New series in Daniel - Far from home
The book of Daniel was written by a child of God trying to figure out how to remain faithful to God while living in a foreign land. It wrestles with questions like ‘what do we do when our culture’s values don’t align with God’s’ and ‘Can we count on God when everything’s fallen apart’? These are important questions for us to wrestle with too. ‘This world is not our home we’re just a passing through’ Join us in the book of Daniel as we think about how to live faithfully when we’re FAR FROM HOME.
New sermon series - Encounters with Jesus
Jesus met A LOT of people in His lifetime, people from all walks of life. We’re going to look at those encounters to see how meeting Jesus changes our attitude on sin, suffering, commitment, cash and more. “Encounters with Jesus from the Gospel of Luke”
Bibles in Kenya
(The photo in the background says ‘Be patient. God has great plans for you’).
Last autumn, we were contacted by a church in Kenya who had found our website and were eager for more of Pastor Graham’s teaching. They asked if we would partner with them in praying for them - a church of about 60 with care for 20 orphans. After carefully vetting this request, we decided to send twenty Bibles through the Kenyan Bible Society to them as they have very few Bibles in their native Ekegusii language. We continue to pray for them, asking God to give them strength and wisdom to follow Him every day.
Worship without Singing
One of the hardest parts of this pandemic has been not being able to sing. Singing in church is such a vital part of our faith that it leaves a gaping hole when we don’t get to do it. And yet singing can increase the possibility of virus transmission through droplets, and so, following the restrictions put on us by those in authority over us, we choose to not sing.
But this begs the question – how do you worship without singing? Does no singing mean we can’t worship? And not singing through the year is bad enough; not singing at Christmas is huge. How do you still worship in a meaningful way without opening your mouth?
I will admit that there are no easy answers, but I’ll attempt to give you two to help you to think about this for yourself. To worship without singing, you need to 1. Savour the words and 2. Let your heart sing.
Savour the words
Often times when we sing, we’re so focused on the melody that the words just pass us by. I remember years ago asking a faithful gentleman at our church what he thought of a song we had sung earlier in the service. To me, it included words that were borderline heretical and yet they went right by him. He was so focused on singing that he wasn’t processing what he was singing.
And at Christmas time especially, when we’ve sung these songs so many time before, it’s easy to go into autopilot and just ‘Glo-ooooo-ooooo-oooooria’ our way through the words.
But this pandemic gives us an opportunity to really savour the words. To think long and hard on the words that go with the notes and to reflect on the theological truths that they express. These carols are more than ‘Grandma got run over by a reindeer;’ they tell us about who God is, how deep His love for us is, how He miraculously entered into His own creation to redeem it.
We need to savour those words. We need to actively process those words with our inner voice so that we can really embrace the truths that they express – ‘Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing!’ ‘Born that man no more may die!’ ‘God and sinners reconciled!’ Let those realities wash over you as you savour the words and then…
Let your heart sing
Admittedly, this is easier done than explained, but I’ll put it like this. When I played the drums on worship teams, I could only sing so much, because I was focused on what my hands and feet were doing. But I could still use my eyes to follow the words. And so I let those truths wash over me and inspire in me a great love for God. I would sing inwardly, with my inner voice and my mind and my heart, and from there, my spirit would overflow with gratitude and joy and affection for God. At that point, it’s your heart that’s singing, recognizing God’s marvelous works and honouring Him with your innermost being.
I can’t give you step by step directions here, but I think it’s something to do with embracing what is true about God and letting your spirit soar in response. Pay attention this year to how your spirit responds to the words of the carols and let your heart do the singing.
There’s no doubt about it; Christmas will be very different this year, but the Christmas story won’t be, because the God who wrote it doesn’t change. He will always be slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will always be worthy of our praise…
So, come, let us adore Him – Christ the Lord.
The Christmas Stillness
Every year, around this time of year, people love to take shots at 'Away in a manger.' 'No crying He makes.' Yeah right. Jesus was a healthy, human baby - of course He cried!
While I refuse to wade into the 'did He cry or didn't He?' debate, it strikes me that this artistic depiction of the tone of Jesus' birth reflects a theological reality that sits quietly behind the Christmas story - the stillness of Christmas.
Many of our favorite carols use imagery of silence and stillness to describe the night of Jesus' birth.
