Pastor's Message
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Devoted to One Another in Love January 11 2012
We are now in the Christian seaosn of Epiphany. Closley associated with the season are themes of light, new life and growth. Given that we are currenly in the darkest time of the Yukon winter, Epiphany is something to celebrate!
Thank-you for visiting our website and please be warmly welcomed to visit us in person at our Sunday worship. My focus right now in the ministry of the Word is the last section of Paul's letter to the Romans. In this part of his letter he is focusing on the nature of Chirstian life together in community and our pracitical interactions with the world around us.
Building on the work of Jesus Christ, that Paul so carefully explains in the first parts of his letter, I find that his key attribute for Chirstian living is love and particularly, affectionate love within the practicing congregation. My hope, if you come and visit with us, is that you will experience real caring. God bless and protect you.
Pastor Greg
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“Overshadowed” December 05 2011
We are now in the midst of the Christian season of Advent. What causes Christians to come to the worship of God is the unique message at the heart of Advent/Christmas. The gospel writer Luke puts it this way in his account of the announcement of the angel to Mary that she would bear a son: "Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" The angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you: therefore the child to be born will be holy: he will be called Son of God.""
To accept this statement as truth has the outcome of worship. We worship God who has come among us in the person of Jesus. Who, in the circumstances of his birth, is demonstrated to be fully God and fully man. This is a cause to worship!
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O Worship the King November 05 2011
Here at Riverdale Church we are deep in the many activities that our winter season brings to us. From prayer vigils to worship teams, from youth get-togethers to Pastor's classes on the Nicene Creed and Baptism, from groups for children to Christmas preparations and choir music, and a host of other things our church family engages in, we are joyfully experiencing being God's people together.
But most important, is what we do to carry on the mission of Jesus and our worship of the living God. If you are thinking of visiting with us I encourage you to begin with worshipping God with us on Sunday morning. There is something supremely good about worshipping God and I suppose this is because we are actually made by God for this purpose.
It is as St. Augustine said so long ago: "You awaken us to delight in your praises; for you made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you."
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The Christian Year September 09 2011
Welcome to our Website and I hope this will be a prelude to your meeting us in person! This comming Sunday is the "13th after Pentecost" on the Christian calendar. It is helpful for us to remember that Christians have a distinct understanding concerning time. Time is God's creation and along with the Psalmist (31:15) our "times" are in the hands of God.
One of our joys is to enter into the one day made holy by God, worship God, and have our lives orientated to know all the goodness of God for his creation through Jesus Christ. This coming Sunday, and the next, our friend - Barrett Horne - will be sharing in the exposition of God's Word around Luke 15. We will listen to Jesus' parable of the prodigal son, his brother and their loving Father.
When I return to speak on September 25 I plan to spend a couple of Sundays talking about the meaning of Sunday and its connection with God's blessing of the seventh day and making it holy. I am often afraid, that as Evangelicals, we have numerous 'hang-ups' and 'fears' about the so-called religious observance of Sunday. I hope we can experience a revival of God's blessing for this time and, through it, for all of our "times".
May our Lord Jesus be present with you
Pastor Greg
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Visiting August 15 2011
On Sunday, August 7 I had the opportunity to visit a church on the Notre Dame campus in South Bend, Indiana. The Basillica was a fascinating and beautiful building and I was able to sit for a few moments with two of my grandchildren and consider the goodness of God. However there was no service occurring and so while we appreciated the sanctuary we did not really visit with the gathered church.
This time of year witnesses a number of visitors here at Riverdale as new folks move into our community of Whitehorse. One of my prayers during this season is that the members of our congregation and visitiors would be able to make a good connection. On one hand this happens as we experience worship together but on the other hand it also occurrs in a more complete way as we discover various opportunities to get to know each other.
If you are a visitor at Riverdale one way to get to know us better is to ask me to visit with you! I would be excitied to do so. Another opportunity is to come and worship with us at Marsh Lake on Sunday, August 28th. Our worship will include witnessing the baptism of some young adults and following our service we will have a great meal together. Contact the offfice for more information. I hope our visits will become preludes to lasting friendships.
The blessings of Christ to you!
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This Is the day the Lord has made! July 29 2011
Welcome, I am delighted that you are visiting us through our web site. I hope you will come and see us in person!
Over the course of the summer I have been reading Abraham Heschel's book on the Sabbath. I recommend Heschel's work. He has many penetrating insights on the nature of time and particularly God making one day in seven - holy.
In this comming week, whether you come and visit us or another place of Christian worship, I encourage you to rest from your normal labors and discover this gift of God - the holiness of one day in seven.
The goodness of Christ to you
Pastor Greg
