We are all pilgrims and citizens of a greater Kingdom-God's Kingdom, and Canada can become a signpost of that Kingdom when we live interculturally, in faith and justice in Canada. We often begin public gatherings with a Land Acknowledgment, remembering that this land we now call Canada is not ours alone-it is shared, inherited, and historically stewarded by Indigenous peoples. As Christians, we add yet another layer to this truth. This is God's land
 
Psalm 24:1 reminds us: The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world and all who live in it." Hebrews 11 brings us into the story of pilgrims, exiles, and seekers-people who understood that no matter where they set foot, they were walking in God's land and seeking a better country, a heavenly one. The writer of Hebrews is reflecting on the great ancestors of faith-Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, and Jacob- who all lived as strangers in lands they did not own. Yet they trusted in God's promise. Canada today is home to millions who have arrived from every nation; many of us, or our parents, came here seeking a better life. Others have been here since time immemorial, and some still feel like strangers even in their homeland. But Scripture tells us that we are all strangers here as believers, we do not fully belong to any one nation or system-we belong to God's Kingdom
 
Come to Luke 7:36-50 and imagine two people standing side by side, both wearing special glasses. The first person's glasses are tinted with labels "Sinner," "Unclean," "Unworthy, "and "Not Like Us." When he sees the woman enter the room, all he can visualize is her past-her mistakes, her shame, her brokenness. He cannot see her tears as love; he only sees them as weakness. His perception becomes a prison for her and for himself, the second person-Jesus-wears glasses tinted with grace. He sees more than what others see. He sees her faith, her repentance, her worth. Where the Pharisee sees scandal, Jesus sees salvation. Where the world sees a mess, Jesus visualizes a miracle in the making. The way we perceive others shapes the way we treat them. If we look at people only through the lens of their failures, we might miss what God is doing in their lives But if we ask the Holy Spirit to renew our vision, we will begin to see potential where others see problems, and grace where others see guilt Just like Simon the Pharisee, we are often blinded by our assumptions But Jesus teaches us to visualize people not as they were but as they can become through forgiveness and love. Ask yourself, "What kind of glasses am I wearing when I look at others? Are they lenses of law or lenses of love? When we learn to see others as Jesus sees them, perception becomes a tool for redemption, not condemnation. Let us ask for that kind of vision
 
To be Canadian, considering faith is to embrace the humility of being a guest: Whether we are indigenous settler, immigrant, or refugee, we walk this land as stewards of God's grace, not owners of the earth. The faithful in Hebrews were not nostalgic. Their culture is called to reflect a part of the image of the Creator. Therefore, every cultural story matter Brothers and sisters, Canada is not just a country, it is a canvas. A place where God is painting a picture of hospitality, justice, and hope. On Canada Day, we often look back at history, 1867, Confederation, key leaders, and milestones. We remember what has been achieved. But history is not just about looking backward; it's also about visualizing forward. Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, we can walk with Jesus into the future of our nation, with our eyes opened and our hearts burning with vision.
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In Luke 24, the disciples were discouraged because their expectations of what Jesus should have done were shattered. They could not see what God was really doing-until Jesus broke the bread and opened their eyes. Then everything changed. They ran back with joy, not to preserve a memory, but to become witnesses of a new beginning. This is the kind of moment we need in Canada, a national "Emmaus moment." We must not only commemorate the past, but ask: What does the risen Christ want to do in and through us now, in this land we call Canada? We must visualize a new map-not of geography, but of justice, reconciliation, and hope:
 

• A map where Indigenous peoples are not forgotten but honored.
• A map where immigrants and refugees are welcomed with dignity.
• A map where the church does not merely defend old landmarks but points the way 

          to the risen Christ.
 
Just as Jesus opened the Scriptures and their minds, we too need to ask the Spirit to open our hearts to God's redemptive purpose in the land. As we celebrate being Canadian-whatever that looks like for each of us, we remember
 

• We are citizens of heaven.
• We are guests on this land.
• We are stewards of God's earth

 
Let us build a church and a community that points not just to one nation under God but to God's reign over every nation. Practice Intercultural Hospitality. Learn from someone whose culture is different from yours. Join in Reconciliation Indigenous communities, learn their stories, and walk humbly. Celebrate diversity in support worship-include songs, prayers, and testimonies from various backgrounds. Live with Pilgrim Faith. Let go of privilege and entitlement and embrace the humility of faith

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today we gather not just in a building, but on sacred ground. This land, which we now call Muskoka, has long been home to Indigenous nations. Today, on the National Day of Indigenous Peoples, we honour their presence, history, and wisdom.
 
