Sunday Program

Sunday Program - December 6, 2020

Welcome to McKernan Baptist Church! We are glad you have joined us either online or in person this first Sunday of Advent. Today, we light the Advent Candle representing Love. In Isaiah’s prophecy of the coming of Christ, He foresees that one of His names will be “Everlasting Father.” The coming Son will be called Everlasting Father. This is a description of the character He would display. When Jesus walked this earth, He revealed the Father-heart of God. We’ll look more closely today at how Christ’s coming invites us to experience God’s love in some very real ways.

For to us a Child is born, to us a Son in given,
And the government will be on His shoulders.
And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace

- Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)

“Here is the good news of the gospel: Jesus Christ helps us know God as our Father, not just our Father, but our everlasting Father, One who will never leave nor forsake us, One who is always there for us, One who has us in the palm of his hand for ever and ever. In fact, it is the distinctive privilege and distinctive mark of a Christian to know God as everlasting Father. This is at the heart of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. You know God as Father. You don't grope in the dark looking for some higher spiritual power or chase after some false and fickle deity. No, because of Jesus, this Child to be born, this Son to be given, you confess that "there is but one God, the Father, from Whom all things came and for Whom we live" (1 Cor. 8:6)

- Todd Wilson, The Gift of the Son: Everlasting Father (accessed at preachingtoday.com)

“Father” …is the name that sets Christianity apart from all the other religions of the world. Other religions invite us to worship their gods, …creators, or metaphysical forces, but Christianity invites us to believe in a Son and to enter into an intimate family relationship with a loving Father. Jesus, the Son of God, came so that we could meet His Father, be adopted into the family of God, and relate to the almighty God of the universe in an intimate, personal, concrete way as sons and daughters (2 Cor. 6:16, 18)

- Mary Kassian, (accessed at gracequotes.org)

Grace means you’re in a different universe from where you had been stuck, when you had absolutely no way to get there on your own.

- Anne Lamott, Plan B (accessed at preachingtoday.com)

So God throws open the door of this world—and enters as a baby. As the most vulnerable imaginable. Because He wants unimaginable intimacy with you. What religion ever had a god that wanted such intimacy with us that He came with such vulnerability to us? What God ever came so tender we could touch Him? So fragile that we could break Him? So vulnerable that His bare, beating heart could be hurt? Only the One who loves you to death.”

- Ann Voskamp (accessed at crosswalk.com)

Upcoming Events or Updates

Are you new here?

Welcome! If you are joining us online today, we still want to connect with you. Please CLICK HERE so we can touch base with you.

In Person services have resumed!

We are so excited to welcome you back to in person church services! Each week, we will require you to register online or call the office between Monday at 10am and Thursday at noon (unless it fills up sooner). Visit the main page of the website or call the church office (780-436-0611) for full details and information. For those who still want to attend but the Sanctuary is full, join us in the Hospitality Area or Chapel where the service will be simulcasted.

Churchwide Manger Project

Help families experience the gift of giving this Christmas. You can ensure there is something special under the tree for everyone. We placed a manger in the foyer where people can place toys that they bring to church to donate to the Mustard Seed Edmonton Family Gift Centre. The toys must be new. They can be placed in and around that manger on Sundays or during office hours (8:30am-4:30pm) until TODAY. We will also be offering to pick up gifts from people's homes if they cannot make it to the church. Pick up is scheduled for TODAY after church. If people need gifts to be picked up, they can send a text message before the 6th to Annette at 780-299-3524. A few hours after service, we will also have someone at the church if that is a better time to drop them off. For gift ideas or suggestions, check out the Mustard Seed website at https://theseed.ca/family-gift-centre. Please do not get this confused with the Children's Manger Project which is due Sunday, Dec. 20.

Women's Christmas Connect

On Saturday, Dec. 12 from 2:00-3:30 pm at Site #2 Hawrelak Park, dress up warmly in your festive outdoor clothes and join us for a physically-distanced walk through our beautiful river valley trails! We will walk 6 feet apart, in groups of 4, and enjoy the fresh air and good company. Masks will be required. If the wind chill is colder than -15C, we will reschedule for Saturday, Dec. 19, same time, same place. Call Gaylene at 780-977-2770 if the weather is questionable.

Connection Cafe

Join us Tuesdays at 10am on Zoom for a time of community with Connection Cafe! If you want to join or have any questions, please ask Pastor Mike (mike@mckernanbaptist.ca).

Betrayal & Beyond Class for Women

Through this study, Betrayal and Beyond, by Pure Desire ministries, you will receive valuable understanding, tools and support to help you make wise biblical decisions. If you commit to the process, God will fashion in you a courageous heart, rather than a victim spirit from the betrayal of sexual addiction. Join us on this healing journey of love, grace, and restoration. Classes have begun and will be held online, but if you are still interested in joining, please contact Sheila at 780-298-1876.

