Dani Caldeira 3/24/25 Dani Caldeira 3/24/25

YOU ARE A NEW CREATION

You are the new Creation

I truly believe that everyone who comes to God has an inner desire to become a better person and strives to improve themselves.

We all want to be better versions of ourselves: better husbands or wives, better children or parents, better friends or neighbors, etc.

I also believe that one of the concerns of every Christian is how to have a pure heart, how to deal with sin in your life, to get rid of bad desires, bad motives, and to separate yourself from darkness.

I believe that each of us desires holiness, wants to walk in obedience to God’s Word and to please God. We like holiness, we hunger for holiness, we strive for the character of Jesus Christ.

People who come to God do not come to continue to sin or to continue to live the old life.

They come to experience real change!

And God has provided us with everything we need for this transformation.

More than 600 years before Jesus was born, the prophet Ezekiel spoke of the time in which we now live.

Let’s read Ezekiel 36:26-27 (NIV):

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you;

I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws”

Ezekiel lived in Old Testament times, and the only way to holiness back then was through the Law. And clearly, that path didn’t work.

We see that Israel lived with God for hundreds of years - from Abraham to Christ, more than two thousand years - and yet we don’t see Israel really overcoming sin, becoming free from it, or achieving the holiness to which they were striving.

They had the Word of God, God lived with them (in the tabernacle or temple), and they followed the Law to try to change their character and become more like God in their thoughts, desires and motives.

But they kept falling, rejecting the true God, worshipping other gods, sinning, complaining, not believing, and so on.

The Old Testament idea of holiness, the Law, was based on fear: “You must defeat sin, you must sanctify yourself, and if you don’t, a punishment will come”

Although they had this strong stimulus, although they saw the consequences of breaking the Law and the bad things that happened to them, their hearts were still dark and sinful, and there was no change.

And that’s why God says through the prophet Ezekiel that a new era is coming, and the way of holiness, the way of overcoming sin, will be built on something completely different.

Today, in Christianity, there are two paths, two ways that people go to be sanctified, to become more like Christ. One is the Old Testament way of the law and the other is the New Testament way of grace.

The way of the law, fear and punishment didn’t work because when the heart is filled with sin, fear of punishment is not enough to change a person.

People continue to sin even when they know there will be consequences.

It’s like trying to get a thorn bush to produce figs. Even if you terrorize it with the threat of punishment, it can’t produce figs because its nature is to produce thorns.

That’s what happened in the Old Testament: people with a sinful nature couldn’t overcome sin and bear the fruit of righteousness.

Jesus talked about this in Luke 6:43-45 (NIV):

“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.

Each tree is recognized by its own fruit.

People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers.

A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings

evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart…”

But God knew how to fix it.

That’s why Jesus came to earth, to rescue those with a sinful, broken nature and give them the opportunity to be born again through faith in Jesus Christ.

This is what all denominations believe: that anyone who accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, as the Messiah and Son of God, is saved and born again and receives a new nature.

So when we are born again, we become new and an inner change takes place.

Paul talks about this in 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV):

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”

God says this is how it will happen: “I will put my Spirit in you, I will give you a new heart”.

The New Testament way of sanctification is to believe that God has given us a new heart, a new spirit. Our nature has changed. We are no longer sinners whose fruit is sin; we are now righteous whose fruit is righteousness!

God says, “I will put my Spirit in you, I will take your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit within you, and you will obey my decrees and keep my laws.”

What is the heart? It’s our views, our values, our emotions, our will, our memory. If our hearts are full of sin, we can’t live righteously.

God knew we couldn’t defeat sin on our own. A sinner can never bear the fruit of righteousness.

This is a very important truth to understand because many modern Christians don’t understand it.

They accept Jesus Christ, become children of God, and receive a new heart in accordance with God’s Word, but they still think of themselves as sinners.

They still think they have to defeat sin on their own and bring a changed life to God, but if we could do that on our own, Jesus wouldn’t have had to come.

People have been trying for over four thousand years. Even though God was with Israel and they had the Word of God, there was no change because we couldn’t do it on our own. But now Jesus has come, redeemed us from sin, curse and darkness, and given us a new heart.

The New Testament way is not a way of trying to prove something to God.

It’s a way of faith, a way of receiving from God, a way of trusting Him!

I am who I am because I am born in Christ. I just trust God’s word, I believe that my nature has changed and I am no longer a thornbush. Now I am a fig tree bearing figs.