We also listen to the Word of God through the prophet Amos: “Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream.” (Amos 5:24) And to the Gospel of John: “In the beginning was the Word… and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1:1,14) These Scriptures call us not only to believe, but to embody justice, to live as people among whom the Word has taken flesh.
 
One God: The Word Who Created and Entered Creation. John reminds us that all things were made through Christ. Not just churches and temples, but rivers and forests, animals and nations, peoples and languages. And this same divine Word became human, incarnate, not to dominate but to dwell, to live among all peoples, in all cultures. He did not come to erase diversity, but to redeem and celebrate it. In Jesus, we see the God who sits with the Samaritan, heals the Gentile, and listens to the cries of the marginalised. This is the foundation for our hope and the pattern for our church.
 
One Earth: The Sacredness of Land and the Witness of the Buffalo. The buffalo is a powerful image of this harmony. In Indigenous worldviews, the buffalo represents provision, dignity, and balance. It gave food, shelter, tools, and sacred meaning to communities that took only what they needed and gave thanks. The near extinction of the buffalo reminds us of what happens when the sacred balance is broken by greed, colonisation, or disregard for creation. But the river of righteousness, like the buffalo, reminds us: this earth is not ours to exploit. It is ours to share. It is God’s earth. And that truth invites us to walk differently in Muskoka, to learn from Indigenous neighbours, to respect the land, and to build a new kind of church together.
 
When Amos proclaims, “Let justice roll,” he is not calling for charity; he’s calling for right relationships. Today, part of our response as a church is to become intentionally intercultural. Not multicultural as in many groups sharing space, but intercultural, where we listen to each other, learn from each other, and are transformed by each other in Christ.
 
This is the vision for New Hope Free Methodist Church in Muskoka: A church where Indigenous and settler, immigrant and local, walk together. A church where language, culture, and story are seen as gifts from God. A church that repents of injustice, learns humility, and moves toward reconciliation.
 
To be an intercultural church in Muskoka is to proclaim: there is one humanity, made in the image of one God, living on one sacred earth. It is to say, "You belong here", whether you are Cree, Colombian, Filipino, French, Brazilian, or born in Bracebridge. This is not just an idea; it is a Gospel calling.
 
The Word and the River Meet Here. So, friends, what does it mean for us today? It means that we cannot separate spiritual truth from social justice. If the Word has become flesh and dwells among us, then we must see Christ in our neighbour, especially the neighbour who has been silenced, forgotten, or wounded by history.
 
It means we must let the river of justice flow into our church, our land, and our hearts. And it means New Hope Free Methodist Church is being called by the Spirit to be a river church, a place where grace flows freely, where stories are honoured, and where one God, one earth, and one humanity are not just words, but a way of life.

Friends, picture this moment with me: Jesus is in the upper room with His disciples. The cross is only hours away. The world is about to shift, and everything the disciples thought they knew is going to be shaken. And Jesus, in that heavy silence, says to them, “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.” He holds back. Not because He doesn’t love them. Not because He’s unsure. But because He knows: revelation has weight. Some truths must come gradually. Step by step. They need time. They need the Holy Spirit. And so do we.
 
Today, we look at this short but profound passage in John 16, where Jesus speaks about the Spirit, the Spirit who would come and guide us into all truth. Let’s walk this journey together, with hearts open to what the Spirit still wants to reveal. In verse 13, Jesus says, “When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.” Now, the original Greek word Jesus uses for “guide” is hodēgēsei. It doesn’t mean to dump information on you all at once; it means to lead you, to walk with you, like a guide on a mountain trail. The Spirit doesn’t just tell you the truth. He journeys with you through it. And the phrase “all the truth”, pasan tēn alētheian, isn’t some vague idea. It means the whole truth about God’s love, God’s justice, and God’s plan in Christ. The Spirit reveals that truth gradually, deeply, personally.
 
But why not just tell the disciples everything right then and there? Because they weren’t ready. They still carried hopes of a political Messiah. They didn’t understand the cross. They couldn’t see the resurrection. And Jesus, in His mercy, doesn’t overwhelm them. He waits. He promises the Spirit. And when the Spirit comes, on the day of Pentecost, He opens their eyes. He reveals things they never imagined: that salvation is by grace, that Gentiles are welcomed in, that holiness is not about law but about love. And today, that same Spirit is still guiding us into deeper truth, about our identity, our mission, and our calling as the Church.
 
