Dear all

Our Sunday passage of scripture, Philippians 2:5-11, is one of the best known descriptions of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul starts by emphasizing that this Jesus was, is and will be the Lord of all the earth. Other places in scripture attest to this too: whilst on earth, Jesus exercised his power over the wind and waves, over sickness and in the raising of Lazarus, over death itself. But it wasn't until the resurrection that Jesus finally confirmed to his followers who he was. Even Jesus' skeptical disciple Thomas eventually came to declare to Jesus 'My Lord and my God' in John 20:28.

Dear all

It was a privilege to have James Grunau, CEO of Journey Home Community (JHC) as our speaker on Sunday. In 2004, whilst taking a course at Regent College, he began to consider the development of a Vancouver based ministry to help asylum seekers -  those refugees who have fled their homes due to persecution and who in desperation simply arrive at a place of entry in Canada. From that early vision, James now overseas a charity which helps significant numbers of refugees each year. As he explained in his message, his work is rooted in scripture, particularly Leviticus 19:33-34 which says. 'When a foreigner resides among you in the land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God'. James' highlighted three principles from these words: treat asylum seekers well (in contrast to the treatment they received in their own country), take a gospel orientated yet holistic approach to refugees and thirdly extend the kind of care to refugees which we extend to ourselves. Radical hospitality indeed!

On Sunday Steve preached a sermon on what it means for us to live a life that amounts to “something beautiful for God.”