Esquimalt United reflections

This is the January 20th 2008 reflection. The granddaughter of one of the members of the congregation went on a mission trip to South Africa in the summer of 2007 and came to tell us about it. I think it would be hard to listen to her and not be touched by how God manifested Himself during her trip. Please do listen. The introduction is done by her grandfather. God Bless You!

This is the November 18, 2007 reflection. Our church is in the midst of a health assessment to see where we stand and this reflection talked about what the church is. There is a section where the congregation speaks. They are saying: Here is the church; Here is the steeple; Open the door see all the people. This was done as the minister was doing the hand motions that go with that little ditty. God Bless You!

Here we are back after a prolonged absence. This is the reflection from the November 4th church service. This reflection was given by a guest speaker as our minister was away on course. God Bless You!

This is the September 2nd 2007 reflection. This is a foretaste of the reflection series that will begin next week. The following Bible passage was a basis for this week's reflection: And then I heard a voice thunder from the Throne: "Look! Look! God has moved into the neighbourhood, making his home with men and women! They're his people, he's their God. And the one who was seated on the throne said, "See, I am making all things new." I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. And he who over comes will inherit these things, and I will be their God and they will be my children. (Revelations 21:1-7) God Bless You!

The beginning of the reflection is missing a few seconds, but I do not think that it takes away from the reflection itself. This is our Minister's first week back from vacation and what she did during her vacation found its way into the reflection. I would like to think that it is a very powerful reflection. Do give it a listen. God Bless You! PS: The following was read before the reflection began: Our God reigns with power and might... He speaks with power and majesty. God spoke into the darkness and created the light. His voice makes the desert quake and in the stillness of his voice was power beyond all power... the power to defeat death and open the gates of heaven so mercy and grace can be ours. And everyone shouts "Glory!!! Our God reigns!" Indeed our God is always there for us... Whether we are in the farthest reaches or nestled in our beds. God is there, knowing what we think before we think it, waiting for us as we arrive at our destination. God is the bedrock of our existence and the creator of our world, our lives, our very being... And everyone shouts "Glory!!! Our Lord God Almighty reigns. Our God reigns forever"

In the August 19th, 2007 reflection, my older daughter spoke about how it is not enough to just talk about being a Christian, you have to live it. The reflection is full of funny anecdotes that help illustrate her point. This was my daughter's last week as pulpit supply as our Minister is returning from vacation next Sunday. God Bless You!

Last week, my daughter gave a reflection about the Faith story that was the turning point in her faith life. This week, the reflection concentrates on what it is she was turning towards. The beginning comment in the reflection is due to the fact that the Powerpoint presentation - which she put together - had mistakes in it. The one part in my opinion where there were no mistakes was the reflection. Do give it a listen. This is the August 12th, 2007 reflection, by the way. God Bless You!

This is the recording of the reflection given on August 5th. Our Minister is on vacation and so my older daughter is giving the reflection. The Story of Ruth is what she is speaking about. God Bless You!

This continues the series on Faith Stories, with the guest speaker reflecting on how God loves us and how nothing can separate us from His love. The verses he mentions are from Romans 8, and he is using the NIV Bible. God Bless You!

This reflection is the first one of five that were given while our Minister was on vacation. This one is based on Mark 6:1-13 and features a long time member of the congregation. God Bless You!

This is the reflection that was given on July 15th, 2007. The song she refers to at the beginning of the reflection is "If there were no God" by Keith Lancaster which was sung by the Worship Team just before the reflection. Lyrics: http://cthibodeau.stikipad.com/singsong/show/IfThereWereNoGod I think that is is a particularly good reflection. I had forgotten about it so I really enjoyed listening to it again. The Bible reading for this reflection was 1 Timothy 1:15-17 if I recall correctly. God Bless You!

This is the reflection from the July 8, 2007 service. This was the beginning of the summer series on Faith Stories. Our minister began with her favourite Bible passage: Romans 5:8-11. The version she quotes in the reflection is from "The Message". God Bless You!

