Easter Services

This a very important week for Christians, in many ways more important than Christmas. This is the week that we remember that Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins and that he rose again on the third day, demonstrating his victory over death. It is these truths that give us hope.

At Woodford Baptist Church and First Baptist Church Meaford, we will be celebrating this week in a number of ways.

Friday, April 2 at 10:30 am - A combined Good Friday service with both our churches, as well as Bethany Church of the Nazarene, Cook Street Pentecostal Tabernacle and Olivet Baptist Church. The service will be held at the Nazarene church (34 Trowbridge St W Meaford) and Rev. Bruce Jones from Olivet Baptist Church will be preaching.

Sunday, April 4 at 9:00 am - An Easter Sunday breakfast service at Woodford Baptist Church. We will have an informal worship service around tables as we enjoy a wonderful breakfast together and celebrate that Jesus is risen. Communion will be included with our meal.

Sunday, April 4 at 11:00 am - A traditional Easter Sunday service at First Baptist Church Meaford. We will listen to the story of Jesus' resurrection and reflect on what that means for us. We will remember Jesus' sacrifice through the celebration of communion.

Everyone is welcome to join us for these services. For more information, go to our web pages: www.woodfordbaptist.ca and www.meafordbaptist.ca.

Wearing Blue for World Autism Awareness Day!!! April 2, 2010

On Friday, April 2, you have an opportunity to show your support for families touched by autism. All you have to do is wear blue. Most people may not notice but those who know about this will be watching. It is a simple way for us to join together in support. As a father of two children with autism, I can say that it will be much appreciated.

How to Pray

Last Sunday we continued our series on Genesis to Revelation. We looked at Chronicles, specifically 2 Chronicles 7:14. The context is a high point in Israel's history. Between David and Solomon, things were going well. The first Temple had just been built and dedicated. But God warned Solomon that bad times would come and gave him a pattern to pray.

1. Humble - All prayer must begin from a posture of humility. The best example is Jesus who prayed "Not my will but your will be done."

2. Pray - The best way to pray is to actually pray. Do not let the fact that God already knows everything stop you from praying. Prayer is not about passing on information but strengthening our relationship with God.

3. Seek - Prayer is not just about getting what we want but rather seeking God's face and knowing him better.

4. Turn - We all make mistakes and sin. We must be honest and turn from our wicked ways. It is not enough to just be sorry, we must actually turn.

Three thousand years later, this is still a great way to pray. For the next couple of weeks the text and audio of this message can be found at www. meafordbaptist.ca and the audio can be found at www.stephenjbedard.com.

Shave Me O God!

I think it is important that congregations support their pastors and I say that not just because I am a pastor. I have been blessed with two very supportive congregations but I was really touched by this story from CNN of how a congregation is supporting their pastor who has cancer. It is worth a look.

Have You Seen My Bible?

Last week we continued our series Genesis to Revelation with a look at 1 & 2 Kings. We looked specifically at the finding of the Law in the time of Josiah. At some point in the past, people put the book of the Law in the Templeo. The priests knew how to offer sacrifices without having the written word. Meanwhile, the festivals were not celebrated and the commandments were not followed. Josiah, not looking for the Law, decided to renovate and clean up the Temple. In the midst of that, the Book of the Law (likely Deuteronomy) was discovered. The Law was read and Josiah responded by tearing his robes and instituting reforms. There are three places in this story that we might find ourselves:

1) Our Bible might be lost - Not physically but it might not have any role in our life.

2) Our Bible might be found - The Bible is valued it is in really danger of just being a holy relic.

3) Our Bible might be read - We give the Bible permission to change us and to change the people around us.

The Bible is not something just to be admired, it is something practical and applicable to our lives.

For the next little bit the text and audio of this message can be found on www.meafordbaptist.ca and the audio can be found on www.stephenjbedard.com.

Unmasking the Pagan Christ Documentary

If you have not seen the documentary on our book Unmasking the Pagan Christ and if you use HDNet, you will be able to see it on March 25. You can get the information here. I thought the documentary was quite well done, and not just because of my involvement. Check it out!

