matter. I can’t get to the pool. I won’t get healed.” The man’s got nothing. Jesus heals him. His mercy is free. He comes to bring it to those who are without hope. He comes to bring it to those who don’t expect it anymore. He comes in mercy to bring peace and joy. Are you looking for God’s mercy? Are you trying to figure out how to answer Jesus’ question? The answer is not important; Jesus brings mercy wherever he goes. You don’t need to look elsewhere. Look to Jesus. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn. /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39424615

A Joy Filled Kingdom 12/15/2025

A Joy Filled Kingdom What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him (John 2:11). This Advent, we are focussing on Immanuel, God with us. Let’s head deeper into the gospels to see what there is regarding this theme in the life of Jesus. Today, a wedding in Cana. There is significant mystery in this story. There is no mention of who the happy couple are or why Jesus and his disciples and his mother are even there. There is no explanation as to why Jesus tells his mother it’s not his time but then does a miracle anyway. Everything focuses on the problem and its solution. The problem is that the wine has run out. This was simply not allowed. Hospitality was paramount in Jewish culture and a wedding with out wine…that was the worst of the worst. It would be the story of the town for generations. But Jesus intervenes and provides an abundance of excellent wine. And I do mean an abundance. The six stone jars that are suddenly filled with wine have a combined capacity of over 700 litres. John tells us why he included this story in his gospel. It was the first of the signs through which Jesus revealed his glory. The glory of God’s kingdom revealed in an abundance of wine. “Is that wise?” you might ask. Well yes, it is. It says two things about God’s kingdom. First, it is a kingdom of plenty. Many Christians in North America wonder, if we ought to feel guilty about the abundance of wealth we possess, compared to most of the residents of this globe. It’s good to ask such a question. But the answer is that we do not need to feel guilty. Everywhere in the Bible, God’s kingdom is shown to be a kingdom of plenty. Guilt should not be our reaction to our wealth. Rather, a true understanding of God’s kingdom causes us to become generous. If God has plenty, then we can share what we have because God can replenish our bank accounts. That, I think, is, at least in part, what Paul communicates in 2 Corinthians 8 & 9. It’s worth the read. The second thing this story tells us about God’s kingdom is that it is characterized by joy. Years ago, I was walking alongside some colleagues who were struggling with their churches. They just couldn’t get on the same page as the leadership. It was painful to watch. I remember wondering if it was alright for me to be enjoying ministry so much, because I really was. Then a retired pastor told me that it was permitted to enjoy ministry. He reminded me that the kingdom of God is one of joy. Jesus brought joy with him. The angels said as much to the shepherds. So, when you receive a gift this Christmas, receive it with joy, recognizing that God is inviting you to enjoy a taste of his kingdom. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn. /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39369630

Building Permit Denied! 12/14/2025

The God who has Time 12/12/2025

The God who has Time The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). Recently, I suggested that there were frequently two things involved in God’s appearances in the Old Testament. He showed his glory here on this earth and he came to call his people back. In that podcast, I reflected on God’s glory; today, I want to spend some time on the second element. Imagine God and his angels sitting under the tree having lunch with Abraham. God had important stuff to do further on, but he took the time to linger with Abraham. Many of us cannot imagine God having such time for us; but consider Jesus drawing the little children to himself when his disciples tried to shoo them away. God has time for us. He is Immanuel. John 1 is a complex chapter drawing in several Old Testament references. This might cause us to miss the main point, which, as Peterson paraphrases, is that God has moved into the neighbourhood. Why has he come? He has come to find the lost. He came to arrange for our adoption. He wants to be able to call us his children. In Luke 15, Jesus paints three pictures of God on the hunt for us. In the first, he compares God to a shepherd who has lost one of his 100 sheep. He ends the story with this, “And when he (the shepherd) finds it (his sheep), he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, “Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep…I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent” (Luke 15:5-7). So, if you are listening and don’t follow Jesus, know that God is looking for you. He wants to find you and name you his child. He wants to give you a brand-new identity and a brand-new family, the church. Get in touch with us if you’d like to have a conversation about this. Many of you who are listening have family and friends who do not follow Jesus. Our text has a word of encouragement for you. We wonder how on earth we are going to get them to follow God. Know this, God has his eye on them, he is out searching for your child, your spouse, your relative, your friend. We try to figure out how to connect people to God. The thing is, God is better at arranging that connection than we are. When people find God, its usually not in the expected manner. God tends to surprise us in the way he finds his lost sheep. Throughout the stories of Jesus birth, the gospel writers emphasize that Jesus came to save. So, let’s have confidence that God can connect with people. We don’t have to make it happen, rather let’s pray that God will do his stuff and let’s tell stories of God’s love in our lives. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn. /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39369860

