January 12, 2017

There are two sayings that seem to speak to the condition of humankind.  The first is, “He is so heavenly minded he is no earthly good.” The other is, “She is so earthly minded she is no heavenly good.”

Sometimes God is presented in such a way that it feels impossible to connect with him. But then we have others that present the church in such an “earthly” fashion that there is no room for the supernatural, the manifestation of the Holy Spirit, or the direct involvement and personal relationship between God and man.  This is what drove the religious people nuts in the days of Jesus.

They saw God as holy and lofty, above the everyday life of the commoner.  They were correct. God is holy and above the follies of humans. However, God is also one who loves the contrite and lowly of heart. In fact, Jesus was as comfortable with the “sinners” of the day as he was teaching in the temple with the “holy” people.  Jesus was the fulfillment of this verse.  “For this is what the high and lofty One says-- he who lives forever, whose name is holy: "I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.” Isaiah 57:15

God is high above the fray of human frailties, but he is also right in the midst of the muck and mire of humankind. This is so fantastical! It is hard to believe. The word “contrite” means  being crushed in the original language of the Bible. All of us, at various times in our lives can be crushed by the weight of this life. It could be interpersonal relationships.  When one experiences a divorce it is common to feel crushed. It could be financial. When all your resources are gone, we can feel crushed; without hope, nowhere to turn. It could be sickness, it could be your employment, it could be the way you think of yourself.  But there is hope. God, the holy and lofty one, comes and lives with those who are crushed and the lowly. Did you get that? He comes and lives with those that are broken - the ones that have no hope or future so that he can restore, revive, reclaim us.

The older I get the more I am aware of just how easy it is to be crushed. And often it is not your fault.  Like the family whose dad is on life support and they have to make a decision whether to pull the plug or not. Or the mother whose son dies of a fentanyl overdose.  Like the wife whose husband is suffering from

Alzheimers. Jesus is able to “revive” the crushed, the contrite, the lowly, because he comes and lives inside of us, not just above us.

We need to see God as high and lofty, but also one who is able to identify and live right inside of our pain and suffering.  Not as one who has no power, but as one who can lift us up to the place he resides. Not to keep us in our pain, but to bring us through to a place of healing and freedom. 

Christ is in us and he has given us this same mandate.  We should not live our lives so holy we are no earthly good. But neither should we be so earthly that the power of God is not evident. It is this practical reality of a powerful, holy God living through us touching the crushed and lowly that ought to be the expression of the church.

Growth Groups

Growth Groups will be starting at KCF March 2nd! 

• Grow in God
• Grow in Relationships
• Sermon-based
• 90 minutes/week
• Home setting

Interested in knowing more or signing up?  Contact the KCF Office 250.352.1722 or office@kcfoffice.com or sign up on Sunday at the Guest Table.

Alpha

The Alpha Course will start January 25th.  We will have a meal together, watch a video and then have some discussion time.  The group will get together on Wednesday nights from 6:30 – 8pm at KCF.  This is a great course if you are a new Christian or have questions about God.  This is a good group to invite a friend to come out with you.   Contact the KCF office or reply to this email if you are interested.

Support for Haiti Mission Team

A Team is going to Haiti January 30th to February 10th.  Costs are increasing and it is a costly endeavor for each individual going.  They will be working hard there, some sacrificing wages while they are away etc.  We can participate as a church family with our prayers, support, finances etc. You can donate by Interac (debit or credit), cheque payable to KCF (notation for Haiti Trip), Paypal at

www.kootenaychristianfellowship.com to KCF General (Notation for Haiti Trip) or cash.

International Tasting Faire

We are partnering with Rotary to host the International Tasting Faire. Tickets are available at KCF at $50/person (you will receive a $20 tax receipt).  The money raised for this event will go towards our teacher in Haiti and towards food security, namely Our Daily Bread.  What we need are auction items for the silent or toonie auction. Do you have a service you could provide, or have a friend or favorite business you could ask to provide a gift certificate? Please reply to this email if you have something you would like to donate or to volunteer your time.

Healing Rooms

The Healing Rooms is offering a training day on Saturday, January 21^st , 9am to 5pm at Bigby Place, 509 Front Street, Nelson for anyone who might want to come and check out what it is and if they might want to become a part of it.  There is no obligation to join if you want to come to the training.  For more information contact Patricia at 250.352.5130 or nelsonhealingrooms@gmail.com.

Calendar of Events

• Jr. Teens are meeting Fridays, 4 to 5:30pm at KCF.  Ages 11 – 14
• Bright Lights, Club for Kids meet Saturdays, 1 - 3:15pm at KCF.  Kindergarten to Grade 4.
• International Tasting Faire, Thursday, February 9.  Tickets at KCF Office.

Visit our website at http://www.kootenaychristianfellowship.com for all the news, sermons, and places to donate.

Looking forward to seeing you this Sunday.

Pastor Jim