Jesus said this in John 15:5 (NIV): “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me

and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

So instead of trying so hard to force ourselves to do something, we need to rest in this revelation, accept it and believe that the new heart God has given us will naturally produce new fruit.

By being obedient to God and His Word, believing that we are a new creation, we will naturally walk in His Word, fulfil His Word and have a new character like Jesus!

That’s what I want to say today: There is a big difference between a sinner who sometimes does the right thing and a righteous person who sometimes sins.

You are the person you associate with!

Imagine a person who is addicted to smoking, alcohol, or drugs. When they wake up in the morning, they say to themselves: “I am addicted to alcohol, drugs, or smoking, but today I will fight this addiction! I will do everything I can to battle it.” And their whole day becomes a fight. Every day, they live fighting this battle. If they succeed, at the end of the day, they feel tired from the fight and think that tomorrow will be another battle. When they wake up again, they say: “I am an addict, but today I will fight this.” But if they fail one day, it’s not a surprise for them or for others because this is expected from an addict.

Now, let’s make it closer to us. Let’s say I have some extra weight or want a healthier body. I have a choice: when I wake up in the morning, I can tell myself, “You’re an athlete, look inthe mirror and get yourself together! Go for a walk, do some exercise, eat more fruits and

vegetables, drink less soda!” Or I can say to myself, “You’re overweight, lazy, you lie on the couch all day, eat junk food, and drink unhealthy drinks.”

Here’s the point: if after some time you find yourself lying on the couch with chips and soda, watching the 10th episode of a series, by seeing yourself as an athlete, you’ll think, “How did I end up here? I should be out walking!” But if you see yourself as someone who doesn’t care about health, you’ll think, “No surprise, I’m here because this is who I am. I tried to be healthy, but I knew it wasn’t for me.”

And only you can decide whether you will believe God’s Word and accept yourself as righteous (even if you sometimes stumble and fall), or whether you will look at your wrong actions and consider yourself the same sinner you were before you met Jesus.

That’s what I believe, and you can believe it too:

I believe I was born again,

I was born for good works,

I was born for holiness,

I was born free from sin,

I was born to fulfil God’s Word,

I was born for eternal life,

and God made me righteous to bear the fruit of righteousness!

Vova Kaziuk

Dani Caldeira 3/17/25 Dani Caldeira 3/17/25

OCEANS

Today we are going to study the song "Oceans" written by Matt Crocker, Joel Houston and Salomon Lightelm and understand how we can apply its message in our lives.

Jesus Walks on the Water
22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.

23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone,

24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.

26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

29 “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.

30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.

33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” (Matthew 14:22-33)

This song was inspired by this biblical story. The composers used a common literary technique by creating a metaphor with this story, applying each element of that situation to our present life.

The lyrics of the song are written in the first person ("I"), addressing God directly ("You"), like a prayer.

“You (GOD) call me (I) out”. When we sing this song, we are speaking these words to the Lord. How does God call us?

We can see in the Bible countless examples of when God called someone:

1. Abraham – God called Abraham to leave his land and go to a new land that He would show him. (Genesis 12:1-4)
2. Moses – God called Moses through the burning bush to deliver the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt. (Exodus 3:1-12)
3. Samuel – God called young Samuel by name while he was sleeping in the temple. (1 Samuel 3:1-10)
4. Isaiah – Isaiah had a vision of the Lord in the temple and responded to the call with, "Here am I, send me." (Isaiah 6:8)
5. Jeremiah – God called Jeremiah when he was still young to be a prophet to the nations. (Jeremiah 1:4-10)
6. Mary – The angel Gabriel called Mary to be the mother of Jesus, the Savior. (Luke 1:26-38)
7. Peter and the disciples – Jesus called Peter, John, James, and other disciples to follow Him and become "fishers of men." (Matthew 4:18-22)
8. Paul (Saul) – Jesus called Saul on the road to Damascus to become an apostle to the Gentiles. (Acts 9:1-19)

At that time God called people audibly either through His own voice or through messengers (angels) or through God incarnate Himself, that is, Jesus (in the case of the disciples and Paul - when Jesus had already died).

And today? How many of you have heard His voice calling? Maybe none of you have, but that doesn't mean He doesn't call anymore, but rather that... He calls us through faith.

“You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep my faith will stand”

The deep ocean mentioned in the lyrics of this song symbolizes the world we live in and all its challenges, problems and struggles.

