WHO WE ARE: Formed by Christ • Living as Peacemakers | Colossians 3:15

Welcome to Ontario Community Church, where we are encouraging, equipping, and engaging lives for Christ.

! I'm Pastor Patrick Daly, and you're listening to the Sermon Podcast from January 11, 2026.

Today, we are asking a critical and crucial question.

Who are we?

Not just what we do, but who are we as the Church?

Ontario Community Church, our shared identity in Christ.

Today, we are looking at Colossians 3, verse 15, with supporting texts throughout Scripture.

Colossians 3:15

Before we go in, I want you to picture something.

There is a Japanese art called Kintsugi, where broken pottery is mended back together with gold.

The cracks that are once broken, they are not hidden, rather, they are highlighted.

And the piece becomes more valuable than it was before it even broke.

That image captures our individual lives as well as our Church perfectly.

The Church has existed for 80 years, and it's been on this journey, with a rich Japanese heritage,

and it's incredible to see how God has been mending and molding us all along.

To think about it, we are more valuable than we were before, because of how God has worked through our brokenness.

Last week, we heard Christ's call to be peacemakers, not peacekeepers.

But peacemaking flows from identity, and a peacemaking Church must know who it is.

Today, we are exploring the 4-H framework, four biblical movements that name our shared identity as Ontario Community Church.

Hope, Heart, Hospital, and Hub.

These four movements, or four parts, they are a part of who we are.

This is not who we hope to be someday.

This is our present reality.

This is who Christ is forming us to be right now.

Now, let us dive into God's Word together.

God's Word together.

It's good to be here this morning with all of you.

Today, you may have seen in your notes, very simple notes.

I think you guys have gotten so used to seeing reference verses and all the things that is kind of a mirror or an echo of the sermon that we go over.

But for this, this is a very special Sunday as we are going over this idea of who we are as a church body.

You know, it took me some time to really reflect on not only who the church is, but who we are as the body of Christ.

This church, Ontario Community Church.

And I have this message after the fact that we've gone over this year's theme.

You remember it?

It's blessed are the peacemakers.

The call to be a peacemaker and not a peacekeeper.

And this is piggybacked off of last year where we were building bridges for Christ.

Extending the light, love, and truth of Jesus Christ to other people.

And for this year, as we are thinking of what it means to be a peacemaker,

I felt that it was very appropriate for us to consider and to clearly define who we are as a church body.

Every single church that you go to is unique in their own capacity.

And what God has done here in this place, when we think of the past 80 years of faithfulness,

is something that is remarkable.

To think of the richness of the history of the people that have come and gone,

the lives that have been transformed, and how God has worked in every single one of those lives.

It goes to show the power and the testimony of our Lord and our God.

And we have to think that all of that is part of a wonderful story that God has for this church,

which leads us to where we are today.

Before we even begin in going into who we are as a church,

there's always been this image that has really resounded and stuck out to me.

It's the image of a broken plate being mended back together,

showing the transforming power of how God works in all of our lives.

Many of you may know this artwork known as Kintsugi art,

where it shows a broken plate or a broken bowl being put back together

and becoming more valuable than it once was before.

Not only is this culturally significant, but it is spiritually significant.

To think for a moment that without God, we're a mess.

We are like that broken plate.

But it is in Christ that he makes us whole,

that he puts us back together and molds us piece by piece.

And how much more valuable we are in the eyes of God than we were to begin with.

And that image, since coming to this church and learning about the rich Japanese history,

is a very powerful image of God working then and God working now.

And we have to think of today, who we are today,

that Christ has made peace.

And he forms each and every one of us individually.

In the same way, he molds us as a church body.

And we are being shaped as a people that share a common identity.

And we're going to go over what you will see.

You get to see the preview of what we're going over today.

Hope, heart, hospital, and hub.

I always like if I can find four H's or four E's where it's repeatable

and it's easy to understand for all of us.

And I want you to think that if someone asked you right now,

what kind of church do you go to?

Who is Ontario Community Church?

What kind of church body are they?

How you may answer may be different than the next person, and that's okay.

Your own experience in this church,

it could be the wonderful worship songs that we sing

and we play together.

It could be the preaching from the Word of God.

It could be how we celebrate communion.

It could even be us coming together as the body of Christ,

praying for one another, loving one another as God has loved us.

There can be, and these are not the only things.

These are many things we can think of.

What kind of church is Ontario Community Church?

How would you tell someone about this church?

Or who we are as a church body?

When I came here to, when I first began pastoring here,

one of the first things that I did was,

we went over this in our interactive reading,

is to encourage, equip, and engage.