Then Jesus says in verse 14, “He will glorify me, because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.” The Spirit’s job isn’t to draw attention to Himself. It’s to glorify Jesus. To make Him known. To shine a spotlight on His life, His cross, His resurrection. In Wesleyan language, we sometimes call the Spirit pneuma Christou, the breath of Christ. The Spirit is the continuing presence of Jesus in our world and in our hearts. And everything the Spirit teaches us comes from Jesus. And everything Jesus has comes from the Father. There is a beautiful harmony here: Father, Son, and Spirit, all working in unity to draw us into the life of God.
 
Now let me bring this closer to home with a story Jesus once told, a story you know well: the story of the Prodigal Son. You remember it: a young man asks for his inheritance early, walks away from his father’s house, and wastes everything in reckless living. He ends up broke, hungry, and ashamed. But then, something happens. Luke 15:17 says, “When he came to his senses…” What is that moment?
 
Friends, that’s the whisper of the Holy Spirit. That’s the Spirit saying: “You are more than this. You have a home. You are still a son.” That’s the same Spirit Jesus spoke of in John 16:
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• The one who guides us into truth, “I will arise and go to my father.”
• The one who doesn’t speak on His own but reminds us of the Father’s love.
• The one who glorifies Christ by bringing us back into the embrace of grace.

 
And you know what happens when the son returns? Before he can even finish his confession, the father runs to him. Wraps him in a robe. Throws a feast. That’s what the Spirit does. He doesn’t just lead us back, He restores our identity. He says, “You are still the beloved.” So, what do we do with this?
 
First: Be patient with God’s timing. Jesus didn’t say everything at once, and neither will the Spirit. Some truths come only when we’re ready. Trust the process. Second: Learn to listen for the Spirit’s voice. In Scripture, in worship, in community, the Spirit still speaks. Not new doctrines, but a deeper understanding of Jesus’ love and leadership.

And third: Let the Spirit lead you home. Even if you’ve wandered far. Even if you feel lost. The Spirit comes to where you are, even in the pigpen, and whispers: “Come home.”
 
Jesus said, “He will glorify me.” The goal of the Spirit’s work isn’t just to make us good or smart. It’s to make us Christ-centered, grace-filled, and reconciled. That means something powerful for us here in Bracebridge. We are called to be a people who reflect Jesus, not just in what we say, but in how we live together. To be a multicultural community, Spirit-led and wide open to the world around us.
 
To be a church where:
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• Territory's people are heard, honored, and embraced as original stewards of this land.
• Newcomers and long-time residents feel at home.
• English, Filipino, African, South Asian, Spanish, and every culture is celebrated, not as separate parts, but as one body.

 
The Spirit isn’t just leading us back to the Father. He’s leading us toward one another. To be a people of hospitality, humility, and reconciliation. Let’s be that church. Let’s welcome every story. Let’s listen to every voice. Let’s make room at the table for every person the father is calling home. Because the Spirit is still here. And He is guiding us home, together.

1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them. 5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,[b] 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”

Today is not an ordinary Sunday. It is Pentecost, the day we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit, the birth of the Church, and the unleashing of the sweet power of God that transforms hearts, unites people, and sends us to the world with good news. 
 
We’ve sung: “The Song of the Soul Set Free,” and indeed, it is the Spirit who sets us free, free from fear, free from sin, and free to love. But what kind of power is this? Not the power of violence or dominance, but what John Wesley called “perfect love,” made real through the Holy Spirit. Let’s discover this power today in three ways:
 
"When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place..." (Acts 2:1) The disciples waited in the Upper Room, not passively, but in prayer and obedience. Just like Jesus had told them: “Wait for the gift my Father promised” (Acts 1:4). And then came the sound of wind, and tongues of fire, and they were all filled.
 
Jesus himself waited 30 years before starting his public ministry. He waited, not because he lacked ability, but because he had surrendered to the Father’s timing. And when He was baptized, the Spirit descended like a dove. John Wesley spent years doing ministry before his heart was strangely warmed at Aldersgate Street. Only when the Holy Spirit came upon him in assurance and love did his ministry truly begin. Pentecost reminds us that no work in the church is effective without the power of the Holy Spirit. The sweet power doesn’t rush. It arrives in God’s time, but when it comes, it transforms everything.
 
"Each one heard their own language being spoken." On Pentecost, language barriers were shattered, and unity was born, not in sameness, but in Spirit-filled diversity. Jesus welcomed Jews and Samaritans, fishermen and tax collectors, women and children, the rich and the poor. The Spirit Jesus promised continues that same inclusive mission.

John Wesley broke church norms by preaching in fields to coal miners and prisoners, reaching the poor and marginalized. He said, “The world is my parish,” because he knew that the Gospel is for all people, everywhere. So today, in our own church, as we speak English, Spanish, Portuguese, and other languages, we celebrate that the Holy Spirit speaks them all. Pentecost makes space for everyone.
 
