When Bailey Sellers turned 21, she received a delivery she had come to expect-a bouquet and a note from her father. But this one was different. It was the last. For flowers and a letter note to be delivered, Bailey's father had passed away from cancer when she was just 16. But before he died, he arranged again. You are and always will be my precious jewel. Can you imagine the bittersweetness to her every year on her birthday, said: "This is my last love letter to you until we meet until she turned 21. These final tears she must have shed that day. Her father's love had prepared her to face life's challenges with courage, even after he was gone. For Bailey, turning 21 was more than a birthday. It was a turning point-a moment of realization, healing, and gratitude.
 
Paul writes in 1 Timothy 4:16: "Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers." This verse comes from Paul's pastoral letter to Timothy, a young church leader in Ephesus. Paul is guiding Timothy through challenges, false teachings, cultural pressures, and the burden of leadership.

• The word "watch" (epeche) means "hold fast to" or "pay close attention to. Paul is urging Timothy to examine his conduct and his beliefs with care.
• The phrase "life and doctrine" shows that Christian faith is not just about what we believe but how we live.
• The promise you will save both yourself and your hearers speaks of spiritual preservation. It's not about earning salvation, but about staying true to the gospel and leading others to life in Christ.

 
Timothy's turning point came when he chose to persevere to guard his life and teaching, to stay faithful even when it was hard. We see a similar turning point in our own spiritual heritage. In 1860, a small group of believers gathered under an apple tree in Pekin, New York, with a man named B. T. Roberts. They had been expelled from the Methodist Episcopal! Church because they refused to compromise on biblical! convictions-opposing slavery, rejecting pew-rental (which excluded the poor), and defending the freedom of women to minister. That humble apple-tree meeting became the birthplace of the Free Methodist movement, built on three principles: freedom in worship, freedom for the oppressed, and freedom for the Holy Spirit to work. Our spiritual DNA as Free Methodists is rooted in courage, transformation, and mission. Just like Bailey's father's love shaped her life, these early believers' faith shaped our movement, and it's a legacy we are called to carry forward.

Here's the question: When do turning points happen? Is it at a certain age? A certain level of spiritual maturity? The truth is, turning points often come when we least expect them. They come when love or truth pierces our hearts. For some of us, the turning point comes when we face the reality of our own emotions-anger we've buried, grief we've never processed, wounds we've never allowed God to heal. That's why this Saturday's Anger & Grief Management Workshop with Rev. Bill Virgin at New Hope Free Methodist Church is so important. This is not just an event-it's an opportunity for transformation. It's a chapter in relaunching not just ministries, but lives
 
The Three Movements of a Turning Point
 
1. Honest Self-Examination. Paul says, "Watch your life and doctrine closely." Like Timothy, we must examine our hearts. Are there places where pain, anger, or resentment are holding us back? Bailey's father's letters invited her to reflect on his love: God's Word invites us to reflect on His love that never fails.
2. Perseverance Through Healing Paul continues, "Persevere in them." True transformation doesn't happen overnight. It requires daily decisions to pursue God's presence and to face our emotional struggles. Rev. Virgin's event will give us practical tools to persevere in healing.
3. Living for Others Paul promises, you will save both yourself and your hearers." Our transformation impacts the people around us, our families, our church, and our community. Like Bailey's story or the apple-tree moment of the Free Methodists, our turning points can inspire faith in others.
 
Bailey's father left her a final love letter. Our Heavenly Father gives us daily reminders of His love. He whispers through His Word: "You are My beloved child. Nothing can separate you from My love." (Romans 8:38-39) The Free Methodists had their apple tree moment in 1860; Bailey had hers at 21. What about you? Could this week, this workshop, this moment be your turning point? A moment when you let God heal what is broken, release your anger, process your grief, and step into a life of mission and purpose? Turning points are not just about you-they ripple into the lives of others. Your healing can inspire your family, your friends, and your church. And when we live on mission, people see the love of God alive in us. So, I invite you
 

• Examine your heart.
• Take a step toward healing this Saturday
• Let God use your tuning point to bless others.

 
Bailey's father wrote. This is my last love letter to you until we meet again," But our Heavenly Father has no last letter. His love is endless. His Spirit is alive. And He is calling you today. Watch your life. Persevere. Live on mission
 
"Lord, today we open our hearts to You. We ask for the courage to examine our lives, the perseverance to grow through our pain, and the grace to live for others. May this week be a turning point, a chapter of healing, hope, and mission. Amen

​1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters[a] in Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father. 3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people— 5 the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel 6 that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. 7 You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, 8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit. 9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

It’s a joy to gather again in the presence of our gracious God, who never tires of drawing us deeper into His love. Paul begins his letter to the Colossians with a powerful mix of gratitude and intercession. These are not casual greetings; they are words of identity and mission. “To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ” (v. 2).

They are in Colossae, a real city, facing real challenges. But more importantly, they are in Christ, anchored in eternal truth. Brothers and sisters, you too are in Muskoka, or wherever you find yourself, but more deeply, you are in Christ. This is where Paul begins: reminding the believers who they are. Our geography doesn’t determine our identity; our relationship with Christ does.