This is the reflection that was given on Canada Day (July 1st). The first minute of the reflection was lost due to incorrect settings on the soundboard, but I think it still works well. It is a comparison about citizenship in your home country (Canadian in our case, but you can replace it with your citizenship), which is limited and finite, or the love of Jesus Christ that is limitless and ever lasting. God Bless You!

This is the declaration of faith my older daughter did for her confirmation a couple of months back.

Last Sunday was Pentecost, and the reflection was about how hard it can be to find the Spirit of God, and how it can be possible to let ourselves open up to the Spirit. I have listened to the reflection a couple of times now, and I think it is one you will want to listen to more than once. God Bless You! PS: I have put up two reflections in successive days, but I would like to invite you to listen to both of them as they are both very worthwhile.

Looks like I am a week late with this entry. This is the May 20th reflection that talked about the economy of God, the extravagant giving of God and what it means in and for our lives. And that extravagant giving is freely given. Listen to the podcast to find out more about it. BTW, there is dead air for the first 15+ seconds. I am just not technically savvy enough to clean that up at this point. God Bless You!

This is the reflection that was given last Sunday on Mother's Day. There seems to be some of the beginning of the reflection missing, but having listened to it the message is still there. God Bless You!

This week's reflection touched upon how we can be frozen and unable to respond to Christ's call. But it is about letting Christ in and letting him work through us. God Bless You!

In her return from her vacation, our minister spoke about about foundation. About foundation of faith, and also how this reflection would be a "foundation" for the serie of reflections in the weeks to come. A very interesting reflection. Do give it a listen. God Bless You!

This is the reflection from the April 22nd service at Esquimalt. You will have to listen to it to get the meaning of the title of this post. Once again, my older daughter stood in for our vacationing minister and I think she did well this time also. I am biased of course, but give it a listen, I think you will agree with me. God Bless You!

Sorry about the lapse in posting. It was a combination of having technical difficulties with the recording as well as being away for a couple of weeks. This last Sunday's reflection was on the topic of "God is love". We had a replacement minister for last Sunday (and will also next Sunday) and this is the reflection she gave. I think the reflection is very good; of course I may be a little bit biased as it is my older daughter speaking... God bless you!

You may have noticed that there was no post last week. Our regular sound person was away and the person filling in was so engrossed in the service that the reflection was half-over before it was noticed that the recording had not started. This week is not as bad, but we are still missing a bit of the beginning. It probably has to do with the fact that our sound person was also delivering part of the reflection (she is one of the two voices you will hear - the minister is the other). From what I understand, the missing beginning of the reflection will be written out at the church blog: http://esquimaltunitedchurch.blogspot.com/ God Bless You!

The service this week was part one of the Annual General Meeting, where we celebrated the events of the past year. The reflection is based on that celebration. It is well worth listening to in my opinion - of course why would I be putting it up if I did not think so? God Bless You! PS: I am not technically savvy enough yet to remove unwanted dead air; so there is about 10 seconds of nothing to begin the podcast.

This is the Esquimalt United Church reflection (sermon) on "Serve". This is final installment of the series entitled "Following Jesus: From Seeker to Servant". The previous 3 podcasts were also part of that series. God Bless You! This week's reflection was given by a guest speaker, Renee, a member of the congregation.

This is the Esquimalt United Church reflection (sermon) on "Obey". This is part of a series entitled "Following Jesus: From Seeker to Servant". The previous 2 podcasts were also part of that serie. God Bless You!

This is the Esquimalt United church reflection (sermon) on love. There were some comments made by three ladies before the sermon which was what the minister was referring to. An approximate text of those comments will be posted at http://esquimaltunitedchurch.blogspot.com/. You should read those first before listening to the podcast.

Hello, This is the reflection that was given at my church (Esquimalt United Church) on Sunday January 28th. I am trying to record and post the reflection for anyone to hear; this is my first try.