Clyde Christian Bible Church

What causes an athlete to take their eyes off the finish line, celebrate too soon, and forfeit their victory?  That question leads to an examination of perfection and maturity in the Kingdom of God.  Watch out for rookie mistakes on the marathon that is your faith journey.Click HERE to watch the YouTube link of the Oregonian runner referenced in the sermon.Click HERE to watch a clip of the Raptors/Wizards play referenced in the sermon.Click HERE to see a hairy man in a swimsuit, as referenced in the sermon.

Like Paul, Chris gets a little fired up talking about circumcision.  Or maybe it's the Anchorman references?  Either way, the two warnings for all believers encapsulated in today's passage require some urgency.  Everything is worthless garbage compared to knowing Jesus.  Even our leather-bound books and mahogany-scented apartments.

Honourable individuals receiving the acclaim they deserve always makes Chris emotional.  But what should we define as honourable in the Kingdom of God?  And who serves as a model for that honourable behaviour?  Paul chimes in with a few examples of men familiar to the Philippians who are worthy of honour... and their characteristics might feel very familiar.For anyone interested in watching the brief youtube video in the introduction please follow this link.  It originally aired on BBC's "That's Life" in 1988.  Make sure you have some Kleenex handy.

Well, things get a little weird, as Chris combines all of Paul's various images from verses 14-18 into one strange imaginary situation.  But as we'll see, each element of the imagination exercise ties Philippi to Old Testament Israel... and to modern day Clyde.  It's a strange journey, but with a familiar destination: nearness to Christ Jesus.Get out there and shine, little babies.

This sermon will excite amateur etymologists everywhere, as we examine words that are derived from, or influenced by, the Cross of Jesus.  Hopefully, as we examine these words, we shed some light on the crucial significance of Easter as well.PS- for all those vegetable experts, yes, Chris mispronounced the word cruciferous.  He offers his sincere apologies.

Ricot and Mandy Leon are missionaries with a vision for serving people in Port Salut, Haiti.  The morning after our church hosted a fundraiser for their mission, Ricot and Mandy took to the microphone to share an update of the work being done, as well as what God is teaching them personally through the whole process.  We also take some time to encourage one another as co-servants in the Kingdom.  It is honest, vulnerable, exciting, and fascinating.Plus, see if you can hear the moment when their son climbs onto Ricot's lap and begins mimicking his every word and movement.  Adorable.

We all live in the balance between work (which is good and meaningful) and toil (which is difficult and empty).  Salvation is no different.  For the Philippians, the great gift of salvation, and the work that's associated, had become toilsome.  In today's sermon, we examine the power of obedience, fear & trembling, and work (especially the work God has done and is doing through us).We also hear Chris stumble through some awful Greek pronunciations and ridiculous Kindergarten experiences.  Let's get to work!

At CCBC, we thoroughly enjoy giving valuable ministry experience to training Bible College students.  This week we were fortunate to have a team of five young men from Alberta Bible College join us for several days of experience in rural ministry, capped off by the team leader, David Ross, offering a thoughtful exploration of two crucially important Biblical themes: Ransom and Redemption.Come for the lovely lilting Scottish voice.  Stay for the excellent examination and application of Biblical truth.

We spent an entire sermon examining Paul's poetic masterpiece in Philippians 2.  And we're back for more.  But this time we're looking for some practical application.  How can we apply the pattern of Jesus' selfless, humble, obedient nature to our own lives?  It's possibly the most important question we can ask ourselves.  Hopefully we all get some tips from today's sermon.As our friend Nacho Libre would say, let's get down to the nitty gritty.

Drumming is all about finding patterns and locking into the rhythm.  In this, the first of a two-part examination of one of the grandest passages in Scripture, we will find the pattern that Jesus established through His humble, obedient, servant-hearted life and death.We will also imagine Chris Lantz as a hamster.Not everything can be as beautiful and poetic as Philippians 2.

