A Prayer for Remembering God's Presence

Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)

Heavenly Father,

It’s the most common command in Scripture. Do not be afraid. Perhaps we need the reminder so often because we’re so often prone to it. If it’s not one thing, it could be another. It’s a world of unknowns, and this week, we’re reminded of that. Yet, despite all that might threaten, You promise Your good presence with us. You, the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth, the One who does not grow weary, who knows all things. You, who are greater than our fears, greater than the coronavirus, You who have defeated sin and death and promise life. Even if You don’t take away the hard circumstances or deal with them in the way we might like, we have something far better: Your presence, so come what may, we are your children in Christ, with You, our perfect, might, loving Father.

So we need not fear.
Help us not to fear.
But see You with us.

In our weakness, strengthen us; strengthen our hearts, strengthen our immune systems, strengthen our love for one another. Help us; give us Your wisdom, give us your peace, give us your courage; help us depend on You and look to You and walk with You ever closer as we face these uncertain days, so that in our weakness and need, we are driven ever more to You.

As we face the need for social-distancing or even social-isolation in the face of coronavirus, Lord, help us to remember that we are not truly alone; You are indeed with us. Help us remember and know Your presence more deeply, and help us to find ways to love one another well in this time.

You are faithful and good.

In Jesus’ mighty name, we pray,
Amen

---

The ever-changing situation regarding COVID-19 is an opportunity for us as a church family here at Kingsboro Baptist and South Lake Christian Churches to pray for our community, our province, and our world. I would ask that you commit to do so every day.

Suggestions of what to pray for:

-That God would stop the spread of COVID-19.
-For those who feel scared or nervous. 
-For those who experience loneliness in isolation, especially singles and shut-ins.
-For those who are afraid to leave their homes.
-For those who are returning or who have yet to return home from abroad. 
-For those who have contracted COVID-19 or suffer from other serious illness.
-For the loved ones of those affected. 
-For those with sick and weakened immune systems who live in fear of contracting COVID-19
-For families at home with young children.
-For foster parents who have taken in at-risk kids and resources are now more limited. 
-For kids for whom school is the refuge from abuse at home. 
-For university and college students who face uncertainties in their studies. 
-For those who are experiencing a loss of wage(s).
-For people who fear losing or who have already lost their jobs. 
-For those who are in need of supplies. 
-For addicts who depend on meetings for recovery. 
-For those who experience homesickness and cannot travel. 
-For those who are afraid to leave their homes. 
-For the health, rest, and wisdom of health care workers. 
-For janitorial staff who are working to keep our hospitals and public places clean and safe. 
-For our leaders in government and health departments as they seek to wisely handle the COVID-19 situation. 
-That we would have wisdom about how best to handle all things related to COVID-19.

A Prayer for Remembering God's Goodness

“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!

Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!” (Psalm 34:8)

Lord, 
These are uncertain times. You see our fears, and it does seem as though there is much that is not good in our world right now, even our part of the world. COVID-19 is changing our lives. And yet, You are good. As You see each of our situations and struggles, You watch over us, You faithfully love us, You care about our good, and You know even better than we do what that is. Show us Your goodness, Lord. Help us to taste and to see it, to experience for ourselves that You are good. Help us to see glimpses of your goodness in each of our days. Help us to see Your goodness in the cross, where Jesus died in our place, giving His life for ours, bringing us salvation and new life and the sure hope that, no matter what we face here, eternity awaits us, where there will be no more sorrow or suffering or death or coronavirus, but You will make all things new.

Seeing You as good, we take refuge in You. We run to You as our safe place in this world of danger. We rest in You. You are sovereign over this crazy world, in control, even if it seems to be spiralling out of it. We may feel weak and wonder how we’ll face the coming days; You are our strength and know what the future holds, and will continue to be faithfully good, and good to us as we trust in You.

We look to You.


In Jesus’ precious name we pray, 

Amen.

---

The ever-changing situation regarding COVID-19 is an opportunity for us as a church family here at Kingsboro Baptist and South Lake Christian Churches to pray for our community, our province, and our world. I would ask that you commit to do so every day.

Suggestions of what to pray for:

-That God would stop the spread of COVID-19.
-For those who feel scared or nervous. 
-For those who experience loneliness in isolation, especially singles and shut-ins.
-For those who are afraid to leave their homes.
-For those who are returning or who have yet to return home from abroad. 
-For those who have contracted COVID-19 or suffer from other serious illness.
-For the loved ones of those affected. 
-For those with sick and weakened immune systems who live in fear of contracting COVID-19
-For families at home with young children.
-For foster parents who have taken in at-risk kids and resources are now more limited. 
-For kids for whom school is the refuge from abuse at home. 
-For university and college students who face uncertainties in their studies. 
-For those who are experiencing a loss of wage(s).
-For people who fear losing or who have already lost their jobs. 
-For those who are in need of supplies. 
-For addicts who depend on meetings for recovery. 
-For those who experience homesickness and cannot travel. 
-For those who are afraid to leave their homes. 
-For the health, rest, and wisdom of health care workers. 
-For janitorial staff who are working to keep our hospitals and public places clean and safe. 
-For our leaders in government and health departments as they seek to wisely handle the COVID-19 situation. 
-That we would have wisdom about how best to handle all things related to COVID-19.

