Caroline Church of the Nazarene
4803, 50th street T0M0M0 Caroline, AB, Canada

From Our Daily Bread Christmas Presence By James Banks The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son Isaiah 7:14... Read: Isaiah 7:1014 Ezekiel 4244; 1 John 1 No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin, where meek souls will receive Him still, the dear Christ enters in. Those words from Phillips Brooks’ much-loved hymn O Little Town of Bethlehem point to the very heart of Christmas. Jesus came into our broken world to rescue us from our sin and give all who would put their faith in Him a new and vital relationship with God. In a letter to a friend decades after he wrote the hymn, Brooks poignantly described the outcome of this relationship in his own life: I cannot tell you how personal this grows to me. He is here. He knows me and I know Him. It is no figure of speech. It is the realest thing in the world, and every day makes it realer. And one wonders with delight what it will grow to as the years go on. Brooks’ calm assurance of God’s presence in his life reflects one of the names of Jesus prophesied by Isaiah: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14). The gospel of Matthew gives us the meaning of the Hebrew name Immanuel: God with us (1:23). God drew near to us through Jesus so we could know Him personally and be with Him forever. His loving presence with us is the greatest gift of all. What does it mean to you that God loves you so much He wants to be with you always? How will you draw near to Him today? Loving God, thank You for giving Yourself to me through Your life on earth, death on the cross, and resurrection. Please help me to live for You today and forever!

The Second Sunday of Advent focuses on "Peace"

Drive by the Stable at the Nazarene church and receive your FAMILY FUN BAG!! Friday, December 4th from 3-5pm. Please stay in your vehicles and let us bring your gift bag to you!

From Our Daily Bread November 15 No Impossible Obstacles Xochitl Dixon Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see Hebrews 11:1... As an adult leader, I arranged a student field trip to an obstacle course. We instructed students to slip into safety gear and scale an eight-foot wall. Those who went first encouraged each climber to trust the harness and keep moving forward without looking down. One of our students stared at the barrier as we secured belts and buckles around her waist. There’s no way I can do this, she said. Affirming the strength of her harness, we encouraged her and cheered when she climbed up the wall and stepped onto the high platform. When we face problems that seem impossible to conquer, fears and insecurities can cause doubts. The assurance of God’s unchanging might, goodness, and faithfulness creates a strong harness of trust. This confident assurance fueled the courage of the Old Testament saints, who demonstrated that faith trumps our need to know every detail of God’s plan (Hebrews 11:113, 39). With conviction, we seek God earnestly, often standing alone when we trust Him. We can adjust the way we approach our challenges by viewing our circumstances with an eternal perspectiveknowing our trials are only temporary (vv. 1316). Focusing on the steep climbs in life can prevent us from believing that God will bring us through. But knowing He’s with us, we can harness our uncertainties by faith as we trust God to help us overcome obstacles that once seemed impossible. How can you become more courageous in the face of an impossible task? How do you feel when you’ve accomplished something you didn’t think you could do? Father, thank You for being the Author and Perfecter of my faith, so that the measure of my faith when I face obstacles is reliant on Your strength, not my own.

Our catechism presents a worldview

Phil. 4:8 is part of our mini-catechism for good reason!