Westminster Loving God & Neighbour

Sunday is the first Sunday in Lent! It is a time of preparation and spiritual focus leading up to Easter. It is fitting, therefore, that our sermon series continues with Jesus being betrayed and handed over to the guards in the Garden of Gethsemane. We will explore John 18: 1-18 and what our own faith is like when it is under stress and duress. There will be Sunday School ministry (now divided into three age groups) and nursery care. We will sing and pray together, have fellowship, and reflect on the power of God. The service is at 10:01 am in-person and online via YouTube. After the service we will also have our annual meeting. (See separate announcement.) The worship service will conclude by 11:15am, there will be a 10 minute break, and then the meeting will begin at 11:30am for those who would like to stay and participate.

Sunday is the second Sunday in Lent – a time of preparation and spiritual focus leading up to Easter. We will celebrate the Sacrament of Communion. You will be given a small plastic cup with bread when you come in, and a small juice cup when you take your seat. We will celebrate the Sacrament right after the opening song (while our young people are still with us). (Please see the separate announcement about talking with young people about the meaning of Communion.) During the service we will explore Jesus’ trial in John 18. Jesus tells Pilate that his kingdom “is not of this world.” What does that mean, and what does it mean for Christians today to belong to (and advocate for) a kingdom that is “not of this world”? There will be Sunday School ministry and nursery care. We will sing and pray together, have fellowship, and reflect on our almighty and sustaining God. The service is at 10:01 am in-person and online via YouTube.

Special note: On Sunday remember to “jump ahead” one hour with your clocks for Daylight Savings Time! Sunday is the third Sunday in Lent– a time of preparation and spiritual focus leading up to Easter. We will worship, pray and sing together. Pastor Ruttan will introduce our new memory verse for March. There will be Sunday School, nursery care, and fellowship time after the service. The sermon will be a bit different, and is a diversion from the current series on John’s Gospel. Pastor Ruttan will speak about how to get the most out of a sermon. It might seem strange, but listening to a sermon is a proactive art. When we prepare, watch for certain things, and respond in certain ways, God uses his "means of grace" (explanation on Sunday) including imperfect sermons to build up his people for their specific lives. After the service, we will have the quarterly Q and A Forum in the sanctuary. There will be a five minute break for those who want to grab a coffee or leave; then we will have the focum. The service is at 10:01 am in-person and online via YouTube.

Sunday is the fourth Sunday in Lent– traditionally a time of celebration. We will worship, pray and sing together. Our special guest, Jeff Walther will lead the sermon, while Pastor Ruttan is away on vacation. There will be Sunday School, nursery care, and fellowship time after the service. The sermon is titled ‘Always winter, never Christmas’, a take on C.S. Lewis quote from The lion, the witch and the wardrobe. The essence of the piece is imagining the world as if Jesus had never been born and highlighting the positive influence he has had through history. The service is at 10:01 am in-person and online via YouTube.

As we get closer and closer to Easter, we dive deeply into the dark trial of Jesus. Pastor Ruttan returns from vacation and will share a sermon based on John 19:1-16. Jesus is mocked, flogged and falsely condemned. What are we supposed to learn from the mockery of Jesus? (More than you’d think.) In the kids’ time we will think about our new memory verse (John 3:30) from another angle. We will worship, pray and sing together. There will be Sunday School, nursery care, and fellowship time after the service. The service is at 10:01 am in-person and online via YouTube.

Palm Sunday is here! This Sunday you will be given a palm branch as you arrive. This is the official kick-off to Holy Week in the lead-up to Easter. We lend our voices to the crowds who greeted Jesus and hailed him as king as he entered Jerusalem—the same crowds who would abandon him shortly thereafter. Our text is Psalm 118, an important Scripture for this particular Sunday. We will sing songs, pray and learn together. There will be Sunday School, nursery care, and fellowship time after the service. The service is at 10:01 am in-person and online via YouTube.

In-person only (no live-stream) “Maundy” comes from the Latin translation of Jesus’ words in John 13:34: “mandatum novum.” This means “new commandment” (to love one another as he loved us). You’ll be given a small candle, like on Christmas Eve. In this 40-minute service we will celebrate Communion. At the end of the service we’ll have the “liturgy of the candles” and leave in darkness and silence. No Sunday School, nursery or Fellowship Time afterwards.

In-person and online We gather at the foot of the cross to remember the sacrifice and crucifixion of Christ. It is a special time of singing, of prayer, and of remembering God’s sacrificial love made known on the cross. There is a 1-hour program for young people aged 4 and up. Nursery care available. No Fellowship Time afterwards.

In-person and online Easter Sunday is when we celebrate the resurrection of Christ! At 10:01am we gather to joyfully sing, pray and marvel at God’s power and goodness. There will Sunday School and nursery as usual. Pastor Ruttan welcomes the Rev. Winston Newman; together they will discuss ‘hope over the long haul.’

Christ is risen! On Sunday Pastor Ruttan will teach about what happens next. Jesus appears in what had been a locked room, speaks to his disciples, shows them his nail-pierced hands and feet, and breathes out the Holy Spirit on them! A lot is happening–and we will consider it’s implications in our lives today. There will be Sunday School, nursery care, and fellowship time. The service is at 10:01am in-person and also live-streamed.