{ Andrew Mills }

Fresh Starts Happen by Saying Yes

On Sunday we began our series looking at how God can give us a fresh start. The beautiful thing about God is that he cares about us so deeply that he wants to wipe the slate clean. This idea though of God forgiving us is so familiar to us, that it’s lost some of its radical power. The God who created the spinning galaxies and molecules, hope, life, birth, and birds and trees sees all the hurt we do to ourselves and one another and still offers us forgiveness. This is really radical. Just think about it, we don’t do that with our family, friends, or ourselves. We hold onto hurts for years, our guilt traps us. And yet the perfect and holy God above and within, says grace, forgiveness, have a fresh start. This is wonderful. Just listen to this verse from 2 Corinthians:

Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him. 2 Cor 5:17

So if this is what God is about, and wants to do – how do we experience it? That’s the question isn’t it. How do we live this fresh start, find it, and experience it?

That’s what we spent the rest of the time on, on Sunday. We looked at a parable of Jesus in Matthew 13 that explains how we experience this Good News. And what we learned was our experience of this Good News is dependent on our hearts. Jesus shares that when the Good News is spread, it’s like seed and soil. And when the seed is spread it lands in different soils, or hearts. Some of our hearts are hard and rocky, and this Good News doesn’t penetrate or transform. Some of our hearts though are shallow and we love the idea of a fresh start, but when things get tough we give up. Others of us have this Good News go deep, but then greed, consumerism, and self-centeredness choke out the growth within us. But some hearts, some soil, is ready and it goes deep and lasts.

So on Sunday we asked a really important question: What is the soil of your heart like? Is it rocky or receptive, hard or soft, weedy or clean?

Because the state of our hearts is often the defining factor in experiencing a fresh start or not. God’s clear – he wants to give us a clean start. The question is are we ready to receive it?

The difference between different soils, and different hearts is often one word: yes. Hearts that are receptive, soil that is good, are hearts that say yes to Jesus. That keep saying yes to Jesus. That don’t stop saying yes to Jesus.

That’s how you experience a new beginning; you don’t stop saying yes to Jesus.

Today you can have a fresh start in your faith, and it begins by saying yes.

We ended with giving everyone a simple, but lifelong challenge: say yes to everything Jesus asks you this week. Just keep saying yes, and he will lead you not only to experience a new start, but a new future. Can you imagine how different your marriage would be if you just said yes to Jesus every time he asked you to apologize? Can you imagine how different your family would be if you said yes to Jesus every time he asked you to show grace? Can you imagine how different your community and even world might be if we just say yes to him consistently?

So that’s my challenge, a hard one, but a worthy one. If we want to have a fresh start this year, it begins with Jesus, and it begins by saying yes.

Sermon Notes:

Big Idea: Today you can have a fresh start in your faith, and it begins by saying yes.

Teaching Points:

When you have a new beginning you have new possibilities
God is into fresh starts and new beginnings
We have become so familiar with the idea of God forgiving us, that it’s lost its power
Gardening takes good soil and patience
What is the soil of your heart like?
Keep saying yes to Jesus.
This week whenever Jesus asks you to do something: say yes.

Adult Discussion Questions:

What stuck out to you from the sermon? What was challenging to you? How did God speak to you through it? What was new? What was funny? Has God’s promises of forgiveness lost any of its “shock” for you? What is the soil of your heart like? How do you think saying yes might keep your heart soft? What is he asking you to say yes to today?

Discussion Questions for Young Families

Talk to your kids about soil, and how things need good soil to grow. Maybe even plant a few plants. Talk about how our hearts are like soil – and that they stay good by saying yes to Jesus. Ask your kids what Jesus might be asking of them, and then help them to say yes.

Challenge for the Week: This week whenever Jesus asks you to do something: say yes.

January 12, 2015 by Andrew Mills

Starting Again in a New Year – And How To Do It

This Sunday we are really launching into our new series – called Fresh Start. And I think that’s what we need this year – a fresh start – a new beginning. We accumulate junk in our lives, just by living. And sometimes we just need to leave it behind, we need to start again, we need to wipe the slate clean.

And that’s what this Sunday is all about, wiping the slate clean and starting again. We are going to be looking at how God says that we are made new, that we are made clean, that you can grow and be different than who you were. Just because last year was one way, doesn’t mean this year needs to be the same way. Because what God does best is transform and give fresh starts. Listen to this verse from 2 Corinthians:

Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him. 2 Cor 5:17

That’s what we are going to not only learn about, but experience on Sunday.

So my question for all of you, whether you are followers of Jesus or not is this: where do you need a fresh start this year?

Because that question matters for all of us wherever we are at. We all have hurts, brokenness, and relationships that just need a new beginning. So where do you need a fresh start this year? And come Sunday we’ll discover how to find that, by why wait till then? Why not ask God to simply start that fresh start in you today. Because what we see is that anyone united with Jesus gets a fresh start and is created new. And I believe that’s true.

January 9, 2015 by Andrew Mills

The Leadership Test: Are you leading, or helping others to lead?

