Lent is a season of the church year.  It is the forty days (excluding Sundays) from Ash Wednesday (Feb. 6) till Easter (March 23).  Lent is a season of penitence and self-denial often associated with the idea of “giving something up.”   Like, “I gave up chocolate for Lent.”

This year during Lent, Willoughby Church invites you to a journey toward the cross of Jesus by observing the “words from the cross.”  Jesus spoke seven times from the cross.  Here’s the list: Read the rest of this entry »

You may have wondered about the green banners hanging in the church foyer. They are the liturgical colours for the season of the church year we currently find ourselves in (ordinary time). Not being entirely sure myself what this meant, I began a little research, starting with the word “liturgical”. Basically, “liturgy” is translated “the work of the people” and refers to a form of public worship or a collection of forms. The liturgies celebrated during different seasons of the church year have distinctive music and specific readings, prayers and rituals (think of the Advent readings and candle lighting). The colours associated with the seasons help express what is being celebrated or observed.

This all led me to question – how is the calendar of the church year organized and what are the associated colours? Read the rest of this entry »

Each year hundreds of delegates from all over North America descend on some locale to deliberate the life of the Christian Reformed Church.  This gathering is called Synod.  This year Synod happens in Grand Rapids, Michigan on June 9 - 15.  It is a gathering that helps each church or region of the Christian Reformed Church stay in touch with each other.  Sometimes, the business seems boring - I especially find talk of money to be boring.  Sometimes the business is interesting - I like the discussions about important issues: for example, children at the Lord’s Supper or third-wave pentecostalism.  And always, the most interesting parts of Synod are the coffee breaks and lunch breaks and dinner breaks.  Delegates get the chance to meet who’s who from around North America.  You can meet old, old friends and make brand new friends.  And most importantly, you can discover the love of Christ that flows through the heart and soul of every delegate at Synod. 

So pray for the work of Synod this week.  Pray that Christ’s love will be evident.  Pray that God’s will is done.  Pray that even if delegates don’t see eye-to-eye, that they will see the love of Christ in every heart. 

If you would like to know more about what Synod 2007 of the Christian Reformed Church is all about, click here.

Today’s the first day of spring.  We will have over 12 hours of daylight.  Now, if only we could get the sun to shine for a majority of those hours.  Kidding, the sun’s shining right now.  Okay, well, it was for a few minutes.

I like spring.  Dark, rainy winters give way to all that’s good and right with the world. Read the rest of this entry »

I participated in a panel on Sunday night at the Bridge Community Church: Exploring Worship Traditions.  There were five panelists: Alan Shore (Messianic Judaism), Lawrence Farley (Russian Orthodox), James Hughes (Roman Catholic), Scott McTaggart (Nondenominational), and myself (Christian Reformed).  We got to talk about worship for a couple of hours.  It was interesting, invigorating and humbling. Read the rest of this entry »