We are in a series called, “The Night that Changed Everything.”  We’re looking at the significance of Christmas, a night that changed much more than most of us imagine.  We’ll see its impact on five segments of society:

  1. The Night That Changed the Religious
  2. The Night That Changed the Powerful
  3. The Night That Changed the Poor
  4. The Night That Changed You
  5. The Night That Changed the Wise

This is our final week, when we look at how Jesus’ birth changed the wise.  As you might have guessed, we’ll look at the story of the Magi or wise men who visited Jesus. They are unexpected worshippers of Jesus.  We already explored how the shepherds were unusual, but at least they were local.  The Magi travelled a long way, and they were highly educated astrologers.

They are the last people you’d expect to be worshipping a baby, but here they are.  They are important for us to consider, because even today there are those who say they are too smart to believe in Jesus, or any religion.  We’ll explore that this week.

Question: Describe a wise person.  How do you recognize one?

Reminder: We are reading the Bible in sync as one community – so check out today’s reading here.

Reminder: The best way to grow spiritually this year is to join our Christianity 101 in the Cafe Course in Pickering starting January 22nd. Register for you and a friend today!

Read the Bible in Sync Today

Ryan Sim - March 5, 2014

Wednesday - Change It - Reset Family

Hi, welcome to Redeem the Commute. I’m Ryan, your host of the Daily Challenges. Today’s Wednesday, so it’s the day we try to let our thoughts be challenged and transformed by the words of the Bible that we saw yesterday. We’re exploring how following Jesus resets our views of family. We acknowledged that family is a mechanism for providing good things: shelter, food, care, etc. But when a life is reset by Jesus, family becomes much more, it becomes a place for others to learn to follow Jesus themselves. It’s here that family members learn, in a “lab” setting, what Jesus said was most critical: Love god and Love neighbour. At the baptism we had a few weeks ago for some Redeem the Commute members, I asked those who’d gathered to support an infant being baptized the following: Today we are trusting God for her growth in faith. Will you pray for her, draw her by your example into the community of faith and walk with her in the way of Christ? In baptism she begins her journey in faith...You speak for her today. Will you care for her, and help her to take her place within the life and worship of Christ's Church? That’s a good vision for any family who are trying to follow Jesus – the parent(s) and their community gather around the child(ren) in discipleship. In no particular order, here are some ways that might happen with various Christian values: Sacrifice: Involve in kids decisions around activities (compromise), spending, vacations, etc. Love: Children learn love from parents, learn father’s love for us. Uniqueness. Pray/Worship: Pray for your kids, teach them to pray. Grace. Bedtime. Then special needs won’t be the only prayer they ever hear. Practice Peace & Love – Teaching about hitting, lying, gossip, etc. Compassion: Bring them to hospital, downtown, etc. Talk about what you see, how you react, how and why you help others or not. Communion: Eat meals together when you can. Talk about your day, and pray in response. Stewardship of body: Exercise, eat healthy, etc. Stewardship of money and possessions: When money comes, teach them how you save & spend & give. Christian Community: Give kids as many heroes as possible. Our own church community will be meeting in person soon. Forgive: Can’t run away from family, ignore for very long. Hurts need to be dealt with through forgiveness or an unending cycle of vengeance. Teach them forgiveness. Question: Think of your current schedule and activities as a family. What do they communicate is most important in life?

Discuss

More Messages Associated With "Family"...

Powered by Series Engine