Sanctuary Church
8249 Eagle Landing Pkwy, V2P 0E2 Chilliwack, BC, Canada

It is much harder to end up in the right place if you start from the wrong place. This week we look at two incidents in Jesus’ life where He intentionally challenged a rule about the Sabbath and in doing so He shows us where our starting point should be. Jesus made sure He had everyone’s attention and then He declared that His authority was greater than what had come before Him. In doing this, Jesus lays out a radical new way for His followers to orient themselves towards people and the Bible.

This week we look at an incident in Jesus’ life where He invites one of the most unlikely individuals to follow Him. After that, He goes to a dinner party with a ragtag group of rebels, misfits, and outcasts that He lovingly considers His followers. This incident shows us that Jesus’ love is wider than we think, reaching people we may consider outside His embrace. We see that the really good news of the gospel is not an invitation to accept Jesus into our hearts, but the declaration that He has already accepted us into His. We want our understanding of His love to continue expanding, and we invite you to gather with us on this journey.

Leviticus 13:45,46 said that Those who suffer from a serious skin disease must tear their clothing and leave their hair uncombed.[a] They must cover their mouth and call out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ 46 As long as the serious disease lasts, they will be ceremonially unclean. They must live in isolation in their place outside the camp. Someone suffering from leprosy would have been forced to live apart from their family -the only group they were permitted to associate with was th...ose who also had leprosy. It would have been isolating experience that was lonely, void of hope, love or care. But it was here, that we see the Kingdom of Heaven reaching. It was through "a leper", rejected, isolated, unclean, dehumanized, and heaven decided to show its glory. In the most unlikely place. A place where stigma and shame pushed people to the margins of society, the ones excluded from community the ones whose voices were silenced, except to declare lack of self worth. Jesus violated the status quo by touching the leper. He reached out defying the laws and touched the leper's shame, his pain, his worthlessness, his silence, his isolation and Jesus restored him. So when you find yourself in a place of feeling lack of self worth, feeling sick, lost, isolated... you name it, let Jesus defy the odds to bring restoration in your own life. Surrender it to him, and see how he turns your story.

Stigma and shame push people out of community into isolation and silence voices from asking for help. This week we look at an incident in the life of Jesus that displays His love for people, His commitment to put people before tradition and expectation, and His power to set people free from stigma and shame. Please join us as we grow in our understanding of the example of Jesus and His beautiful invitation to follow Him.

You are my dearly loved child, and you fill my heart with joy. At the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry God makes a declaration over Him that reveals much about Jesus, God’s heart and posture, and ourselves. Join us as we look at the incredible scope of God’s heart and recognize that He loves us and is not holding anything against us.

Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth Matthew 5:5 ‘Meek’ is not a word typically seen on a Facebook status or an instagram post. When people use the word meek, they usually mean submissive, easily lead, or even weak. But in scripture this word is almost the exact opposite to how we've used it. To us it seems like a negative attribute.... Different scripture translations use the word gentle, and still the meaning is deeper. These words are painting a picture, that we do have the power to cause affliction and pain, but we can choose to walk sacrificially, instead of using our strength to dominate or cause harm. Wikipedia breaks down the differences between meekness and humility like this: Meekness has been contrasted with humility as referring to behavior towards others, whereas humility refers to an attitude towards oneself meekness meaning restraining one's own power, so as to allow room for others. Jesus is the ultimate example of this, as the word became flesh." He, who is all power, strength and all authority became flesh, took our place, and brought our death upon Himself. This is the ultimate display of choosing to walk meekly. He could have shown himself to us as God and King, all powerful, instead, he chose to show himself as a baby in a manger, a carpenter, a friend, and finally a saviour who took up the most shameful of deaths for our ransom. So when the scripture says "blessed are the meek" or blessed are the gentle" or blessed are the humble" you could look at it as: "blessed are the ones who lay down their power to make room for another" So today we want to challenge you to meditate on the word meek and take time to reflect on how you could lay down your strength for someone else. Ask Jesus to show you how you can become his picture of meek

This Sunday we start a brand new series in the Gospel of Mark. Join us as we start the year with a fresh look at Jesus. We will see Jesus’ heart of love for us and His power over the powers that oppress us. This Sunday we look at reasons we can reliably trust Mark’s report about the good news of Jesus, our servant King.