The King's Children 12/10/2025

The King's Children The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God (John 1:9-13). As he begins his gospel, John draws together the story of creation and redemption – our story. The very light through which the world had been made came into the world, but it did not recognize him. Jesus, born at Christmas, was there at the very beginning of all things with the Father and the Spirit as together, they formed this world. Creation. We humans were created then too. The crown of the Creation, formed in the image of God to steward his rule on this Earth. But we abandoned our royal heritage to strike out on our own, creating our own kingdom where we make the rules. We did not want to follow those set out by God. The fall. John introduces the agent of Redemption. Again, Jesus is here, together with the Father and Spirit to do a creating work. This time creating a restoration, a redemption, a right to come home to the royal family as children of God once again. This theme of homecoming as children of the royal family echoes all through the New Testament. Yet, it’s rarely the way we think of ourselves. Maybe we get distracted by other forms of our identity, loosing track of the most important one. We are busy being a “student” or “employee” or “employer.” Being “attractive” or “successful.” Being a “parent” or “friend” or any number of other things. We spend so much time with these identities that we forget who we truly are. Underneath all these identities, there is one more durable than any of the ones we create for ourselves or are given. It’s more permanent than even the identity of our own family and surname. Because unlike all these other identities we carry, our eternal identity did not come “through any human decision.” This identity was given us by God Himself. Our permanent identity is who Christ has made us: the children of God. Christian is the identity that counts in our lives. It is who we are. Royalty. Those who Belong. Those who will rule and reign with Christ. Never forget who we are in Christ. We are children of God, children of the King. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn. /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39343950

The Glory Settled Down 12/08/2025

The Glory Settled Down Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34-35). Returning to the Old Testament, Exodus concludes with an important Immanuel moment. Israel has spent considerable time in the wilderness around Mount Sinai. God has spoken to his people, given his law, but also been very angry because they rebelled against him. God and Israel would have parted ways if Moses had not interceded for the people. Yet, in the last scene of the book God comes to his people in glory, filling the tabernacle so full of himself that even Moses could not enter. In this episode, we see the heart of what Immanuel means. God coming to his people. Many religions are concerned with how we as humans, can find the gods. And granted, many Christians live the same way. But our God finds us. “Where are you?” he asks. It is important for us to pay attention to this. God comes to us. That is Immanuel. That does not mean that we always experience God’s nearness. For many reasons, God may seem distant. Even Jesus experienced that on the cross, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” These very real experiences of not feeling God’s closeness, do not negate the profound truth of the Christian religion that God comes to us. That is at the heart of Immanuel. We don’t need to search for God; he searches for us. This story also portrays that God finding us presents us with a problem. We can’t get near God. If God shows up, we can’t survive. We can’t see God and live as he once told Moses. There is always the problem of God’s holiness, or is it the problem of our unholiness? Our sinfulness? And thus, it is important to take time to explore Immanuel, God with us. We must keep digging into this theme that runs throughout the Bible. God searches for us because it is our sin that drives us away from him. More will be said about this later. For now, I want to leave you with two things. First, Immanuel, God with us, is not a new theme in the New Testament. It wasn’t something God came up with after a few unsuccessful ideas. It always was and still is his plan and desire to dwell among humanity. Second, Jesus is not with us anymore! Does that matter? Well, yes it does. Jesus is not physically with us right now. He sent us His Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit he is spiritually with us. As he told his disciples, “I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you” (John 14:14). The Holy Spirit’s presence in us, makes Jesus as near to us as if he were here physically. So be not afraid. Wherever you go, your God is with you. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn. /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39294100