Paul says: “We always thank God... because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people, the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven” (vv. 3–5). Three theological virtues show up here:

• Faith in Jesus
• Love for others
• Hope anchored in heaven

Wesleyan theology reminds us that the grace of God enables us to grow in these virtues through the Spirit. Paul doesn’t just thank God for their initial conversion; he gives thanks for how their faith is producing real fruit in the way they live.

Question for us: Is our faith producing love? Are we known for our love for all God’s people, especially those different from us? This kind of hope is not wishful thinking. It is a stored inheritance, a hope that shapes our present with a vision of eternity.

And how did this hope come to them? Through the Gospel, preached and made alive by the Spirit: “The gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world” (v. 6). Even in small towns like Colossae. Even in places like Bracebridge. Paul now shifts from thanksgiving to intercession. He says: “We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives...” (v. 9).

This isn’t about information but transformation. God wants to fill us, not with opinions, not with trends, but with His will. And the Spirit gives us that wisdom and understanding.
 
John Wesley said, “Knowledge of the will of God is not enough; it must lead to obedience and love.” “...that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way...” What does that life look like? Paul gives four signs:

1. Bearing fruit in every good work.  This is holiness in action—compassion, justice, mercy.
2. Growing in the knowledge of God. Not just head knowledge, but relational intimacy.
3. Being strengthened with all power. God’s glorious might, not our own. For endurance and patience.
4. Giving joyful thanks to the Father. Gratitude is the soundtrack of the Christian life.

“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves...” Church, this is the climax. We are not just trying to be better people; we have been rescued from the domain of darkness. We are now citizens of another Kingdom. We don’t earn this transfer; we receive it.

1. Ask the Spirit to reveal God’s will to you daily. Don’t settle for just getting through the day. Ask: Lord, what would please You today?
2. Measure your maturity by your fruit. Is your life showing love, patience, joy, and faithfulness?
3. Remember your rescue. Don’t live as if you’re still in the dark. Live like someone who’s been transferred into light.
4. Encourage others in their walk. Just as Paul prayed for the Colossians, pray for your church family.
Mention their names before God. Encourage their growth.

I once heard of a pastor who described the Christian life like a tree planted in a dark forest. At first, it grows slowly. But with time, the roots dig deep. The tree finds light breaking through the canopy. The more it leans toward the light, the more fruit it bears. Brothers and sisters, lean toward the Light. You have been rescued, redeemed, and re-rooted in Christ.

So today, as we hear Paul’s words echo across the centuries:
​
• Let us walk worthy of the Lord.
• Let us bear fruit, grow strong, give thanks.
• Let us remember that we belong to a Kingdom that cannot be shaken.
​
“To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen.”

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two[a] others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. 5 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6 If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house. 8 “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’

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," "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 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. They were not looking back at where they came from. They weren’t trying to recreate the past—they were visualizing a better future. They carried within them an image, a dream, a divine visualization of a homeland where God’s justice reigned. Instead, they were looking forward to a new kind of homeland, one marked not by flags or borders, but by justice, peace, and the presence of God. This challenges our nationalism. Too often, people seek a version of Canada that reflects only their values, their culture, or their comfort. But the God of Hebrews 11 calls us to an intercultural vision, where all peoples and languages gather at the throne of grace.
 
Imagine two people standing side by side, both wearing special glasses. The first person's glasses are tinted with labels: "Sinner," "Unclean," "Unworthy," "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 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.
 
A few years ago, an Olympic runner was asked what kept him going through grueling training and injury. He answered: “Every day, I close my eyes and see myself crossing that finish line, not just running, but winning. I see the flag, I hear the anthem, I feel the medal.” That vision shaped his discipline, his sacrifices, and his hope. In the same way, the people of faith in Hebrews 11 saw a city with foundations, a better country. They didn’t have maps or blueprints, but they had faith-fed vision. They visualized a land where God's justice flowed like a river and all nations found shelter under His wings. Faith is not only believing; it is seeing with your heart what your eyes have not yet seen. As Canadian Christians, can we visualize a church that sings in many tongues, welcomes many nations, and reflects the beauty of heaven here on earth?
 
This is a stunning statement. God is proud to be the God of people who live as pilgrims, not conquerors; as seekers, not possessors; as builders of bridges, not walls. To be intercultural is not simply to tolerate one another—it is to recognize the image of God in one another, and to believe that diversity is a gift, not a threat. John Wesley said, “The world is my parish.” For Christians today, we can say, “The world is God’s land.” Every culture is called to reflect a part of the image of the Creator. Therefore, every cultural story matters. 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.
 
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 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, support territories, nations, and communities, learn their stories, and walk humbly. Celebrate Diversity in Worship, including songs, prayers, and testimonies from various backgrounds. Live with pilgrim faith, let go of privilege and entitlement, and embrace the humility of faith.