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If we’re ever going to follow the writing in the Bible, we need to learn to trust it as an ancient writing. We’ll be looking how manuscripts, translation, textual criticism, and ancient documents actually work. Every English Bible is already an interpretation, and the many different translations are often because of different approaches or trying to accomplish different purposes. In reading scripture we’re not called to turn our brains off, but the Bible being this way, having us work to understand it, is intentional. The existence of textual variants and translation disagreements is not the devastating problem people sometimes imagine it to be. We can have confidence in the text we possess which draws us to engage with the writings. After thousands of years of copying and translating, can we really trust that the Bible in our hands faithfully communicates what its authors wrote? Why are there so many different translations and which one is “the best”?"

What exactly is the Bible, and how did this collection of ancient writings become the book in our hands? Before we can talk about whether the Bible is reliable, inspired, authoritative, or relevant, we should probably know what it actually is. The Bible did not fall out of heaven leather-bound, divided into chapters and verses, with Jesus' words already printed in red. It is an ancient library of writings produced across generations, cultures, languages, genres, authors, and circumstances, which the people of God received and preserved as Scripture. Buckle in for all the facts about the Bible you can take!

As we step into a new season together, we desire to be a church strong at the foundations. It’s not simply that people would know more, but that we would be rooted in Christ, united in love, and strengthened in living out of our calling. Many of our upcoming series will be on some of the foundational blocks of faith. We hope this will be great for people exploring faith, but also that others will deepen their walk with Jesus; It’s not that these things are basic, but they are the soil from which mature faith grows.

The nations rage. Humanity rebels. Yet God remains on His throne. This Sunday we'll discover how Psalms 1 and 2 point beyond human rebellion to God's chosen King and the refuge found in His Son. From Eden's tree to Christ's victory, the story has been there all along.

Life can sometimes feel like a difficult journey, with mountains ahead and uncertainty around every corner. Psalm 121 reminds us that while we may not know what lies ahead, we can know who is watching over us. This psalm teaches us that worshiping God starts with looking to Him.

Psalm 145 is a song of praise that turns our attention away from ourselves and toward the character of God. David celebrates a God who is great beyond our understanding - gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in love, faithful to His promises, and near to those who call on Him. In a world where our worship can easily become shaped by our circumstances, Psalm 145 reminds us that worship begins with remembering who God is. As one generation tells the next of His mighty acts and faithful character, we are invited to join the ongoing chorus of praise: to see God more clearly, to trust Him more deeply, and to let everything we are declare His goodness.

Most of us grew up memorizing Psalm 23, but what does it *really* mean that God is our shepherd? Join us this Sunday as we dig past the familiar poetry to see how David’s image points us directly to Jesus, the Good Shepherd. Together, we’ll explore what sets a good shepherd apart and why knowing the true character of our Shepherd changes who we are!

Psalm 30, a psalm of David for the dedication of the temple. Except, this psalm doesn’t read like much of a dedication! We’ll look at what this strange Psalm can teach us about worshiping God through our differences, together in unity.

Psalm 62 invites us to remember where our souls find true rest. In a world full of noise, pressure, and competing voices, worship re-centres us on the One who is our rock, our refuge, and our salvation. Worship is not just something we do on Sunday; it is the posture of a life that learns to wait on God, trust Him fully, and pour out our hearts before Him.

Calling is not limited to a Sunday morning volunteer role. God has placed each of us in neighbourhoods, workplaces, schools, families, friendships, and daily rhythms where we can represent the love and presence of Jesus. The mission of God often begins with noticing who is already near us. Even when we are not serving on an official church team, we are still part of what God is doing. Wherever we go, we carry the presence of Christ — and our ordinary places can become holy ground.

Sometimes the hardest part of serving is not willingness — it is knowing where to begin. We’ll explore how God has uniquely shaped each of us through our spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality, and experiences. We’ll also continue to invite you to the helpful SHAPE resource designed to guide you in discovering where your passions, gifts, life experience, and the needs around you may intersect. God does not simply call people and leave them unequipped; He equips the called. This week is an invitation to pay attention to how God has already been forming you for meaningful kingdom purpose.

Every follower of Jesus is called. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul pushes back against the idea that only certain gifts, roles, or people are “spiritual.” Instead, he shows that the Spirit is at work in every believer, giving different gifts to different people for the common good. The church is not a stage where a few gifted people perform while everyone else watches; it is a family that work together, a body where every part matters, every gift contributes, and every person is needed. Calling is not something reserved for pastors, missionaries, or especially impressive disciples, but is the shared vocation of the whole church. We are all called because we all belong to Christ, and we are especially equipped with the gifts to serve in our own lives.

If you don’t know what the CBOQ is, this is the perfect Sunday to learn about the family of churches we are part of. Darlene, Hildegard, and I will report to you all on how the Assembly went and give you a little look at what CBOQ is, and CBOQ’s executive minister, Leanne Friesen, will be preaching. It will be great to be together.

Joshua’s farewell calls the people to intentional faithfulness and service. At the journey’s end, he points forward — reminding them that identity is sustained through ongoing choice to serve and follow God. Our lives are shaped by the direction we repeatedly choose.

As the Hebrews stand at the edge of the River Jordan, they are about to enter the Promised Land to receive their inheritances. Joshua has words of challenge and warning for them. He tells them to “take good care…. to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments….to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.” The people would face many temptations, but the key was staying close to God. They were to persevere in their faith, and to learn the lesson of endurance. On this Pentecost Sunday, we are called to finish the race in the power of God’s Spirit.