Twitchy Ears 12/07/2025

Look for His Glory 12/05/2025

Look for His Glory The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). In The Message, we find this paraphrase, “The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, generous inside and out, true from start to finish.” In the Old Testament, there are stories of God visiting humans: Adam and Eve, Moses, Elijah. God came and he kept coming. Through the centuries, he appeared among his people. Two things were often part of those visits: his glory was revealed, and he called his people back to holiness. These things come to fullness in the story of Christ’s birth: Immanuel – God with us, come to save his people from their sins. Matthew tells it most plainly. Eugene Peterson writes concerning John 1, “the Word (that Creative and Powerful force by which the cosmos was formed and fashioned) became flesh and blood and moved into the neighbourhood.” Hebrews picks up these themes and spends considerable time punctuating the fact that Jesus is the final and grandest Word of God, THE Immanuel. He is God with us, forever. End of story! This is the glory and beauty Christ’s arrival. When we Christians talk about dwelling with God and seeing his glory, we often think about life after physical death. We like to say that when a Christian dies, she enters glory. This is alright after a fashion. However, it can cause us to miss one of the truths of Immanuel. What did John say, “we have beheld the glory of God.” Jesus reveals the glory of God. And before he left his disciples, he promised to send them his Spirit. Let me say this plainly, the Spirit connects us to God’s glory, now, today. This is Paul’s teaching in 2 Corinthians 3 which ends with, “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (18). Dwelling in the glory of God is not reserved for after death. It begins now. It’s true that “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face” (1 Cor. 13:12). So yes, there is a difference between then and now, but only one of decree. Sometimes we see the glory in the gathering of God’s people at worship; sometimes we see it in the face of a fellow Christian; sometimes we see it in someone that we serve or someone who serves us. But see it we do, if we have eyes to see. Look for him. Look for his glory. Jesus is Immanuel. He is God with us. He is here with us now. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn. /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39278730

In the Fire 12/03/2025

In the Fire Our Scripture is Exodus 3:7-8a The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So, I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians… (Exodus 3:7-8a). When Elijah traveled to Mount Horeb, he discovered that “the Lord was not in the fire.” Years earlier, Moses also traveled to Mount Horeb, and that’s exactly where God was! It was on Mt. Horeb, this mountain of God, that Moses encountered the burning bush—ever aflame, but never consumed. It’s out of that bush, which stood in the wilderness, on a deserted desert mountain, that Moses first met the God of his ancestors. God had been active in Moses’ life, but there is no record of Moses paying any attention to him. He certainly had not experienced standing in God’s presence. But now in the wilderness, Moses had his sandals off and his face hidden, because God had shown up! But God was not there for Moses. He had come because of the misery and the suffering of his people. They were crying out to God, and he was concerned for them. He set out to rescue them from their slavery. God stopped Moses in his tracks because Moses was God’s chosen agent to bring his people out of Egypt. Thus, God in the fire. This story is echoed in Romans 8. When Paul writes that “we cry Abba, Father” he’s echoing the cries of God’s enslaved people in Egypt. And as Moses discovered in the desert: those are cries that God listens to; cries that he responds to when, like a good Father, he comes down and scoops us up in his arms to comfort us in our suffering. Noticing Israel’s suffering was not a chance moment for God. Jesus launches him ministry with these words, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour” (Luke 4:18-19). There is much suffering around us, locally and globally. Its easy for us to become immune to it. As such, we may think God becomes immune to it as well. But that would not be true. It is for the suffering ones that Jesus came and comes. We must cry out, “Abba, Father”. It’s in wilderness places that God suddenly shows up in a burning bush to say: “I’ve seen the misery of my people and heard their cries, so I have come…” Jesus is present in our suffering even when we are not aware of it. Paul takes this a step farther. God comforts us so that we can comfort others. As Jesus is present with us, he wants us to be present with other sufferers. Which sufferer will you approach? As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn. /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39242020

