For Palm Sunday, we are looking at Jesus' statement that he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. When Thomas asked how to get to where Jesus was going, Jesus said, "I am the way." Much like Jesus' journey into Jerusalem, our journey through life may not always be glorious or easy, but if we follow Jesus as the way, we can rest assured in the hope o…

When Jesus said, "I am the Good Shepherd," he was differentiating himself from those who were shepherding his people, Israel (and from those who shepherd us today). But he was also pointing out an important aspect of our relationship to him: in order to be under his care, we have to be willing to be under his ownership and direction.…

Do you know the voice of your saviour? He alone is the door to abundant life, but we can easily be led astray by thieves and robbers if we are not familiar with our Shepherd's voice.Par Ottawa Valley Community Church

What are we filling up on? That's the question we're asking in part 2 of our discussion on "I am the bread of life." It's also the question at the heart of Lent: are we filling up on God, or something that ultimately won't satisfy?Par Ottawa Valley Community Church

As we enter into Lent, our desire is to understand who Jesus is and how that changes how we see ourselves. There are 7 "I am" statements that Jesus makes in the book of John. We're beginning with, "I am the bread of life."Par Ottawa Valley Community Church

Continuing our mini-series, "Epic: Tales from the Old Testament," Ahren leads us on a close examination of the story of Elijah under the broom tree to understand how God meets us where we're at.Par Ottawa Valley Community Church

Which kind of offering are you giving God? Digging deep into Romans 11:33 - 12:9, Ahren leads a discussion looking at what Paul has to say about our place in the body of Christ and how we are to serve self-sacrificially in gratitude for God's mercies.Par Ottawa Valley Community Church

We're starting a new series entitled, "Epic: Tales from the Old Testament," looking at obscure or lesser-known stories from the Old Testament and what they have to teach us (after all, they were included in scripture for a reason). First up, Ahren discusses the healing of Naaman in 1 Kings 5:1-19.Par Ottawa Valley Community Church

This week, Vince brings us a message on the Psalms and how they can be applied to our lives, our prayer time, and our worship.Par Ottawa Valley Community Church

We're kicking off the new year with our favourite annual trafition: pastor on the hot seat. Ahren fields questions from members of the congregation and does his best to answer them on the spot.Par Ottawa Valley Community Church

Part 4 of our Advent series is Emmanuel: God with us in the field. Looking at the story of the shepherds who first received the announcement of Jesus' birth, Ahren reminds us that our place of work should be dedicated to God, and our gifts are our sacrifices to Him. How do you respond to this reality?…

The third part of our Advent series is Emmanuel: God with us in the seeking. Looking at the story of the wise men, Ahren digs deeper to explore their journey of seeking Jesus, and how God met them in many ways throughout the process, bringing them joy and guiding them to their ultimate destination: a place of worship. We can learn a lot about our o…

In the second week of our Advent series, Ahren speaks on what it means to have God with us in moments of decision. Looking at Joseph's careful and difficult decision about whether to marry Mary (Matthew 1:18-25), we see that sometimes God's way is one we may never have even considered. God's way also isn't always the easiest one. Where might you be…

As we come into the advent season, we will be exploring the theme of Emmanuel: God With Us. In this first sermon of the series, Ahren speaks on God with us in the waiting. When there is hurt or brokenness, when we feel lost, abandoned, or hopeless, even then we can trust in the promises of God and the hope of His return. Not only that, but we can c…

No one can live without hope. At a time when our world and our culture feel so lost in hopelessness, Vince reminds us that we have the only true source of hope in Christ's resurrection and his Spirit present within us. And that hope is not only for us, but for the world, as He is coming again to make all things right.…

To continue our series on discipleship, Ahren addresses our societal mistrust of authority (and other people in general) and how this hinders our willingness to let other people speak into our lives. But one important issue this raises is the role and responsibility of Christian leaders and disciplers, and how that should look biblically.…

How are we to find the time and energy needed for true discipleship? It seems that chronic exhaustion has become a normal part of our lives and culture. We're exhausted from living life in a way that God never intended for us to live. God offers something different: true rest, and running without weariness, when we rely on him.…

Rooted: Growing Up and Growing Deep, is a sermon series on the importance of discipleship. In this talk, Ahren spoke on the Christ-likeness that defines disciples and how that requires holding a very unique, and often hard-to-accept, tension of truth and compassion, of humility and honesty. It's a balancing act – a narrow path, but one that leads t…

