The world often sets up so many boundaries….well, let’s be more honest than that. WE humans set up boundaries that are pointlessly driven by our selfishness. We create all these “Other-isms”: racism, sexism, classism, nationalism, etc., etc. All of it is driven by our fear that someone might get what we have or need. In the process we take (tangible and intangible) stuff away from someone else and set up the idea of the Taboo and The Other. These boundaries get baked into our societies so thoroughly that we often thing we are just doing and being like good conforming people should. Even Jesus faced this and fell into expected patterns and behavior– until he broke the patterns and started crossing all these boundaries.

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.

Special thanks to TheHymnalProject.com for today’s hymns.
“Holy, Holy, Holy” & “Come Thou Font of Every Blessing”
Arrangement: Peter Prochonow
Setting: Benje Daneman
Arrangement ©2018 and Video ©2020 Michigan District, LCMS.

Information about Community Missions in Niagara Falls can be found at https://CommunityMissions.org.

Making choices is part of our daily life. In our current times even small choices can affect our life and the life of others in out-sized ways. From wearing masks to taking a stand on racial justice, acting with wisdom is what is required of us. In today’s message we will look at a series of short parables of Jesus and at King Solomon, the wisest of all the kings of Israel.

Message title: “Choices and Wisdom“, Texts: Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52, 1 Kings 3:5-12

This service is part of an ongoing, occasional series about Choices and Building The Kingdom of God.

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.

A Podcast version of the weekly Chapel Services is available at:
Anchor Podcasts https://anchor.fm/hopeforniagara
Google Podcasts https://podcasts.google.com (Search for “Hope For Niagara”)
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/6xoT6yYdSIwrXqDpBs4RlS
Breaker https://www.breaker.audio/hope-for-niagara-podcast
PocketCast https://pca.st/7cmrysun
RadioRepublic https://radiopublic.com/hope-for-niagara-podcast-8Qkznl
RSS Feed https://anchor.fm/s/1d7041a4/podcast/rss

Information about Community Missions in Niagara Falls can be found at https://CommunityMissions.org.

Message title: “Spirit and Hope“, Texts: Acts 2:1-21, Romans 8:22-27

Podcast Version is available here.
Description: Pentecost is the celebration of the arrival of the Holy Spirit. It is a pivotal moment for the Disciples and the Christian movement. For the Disciples, it is the moment when something happens that gives them the courage to go out and carry on the work of Jesus and proclaim the Good News. That was no small decision! Jesus had been executed as a criminal, and chances were super high that if they went public, the same would happen to them! Something happened to give them both courage and enough hope that God would be with them no matter what happened. For Christians today, especially in these strange and worrisome times, living and trusting in the reality of God’s Holy Spirit dwelling within each person, can bring the hope that we all need.

Thank you to Joanne Lorenzo for performing the hymns for the service. You can learn about Joanne’s ministry at https://magdaleneproject.org

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.

A Podcast version of the weekly Chapel Services is available at:
Anchor Podcasts https://anchor.fm/hopeforniagara
Google Podcasts https://podcasts.google.com (Search for “Hope For Niagara”)
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/6xoT6yYdSIwrXqDpBs4RlS
Breaker https://www.breaker.audio/hope-for-niagara-podcast
PocketCast https://pca.st/7cmrysun
RadioRepublic https://radiopublic.com/hope-for-niagara-podcast-8Qkznl
RSS Feed https://anchor.fm/s/1d7041a4/podcast/rss

Message title: “Need vs Want” Text: Acts 2:42-47
We are hearing the phrase “essential workers” a lot right now, and the reality of what that means is coming into focus in a new way for society at large. But for Christians, it should not be a surprise. At the very start of the Christian movement, the writer of the book of Acts describes a community of mutual material that raises that, today, raises the question “What is essential?”. It comes down to understanding and unpacking what we Need versus what we Want, and taking on the challenge of what that ought to mean for us now and as we move into the future.

Thank you to Joanne Lorenzo for providing our music. You can learn about Joanne’s ministry at https://magdaleneproject.org.

Message title: “Look for the Markers”. Focusing on the text in Luke 24:13-35 known as “On the Road to Emmaus”, the message encourages us to not miss the markers of God’s presence with us while all find ourselves on this strange kind of journey.