What are you doing here? 12/01/2025

What are you doing here? Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:13). Advent is all about waiting, waiting for Immanuel, God with us. The final word on Immanuel is at the end of Revelation when God makes his home on earth with us. Before that scene, the Bible is littered with stories of God with his people. This Advent we will explore some of those. One of my favourites is God’s question to Elijah in his despair, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” You can read the whole story in 1 Kings 19. This comes just after Elijah’s mountain top experience with God. He had challenged the priests of Baal to a “do or die contest” of the gods. Baal vs the Lord God of Israel. The Baal priests would build an altar to Baal and Elijah would build one for the Lord God. Which ever god sent fire to light their altar would win the contest. God won in spectacular fashion! It was really no contest. With all the priests of Baal killed, Queen Jezebel wants Elijah’s head. Elijah flees in fear and despair. He drops down, exhausted under a broom tree in the wilderness. He just wants to die. Many of God’s people have felt the same. One of them was a great hymn writer, William Cowper. Check out his hymn, Oh for a Closer Walk with God. He regularly suffered from severe depression. The thing in this story that always intrigues me is God’s response to Elijah. He feeds him. Twice. This is not a prescription for curing depression. However, it does give us an image of God showing up in our discouragement. Later, Isaiah would write this about God’s chosen servant, “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out” (Isaiah 42:3). Jesus was and is this servant. I wonder if Isaiah got the idea from God’s interaction with Elijah? Its an image of Immanuel, God with us, which Jesus embraced. Elijah then journeys to the mountain of God, where God appears to him in the whisper of the breeze, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” We may want to lash out at Elijah, “how could you be so discouraged after what God did on Mount Carmel?” Of course, there may be some mild rebuke in God’s question. But God is gentle with Elijah and sets him back on course. Elijah thinks he is all by himself, that he is done and God is done too. But God tells Elijah that he still has 7 000 in Israel who worship him alone. God was doing a lot more than what Elijah could see. And then God gives Elijah more work to do. So often, we think our ability to do God’s work is based on our performance. Its not. It’s based on God’s calling and equipping. Even though Elijah wondered off course, God still showed up. He was still Immanuel, God with us. Be encouraged. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn. /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39198780

Stairway to Heaven 11/30/2025

A Psalm of Victory 11/28/2025

A Psalm of Victory “The king rejoices in your strength, Lord. How great is his joy in the victories you give! You have granted him the desire of his heart, and not withheld the request of his lips” (Psalm 21:1-2). Psalm 21 is obviously a song of victory. It is not difficult to imagine the people of Israel singing these words as David returned victorious from battle. The day is perfect for Israel: king and people are following the Lord and rejoicing in his blessings of victory. Notice how the victory clearly belongs to God alone. It was asked for by the king; it was a desire of his heart. But the song recognizes that only God is responsible for the defeat of the enemy. The psalm exudes trust and confidence in God. Notice also that the enemies haven't got a chance. The singers are totally convinced that they are goners. None who oppose God can survive. While the enemies wither away, the king's days are lengthened, even, for ever and ever. Of course, David did not live forever. Peter says on the first Pentecost that David's tomb is there for all to see. This phrase in verse 4 is likely a reference to the promise that David will have a descendent on Israel's throne forever. From this perspective, Psalm 21 is about more than David coming home victorious from battle. It is filled with notes that resound with Easter. It's a psalm for Christians to pray on that festival, and even every Sunday. We worship corporately on the first day of the week because Jesus’ resurrection is central to our faith, hope, and love. It is reasonable to think that this psalm sustained Jesus on his journey to Jerusalem and the cross. Perhaps he meditated on these words as he spoke of being delivered over into the hands of sinful men. Even as he carried the weight of the sin of the world, he trusted in the steadfast love of God to raise him up in power three days later. It is not at all difficult to hear the ascended and exalted Christ praising his Father on the other side of the empty tomb, "He asked life of you; you gave it to him, length of days forever and ever." After passing through death on behalf of his siblings, Jesus was met with rich blessings, greeted by throngs of worshipping angels, crowned with glory and honour because of the suffering of death (Hebrews 2:9). This is a psalm for a vindicated Messiah. What does it mean for us? We have confidence today because Christ has prayed for us that all those whom the Father had given to him "may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me" (John 17:24). We know that God will give the Messiah his heart's desires and will not withhold the request of his lips. Therefore, we live in the hope that we will share in the glories of Christ’s victory. God’s children do experience suffering in this life. But we suffer patiently and with hope, confident that God’s victory has been secured by Jesus’ resurrection. Furthermore, God has made us "most blessed forever," giving us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as we were chosen in him before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:3,4). Or as a paraphrase reads, “Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love” (MSG). Even as we struggle in this life, God is at work in us accomplishing his purposes. This psalm shores up our faith when it wavers. As you journey on into the week ahead, go with the blessing of God: May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you : wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness : protect you through the storm. May he bring you home rejoicing : at the wonders he has shown you. May he bring you home rejoicing : once again into our doors. /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39194285

