Ascension Lutheran Church
855 rue Jarry Ouest H3N 1G8 Montreal, QC, Canada

Here are some words about clothes this week! Hand-me-down: Something was owned or used by someone else before you, especially for clothing. Matthew 6:31: "Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'what shall we we eat?' or 'what shall we drink?' or 'what shall we wear?'"... Plaid: A particular pattern for clothing.

During Epiphany in the church, we hear about God calling all the nations to Himself. Tomorrow, we will hear about Jesus calling two of His disciples, one of whom doesn't even believe Jesus is God until Jesus tells him something a normal man couldn't possibly know. But this shouldn't come as a surprise to us! We are promised in Psalm 139: "Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether."... This can come across as intimidating, but it's really a good thing! No matter where we are, or what we're going through, God is actively there with you upholding and sustaining you. Come tomorrow to hear more Good News.

Often when we hear this verse, we think about how we are treating others. Am I kind enough? Do I care enough about my neighbours? These are true and pious things to consider. However, we often forget that we are included in "the least of these." Our sin makes us poor in spirit. Thankfully, there is comfort in these verses for us too. Because we are the least of these, we know that Jesus remembers us. Jesus has not forgotten us when we end up in prison, hungry and naked for the sake of the Gospel. What Good News!

This week, we are talking about words to describe winter. Dead of winter: the coldest, darkest part of winter. Song of Solomon 2:11: Behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. Shovel: To throw or move snow with a shovel.

Les cours d'anglais reprendront le 2 février! Si vous souhaitez rejoindre un cours en ligne gratuit pour apprendre l'anglais pendant 8 semaines, envoyez-nous un message! English classes will start again on February 2! If you want to join a free, online class to learn English for 8 weeks, send us a message!

We are the least of these. Did you know that? Merciful Lord, remind us always that if the world hates us, it hated you first. As you returned that hatred with forgiveness and love, teach us to do the same and so bear the name of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen. If you would like to receive a written copy of this devotion in your inbox each week, you can sign up here: https://ascensionlutheran.ca/mid-week-with-christ/

Words have power. When God speaks, His words bring life. This week, we heard about Jesus' baptism and the promises given to us in our baptism!

It's easy to doubt God's Word. The devil, the world, and our sinful flesh are constantly whispering in our ear, "What if?" and "Yeah, but what about...?" In God's mercy, He sends angels to give us a different message. This message is shouted out above the whispers, and floods the darkness with light. This message proclaims that there is Good News when we are despairing. Christ has died and come back to life to forgive our sins. We no longer have to fear the long lonely nights, because Christ is with us. Christ is present, Christ is sure, Christ conquers fear and doubt.

This week we're talking about questions! Do you have any questions about English or Christianity? Let us know!

Did you know that the church has it's own calendar? It's true! Much like we can plan our activities based on the "school year," the church too has it's own yearly cycle, which helps us keep track of the special days and seasons of the church. Right now in the church year, we are in the season of Pentacost, which you can tell by the green banners and cloths on the altar, lectern, and pulpit. These cloths are also called paraments! ... The church year is coming to an end though in two weeks, so pretty soon we will exchange the green paraments for blue ones in Advent! If you want to see what a church service is like before we start preparing for Christmas, you can get the Zoom link here: https://ascensionlutheran.ca/services/ Service is tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. online only!

It's very easy to doubt God's Word. The devil, the world, and our sinful flesh constantly whisper in our ears, saying "what if?" and "yeah, but what about?" Thankfully, God sends his messengers, angels, to shout a very different message. It's a message that conquers all doubt, and floods the darkness with light. The message is that the Saviour has come into the world! We do not need to fear the lonely nights any more, for God is with us. God is, God speaks, God conquers.

What does "pop the question" mean? Is it ok to interrogate someone? What questions did Jesus ask? Today we are talking about questions in our mini-lesson!

How often do we pray without expecting God to actually do anything? Probably a lot. The Lord in His mercy has filled the Bible with accounts of REAL people, with real feelings and real stories we can relate to. Today we hear Zechariah's story and real doubt.

On Remembrance Day we remember not just wars that are past, but the Lord's promise in Christ to bring wars to an end forever. It has started with the peace Christ Jesus brings into wounded hearts by the power of the Spirit. It will be brought to completion on the day of his return.

We have all felt a LOT of feelings this year. This week we talk about some of them!

Covid has cancelled a lot of things, but one thing it can never touch is hearing God's Word. In preparation for Christmas, here is our worship schedule for December! If you want to join a Zoom service or RSVP for a Christmas service, send us a message!

When will war end? 102 years ago on this day, the world thought that war was banished forever. They believed they had gotten all hatred out of their system. As we can see today, that was not correct. Wars continue to rage and hatred abounds. But it will not last forever.... God promises in His Word that one day, war really will be gone forever. It will be so abolished that swords and spears will be transformed into other, constructive tools. We wait with comfort that God draws boundaries around our suffering in this life, and with assurance that Christ will one day end suffering forever. Come soon, Lord Jesus!

Is "over the moon" a good or bad thing? When can you say "frustrated"? What is the shortest verse in the Bible? We learn about that today!