The call to faith, when accepted, enables you to walk on water, and the more you walk in faith, the stronger your faith will remain.

This means that even though the problems are still there, you can face them by “walking over them” and looking to Jesus who will help you get through them.

Walking on water means remaining steadfast and not being overcome by the difficulties, struggles, and challenges of life.

“And I will call upon Your Name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine”

Here's the secret to not sinking:
“And I will call upon Your Name
And keep my eyes above the waves”
So: “When oceans rise My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine”

And why does He care so much about keeping us from sinking?

H I S G R A C E I S A M A Z I N G

“Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You've never failed and You won't start now”

So, when you understand this love and realize that you cannot face the "ocean" (this world) alone, you become able to "pray" this chorus:

“Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Saviour”

Are you walking on water looking to Jesus? Do you remember a situation in your life when "deep waters" scared you and you had to "walk on the water" looking only to Jesus?

“For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” (Romans 1:17)

Dani Caldeira

Dani Caldeira 3/4/25 Dani Caldeira 3/4/25

THE END OF THE BEGINNING AND THE BEGINNING OF THE END

Today we are going to talk about the beginning, that is, Genesis.

Genesis speaks about the beginning of God's creation and, consequently, the beginning of our history as humanity.

The first expression that appears in the original language manuscripts of the work is the Hebrew expression bereshit, which means "in the beginning." However, the word Genesis, which was given as the title in Portuguese and English, was based on the term geneseôs and means "beginning." The authorship of the book is attributed to Moses.

Today, we will study Chapter 3, which I have called "The End of the Beginning and the Beginning of the End."

In this chapter, written about 6,000 years ago, we find the answer to some of today’s existential questions, such as:

"Why does our life often seem empty and meaningless?"

"Why do people suffer?"

"Why does sickness exist?"

"Why do we die?"

"Why is there so much sadness in the world?"

"Why does it feel like we are born to work and produce until exhaustion, barely enjoying life?"

"Why is there so much pain in the world?"

"Why is there so much evil?"

"How can a human being be so cruel?"

"Why do problems always arise?"

Before we enter Chapter 3, I would like to give you a general overview of what happens in Chapters 1 and 2 (which you can read later).

The first two chapters recount the creation—how God made the heavens, the earth, and everything in them. How God created the oceans, the day and the night, and how He filled this place with living beings. Then, He created man and woman in His own likeness and gave them a full, happy life free from evil.

However, because God wanted to give human beings the freedom to choose, He placed in this place a tree whose fruit should not be eaten, for it would bring the knowledge of good and evil to humanity and would certainly cause their death.

It would be something like this: I create you perfect, with a perfect companion in a perfect place, surrounded by perfect nature, where death does not exist. You are free to enjoy everything and be happy, but there is only one thing that, if you choose to experience, will bring catastrophic consequences.

So now we enter Chapter 3: What did we do? We ate the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil.

And we are going to read about it:

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

In verses 1-6, we can read about temptation, acceptance, and the fall.

As we read, the serpent—the personification of evil, the devil, Satan—tempted the woman with arguments. Satan cannot "sin for us"; he tries to lead us to sin. That is, he could never place the fruit in the woman’s mouth and force her to bite it. So, he used the tool of temptation, just as he still does today.

We can understand that giving in to temptation and falling into sin is a combination of three factors: dissatisfaction, desire, and lies.

That is, every time we sin, we inevitably go through a thought process of dissatisfaction and desire, often vulnerable to seductive lies.

Let's look at some examples:

What is sin?

It is any action, attitude, or thought that God would not have (we can look to Jesus as the reference of God incarnate) and that exposes our fallen nature.

Sin will always harm someone, including the sinner, in the short, medium, or long term.

It always has negative consequences. Let's look at some examples:

Adultery, for example, is born from dissatisfaction ("My marriage no longer makes me happy," "My spouse is not as attractive as before," "I feel the desire to meet other people," etc.). Then comes the desire—the urge to experience another relationship—and lies are part of this whole scheme.

Hatred for someone is born from personal dissatisfaction. Psychology explains that when you hate someone, that person often has a trait that resembles you or something you reject, or even reminds you of someone who has hurt you in the past. Feeling dissatisfied with yourself or with a "lack of love," you may desire to eliminate that person. If we remember the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that if you hate someone, you are already a murderer. And lies are part of this package—slander, justifications for canceling someone, etc.

