Caring for the Poor

James has witnessed something in the church that bothers him. He has seen prejudice in the church, a deference to the rich at the expense of the poor. He raises this as an example a contradiction between faith and life. He likely could have found another example, but he chooses this one because he knows that in God's kingdom there is no room for prejudice. 

This Sunday we to look at what it means to be a disciple. We move to the book of James.

James also introduces a difficult paradox that we will consider, a difficult question: Does what we do affect our salvation or are we saved by faith alone?

We'll spend time with James this Sunday, time with this question, time thinking even more specifically about our treatment of the poor as we pledge our allegiance to our God.

Clean Hands

We have rules in life, don't we? Lot's of the rules are really good ones that are pretty self-explanatory: stopping at Stop signs; driving on the proper side of the road; not playing loud music in neighbourhoods after a certain time of night. These sorts of rules make sense, but we have others that are so ingrained in our lives, so much part of our identity and our culture, that we no longer see them as rules, would have to think hard to even list them and even harder to be able to explain why we do things that way. 

Jesus was faced, one day, by the "rule police" of his time over the fact that his disciples hadn't washed their hands before they ate. He pushes back on them and their fixation on the rules, on doing things the right way. He accuses them of following their rules (which they think came from God) rather than living in a way that would really please God. 

I wonder how often we live in much the same way. Keeping ourselves inside some invisible, indefensible, boundaries because we think they are important to our identity as Christians while totally missing the point of what God would really have us do.

This Sunday, we'll wonder together about the importance of clean hands in our lives as disciples of Christ.

Where Else

There are repercussions for demanding a lot, for using distasteful language, for telling it like it is. This happens in our lives all the time, and it happened in Jesus's ministry too. He had used some very graphic language to describe himself as the "bread that comes from heaven" and had offended many in his audience.

The synagogue empties out, the crowds go home, and Jesus is left with his small group of disciples, the twelve. Everyone else has had enough and leaves.

"What about you," he says to them, "Aren't  you going too"

Peter answers, and it is in his answer that we find encouragement for our own lives, as we strive to follow Jesus, even when it seems so hard, seems so impossible.

Join us this Sunday as we find ourselves in Peter's words.

You are What You Eat

Eating is a central part of our lives. We eat for energy. We eat to grow, We eat to stay healthy. 

Nutritionists sometimes use the slogan "You are What You Eat" to help us to make good choices about our diets. They want us to stop and think before we put something in our mouths. They want us to recognize that what we eat can have repercussions on our health, on how we can live our lives. They recognize that what we eat plays a big role in who we are. 

Jesus talks about this as well. "The one who feeds on me will live because of me," Jesus says.

This Sunday, we'll spend some time talking about what Jesus means by this, how repulsive it was for the people of his time to hear these words, and what these words mean for us today.

To Proclaim Good News

This Sunday we will kick off Fruitland Special Needs SERVE. This will be a whole week of excitement for our congregation. A week when participants and their mentors under the direction of the local leadership team will spread out into our community to share the love of God with their hands and their feet.

There's going to be more happening than work. There will be lots of time for fun, for building relationships, for enjoying good food, for relaxing, but the main goal of the week will be to show love for God, and through the power of that love, express love for the world.

As we kick this week off during a special service, we'll spend some time recognizing that that is exactly what Jesus came to do as well.  Jesus, in the book of Luke, suggests that he has come to fulfill a prophecy made by Isaiah and that he has come to proclaim good news, and freedom, and healing, and to end oppression. All bold claims, claims which were rejected by those who heard them.


It's going to be a wonderful morning of song, fellowship, learning, and even lunch. Be sure to join us.

Jesus' Ministry Program

In our scripture reading this week (Mark 6:1-13), Jesus sends his disciples off on a mission trip and gives them pretty clear instructions on how they are to go out and interact. There's something in his instructions that I think can be very helpful to us today. 

Jesus essentially says, "Go light, be nimble, accept hospitality, and don't go alone". He concludes his instructions saying, "If the place you are in doesn't want to hear what you have to say, don't waste your time, pick up and leave"

His words really stand in contrast with the infrastructure we have built for ministry, doesn't it? Our buildings certainly prevent us from being nimble in their unmoving locations, unbending layouts, and unending overhead costs. Our denominational structures, in some cases, add to the burden we carry into ministry, setting direction and adding costs from far away. Our hesitancy to end programs, and even close churches when they no longer appear to meet the needs of our communities and the goals of our ministries, hinders our effectiveness in truly bringing the gospel, bringing healing to our world.

This Sunday, we'll think about Jesus charge to his disciples as he sends them out, as well as his own reaction when his words and ministry don't yield fruit.

Canada Day

This Sunday is Canada Day. It's a special Sunday for us in Fruitland because we join together with neighbouring churches, not only to celebrate our country, but also to celebrate our unity in Christ.

There is a school of thought that says that churches should not celebrate, or highlight, patriotic holidays. This way of thinking understands that we are in the world not of it, that we serve a different kingdom, a heavenly one, that we need to hold ourselves apart from the idolatry of nation worship. All of these things are true, but I think we can, as a church celebrate the good things that God has given us through our country and the opportunities that our country affords us in terms of bringing the shalom of God's kingdom to the world.

We will celebrate in worship, in prayer, in the celebration of the Lord's supper. We'll even sing O Canada. Afterward, we will share fellowship across denominational lines with strawberries and ice cream.

Join us this Sunday as we celebrate our place in Canada and our unity in Christ.