What's in your Cup? 11/26/2025

What's in your Cup? Love must be sincere…Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited (Romans 12:16). A student, having tea with her teacher, said, "I've learned all you have to teach me, except one thing. Please teach me about the ways of God." Taking the pot, the teacher poured tea into the student's cup. The cup filled and the tea spilled onto the saucer. The master poured until the tea spilled over the saucer and onto the floor. The student finally said, "Stop, stop, the tea is spilling over. The cup can't take any more." The teacher then looked at the student and said, "You are so full of yourself that there is no room in your life for God. It is not possible for you to learn the ways of God until you learn to empty yourself." In laying out the groundwork for Christinas to get along with outsiders and each other, Paul indicates two essentials for living in harmony, illustrated by the story of the teacup. Being conceited—full of oneself--is the first. Conceit can come from opposing directions. We may think so highly of our own ideas and abilities that we don’t have time for anyone else. Or conceit may come from a place of insecurity. We dominate conversations to boost our self esteem. Either way, we have little room for other people and their ideas and abilities. Filled with conceit, we don’t listen to others and get angry when we our desires are impeded. The way forward is to close our mouths and open our ears. We are to come with open minds, eagerly listening to others and weighing their insights. Humility seeks to understand before being understood. It prefers to communicate rather than do battle with words. The second matter Paul raises here is similar, “do not be proud.” But here he speaks about our associates. We tend to connect with people like ourselves. But Christians are called to associate with all, especially with those who may be less important, as measured by our cultural standards. To attain harmony, we must reject the temptation to think high thoughts about ourselves, as though we are a superior breed of Christian. There must be no perches of isolation but rather mingling with people of lower position. Jesus climbed down from His heavenly place to suffer the humiliating death of a criminal…for us (Philippians 2:1-11). We are to do like wise; but there is a caveat. Its easy for us to help others from an attitude of superiority. True harmony happens when we all see each other as equal, equally valuable and equally gifted. The renewed mind of the Christian that has learned to love, truly sees no distinctions between people. This love distinguished the church from the world. As you journey on, go with these words: Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39171990