Every man needs a fatherly voice in their life. For Timothy, that voice was Paul, his spiritual father. In honour of Father's Day, Ahren takes us through an examination of Paul's letters to Timothy to see the godly and fatherly advice that he has for Timothy and, by extension, all Christian men. Through Paul's words, we are reminded of God's hope a…

The redemptive power of God is the only force in the universe that can transform your identity. Peter was reminded of this in his conversation with Jesus on the beach. Despite all his grandiose promises to follow Jesus and give his life for the mission, Peter fell short. But when Jesus presented him with this opportunity for redemption, he realized…

The gospel of John features many stories of Jesus' disciples wrestling with their faith. One of the most memorable accounts is that of Peter denying Jesus during His trial, leading up to the crucifixion. Ahren explains how this story serves as a beautiful reminder that, even when we fail God or refuse to own our faith, He still loves us and is work…

Doubting Thomas often gets a bad rap. But John uses his story as the linchpin for his entire gospel account, which was carefully written to highlight specific accounts that would persuade readers that Jesus was Christ and the Son of God. Why? Because we all wrestle with ownership of our faith from time to time. And Thomas' story not only reminds us…

To help us celebrate Mother's Day, we are joined by special guest speaker Beryl Orok, who is speaking on the important role that God has given to mothers. While acknowledging how difficult this day can be for some, Beryl reminds us of some powerful examples from the Bible of mothers who followed God's leading and example in caring for their familie…

This week, we're joined by three special guests: Murray Cornelius (Executive Director for Internatioal Missions at the PAOC), Pastor Munetsi Zowa, and Bishop Never Muparutsa. They share a little bit with us about the impact of international missions, particularly in Zimbabwe, and how they have seen the church growing. Bishop Never then takes some t…

What keeps us from seeing Jesus? That's the question Ahren answers this week while looking at the story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35). In this passage, we encounter some disciples leaving Jerusalem after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, but what they don't realize is that Jesus is walking alongside them. Why can't they see …

Guest speaker David Ruis, Director of Vineyard Canada, shares some words of wisdom and encouragement with us from the Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13). In our foolishness, we tend to plan our lives out without ever knowing what's coming ahead. When we do, we can easily become overwhelmed when things change unexpectedly. But, through thi…

After the disciples found the empty tomb, 62 personal encounters with Jesus were recorded. Why does the validity of the accounts of Jesus Christ's death and resurrection matter? Ahren explains what the truth of the Easter story means for our lives and how that should change the way we live.Par Ottawa Valley Community Church

For Palm Sunday, Ivan explores the kingly imagery associated with Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem and encourages us to consider the question of how we will respond to His lordship. Are we prepared to let Jesus rule His way in our lives, or do we have our own expectations of what it means for Him to be our Lord and Saviour?…

How do we endure and thrive when we are fundamentally at odds with the world around us? That's the question Jesus answers for His disciples in John 15:18-16:33. In this text, Jesus reminds His followers that there should be something distinct about them–about us. We don't live as the world lives. Our priorities, actions, and words should set us apa…

Picking up from his last message, Ahren reminds us that the disciples were feeling troubled that Jesus was leaving them, and how He comforted them by explaining that the mission was to go on. In this second part of the chapter, Jesus further addresses their concerns that they would be alone by teaching them about how the Holy Spirit would come to b…

In the second part of our "Prepared" series, Ivan takes us through John 15:1-11 and helps us understand how the illustration of the vine and the branches reflects a sincere relationship with Jesus: one in which we are present, obedient, persistent, and faithful. When we abide, we are made more like Christ, we grow closer to God, and we bear the fru…

The season of Lent is about preparing our hearts for Easter. As we move through this time, we are looking at John 14-17, in which Jesus prepares his disciples for his death and continuing on the mission without him. For the first part of this series, Ahren breaks down John 14:1-6. Here, Jesus begins to address the concerns of his disciples as they …

"For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength." (1 Corinthians 1:25) Although God's wisdom may seem like foolishness to the world (1 Cor 1:18), our human understanding can never compare. We need spiritual discernment. In this week's talk, Ivan reminds us not to rely on the knowledge …

What is Lent? Depending on your church background, you may not be too familiar with this practice. This week, Ivan dives into the history of this traditional time of fasting, and the heart behind this season of sacrifice and reflection. By giving something up, we refocus our minds and make space to spend time with God. If, like Ivan, you have never…