Today's excellent sermon is delivered by Jeff King, who works with Compassion Canada.  By reminding all of us how children demonstrate the template for faith in God's Kingdom, Jeff also calls us to value our smallest neighbours as much as Jesus does.  He also teaches us some cheat codes for playing Rock Paper Scissors against Latino children, which is very handy indeed.Just as children demonstrate need, expectation, and hopeful possibility, so too should our Father's more adult Kingdom inhabitants!Visit Compassion's website for more information about sponsoring impoverished children.

This week we were happy to welcome Rick and Debbie Scruggs to our tiny corner of the Kingdom.  Rick and Debbie had served at one of our big sister churches in Calgary for decades, but Rick has recently taken a position at Lifeline Christian Mission.  In this capacity, he works closely with a project in Haiti that is very close to our hearts: Heart for Home Haiti.Before giving us an update on the progress of this mission (not included in this recording), Rick gave a thought-provoking and encouraging message on how every Christian life is a life of mission.  Especially to those we wouldn't assume we are called to serve.

The Philippians are a healthy, vibrant Church.  They are like a delicious banana split.  But Paul can see that something is missing: they need the cherry on top to really make them effective.  Discover the missing ingredient here.Also, discover what happens when Chris' sermon notes get all out of whack.  A little bit of chaos.

Using Paul the Apostle and Sir David Attenborough as our teachers, we discuss the defenses Christians have against the dual threats of the cold, hostile world we live in and the hungry wolves that seek to destroy us.  We also get compared to large hairy goats... but in a good way.This episode uses YouTube footage of BBC's "Frozen Planet", directed by Ray Dal, produced by Alastair Fothergill, and narrated by Sir David Attenborough.  CCBC does not claim ownership of the material, and it is being used for commentary purposes.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUhjl7bFbw4]

In the midst of paradoxes and soliloquies, we find a beautiful truth about faith in Jesus.  We may get our minds stretched, but hopefully it's our hearts and soul that get the real workout from Paul's beautiful ruminations on living for Christ and finding purpose in death.  (With a higher-than-average number of references to "Hamlet".)

Well, Chris hadn't talked about the Oilers in a while, so you knew you were due for an NHL-centric sermon illustration.  Here we talk about some of the failings of the local hockey team and how they demonstrate an inability to see the Bigger Picture.  This is in stark contrast to Paul's personal update to his Philippian friends.  Despite some tremendously difficult circumstances, Paul is able to rejoice.  Why?  Because he has his eyes on the bigger picture.PS: big shout out to mentoring pastor Tim Gurnett, who was and is a huge influence on Chris.  Take THAT, Gurnett!

You wouldn't believe some of the basic things Kindergarten teachers need to teach their 5-year-olds.  Kindergarten is all about learning the basics.  This is the message of Paul's prayer of intercession for his beloved Philippians: that they would grow in the basics (love, wisdom, righteousness, growth, and glory).  It helps to keep our eyes on the goal ahead.As a bonus, we get to learn the Greek word for intestines.  Because that too is a basic, fundamental aspect of our faith.

Paul's prayer of thanks for the Philippians recognizes a truth about the Christian life that is very similar to a truth about renovating basements: it's got little to do with money and everything to do with Phases of Completion.  Whether you are skilled with a sledgehammer (or a bowl of spaghetti) or not, Paul's prayer of thanksgiving offers opportunities for encouragement, learning, and rejoicing.

Great films use their opening scene to introduce characters, plot, and setting... but the best opening scenes (as in "There Will Be Blood") set the stage for the themes of the rest of the work of art.  As we explore the first two verses of Philippians (yes, only two verses), we will see how Paul took a standard formula and filled it with the crucial themes of his letter: Humility, Unity, Sanctity, and the Gospel Message.Also, due to a slight audio issue, get ready to hear papers being shuffled super loud.  Apologies!

As we begin our new sermon series we take a look at the Who, What, Where, When, and Why of Philippians.  In this overview we will learn the cultural context of the ancient city of Philippi; be reintroduced to old friends like Lydia and Timothy; have a pop quiz about Paul; and meet Chris' new best friend: a ceramic llama cookie jar he got from his friend Matthew.Over the course of the new few weeks and months, we pray that the teachings of Philippians bring us to a deeper level of joyful unity and Christ-focused living.