Another common example in our daily lives: gossip, slander, envy, jealousy, idolatry… all of these are attitudes, actions, and thoughts generated by dissatisfaction, fueled by desire, and filled with lies.

What is the antidote to avoid this temptation?

We need to seek satisfaction (GRATITUDE), as the apostle Paul taught us:

"I have learned to be content in all situations ...” (Philippians 4: 11-13)

Let's move on to the following verses.

7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

In verses 7-13, we can clearly see the stain of sin: malice, evasion, blame-shifting, and accusation. Sin was already there.

Then, as we read in verses 14-19, the consequences came.

14 So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this,

“Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals!

You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.

15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring[a] and hers; he will crush[b] your head, and you will strike his heel.”

16 To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”

17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.

18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.

19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

I once preached here that "God does not punish." This is true! This was not a punishment but the natural consequence of their own choices. Even today, everything we experience is not necessarily a direct consequence of a wrong choice we made, but of a wrong choice made 6,000 years ago that brought death, pain, and discord among us.

But does it seem unfair to you that we suffer the consequences of the actions of someone we never even met? Would we have eaten the fruit as well?

20 Adam[c] named his wife Eve,[d] because she would become the mother of all the living.

Then, in verse 20 (read it), we understand that all of humanity originates from this fallen woman, therefore: "all have sinned and..."

However, the part of this chapter that impacts me the most, that guides my life and makes me trust in the Father's love for me, is that even in the midst of this disaster we caused, the Lord still cared to cover their shame and protect them. (Verse 21).

21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.

22 And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” 23 So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side[e] of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

Finally, in verses 22-24, we see what I call the end of the beginning—because we were removed from Paradise—but also the beginning of the end because, from this point on, we continue reading more and more about God's Plan B: redemption in Jesus, who promised to be with us until the end of time.

What can we do now?

To avoid repeating the actions of the fall and to try to keep our minds, attitudes, and lives focused on doing good, with the help of the Spirit of Jesus—the Holy Spirit.

Because we will continue to sin, that is inevitable, but we can repent and choose not to live in sin.

“No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.” 1 John 3:9

Dani Caldeira

Dani Caldeira 2/2/25 Dani Caldeira 2/2/25

THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER

Let's study the Parables of Jesus. I personally love each one of them. Parables are fictional stories that convey a lesson through metaphors and allegories.

Today's parable is perhaps one of the most well-known: the Parable of the Sower.

Jesus told this parable to His disciples and explained that He would use these stories to help people understand His teachings. Jesus is a great teacher.

This is one of the only three parables in which He explains the meaning of each part after telling it. In the others, He encourages us to interpret and learn from them.

So, let’s read it and see what lesson we can learn here.

“That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.” Matthew 13:1-9 (NVI)

Without read this passage, can you imagine what Jesus was talking about? Obviously, it wasn’t a farming tip, since it’s a metaphor—using something visual and familiar to illustrate a deeper symbolic meaning.

I don’t know anything about harvesting or planting. I’ve always lived in a big city and never experienced this lifestyle up close. But I was amazed during the summer and fall, seeing gardens and an abundance of produce in so many homes. I received zucchinis, tomatoes, and plenty of vegetables from neighbors and friends who harvested in abundance. I personally visited Mary’s garden and saw the masterpiece that Maliha and Ryiad created in their yard. I didn’t even need to go to the market that week!

So, we know that Jesus was talking about something related to this scene.

What was He really referring to? Let’s look at His explanation.

“Listen then to what the parable of the Sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” Matthew 13: 18-23 (NVI)

So, we quickly conclude that the soil represents our heart. The seed is the Word of God—the Truth of the Christian Faith. And who is the Sower? The greatest Sower is Jesus, but together with Him it is the one who proclaims, preaches, teaches, and presents the Truth of the Gospel to others. It could be me or you… because it’s not just about doing this at church, on a stage. You can be a Sower in someone’s life through your conversations, by sharing Jesus and His Word.

Now, let’s reflect for a moment: What kind of soil have we been?

Jesus presents us with four types of soil:

1) The seed reaches us, but it never even takes root in our hearts.

When Jesus speaks of "the Evil One," He refers to the source of unbelief that can close our hearts so completely that the seed never even has a chance to enter. Are we this kind of soil? Do we constantly hear the Truth but fail to let it penetrate because we simply cannot believe?

2) The second type of soil is shallow.