Jesus and Social Justice

I read this disturbing article on CNN. It seems as if some Christian leaders are claiming that we need to be suspicious of churches that support social justice and that Jesus did not preach social justice. This boggles my mind. Read the parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25. Jesus makes social justice a heaven and hell issue. These critics of social justice are afraid that supporting this will lead to socialism. Sure any ideology can try and use religious teachings for their own purposes but that is not the issue. What does the Bible teach? Social justice was legislated in the Old Testament, it was preached in the New Testament. Early last century the church divided over those supporting evangelism and other spiritual practices and those who supported social justice. I had hoped that we had gotten beyond that to see that both sides are needed to complete the full Gospel.

A Man After God's Own Heart

Last week week we returned to our series Genesis to Revelation after a couple of weeks of vacation. We looked at 1 and 2 Samuel and the life of David. David is known as a man after God's own heart. However, when we look at David's adultery with Bathsheba and his murder of her husband Uriah, we can not help but wonder how this all fits together. We compared David and the previous king, Saul. Saul had his problems, but we have no evidence of sins like we find in David's life. Yet Saul was rejected by God and David was seen as a man after God's own heart. To understand, we have to look deeper than just actions. We have to look at the heart. For Saul, religion was tool to be used for his own success, his heart was far from God. David had given his heart to God. We see that when David danced before the ark and even how he responded to his sin as seen in his prayer of repentance in Psalm 51. Actions are important. But we have to begin with our hearts. If we are concerned with our actions, perhaps we need to check our hearts and see where God is in our life. Then perhaps we can become a person after God's own heart.

This message for the next few weeks can be found on www.meafordbaptist.ca and will also be on www.stephenjbedard.com.

Searching For God and Guinness

Fairly recently I heard a story about the founder of the Guinness brewing company being an evangelical Christian. I was not sure what to make of it, so when I encountered Stephen Mansfield's Searching For God and Guinness, I had to read this book. One of the things that I appreciated about the book was that the author did not rely on the myth, even if it was a heart-warming myth. The author has done his research and presents to us an interesting and inspiring story of a family that tried to make a difference. The story begins with Arthur Guinness, who eventually gets his own brewery. The story is not about the beer he brewed but about the ways he treated his employees. His evangelical faith shaped everything he did and it definitely showed in the culture of his company. He took care of his employees in a way that would shock many people today. The book continues with Arthur's successors, as they faced changing times while trying to be faithful to the original vision of the company. There basically were two lines of Arthur's descendants, those who went into the brewing industry and those who went into Christian ministry. Still, the author is quick to point out that some of those who went the brewing route, were just as active in Christian ministry as they used their influence and wealth to help those in need and to promote the cause of Christ. In some ways, the title of this book is misleading. Yes, God and faith pop up throughout the book, but really the book is about the Guinness family, their brewing adventures and their attempts to promote a generous lifestyle. After reading the book, it almost seems as if the title of Searching For God and Guinness was intended to draw Christian readers into getting a book about beer that they might not normally read. It worked for me so it was perhaps not a bad idea. Still, this was a very good book. It presents a family that struggled with what Christian faith looked like in the business world and what it means to be responsible with the gifts and wealth that come our way. Whether or not you are a beer drinker, I recommend this book.

Temple Grandin

One of the heroes of the autism world is Temple Grandin. Temple is a woman with autism who went on to get her Ph.D. and has been incredibly influential in a number of areas. CNN has an interesting interview with Temple that you can see here.

Five Love Languages

A number of years ago I read Gary Chapman's The Five Love Languages. More than just being an interesting book, it made many of my life experiences make sense. My first year of marriage was rough. I worked one full-time job, one half-time job, was a graduate student and commuted about ten hours a week. I thought I was a great husband for working so hard but could not understand why my wife did not seem so impressed. The problem was that my wife was longing for quality time. This is the basis of Chapman's book, that people express and receive love in different ways. The languages that Chapman identifies include: acts of service, gifts, quality time, words of affirmation and physical touch. It is not good enough to intend to express love, if you are not speaking your spouse's language, they are not getting the message. Having re-read the book for this review, I was amazed at how fresh the message still was. The content is solid but the presentation is far from dry. Instead of leaving the reader wondering what these principles are supposed to look like, Chapman fills the book with examples and illustrations of real people. As a pastor, I use the Five Love Languages as the basis for all my pre-marriage counseling. This book is a must read for all married couples and for those thinking about getting married.