Sometimes we think we can’t be forgiven, that we can’t change. Even worse, we think are never good enough and God’s mind is made up about us. So why even try? Think again! Change is always possible. Even for God!
Continue reading →For chapel today we are looking back at a morning prayer service from the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. from June 23, 2021. It’s a timely message and one that is good to hear anytime. Rev. Duncan encourages us to bear Good Fruit! Below the video are some thoughts and questions for reflection or discussion.
The Text for the message is:
Matthew 7:15-20
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? 17 In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will know them by their fruits.
Some thoughts and questions for reflection:
Featured online Worship- First Baptist Church, Niagara Falls, NY. First Baptist is our first Featured Church during the Season of Lent this year.
Continue reading →Did you know you are amazing? God thinks so. Today’s message looks at two short parables of Jesus that show us just how amazing God thinks we are.
(note: We had a long prelude time in this live stream. I’ve trimmed the video in YouTube, but that takes a while for them to complete that edit. So, if the video does not start right away at the beginning of the service, you can skip ahead to 8:14 in the video to the start of the service itself.)
Continue reading →This is a service of morning prayer from the National Cathedral on March 4, 2022. Rev. Patrick Keyser gives a brief, yet excellent message that can serve as good reminder for us as we continue our Lenten journey. Lent is NOT meant to make us feel bad or to just keep being reminded that we are sinners. It is to remind us to be merciful and compassionate towards one another. Some suggestions for conversation and reflection are below the video.
Discussion and Reflection Ideas
Lent is About Mercy, Not Sacrifice
This is a great brief service about what Lent is NOT. It gives us a chance to pause and remember the true meaning of the Lenten season: Lent is about God’s mercy and forgiveness towards us. It is not a season to feel bad and guilty, but to celebrate and share love.
Te text discussed in the service is, Matthew 9:10-17 (New Revised Standard Version).
10 And as [Jesus] sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard this, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.”
14 Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” 15 And Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak, for the patch pulls away from the cloak, and a worse tear is made. 17 Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; otherwise, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.”
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For both discussion ideas below, the key verse is Matthew 10:13 (in Italic in the text above) “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”
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Discussion ideas:
1) What does mercy mean to you?
( From Merriam-Webster; Some common synonyms of mercy are charity, clemency, grace, and leniency. While all these words mean “a disposition to show kindness or compassion,” mercy implies compassion that forbears punishing even when justice demands it.)
How can we show these qualities of mercy to others?
2) What’s Fasting/giving things up for Lent really for?
How does giving something up for Lent help you?
Does it help you be more Compassionate?
Remember: The fast, giving things up, can help remind us about people who are suffering and in need. It can help remind us to be charitable toward others.
Continue reading →(note: Service begins at 2min 40sec) Jesus was tempted, but his temptations, like ours, are not always what they seem.
Continue reading →Special thanks to The Big Sing of the Northern Baptist Association in the UK for their wonderful music resource for worship.
Continue reading →Special thanks to TheHymnalProject.com.
About this channel: Weekly worship normally takes place at Community Missions each Wednesday morning in our Chapel at 1570 Buffalo Ave. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, we have moved the service online. A new chapel worship service will be posted each week on the Hope For Niagara YouTube Channel.
Daily Reflections and links to other resources can be found at https://www.HopeForNiagara.org and at https://www.facebook.com/HopeForNiagara.
Information about Community Missions in Niagara Falls can be found at https://CommunityMissions.org.