Every time we hear about faith in Jesus, we get excited, inspired, and feel renewed. But it only lasts for a short time. Soon, we lose motivation, grow cold, and the seed withers because it never took deep root.

3) The third type allows the seed to sprout but not thrive.

The Word reaches us, grows in our hearts, and fills us with faith and a desire to follow Jesus. We may even live with this seed growing in us for a week, a month, or even years. But life's worries and distractions choke it. We remain just "believers" who go to church out of obligation, without truly bearing fruit. Our attitudes don’t change, and those around us don’t see transformation in us—we are still burdened by resentment, lack of joy, indifference toward others, and a lack of peace.

4) The fourth type is the ideal soil for planting.

What does that look like? A soil that is rich in nutrients, balanced in pH, with good organic matter, proper water retention, and good texture.

What does this mean metaphorically? We become good soil when we find balance—between reason, emotion, and faith. When we trust the process, knowing we are not in control of everything. When we submit to the seed and allow it to grow, both inside us and outwardly, producing the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23a (NVI)

Seeding is just the beginning—the real question is, what kind of fruit are we bearing? Are our lives reflecting the transformation that comes from allowing the Word to take deep root? Are we growing in faith, love, and patience? Are those around us able to see Jesus through our actions?

Of course, this process isn’t easy. We need to seek balance, and I don’t know any other way to do that except through prayer and a relationship with the "Lord of the Harvest."

In the agriculture of that time, a typical harvest would yield about ten times what was sown. So, when Jesus spoke of a return of a hundredfold, He was describing something miraculous demonstrating the power of God’s Word. Even sixty-fold and thirty-fold were well beyond what was normally expected.

If the seed (God’s Word) takes root and bears fruit in our hearts, the harvest will be abundant. It will bless our home, our neighbors, our community, and everyone around us with God’s love flowing through us.

People will look at us and say:

"Look over there, there goes someone who blesses others wherever they go."

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 (NVI)

Dani Caldeira

ConneXion Church 1/27/25 ConneXion Church 1/27/25

GOD WILL FIND A WAY TO HELP YOU

Glory to Jesus!

And we will read one of the most famous stories – the story of the birth of Jesus Christ.

And we will try to learn some important lessons for ourselves.

I believe that the Lord will speak into each of our lives today, because He always has words of guidance, comfort, and encouragement for everyone.

So, let’s read from Luke 2:5-7:

“He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.”

Try to visualize and feel what was happening at that time:

1. Regardless of the holiness of the moment, Jesus was born in a barn because all the inns were full.

2. There were no relatives or friends around Joseph and Mary to support them at this moment and

share their joy.

3. And it seemed like nobody in the world cared about what was happening in that barn.

4. In such a situation, it is even possible to think that God has forgotten about them too.

But let’s read further.

Luke 2:8-14:

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger" Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

So, on the day of His Son’s birth, God arranged for a choir of angels.

Do you know anyone else who had a choir of angels sing at their birthday?

If you have enough money, you could hire the most famous singers and the best musical band to perform at your birthday… but you probably can’t hire a choir of angels.

But that’s not all. After the angels left, we read:

Luke 2:15-20:

“When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”; So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”

We see that God took care to make sure there were guests at the birth of Jesus, so that Mary and Joseph wouldn’t be alone in their joy.

Let’s read further.

After 8 days, Joseph and Mary took Jesus to the temple, and there they met Simeon and Anna.

Luke 2:25-38:

“Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”; The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him… There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was 84. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.”

The temple was the most important place for the Jews!

Imagine that Joseph and Mary walk into the holiest place for them, and there are two respected people (Simeon and Anna) already waiting for them! They greet them! They are happy to see them!

Imagine you have to go to Parliament in Ottawa to solve an issue. When you enter the building, you are greeted at the door and told, “We have been waiting for you for years! They are happy to see you and try to help you with everything.

Let’s read one more story related to the birth of Jesus.

Matthew 2:1-2:

“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the East came to Jerusalem and asked”;Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

Matthew 2:9-11:

“After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh”

Here is another interesting story.

At the time Mary was forced to give birth in a barn with nobody around her, God made a special star appear in the sky (maybe a comet, maybe a planet — we don’t know). But we know that some people, living very far from Jerusalem, saw it and understood that it was time to pack up their caravan, load it with treasures, and set off!

And after some time (Jesus was already probably 2 or 3 years old.), those people from the East arrived to see Joseph and Mary and brought Jesus gifts worth a fortune. They worshiped Him, acknowledging His royal birth.