Worship and Tech Team Members Needed

We are looking to add a few new musicians and technicians to our Sunday morning services. If you have experience with an instrument, vocals, or worship leadership please email Julia at worshipministries@mckernanbaptist.ca. If you have any interest in helping with videography, lighting, or sound, please email Grant at tech@mckernanbaptist.ca.

Financial Update

THANK YOU! We are so blessed to have you partner with us in the ministry of McKernan Baptist Church. Paul’s words to the Philippians are words we want to extend to you. “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,” (Philippians 1:3-5)

As we enter into December, we want to update you on where we are at financially as a church.

General Operating Budget (July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2021) - $1,682,371.65

YTD Budget Goal (July 1 – November 30) $700,988.20

YTD Received $695,435.97

YTD Expenses $571,232.31

Your giving to our General Operating Budget is amazing. We are right on track to meet our overall budget goal by the end of the year. Our expenses YTD are lower than normal due to COVID-19. We continue to modify our ministry plans with the hopes of returning to full programming yet in this ministry budget.

Missions Budget (July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2021) - $217,950.00

YTD Budget Goal (July 1 – December 31) $108,975.00

YTD Received (November 30) $78,310.43

Balance Required by December 31 $30,664.57

We thank you for your faithfulness to our Missions Budget. As you can see, we will need an additional $30,644.57 by the end of December to be able to send our full support commitment to our missionaries. We currently send support 4 times a year (end of September, December, March, June) and are only able to send what we have received. We would sure love to bless them with a full payment as we close out 2020.

Thank you for your generosity and continued support of the mission and ministry at McKernan Baptist Church. If you are not attending in person on Sunday mornings, we still want to give you the opportunity to give as God would lead you.

Electronic Giving: (CLICK HERE TO GIVE ONLINE IN THE FOLLOWING WAYS)

E-transfers
Online Giving via the church website
Pre-authorized debit from your bank

Non-electronic Giving:

You can mail your cheque to the church: McKernan Baptist Church, Attn: Finance Team, 11103 76 Avenue NW, Edmonton, AB T6G 0J9.

Missionary of the Week

Mustard Seed - Family Gift Centre

Here at the Mustard Seed we like to make Christmas a little merrier for families during the holiday season! Our mission is to create an incredible experience that empowers parents/caregivers with the dignity to shop for their kids. We have heard countless stories of impact where families were overjoyed to tell their children they picked out gifts especially for them!

Many vulnerable Edmontonions, are raising children with household incomes well below the poverty line. The Family Gift Centre provides community members with the opportunity to purchase gifts for only $2! We provide child care on site, as well as tasty treats to snack on. We are looking for gifts/toys for ages 0-18 years, valued at $10 -$30 or a monetary donation so we can stock the shop! For more information please visit https://theseed.ca/family-gift-centre or contact Adrienne Fudge at adriennefudge@theseed.ca.

The toys from the manger project will be donated to the Mustard Seed Family Gift Centre.

Prayer Items

Pray for an openness for God to speak to each one of us through this Advent season.
Pray for all of the workers serving on the frontlines during the pandemic.
Pray for our students who are writing exams and preparing for the end of the semester.
Pray for the work of the Mustard Seed and their Family Gift Centre.

Sermon Outline

Pastor Lyle Buyer

BEYOND THE LIMITS OF HUMAN LOVE

Isaiah 9:6

On this second Sunday of Advent, we will look at how the prophesied name of Jesus, “Everlasting Father” (Is. 9:6), is a powerful declaration of God’s love for us.

In Jesus, we see the Father-heart of God, beating with…

Love that overcomes our Confusion

A common connotation of the word “Father” was “originator.” As Everlasting Father, God was thus understood to be the infinitely wise Creator (Is. 64:8), and indeed the Wonderful Counselor.
When faced with the need for direction, God provides true wisdom through His Word and His Spirit (Is. 11:2).

Love that overcomes our Alone-ness

As Father, God is described as compassionately desiring His people to walk in the fullness of life we are all created to experience. (Is. 1:2; Hosea 11:1-4)
It is God’s heart to walk with us. We are not alone, abandoned or rejected.

Love that overcomes our Guilt and Shame

When our rebellion took us away from God, He acted in great love to restore us to Himself (Hosea 11:9, Jer. 31:9, Luke 15:17-20)
The arms of Jesus in the manger grew to be arms nailed to cross that we might be welcomed back to God. In what way do you need to run into these arms? In what way can you point others to these arms?

Discussion/Reflection Questions

Love can be a very abstract concept. What are some ways by which Jesus reveals God’s love to us?
God is our Infinite Originator who provides truly wisely counsel. Where do you need God’s wise, loving direction? What might be some areas of your life where you are resisting God’s direction?
How does a deeper understanding of God’s love speak to any sense of alone-ness or isolation we might be feeling? What are some ways in which you have experienced God’s loving presence?
In Luke 15, Jesus described God as a Loving Father waiting to welcome home His wayward child. How have you experienced God’s forgiveness and restoration? In what ways might God be inviting you to return to Him today?