The real test of leadership isn’t what you can do, but what you empower and enable others to do.

What I mean by this is simple. Real leaders raise leaders, enable others, and empower others. But we have this idea in our cultural mind that leaders blaze a trail, get stuff done, and move things forward by the sheer force of their will. And maybe that’s true sometimes.

But I think the true leader isn’t’ the one who focuses on what they can get done, but what they can help others to get done.

And it’s a shift in thinking but it needs to happen.

The best leaders are the ones who help others to lead well.

So it’s not just about focusing on what you can do, but what can you help others to do?

January 7, 2015 by Andrew Mills

God Wants to Make You New

On Sunday we shared about how God is about fresh starts and new beginnings. We read some of the following verses, and just let God speak to you through them:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17
And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. Romans 6:4
But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. Isaiah 43:18
And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. Ezekiel 11:19-20
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

The simple truth is God is into new beginnings. This is what he wants to give to us, so that we can discover a new future and a fresh start.

So rather than talking a lot about it on Sunday, we experienced it. We gathered together as friends, families, and individuals in small groups and took communion together.

Communion is a reminder that we all have a fresh start because of Jesus. It is a reminder that all our sins and failures have been dealt with , so we can live differently. It’s something we take together, to remind ourselves that we are different.

So maybe today that’s just a reminder that you need, I know I do. That because of Jesus we are made new. It’s simple, but true. And sometimes the most life-changing truths, are the simplest. May this simple truth shape your day today:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17

Sermon Notes:

Big Idea: You can start new today

Teaching Points:

This idea about having a fresh start and a new beginning , is embedded into our faith.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17
And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. Romans 6:4
But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. Isiah 43:18
And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. Ezekiel 11:19-20
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

Adult Discussion Questions:

What do you need to be made new this year? How can God help you with this? Who else can help you with this? If there is one change that you need to make this year, what is it?

Discussion Questions for Young Families

Spend some time with your kids talking about communion and how Jesus makes us new. Debrief together over what they thought and if they have any questions

Challenge for the Week: Live in a new direction.

January 5, 2015 by Andrew Mills

Having a Fresh Start This New Year

On Sunday we are starting a brand new series called Fresh Start. This series is all about finding a new beginning, a new direction, and wiping the slate clean.

It seems that at this time of the year, everyone is talking about making better and different choices. About starting fresh. Whether that’s talk show hosts, to people trying to get you to sign up for a gym membership.

The point is that while it certainly is cultural, to talk about new beginnings, it’s most of all – biblical.

God, throughout the Scriptures, offers us a fresh start. Offers us a new beginning. He offers to wipe the slate clean and start again.

And this is so needed. So often in life we seem to just accumulate hurt, brokenness, mistakes, and baggage. And it can be almost impossible sometimes to work through it all. So instead of working through it all, God chose to deal with it all through the death of his son. Through this one act he gave us a fresh start and a new beginning.

So that’s what we are going to be looking at for the rest of the month of January and most of February. How we can find a fresh start in faith, friendships, family, futures, and finances. And most of all, how we find a fresh start today.

January 2, 2015 by Andrew Mills

Looking Back, to Look Forward: Searching For God’s Activity in 2014

On Sunday we sat and shared stories of what God has done in our lives. We essentially tried to practice this Psalm 77:11-12 corporately. We read this there:

Once again I’ll go over what God has done, lay out on the table the ancient wonders; I’ll ponder all the things you’ve accomplished, and give a long, loving look at your acts.

That verse is such a powerful reminder for us. As I reflected over the past year I realized ways I hadn’t seen God moving. Because the truth is that sometimes we only see God moving in hindsight. During the midst of difficulty, the busyness of life, we can actually miss seeing God move. But as we pause, reflect, and remember we can see how God was moving. This is why this practice of pausing, remembering and sharing isn’t just a good idea – it’s a crucial idea. If we are going to be able to follow God into the next year, we should know of how he moved in the past year.

We ended the service with a simple but practical challenge: share a story of how God moved this past year. That’s it. Just share some of those loving acts. It didn’t need to be big – just real and honest.

For some of us the only thing we can share is that we are still here. That God got us through. For others we have reasons to celebrate – people have kicked addictions, found new hope, or seen miracles. The point is that sharing the things God has accomplished brings us hope and brings God into our present.

So I think the challenge is still a good one for all of us this week. Share with a friend, your kids, your spouse, your neighbor the good God has done. Spend time taking a long look at the loving things God has done, and then share it. Because who knows, this might be the way that God does something in your present, as you share how he moved in the past.

Sermon Notes:

Big Idea: We need to take a long loving look at God’s acts.

Teaching Points:

Sometimes we only see God’s hand in our lives in hindsight
How has God been active in your year?
Once again I’ll go over what God has done, lay out on the table the ancient wonders; I’ll ponder all the things you’ve accomplished, and give a long, loving look at your acts Psalm 77:11-12
Remember what God has done, and share what God has done.

