Riverwood Church Community

Sometimes spiritual principles are gleaned from the most unusual of sources! Take this message for instance. It turns out John 14, Revelation 21 and Buddy the Elf have a lot to teach us about our eternal home in heaven! Who knew?

So, how many times have you watched “A Charlie Brown Christmas?” Do you remember what the take-away lesson from that 56-year-old animated show was? Do you think you have the story right?...or could it have actually been about something I missed?...and what is the ‘real Christmas story'?

Most of us have come to believe that the ‘real Christmas story’ involves a young couple, a donkey, some sheep, shepherds, wisemen and, of course, a Baby! This message challenges that conception and tells a version of the story…without any of these common players!

After journeying through the book of Job together for the month of November, this week we take some time to look at what we can take away as we wrestle though the suffering and struggles we see in the world around us and in our own lives. While it would seem that the book of Job searches for the answers to the common human question of why there is suffering in the world, we realize that in the end this question is never actually resolved but it challenges us to discover what God is inviting us into in the midst of these questions.

Job suffered tremendous loss, and in the midst of it, his words and actions give us insight for how to get through our losses today. In this message we will unpack 3 helpful strategies for surviving the losses of life

Fascinating! Job’s three friends held degrees in theology, philosophy, natural science, and rhetorical analysis! They and their way of looking at life represented the majority! Meanwhile, Job was beat up, broke, frustrated, and attempting to put God on trial. Yet, God scolded the three friends and said they should be more like Job! Why? What did Job have that the three friends didn’t?

Job teaches us a lot about positive and negative ways to handle suffering, loss and the giant storms that happen in our lives. Let’s take a look at our myriad of responses and ask God to show us the way through

In this mini-series, Paul is giving us a total of eight practical and highly effective tools for disarming landmines: emotionally explosive issues! However, this series is more than just a theoretical teaching. Last weekend we uncovered and attempted to disarm the highly volatile issue of vaccines, QR codes, and segregation. This weekend we wander into the minefield to acknowledge one of the most explosive of issues: the church and the LGBTQ2S+ community. These issues are a test of how well we have learned to use the tools Paul gives us!

We all hide them! We all navigate them! We are all triggered by them! Explosive topics. Difficult issues. Philosophical, emotional, theological landmines! This weekend we’re going to enroll in the Apostle Paul’s ‘School of Disarming Landmines’, 101 and 201 levels. In the end, you will receive six practical tools and a homework assignment!

Fences are great! They provide clear definition of where the line is. They protect. Fences guard and provide us with a sense of security. However, fences also create barriers and send a clear message, “You don’t belong in here!” In this message, we watch as Jesus goes on a mission to pull out the fence posts and move the fences!

"There is no doubt that we are living in a remarkably divided, polarized and fractured world! While voices desperate for change yell louder, our ability to listen to one another is shrinking. In the midst of all this, we have the audacity to believe that God has given us a mission 'to be a God-powered, unified, restorative force in the world!' But how? How is it even possible to be united and unified?"

After diving into a personal “What Now” experience, we continue to explore Joshua’s journey through the impossible and discovering our mission to be a God-centred, unified, restorative force in the world. This message dives into chapter 20 and the Cities of Refuge Joshua was asked to build and how they show us a beautiful picture of God’s invitation to join in his restorative vision for the world.

They are invisible, imperceptible and you would never know they even existed if it weren’t the way the receiver lights up! Satellite signals! This message examines how Joshua lost contact with God in Joshua 9:14, not unlike when a satellite signal is dropped. We then turn to ask, “How is the power of God made real in our lives?” and we discover three very practical, actionable ways to ensure the connection is strong!

At this point in the pandemic, 18 months in with little sign of an end in sight, many people are asking “What now?” As church leaders, we certainly are! This message, from the Book of Joshua, takes time to acknowledge our losses and cast a compelling vision of the future!