The Power That Sends with Courage (vv.9–11) "We hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" This wasn’t emotional noise; it was witness. The Spirit turned frightened disciples into bold messengers. That same Spirit can make us bold, too. After the resurrection, Jesus found His disciples hiding. But after Pentecost, those same men were preaching in public, healing the sick, and even giving their lives for the Gospel. That is not human courage; it is the fruit of the Spirit.
 
After Aldersgate, Wesley traveled 250,000 miles on horseback, preached over 40,000 sermons, and organized thousands of small groups. Why? Because the Spirit gave him a holy fire that could not be quenched.
 
So what about you, church?

• Are you waiting for a fresh move of God? Keep praying, the sweet power will come.
• Do you see differences in culture, language, or personality as obstacles? Pentecost tells us they are gifts in the hands of the Spirit.
• Are you afraid to share your faith? Ask the Spirit for courage to speak with grace and boldness.

 
The Spirit that came at Pentecost is still moving today. It is not a force of control or pride, it is the sweet power of Jesus, forming us into a Church that is:
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• Alive in prayer
• United in diversity
• Bold in witness

 
Let us pray as Charles Wesley did:  “Spirit of faith, come down, Reveal the things of God;
And make to us the Godhead known, And witness with the blood.”

Come, Holy Spirit. Set our souls free. Fill this church with your fire. Amen.
 

​20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. 25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you[a] known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

Imagine someone praying for you, not because you asked, not because you are in trouble, but because they believe in the good that could come into your life. That’s what we find in John 17. On the night before His death, Jesus lifts a deeply personal and powerful prayer, not just for His disciples, but for everyone who would ever believe through them.
 
In Jesus' own words: “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message...” (v. 20.) That includes you. Even if you’re just starting to explore faith, Jesus had you in mind.
 
“...that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.” Jesus doesn’t start with rules or religion; He starts with a relationship. His dream is a community so connected, so full of love and trust, that it reflects the very relationship between Him and God the Father.
 
When John Wesley began preaching in the open fields of England in the 18th century, people were drawn not by polished sermons but by the fire of love and community. Coal miners, poor farmers, and laborers came to hear a message that said: You matter to God. God hasn’t forgotten you. And they didn’t just hear it, they felt it in the way Methodists lived together: sharing food, teaching children, praying in small groups.
 
That kind of unity Jesus prayed for is not organizational, it’s relational. It's not about sameness; it's about belonging.
 
“Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me,” Jesus says that the way we love one another can help the world know God’s love. That means church isn't just about beliefs, it’s about how those beliefs shape our lives together.
 
Remember the woman at the well? She was isolated, ashamed, and avoided by others. But Jesus sat with her, listened, and offered her living water, a new beginning. He didn’t demand that she clean up her life first. He gave her dignity and hope. And that transformed her, so much so that she ran to tell others.
 
That’s what Jesus does, He meets us where we are and shows us that we are already loved. And when we realize we’re loved, we begin to love others differently, too.
  
“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory…” “Glory” in the Bible isn’t just brightness or majesty, it’s the beauty of God's love and truth fully expressed. Jesus wants to share that glory with us. He wants us not only to believe but to belong and be transformed.
 
Charles Wesley, John’s brother, wrote over 6,000 hymns, many of them trying to express the beauty of God's love. In one of his most famous lines, he wrote: “Amazing love! How can it be that Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?”
 
This wasn’t just poetry; it was a testimony. People were singing their way into faith, into joy, into a sense that life had meaning again. That’s what Jesus is offering here: not a religion of fear, but a relationship rooted in love, unity, and joy.
 
Maybe today you're just curious. Or maybe you're tired of division, loneliness, or a life without clarity. This prayer from Jesus is your invitation. He says:

​•           You are loved as He is loved.
•           You are welcome in His community.
•           You are part of His vision for a better world.
 
The Free Methodist Church was born as a movement for freedom, freedom in Christ, freedom from slavery (yes, they were among the first abolitionists), and freedom for the poor to be included in the life of the Church. That same spirit is alive today, because Jesus is still praying this prayer over us: “That they may be one... and that the love you have for me may be in them.” (v. 26)
 
If you’ve ever wondered whether God notices you, this passage says yes. If you’ve doubted whether there’s a place where you belong, Jesus is building it, even now. Would you consider being part of that kind of community? We’re not perfect. But we’re trying to live this prayer of Jesus, one day at a time. And you’re welcome to join us on the journey.