Adult Discussion Questions:

What stuck out to you from the sermon? What was challenging to you? How did God speak to you through it? What was new? What was funny? What are some of the things God has done in your life in the past year? Do you believe it’s true that sometimes you only see God in hindsight? How come? Who should you share your story of God’s activity with?

Discussion Questions for Young Families

Ask your kids one question and then really listen: what did God do for you in the past year? Spend time listening and sharing stories.

Challenge for the Week: Remember what God has done, and share what God has done.

December 29, 2014 by Andrew Mills

A Long Look at Your Loving Acts

This Sunday we are going to be having people share stories of what God has done in their life in the past year. This is a really important practice to have. Sharing stories transform people. It brings people into our lives, and share our lives with them.

And looking back and remembering what God has done is crucial to moving forward in faith. Without looking back, we can often miss what God has done, we can miss how he moved.

So we are going to take some intentional time and pause, remember, and share. In essence, we are going to try to practice Psalm 77:11-12 where we read this:

Once again I’ll go over what God has done, lay out on the table the ancient wonders; I’ll ponder all the things you’ve accomplished, and give a long, loving look at your acts.

This is the perfect time of the year to give a long loving look at God’s acts. To actually sit and ponder all he accomplished this year. Before moving forward into next year, we need to remember and reflect on what God has done this year. But that is just the first step, the next step is to share with others what God has done. To actually lay out on the table what God is doing.

So that’s where we are going on Sunday, but whether or not you join us I think this practice has value. Why not sit and give a long loving look at the acts of God in your life this past year. And then best yet, share those with someone, because when we do that we not only remember how God moved in the past, but give him space to move in the present.

December 27, 2014 by Andrew Mills

Why I Love an Old Fashioned Christmas

On Sunday we shared a lot about the traditions surrounding Christmas. Or if the word tradition bothers you – think instead of rhythms that surround Christmas. Because traditions are funny things, they are rooted in the past, but they actually preserve the future. That’s what they do.

Traditions are things that grow, that hold faith and family together. And without them family and faith can slip away or fade away.

This is something that I’m beginning to realize more and more. That traditions create memories, they are containers that hold meaning, and draw family together and pass along faith.

So on Sunday I shared some of the traditions that are part of my family.

Watching National Lampoons every year

Decorating the tree
Going to Christmas Eve services
Praying before gifts
Reading the Christmas story
And many more

The point is that the traditions – or rhythms – ground my family and my faith. They ensure that I remember that something important is happening and someone important is coming.

So we closed Sunday with giving a simple challenge: what is one tradition you want to start this year, and one tradition you want to keep and really invest in.

And I know in one sense all this talk about tradition makes me old fashioned. But that’s okay, because what really matters to me isn’t being cool and new. What really matters is my family growing closer, being pointed towards Jesus, and having memories that last, linger, and shape them.

Sermon Notes:

Big Idea: Creating and keeping traditions matter.

Teaching Points:

The stories are the point
That traditions are often the cradle and the keeper of faith.
Creating and keeping traditions matter
Traditions hold family and faith together

Adult Discussion Questions:

What stuck out to you from the sermon? What was challenging to you? How did God speak to you through it? What was new? What was funny? What are some of the traditions your family kept growing up? What are some of your favourite memories? Why do you think traditions might be important? What are some traditions you keep in your family? What are some you might want to start? How can tradition help to pass along faith, and hold family together?

Discussion Questions for Young Families

Talk to your kids about some of your favourite traditions. Then ask them, “What traditions should we have around Christmas?” Why not invite them into the discussion and take up their ideas. Sundaes on Christmas Eve? Why not. Wake up before the sun on Christmas day? Sure. Talk to them and develop some traditions.

Challenge for the Week: What traditions do you want to start, and keep?

December 22, 2014 by Andrew Mills

Traditions, Turkey, and Tree’s

This Sunday is our annual Christmas meal at the church. So if you’re in the area and want some turkey, come on by and join us.

But this is one of the things that I love most about Christmas. I love how there are traditions that we do every year. That there are reminders that Christmas is coming, that there are markers that point to Jesus, that there are memories that go back decades.

For me, one of the memories I have is watching the movie National Lampoon’s Christmas each and every year. It was my dad’s favourite movie, and every year we’d watch it together.

But what about you? What makes Christmas – Christmas for you?

Because traditions matter, memories matter, and markers matter.

So that’s what we are going to be talking a little bit about on Sunday before we eat lots of turkey. But before we get there, why not think through what traditions matter to you. Because the funny thing about traditions is they root us in the past, but point us forward to the future. And that’s what we’ll explore on Sunday.

December 19, 2014 by Andrew Mills

Bye Bye Fear

Because God loves us, we don’t have to be afraid. Because God loves us, we are free to love others-even our enemies. And after all, once you take fear off the table, how many enemies do you really have? Brian Zahnd

So deep and so true.

Why not re-read it a few times and ask Jesus to help you take fear off the table.

Because being free of fear makes you free to love.

December 17, 2014 by Andrew Mills