Harvesters 11/24/2025

Harvesters Our scripture is from Matthew 9:37-38: Then [Jesus] said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Life can feel like a hamster wheel of daily demands: work, school, relationships, home and church. Is it possible that these daily rhythms as moments filled with possibility for God’s mission? Our text is often understood as a call to action. Christians should get out there and do something for the Great Commission – serve in the church, go on a mission trip, help the homeless. That is not all wrong, but it is not the essence of the matter. There is also this: God is Lord of the harvest. This has implications: the mission of God is not ours to initiate, carry or fulfil. It belongs to Him. Further, it implies that God is at work all around us. He is already lovingly and persistently drawing people to Himself. He is doing that in the places we frequent regularly – work, school, coffee shop. Are we paying attention? Many of us partition our lives into two halves. We do the spiritual stuff: go to church, have devotions, attend Bible study. And we have the rest of life: laundry, work, volunteering, studying. What happens if we take the dividing wall away? What if we see the ordinary stuff of life filed with the divine? What if the harvest is right here—the people we spend our days working, studying, playing with? If God is present everywhere and if the harvest belongs to God, then we must believe that he is with those people we encounter daily. There is really no such thing as church missions. There is only one mission—God’s mission. We either join with God in his redemptive work or we don’t. Mission isn’t something we create or carry alone. It begins with God, and he’s at work all around us, even when we’re not aware of it. There is a popular missional phrase, “You don’t need to bring Jesus into your workplace – He’s already there.” The harvest is already plentiful, not in some faraway place, but right now in our neighbourhoods, our workplaces, the stores we frequent. And Jesus is the Lord of it. Let’s ask Jesus to open our eyes to see the harvest. Let’s ask him to open our ears to hear the spiritual questions people are asking. Let’s ask him to help us join in the conversations that are already happening. Let’s ask that he gives us confidence to participate in the harvest, remembering that we are not responsible for it. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: Wherever God takes you today, may He fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit and that you may live carefully—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity. /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39110920

No Podcast today 11/23/2025

The Mixed Multitude 11/21/2025

The Mixed Multitude Our Scripture is Exodus 12:38: A mixed multitude also went up with [the Israelites], and flocks and herds—a very large number of cattle (NET). Israel’s Egyptian experience began with this, “They set a place for [Joseph], a separate place for his brothers, and another for the Egyptians who were eating with him. (The Egyptians cannot eat with Hebrews, for the Egyptians think it is disgusting to do so) (Genesis 43:32 NET). Racism! That is how the Israelites were received in Egypt. They were not to tell Pharaoh that they were shepherds because such an occupation was detestable there (46:34). Eventually, they became slaves. Egyptian disgust of the Israelites gave way to attempted genocide. So, when Israel leaves Egypt, we read that ‘a mixed multitude’ left with them. The NET footnote explains, “The “mixed multitude” refers to a great “swarm” of folk who joined the Israelites, people who were impressed by the defeat of Egypt, who came to faith, or who just wanted to escape Egypt (maybe slaves or descendants of the Hyksos). We are allowed to wonder how the Israelites would treat these folks, later referred to as rabble (Numbers 11:4). Would the Israelites now act like the Egyptians? Would they treat the ‘mixed multitude’ like Egypt treated them? All these people are gathered at Mount Sinai when the Lord gives his commandments forming them into his people. Included is this instruction regarding the Sabbath day, “On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns” (Exodus 20:10). They were all equal before God. They were all given time to rest – to be human – to take joy in life and the gracious gifts of God. Israel was not to be Egypt. The wonder of the people of God in the Old Testament is the marvel of transformation whereby “not a people” became “God’s people” (see 1 Peter 2:10), Jews and Gentiles. In Revelation, there is a great multitude gathered around God’s throne, a multitude from every nation (7:9). The gathering of this crowd begins with Sabbath. The Heidelberg Catechism offers this explanation of the Sabbath law, “that every day of my life I rest from my evil ways, let the Lord work in me through his Spirit, and so begin already in this life the eternal Sabbath”. Surely, racism is one of the evil ways we must put aside. When you gather with your Christian community is there evidence of this crowd? What attitudes do you hold that keep your community uniform? Let’s allow the Spirit to probe our attitudes about other people so that we can set aside any pride that gives us superior attitudes “and so begin already in this life the eternal Sabbath”. As you journey on, hear Jesus’ invitation: Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:28-29). /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39097660

