I write this post with a heavy heart because this is the last post I write as the pastor of the Bronte Seventh-day Adventist church. My family and I have been so blessed to be a part of your church family! It has been a real privilege to build friendships and to work with such an amazing leadership team. We will miss you all terribly and we know that God will continue to bless you in the future. No doubt you’ve seen the news of basketball legend Kobe and his daughter who died tragically along with seven other people in the helicopter crash this past week. Some of you can identify with the pain of losing someone close to you… I think one of the things people need most when hit with a loss like that is just a little hope. A reason to believe that one day there will be something better to look forward to. Hope can go a long way when faced with deep sadness, a concept known all too well by Jesus’ disciples as they watched their Savior died one Friday afternoon. For today’s message I wanted to explore how even in those darkest moments, Jesus left behind a message of hope, a message of hope that wasn’t only for His disciples but for all His followers who face sadness and grief, a message of hope for you and me when we’re caught between tragedy and triumph.”

If you’ve been participating in the 10 Days of Prayer that started this past week, you’ve probably been as blessed as I have. Hearing the testimonies of how God is working in people’s lives, reading and discussing the word of God, and spending time in prayer together have been such a positive experience. Today we’re joining one man’s journey to discovering truth about 2,000 years ago. I chose this topic today for two reasons. 1. A few weeks ago I said I would share Nicodemus’ story with you because it’s one of my favorites in the Bible… so I’m keeping my promise. 2. It seems that there’s a lot of interest in the word “truth”, especially since Trump became the US President… Things are happening in the world, including last week’s plane that went down in Iran, and people just want to know the truth about what happened to those – and, closer to home, the many Canadians – who lost their lives. In our scripture reading today, Jesus claims that He is the Truth! How interesting that we can come to know the truth by getting to know a person, not just facts. This is the invitation Jesus made to a man named Nicodemus a long time ago… one He continues to extend to you and me today!

Can you believe this is the last Sabbath before we enter into a new year?! I hope your Christmas was great and you had a chance to make wonderful memories this year. Alina and I had an amazing time helping distribute clothing and food to the poor last Saturday evening and I want to say a huge thank you to the group that came out and to those of you who donated clothing items. As we look ahead to the new year, I challenge each of us to focus on what are the most important things in our lives and find a way to grow in those areas. God loves each of you very much and one way He wants all of us to grow in a deeper relationship with Him. What can you start this week that helps you become closer to God this year? If you don’t know how to start, not to worry because we have a special 10 days of prayer planned, starting on Wednesday January 8th, to help facilitate a step in the right direction. Come out and be blessed! Today we’re also excited to have another baby dedication. We’re excited to have baby Eli Solis dedicated today and pray that God will bless him and his family.