What did you hear? 

What did you hear? 

A speaker I know posted on Social Media this Monday, "I'm curious. What did your pastor preach on yesterday?" 

I thought it was an interesting question, and a bit scary. As a pastor and speaker, I know that there are times I can't even remember my own message on Sunday afternoon! The social media post now has nearly one hundred comments. While we all can struggle to remember all the details or even the key points of a message, most often we do retain a few important things that we felt impacted by. 

This past Sunday we were blessed to have our friend Doug Frederick, of Summit Pacific College (our Bible College) speak at CPC. It was an excellent and inspiring sermon. If you missed it, I encourage you to catch up HERE.

I thought I would take a moment to share two things Doug shared on Sunday that were impacting for me to hear. 

1. Mary did not try to do life and faith alone. Doug preached from the book of Luke on Mary, the mother of Jesus, and her response to the news that she was going to give birth to Emmanuel as a virgin teenager. Doug pointed out that Mary, although troubled and unsure, trusted God and went to Elizabeth. She did not journey in her faith alone. Mary's trust in the work of God was encouraged and strengthened through her relationship with Elizabeth. What an example for you and I to follow. We need each other. We need a handful of trusted friends in the faith whom we can bring our questions, concerns, and prayer requests to. Who do you have here in the Comox Valley? 
2. From the cross, Jesus was forming community around Him. Doug pointed out that in the book of John, at Jesus' crucifixion, Jesus speaks to the apostle John and to His mother Mary. Jesus asks them to accept and care for each other as family. What a striking image. In all the agony that was the cross, Jesus mustered the determination to gather breath and put voice to some vital words. Putting people into a family of faith matters deeply to Jesus. Our heart's desire is to see everyone in CPC be engaged in life-giving faith community that is centered around Jesus. While our Sunday Gathering is so important for each of us because of our opportunity to encounter God together in worship and to be equipped by His Word to know Him and make Him known, you are made for community that is deeper than we can go on Sundays. Who are two or three friends you have here that you talk about Jesus with during the week? Like for John & Mary, it is Jesus who has brought you together! 

This Fall, we are going to gather around Jesus together in midweek groups as a church. We are going to connect and grow together. This church-wide focus will be from the weeks of Oct 15 through November 26 and be based out of the next segment of our series from the book of Revelation.

If you are not yet part of one of our Pop-Up Groups, Coffee Clubs or Life Groups, you can learn more or sign up to join one, HERE! 

Let's behold Jesus together! 

Pastor Mike