O little town of Bethlehem
How still we see thee lie
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by
The world in solemn stillness lay,
to hear the angels sing
Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Even Sovereign Grace's recent song 'Who would have dreamed' gets in on the action:
Slowly, David’s city drifted off to sleep
What's going on here? Why are the hymnwriters uniform in their conviction that the night that Jesus was born was a 'silent night'?
On one level, this 'Christmas stillness' is probably an effort to explore the notion that these events are marked by a tremendous solemnity - the whole created order subconsciously in awe of the mighty work of God unfolding in its midst.
On another level though, there is something tremendously unremarkable about Jesus' birth. As far as the world was concerned, nothing impressive happened that night. It was a silent night. If they had had newscasts back then, the news would have been all about Caesar Augustus and Governor Quirinius, not 'this just in - two unassuming taxpayers couldn't find a place to stay and she had a baby.'
There is something incredible about this stillness.
This is the birth of the King we are talking about! This is the long awaited Messiah! The hope of the world has just arrived!
Think about the triumphant entry on Palm Sunday - why was there no fanfare and exuberant mob cheering Jesus' arrival on Christmas Eve?
(OK, admittedly the angel choir broke the silence - those heavenly beings tore the roof off to celebrate Jesus' birth).
But from an earthly point of view, the night of Jesus' night was silent and calm.
This ought to tell us something about the nature and ways of God.
He is gentle - He speaks in still, small voices and condescended to save His people graciously. The fact that He came, not as a conquering general, but as a helpless baby, unnoticed by most of the world, should tell us that God is not concerned with the flash and awe that much of the world is enamored by - God works quietly, behind the scenes, in the margins of His Kingdom, to redeem His people and accomplish His purposes. It takes God-given eyes of faith and ears to hear God at work in the stillness of Christmas.
I think this is ultimately what the writer of ‘O little town of Bethlehem’ was getting at with his third verse.
How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heaven.
No ear may hear His coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him still,
The dear Christ enters in.
May you be enabled to ‘be still and know that He is God’ this Christmas Eve.
HIFI/LOFI schedule
The Old Testament era of the prophets and the exile really boils down to this: a low fidelity people turn their back on a high fidelity God. In response, God sends them into Exile. His judgment is not forever though and God preserves and restores a remnant.
In a sense, we too live in a spiritual exile. On one hand, sin separates us from God and that’s ‘an exile.’ On the other, when we turn from sin to God, we are restored to Him, but then we’re in a different kind of exile - we’re citizens of Heaven living in the world.
This series will survey the prophets to hear 1. the causes of the Exile; 2. God’s solutions of the exile; and 3. How to live as exiles. Join us as we explore this unique portion of the Old Testament together.
New series HIFI/LOFI: The prophets and the Exile
What happens when a low fidelity people turn their back on a high fidelity God? Find out as we explore the prophets and the Exile.
2020 Harvest Dinner SOLD OUT
It’s time once again for our delicious Harvest Dinner! Same mouth watering roast beef, potatoes and gravy, local veggies and homemade pies, albeit served in a different way - all for takeout. Jams will also be available for sale. September 24, 2020 from 5pm to 7pm. Tickets are $20 per person or $45 per family; under 4 free. Call 519-756-6378 for tickets. Please wear masks for pick ups.
This Summer's Q's from the Pews are here!
July 19 - Why have so many Christians been racist?
July 26 - How does COVID-19 fit into God’s plans for the world?
August 2 - What’s a Bible study like and is it important to participate?
August 9 - What does the Bible say about retirement?
August 16 - How can I help my grandchildren to know God?
August 23 - What do we know about the Trinity?
August 30 - If God is all-knowing, why do we pray? Does he sometimes change his mind?
September 6 - My spouse doesn’t like to come to church. What can I do to encourage him in faith?
September 13 - Should I be baptised?
Church in Act(s)ion Schedule
The Church in Action - The Acts of the Apostles
The Book of Acts gives us an unfiltered glimpse at the first generation church. No robes, no pulpits, no fancy hats; just a group of people following Jesus together. Join us as we see ‘the Church in action’ - moments where the church does ‘church stuff’ - learning, sharing, worshiping, praying, serving. You’ll see that church is not just where we go on Sunday mornings; it’s who we are every day of the week.