Pray With Me for the COVID-19 Situation

The coronavirus has reached our little part of the world. The situation continues to develop rapidly, and we have quickly entered uncharted territory. While there is much cause for concern, we also remember that we have a God who is mighty, who faithfully loves us, and who invites us to seek Him with our every need. 

We are reminded in Philippians 4:6-7, “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

With that in mind, I ask that you commit to pray from your home, or wherever you may be, for 15 minutes each day, for the situation surrounding COVID-19. If at all possible, do so at 8:30 am. As well, each weekday, I will post a brief Scripture and thought for us to consider and pray through. Together, we look to King Jesus in the face of this present challenge. 

Pastor Alec

Suggestions of what to pray for:

-That God would stop the spread of COVID-19.
-For those who feel scared or nervous. 
-For those who experience loneliness in isolation, especially singles and shut-ins.
-For those who are afraid to leave their homes.
-For those who are returning or who have yet to return home from abroad. 
-For those who have contracted COVID-19 or suffer from other serious illness.
-For the loved ones of those affected. 
-For those with sick and weakened immune systems who live in fear of contracting COVID-19
-For families at home with young children.
-For foster parents who have taken in at-risk kids and resources are now more limited. 
-For kids for whom school is the refuge from abuse at home. 
-For university and college students who face uncertainties in their studies. 
-For those who are experiencing a loss of wage(s).
-For people who fear losing or who have already lost their jobs. 
-For those who are in need of supplies. 
-For addicts who depend on meetings for recovery. 
-For those who experience homesickness and cannot travel. 
-For those who are afraid to leave their homes. 
-For the health, rest, and wisdom of health care workers. 
-For janitorial staff who are working to keep our hospitals and public places clean and safe. 
-For our leaders in government and health departments as they seek to wisely handle the COVID-19 situation. 
-That we would have wisdom about how best to handle all things related to COVID-19.

The Beginning of Wisdom

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. (Proverbs 9:10)

Who wouldn’t want a little more wisdom? We face all sorts of decisions, courses of action, and possibilities in this life. I’m sure we’d all want to know how to handle them all with greater confidence and ability.

James says that if we lack wisdom, we should ask God, “who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly - and it will be given” James 1:5. So ask!

In Proverbs, the great book of wisdom, we read that the beginning of wisdom is “the fear of the Lord.” That’s the place to start. But why “the fear of the Lord?” We usually think of fear as being a bad thing, but Scripture often uses the “fear of the Lord” in a positive sense. Paul Vanderkley writes this: “When you find yourself in the presence of someone you so revere, someone you are in awe of, you tremble. It is a positive fear. You are afraid you will disappoint, dishonor this person. The positive fear is all about love. It is a joyful fear. This is what the fear of the Lord is.” It’s the kind of respect that sees God for who He is – Mighty beyond imagination, infinitely wise, full of love, completely trustworthy. He is the one worth being the most important thing in our lives.

As we see who God is, and have such a high respect for Him, we value what He has to say more and more. If He is the source of infinite wisdom, and if His wisdom is far greater than those around us or our own, and if He delights to give it, it would be foolish not to seek after Him for it. We go to Him first for wisdom. We trust what He has to say and incorporate it into our lives. We measure wisdom from others and from the internet or books or television or culture around us by what God has to say, because He has final say. We seek God’s approval and His opinions more than that of others, because we trust that in the end, what He has to say is the highest and final word.

Pastor Alec

(This article first appeared in our February newsletter)

Look, the Lamb of God

"The next day, he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29)

People saw him as a crazy man, a spectacle, or one charismatic enough to have his own crowd of followers, those convicted by what he said about the coming kingdom of God. He lived out in the wilderness, ate locusts and honey, and dressed in clothes of camels hair. This John the Baptizer was certainly a unique individual with some boldness and a mandate: the "voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord" (John 1:23). 

He was unique enough, bold enough, and perhaps strange enough, that they asked him, "Are you the Messiah? Are you Elijah? Are you the Prophet?"

"No, no, and, no," He replied. Instead, he kept saying that someone else was coming, someone who would be far greater than himself. 

And then, one day, he say Jesus coming toward him and said, "Behold - Look! - the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the of the world!" 

John pointed to Jesus. And still today, by what he said, he points us to Jesus.