We’re starting the New Year with a fresh look at Jesus and His invitation to follow Him. We’ll be spending several weeks in the Gospel of Mark as we see our servant hearted King display His power over the powers of darkness, His love for the vulnerable and oppressed, and His heart to liberate us and see us live in freedom. There are a lot of uncertainties lying ahead of us this year but as we follow Jesus we can be assured of His care and comfort for us. Join us Sunday at 10am on Facebook or YouTube (link in bio)

"I want to keep walking away from the person I was a moment ago, because a mind was made to figure things out, not to read the same page recurrently" -Donald Miller, Through Painted Deserts

November 22-28 marks this years National Addictions Awareness Week. The theme of this year is "Change begins with me" Everyone of us can be part of reducing the stigma that surrounds addiction. Definition of stigma is: a mark of disgrace associated with a circumstance quality or person. Stigmas only add to the issue. Let's come into agreement and declare "Change begins with me!"... How can we help reduce stigma? - Educate ourselves on addictions - Learn more about the stigma around addiction - Change your language: words like "clean" and "dirty" can cast a shadow of shame. Instead we could say "taking substances" Getting Help If you are worried that you, or someone you know may have a substance use (addiction) problem, there are many resources available online to be found through cafconnection.com, addictioncanada.ca and many more We all need community, we aren’t meant to go through struggles in isolation. If you find yourself today in need of community, we would love to connect with you and be a part of walking with you through the change. #ChangeBeginsWithMe #NAAW #NAAW2020

Registration is open!! We will be meeting online AND in person this Sunday! We have taken the time to review our Covid-19 protocols in order to make sure we are creating a safe space for everyone. ... To register for attendance in person at Galaxy Cinemas check out our website (link in bio) or join us from home on Facebook live. See you Sunday!

What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? Matthew 18:12 Why would Jesus leave the 99 to go after 1? Jesus is using this parable to show that one single sheep is as valuable to Him as all the sheep combined. But It also shows that we were made to be a part of the 99 and that being lost is an equivalent to being isolated.... In our series Won’t you be my neighbour we have been looking at different stories of neighbouring. And this is another example. There is no limit to the lengths Jesus will go to reach you to bring you back to himself and into the heart of His community. You are more valuable than you know, and you were made to be in connection with others. Maybe you recognize you are isolated right now and need to be surrounded by a community of people, if that's the case, please send us a message, we want to walk with you.

You were meant to be a branch. On our own we can't make ourselves fruitful. Isn't that a relief? God is not interested in the works of our flesh, there is nothing we can do to earn his love! Yet we are so often seeking to offer Him our performance. Apart from him, we can do nothing, meaning with him we can do all things, because he is our strength, and the vine we grow from John 15:4 (MSG)... Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can’t bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can’t bear fruit unless you are joined with me.

We all love convenience, but what are we to do when our neighbouring isn’t convenient anymore? Or when it becomes awkward with a perceived stigma? This morning we wrap up our series looking at another example in the life of Jesus that invites us to neighbour beyond the borders of convenience and awkwardness. Please join us as we gather together online to worship and grow together.

The last two weeks we have been looking at the importance of neighbouring. If we are serious about integrating the example of Jesus into our lives it will take intention and margin on our part. Margin is the space between our load and our limit. Mary & Martha give us a great example of two different responses to what Jesus calls us to. Please join us as we worship and learn together about walking in the way of Jesus.

Although we are saddened to not be able to meet in person, we know God is not limited by circumstances and as Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us, we can trust in the plans he has! We are excited for worship and Pastor Scott’s message tomorrow. We hope you will join us online at 10am on Facebook live! (See the link in our bio)

Did you know that the Lord knew exactly where you would be today? He knew the choices you'd make up until this point and everything that would lead you to being the person you've become. And he likes you! And loves you! Just as you are. He looks on us and says "you are fearfully and wonderfully made"... If you missed last weeks message check out our YouTube channel or Facebook page @sanctuarychurch.life Join us next week for "won't you be my neighbour" part 3

Lest we forget. Today we take time to remember all of the brave men and women who have served and continue to serve our country. Thank you