Does the Gospel cease being relevant or necessary once we're saved? Absolutely not! No matter how mature our faith, or how many times we've heard it, we will never outgrow our need for the Gospel. Ahren reminds us that, in all circumstances, we must preach the Gospel to ourselves and have it preached to us because it is our anchor and our source of…

What is the significance of baptism? In this week's sermon, Ahren talks about the identity piece behind baptism. While baptism is an act of obedience and a public expression of faith, it is also representative of the Christian's choice to lay down their own identity and take up the identity of Christ.…

We all have bad days. No matter who you are, you will have faced troubling circumstances. And for many, the scariest part of that is the unknown: not knowing how things will turn out or if we will be okay. But God calls us to continue walking by faith. Whenever God brings us to a place of struggle or uncertainty, we can learn from the example of Jo…

We all experience anxieties and stress from time to time. But, in our current climate of cultural anxiety, those feelings can be heightened. As the Church, we are called to be a place of refuge, security, and peace in the midst of this turmoil. Yet, many of us would admit that we have felt these anxieties as well. The problem is not that we have fe…

God does want His people to prosper, but not at the expense of their souls. That's why, in 3 John verse 2, he prays that Gaius would see prosperity in all areas of life in accordance with the prosperity of his soul. Guest speaker Ian Dunn reminds us that we must be worshipping properly if we want to see God's blessings poured out in all areas of ou…

If a new year is a blank book, then the question we must ask is, "Who will write our story this year?" It can be easy to focus on what others say about us, or what we want our lives to look like, but the best stories are those that God writes. Ivan's challenge to us for 2023 is to let God have the ultimate control of our lives and to look ahead to …

In subconscious ways, we, like Herod, perceive Jesus as a threat to our autonomy, but this is the wrong way to see Him. He is our long-awaited Messiah. He is our King who came to deliver us and set us free to establish His kingdom in us first and then in His world. Will We Bow? (Sermon Text: Matthew 2:1-12)…

Some ideas are meant to be struggled with. Some things are never meant to be fully understood. But the divinity of Christ is one thing we should know with certainty. That is why the gospel of Luke begins by explaining that rigorous research and interviews were conducted to confirm what we have been told about Jesus. That is also why, in this third …

No other god recorded throughout all of history did what our God and Saviour did. On this second Sunday of Advent, Ivan talks about how Jesus came near to us and became like one of us so that we could draw closer in relationship to Him. Jesus lived a life of vulnerability, temptation, grief, and suffering so that we could know that we have a Saviou…

The world is in need of a Saviour, whether they know it or not. On this first Sunday of Advent, Ahren speaks on the hope that Jesus can bring to all areas of our life. The place where Jesus lived and began His ministry was full of gloom and darkness, idol worship, and suffering. But Jesus brought light and hope into that gloom. And he does the same…

The purpose of church isn't just for us to be ministered to, but for us to minister to others. As members of God's kingdom here on earth, we are called to be part of bringing healing, restoration, and salvation. And, in order to do that, we have to choose to fully surrender our lives to God. Only then can the kingdom come in us and through us.…

In the third part of the series "But It's Not My Dream," Ivan discusses the importance of humility in our relationship with God, both for individuals and the collective body of Christ. If we want to see change in our lives and grow closer to God, we have to be willing to let go of our pride and place ourselves under God's mission and serve His will…

To be effective in this world, we have to be like Jesus. One person we see in the Bible who mirrors Jesus in many ways is Joseph. In the second part of the sermon series, "But It's Not My Dream: The Heart of a Servant," Ivan looks at the ways that Joseph's life parallels Jesus' and what we can learn from those commonalities.…

As the body of Christ, we (the members of the church) are to be imitators of Christ. The life of the church should closely resemble the life of Jesus. But we've come short over and over again because we have neglected our commitments to one another. We've made church about what we take away from it, rather than what we bring to it. How can we shift…

Periods of hardship and change often reveal us to be people of attraction rather than commitment. But when we entered into a covenantal relationship with God, we also entered into a covenantal relationship with the church. As Christians, we are connected to other believers in our church congregation, in our local area, and around the world. What ha…

Even if we get nothing out of our worship experience, we are still fulfilling our purpose of reflecting God's glory back to Him. It can be easy to approach our church gatherings as activities and ministries that are meant to serve us: to teach us, to make us feel good, to offer us a chance to socialize. And God can certainly use these experiences t…