The Lamb of God

Long before John spoke these words, God's people, the Israelites, were living in captivity as slaves in Egypt. The Lord heard their cries, and he raised up Moses to challenge the Pharaoh, saying, "Let my people go." Nine plagues later, and God was about to bring the final blow: he would kill the first born of every Egyptian.

Each Israelite family was to take a lamb without blemish, a perfect lamb, kill it, and put its blood on the frame of the door. God would "pass over" the Israelite homes, sparing their firstborn children (Exodus 12). In this way, they were saved. The result of this is that the Pharaoh finally said, "Go!" He had enough. And so God's people were freed from the oppressive rule in Egypt. The blood of the lamb saved the firstborn children and God rescued his people.

Once in the wilderness, God gave the Israelites the Law - showing what they were to do and not do as God's people. Knowing full well that they were sinful and unable to keep it, God set up a system by which they could atone for their sin, purifying them and make themselves right with him. They were to make regular sacrifices - different kinds of animals for different things. They had to be offered time and again, for they were still a sinful people, prone to wander and chase after other gods.

Hundreds of years later, the prophet Isaiah spoke of a coming "servant of the Lord," one who would bear our griefs, carry our sorrows, being pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities, our sins; our rightful punishment would be on him so we could know peace, and by his wounds we would be healed (Isaiah 53:5-6).

He would be oppressed and afflicted, yet would bear it silently. "Like a lamb led to the slaughter and like a sheep silent before her shearers, he did not open his mouth" (Isaiah 53:7, CSB) - for us who are the sheep who have gone astray and gone our own way. We are the wayward, lost sheep, and he would be the sacrificial lamb.

And after generations of waiting, John says, "Look! The Lamb of God!"

In calling him the "Lamb," John evokes these images from Isarel's history.

Where the blood of the lamb was the sign for God to pass over His people's homes and spare their firstborn, the blood of Jesus, shed for us, applied to us, marks us as God's people, spared from the penalty for sin, death. Where a great rescue from bondage followed, we are rescued from the power of sin.

Where the Israelite people had to keep offering sacrifices for their sin, offense after offense, festival after festival, year after year, Jesus is the final sacrifice for sin. He died, once for all time in our place.

In a sense, the animals bore the guilt of the people's sin in their place. Blood had to be shed, and in his grace, God set up the system by which the blood of animals would be shed. But they couldn't really, fully, bear our sin. They couldn't transform our nature, getting deep down, dealing with our heart of stone and sin. Instead, they pointed toward the One who would do that.

We needed one like us. A human. Only because every human ever born of natural means is sinful, it would be nigh impossible for us to find one who could die in our place, for everyone would have to bear their own punishment. And so God came to earth, born as a man, lived a perfect life, and was the unblemished lamb, the perfect one, just as the sacrificial lambs had to be perfect. He bore the sin of everyone who ever lived, once for all time, the final sacrifice.

It's His sacrifice on the altar of the cross that we present before God as we come to Him for salvation. It's His sacrifice that we continually uphold as we grow, as we need to continue to repent of sin that lingers. We cry out, "I am covered by Jesus' blood, saved by Him, and so Lord, forgive! You have cleansed me and made me Yours because Jesus died in my place!"

 "For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from your fathers, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ,av like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb." --1 Peter 1:18-19

Look on Him

John calls us to "Behold! Look! The Lamb of God!"

It's a call to direct our attention and see Him, but not just for a mere moment. It's an invitation to linger, to pay attention. John's whole life was all about paving the way and pointing to Jesus. May we give our whole lives to looking to Him.

To spending time with Him and dwelling on the depths of what He has done and is doing in us. To see the wonders of His love. When John's followers asked where Jesus was saying, Jesus said, "Come and you will see," and they stayed with him that day (John 1:38-39). We are invited to look to Jesus and to spend time with Him, knowing Him, seeing His great salvation. The more we look on Him and the different facets of what He has done for us, and the more we reflect on who we are without Him, sinful and lost, the more we'll be amazed at His great love for us and the more we'll find that a life spent with Him is a life worth living.

      "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
        to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
        and honor and glory and blessing!” --Revelation 5:12

New Year, New Site

If you're reading this, you'll notice something different. You've found your way here, to the newly redesigned website for our churches. Our old website was showing its age in more ways than one, and so we've redone it in hopes that it will serve us well in the time to come. 

Beyond the visual changes, we've also made things more functionally smooth. Important information is right on the front page - you'll notice the time of the worship services for the upcoming week, as well as a link to a page that has service times for both churches for the next few months. We also hope to have the bulletin available from a link on the front page. We also have a calendar of upcoming events available under the "Get Connected" link. 

The biggest new feature is that we'll now have audio from Sunday Sermons available to listen to right from the website. You can find those at the "Sermons" link. 

Our hope is that this new website will serve you well and be helpful as we seek God together.