COVID-19 March 16 update
Dear friends at Langford Community Church:
In order to be good neighbours and to participate in the nationwide effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, the church board has decided that we will not meet for the next three weeks – March 22, March 29 and April 5 – and then we will reassess the situation at the end of that period.
Notice though that we are not ‘cancelling’ church. Nor is church ‘closing.’ You can’t cancel the church because we are the church! We will continue to follow Jesus, serving Him and our neighbours, no matter the situation.
To that end, we want to consistently nourish your souls and so rather than a big online message on Sunday, we are going to try to provide a few shorter messages throughout the week. Pastor Graham will provide these in video and written form and both can be accessed at www.langfordcommunitychurch.ca and https://www.facebook.com/LangfordCommunityChurch/. We will also email links to all those whose email addresses are up to date.
Board members will be calling out to confirm this information with everyone, at which time we will be looking for people who might need help – people who are sick and quarantined and need help getting supplies – and people who can help out with that. Of course we will take all necessary precautions, but this is an important time for us to serve ‘the least of these my brothers.’
We know that God is infinitely faithful and so we look forward with confidence to the time when we will meet together again, to fellowship and to thank God for all that He will do over the course of the coming days.
“Let not your hearts be troubled; trust in God and in His Son.”
The Langford Church board
#PrayerAndPrecautionNotPanic
COVID-19 March 14 update
With the recent flurry of activity surrounding COVID-19, we as a Board have been discussing the next best steps for our congregation. We do plan to meet together for worship tomorrow and the conversation will continue as to how to best be good neighbours and slow the virus’s spread. If you are sick or in a high risk population, don’t give it a second thought - stay home and stay safe. We will try to make audio and video resources available through the site and Facebook after the service. “Let not your heart be troubled; trust in God and in His Son.”
Congregational Meeting - Feb 23
Our annual congregational meeting is happening after church on February 23.
Pancake breakfast - March 1
The Sunday school is hosting a pancake breakfast after church on March 1. By donation.
Sponsor a tile on our new hall floor!
We’re putting in a new floor in the fellowship hall! You can help us out by sponsoring a tile - $20 each! Donations can be made in your regular church envelope by marking the number of tiles and amount you are giving. Thank you!
New sermon series from the Gospel of John
The Gospel of John famously contains seven “I am” statements; statements Jesus makes that define who He is. John also identifies other aspects of Jesus’ character throughout his Gospel and so we are going to explore those ideas to see ‘who Jesus is and who we are in Him.’ Sunday mornings from now until Easter!
Samuel and David Bible Study
During the autumn months, we had a chance to explore the lives of David and Samuel - two people who played enormous roles in the history of the people of God. To be honest though, we only scratched the surface. For example, Samuel’s mother actually shows us that sometimes, ordinary people are better situated for spiritual awareness than clergy; Samuel’s life questions the institution of monarchy; and David pushes us to look closely at our motivations. Join us for two nights - Thursday January 23 (Samuel) and 30th (David) to dig deeper into their stories and their value for us.
Where was Jesus born?
Where exactly was Jesus born? According to Luke 2:7, Mary gave birth to Jesus in a ‘katalyma,’ which literally means ‘lodging place.’ Traditionally, we’ve translated that word as ‘inn’ and imagined it as a sort of ancient Best Western. There’s actually a different Greek word for that sort of ‘inn’ – not ‘katalyma’ - and so Luke has really only told us that Jesus was born in a ‘lodging place’ or ‘place of temporary refuge.’ (He uses this same word in Luke 22:11 to describe the room where Jesus and the disciples celebrate the Last Supper).
The fact that there was a manger on hand implies that this ‘temporary lodging place’ was normally home to animals, but even then, we’re not talking about a barn or stable in the 21st century sense of the word. It may have been a cave as later tradition suggests, or even a small enclosure within a house.
Since there was no room in the ‘lodging place,’ I’m going to assume that it was not improvised, like a cave, but instead, a place where many people commonly paid for a night’s lodging and that night, there was no room left. On Christmas Eve though, some innkeeper allowed Mary and Joseph into his own quarters, allowing them to take the last space in the house, namely the place where his animals were kept (which could very well have been an enclosure in his living room) and it was there that Jesus was born. That is why our ‘innkeeper’ on Christmas eve may not be like what you’re used to.