And here’s what this story tells me…

Perhaps at some point in time, we feel like we are alone with our problems and that no one cares about us.

No one knows what is happening in our lives and has no idea what struggles we are facing.

Just like Joseph and Mary, who were in a barn, knowing they had to give birth there.

But the good news is that God will find a way to help you!

Sometimes He uses something or someone close by. Like the shepherds, who were near the place where Jesus was born.

Sometimes you will receive support from something or someone that was prepared in advance to help and support you — like Simeon and Anna, who had waited their whole lives to meet Jesus.

And sometimes God will bring someone from the other side of the world to solve your problem and show you that you are important to God!

Maybe in the difficult moments, hours, days, or years of our lives, we are so overwhelmed by our problems that we don’t even notice God’s love and care...

But I want to tell you that somewhere, already, a caravan is on its way, loaded with everything needed to solve your problems!

May the Lord bless you!

Amen!

Vova Kaziuk

Dani Caldeira 1/23/25 Dani Caldeira 1/23/25

BAGS ARE PACKED!

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God[a]; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going. Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:1-6)

We see in the Gospel written by John that Jesus, at the Last Supper, takes the opportunity to talk about his impending death and gives some advice on what will come next and how they should act. In this passage, we can clearly understand that Jesus is saying that He would be leaving. And, in fact, the saga of the crucifixion took place the next day.

Moments before this dialogue, Jesus had a series of actions that showed He was preparing to end His journey here on Earth. He taught, healed, warned about the betrayal He would suffer and the abandonment that would precede His death. He guided those He loved, ate with His closest friends, and had moments of communion and love. In this passage, He continues to do this, showing that the journey He was about to take, we would all take one day... After all, He was going first to “prepare a place.”

Jesus was preparing (and preparing us) to TRAVEL!

Let’s talk about travel then. I think everyone here understands a bit about that. What was your favorite trip? What was your last trip? What was your most stressful or tense trip? How long before do you usually pack your bags? Do you like to travel? Who usually accompanies you on your travels? How was your trip to here?

When we left Brazil for here in September 2023, everything indicated that it would be a one-way trip (as it has been so far), so we organized everything a month in advance. Our 23 years of life together had to fit into just 8 suitcases. So, we selected everything based on what was really essential or special to us.

When we travel, at least two things are essential: packing the bags we will need and want to take, and knowing the route.

To pack our bags, we need to know where we are going, what time of year it is, and how long we will be there. This way, we will know if we need clothes for cold weather, clothes for warm weather, shoes for what type of occasion, and how many things to take.

And as the day of departure approaches, we prepare everything in advance so that we are not caught off guard or forget something.

Some people like to pack their bags a week in advance, a day in advance, or even a month in advance. It also depends on the size of the trip.

Now, if I told you: you're going on a long trip, one way (or return), but I don't know when... we have no way of knowing. What would you do?

The best option, probably is: to do like pregnant women who, unsure of when the baby will be born, already pack their suitcase and the baby's suitcase with all the essentials so that when their water breaks, they can run to the hospital!

How do we get our bags ready to travel to where Jesus promised to take us? I don’t know where it is, what the weather will be like, what the people will look like there, what we will do, how we will live...

The Bible left clear signs of what to put in the bag, saying what we cannot to put: “For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” (1 Timothy 6:7). Nothing we have here will be taken there.

There, we will only take the memories of the love stories we lived in our relationships and the good we planted in the lives of others.

So, preparing the bag means: FORGIVING, LOVING, SERVING, CARING, VALUING PEOPLE MORE THAN THINGS, RELATING TO PEOPLE AND TO THE LORD. If you do this, your bag will be ready when the time comes.

But where are we going if we don’t know the way? He answered that to Thomas: “I am the way, the truth, and the life...”

So we just need to follow Him... Following Jesus means believing that He is God and died for you, recognizing that He is your Lord and Savior, living a life learning from Him and trying to follow His example in everything and relating to Him.

Last week, Pastor Eric spoke here: recognizing that Jesus is Lord, Savior, Teacher, Example, and Friend. Are you already following Him?

Are you ready to travel? I am not just referring to the journey we will make individually, which we call death. The day is coming when He promised to come and take us all, all at once. Believe me. He has already prepared our home. He is coming back. The signs confirm this.

Just keep your bag ready and your GPS connected to Jesus!

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going. Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:1-6)