Rejoicing with Rejoicers 11/19/2025

Rejoicing with Rejoicers Our text is Romans 12:15: Love must be sincere…Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. One of my professors warned, “There will be days when you do a funeral in the morning and a wedding in the afternoon. You will need to weep in the morning and rejoice in the afternoon. Your tears and your joy better be sincere.” That advice comes directly from our text for today. Paul is laying out different shades of Christian love which is not rooted in feelings but in a decision of the mind to behave in certain ways. Empathy is “the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.” Sympathy, the capacity to share in another’s pain or sorrow, is one side of empathy. To rejoice when another rejoices is the other side. This, I think, is the more difficult aspect. Think about it -- to rejoice with people who are rejoicing, even if we do not feel like it. Your loved one is dying of cancer, and someone else’s is healed. And you rejoice with them. That’s Spirit stuff. We are equipped with a great capacity for giving and receiving love. Even the hardest heart melts before the innocent smile of a child or the antics of puppies. Yet these two sides of empathy are often locked up in the confines of selfishness. This may be because genuine, loving, empathetic involvement is debilitating and costly. To weep when you are more interested in having fun or to appreciate another’s gain when you are suffering loss is hard, but necessary. Doing so helps us overcome our selfishness; it is an act of selflessness; it is sincere love. The problem with this rejoicing is that someone else’s success often arouses jealousy and envy in our hearts. Jealousy and envy, hatred and malice are our native bents. When we can truly rejoice with someone’s success without envying them, we are demonstrating a transformed mind (12:2). Not envying those that prosper but rejoicing with them, being truly glad that others have the success and comfort which we do not, and not despising those that are in trouble, but being concerned for them, and ready to help them: this is to do as God does. He delights in the prosperity of his servants (Ps. 35:27) and is likewise distressed in their distress (Isa. 63:9). Where there is a mutual love between the members of the church, there will be such empathy. True love will interest us in the sorrows and joys of one another and teach us to make them our own. But how do we get there? Philippians holds a key, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength” (Phil. 4:12, 13). When we learn to be content with out lot in life, because we trust God, then we can be an empathetic community. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39081980

Involved in the Mission 11/17/2025

Involved in the Mission Our scripture is from Colossians 3:12-14: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience…Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” When are we involved in God’s mission? Christians often think that only activity connected to the church is involved in God’s work. The implication is that God is not interested in our daily lives. But this is far from the truth. In the beginning, we were made to be involved in the development of creation, in other words, to work it. That design has never been revoked. Despite human rebellion and sin’s negative effect on our daily lives, Christians participate in God’s grand mission of redemption as we live out our daily lives. When we praise God by the excellence of our work, we are exercising our proper vocation. We are serving God in the way he called us to serve him. Church work is not more spiritual or more in tune with the mission of God than carrying out our daily tasks. Our main purpose in life is not to serve the church, but to serve God; sometimes we serve God by serving the church. Our gathering for corporate worship is not separate from our work. The common prayer that we can lay aside the distractions of the week to focus on God is misplaced. God does not want us to ignore our lives when we worship. He desires that we bring all of that in with us. He wants to hear our thanksgiving for the good things we have encountered. He wants to hear the confession of words spoken and of actions that harmed him or a human or anything else he created. He wants to touch us in our brokenness and pain. He wants to hear our prayers for the grace to forgive, for strength to resist temptation, for patience for that difficult person, for wisdom for that complicated problem. Christian, you are on the leading edge of God’s mission of redemption as you live in retirement, as you inhabit your situation for earning an income, as you live together as a family. The Holy Spirit is present with you always, nudging you towards the way of Jesus’ kingdom, so that you embody love’s kaleidoscope: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, a capacity to forgive. The mission of God includes the renewal, restoration and reformation of all things (Colossians 1:19-20). Vocations in business, medicine, poetry, engineering, counselling, chemistry, marketing, construction, and finance all have a role to play in Christ’s cosmic work of reconciling all things. As you live this week, gather a basket full of things you will bring with you the next time you gather with God’s worshipping community. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: Wherever God takes you today, may He fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit and that you may live carefully—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity. /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39040490

A Dunked Community 11/16/2025

Wilderness Wanderings

TOPICS