The mission, the vision of this church is to

encourage people to love God and to love others,

so that they come and see that the Lord is good,

to equip the saints,

to be able to learn what it means to be a Christian,

learning the Word of God,

and then, of course, to engage,

be engaged in the community as well as the church,

because we have to think

God is doing a wonderful thing in this place,

and us as representatives of Christ

were to go out into the world

and to be a peacemaker,

to be an ambassador for Christ,

to extend the love of Christ to other people

in our everyday interactions.

And in all of this,

that is the mission and vision.

But what about who we are?

Because in order for us to continue

to carry out the mission of Christ,

we have to identify who we are as a church body.

And so I want to go,

let's go into the verse.

You know what, let's pray,

then we'll go into the verse,

and we'll go from there.

Father God, we thank you

for this time, this opportunity,

for us to really take a moment

in the beginning of this year.

We're grateful for how you have worked

in and through our lives

as well as this church congregation.

We pray that there will be understanding,

ears that can hear,

and eyes that can see

the good things that you are doing in this place.

May we focus on you as the source,

and may we be led by you,

and may we see who we are

so that we can live and love like you,

carrying out the mission

that you have set before us.

We say this all in the name of Jesus.

Amen, church?

So I want to go to our scripture.

It's just one verse here.

Let's read it together, church.

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,

to which indeed you were called in one body.

Now, normally I go over more than one specific verse.

There's only been a handful of times

I've gone over one or two verses.

I usually go over more than that.

But in this,

the apostle Paul

is writing to a church

that is struggling with division.

That doesn't happen nowadays, does it?

We don't have divided churches.

What is Paul talking about?

That happened back in the day.

We don't have those kind of problems whatsoever.

Well, no.

There's division in the church back in the day,

just as it's been throughout the centuries.

Church splits, arguments,

and all these kind of things.

Why?

Because, well, we're imperfect people.

A lot of us have a lot of opinions, right?

We're not turning to the book of opinions, are we?

We think about this.

We see that the Jews and the Gentiles

were trying to figure out

how to be united as one body.

Doesn't that sound familiar?

To be united in Christ.

Sometimes there are divisions.

Sometimes there are arguments.

And it's important for us

to not focus on the things that divide us,

but on the things that bring us together.

And when we see this verse,

to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts,

that word is to let the peace govern your life.

Some scholars talk about it being like a referee

or like a coach in your own life.

How many of you guys have had a coach before, right?

Someone that's helping you make sure

that you're performing at your best, right?

When you're playing soccer or football.

Or if you've never had a coach,

maybe you can think of someone

that's helped you go to the gym, right?

A personal trainer, those kind of things.

Or a life coach, whatever it is.

Someone that is helping, guiding you through life.

And in this sense,

we're talking about the peace of Christ governing.

And are coaches inactive?

Do they stand by the sidelines?

No, they do not.

Otherwise, that's a terrible coach, right?

You have an active coach, right?

You have someone that is interacting with you,

making sure you are performing at your best.

And in this case,

this kind of peace that comes from Christ

is one that is active in our very lives.

And it's important for us to know

this peace is active and it guides us.

And so let's go to that next slide then.

What is happening, right?

The peace of Christ is to rule in our hearts, right?

It is to rule within us.

And it is to flow from us.

It's no different than the inexpressible,

inexhaustible joy from the Lord

or the love of Christ.

What we receive from the Lord is in abundance.

And we share that to other people.

And what a wonderful opportunity

for each and every one of us

to extend the peace of Christ,

the truth of the gospel,

the love of Christ, right?

Because the second point here

is that the peace shapes who we are.

We have to realize that Christ

molds us and transforms us.

And we are all on this journey in Christ,

or at least we all should be.

You all got to know the Lord first and foremost.

But to be in a journey with Christ,

walking alongside.

I think of how the disciples on the road to Emmaus,

when Jesus was walking by these people

and explaining how the scriptures pointed to him.

You want to talk about the best coach.

It'd be nice to have Jesus literally right there

next to you as you're traveling, right?

I can think of this image of maybe going on a road trip

and having Jesus next to you

and explaining the prophecies

and how they point to him.

But if you can't think about a literal journey,

think about your own spiritual journey,

your own walk in the Lord

and how the Lord walks with you.

We also have to remember

that peace is received from Christ.

We receive this peace

and we extend it to others.

Like I said,

we think of us being a new creation,

us having a new identity.

Think of the fruit of the spirit

and all of the attributes,

the qualities of what we are to embody in.

But also in the same way

that peace forms us individually,

it forms us collectively as a church body.

So it's not just individuals,

it forms people group.

And this third point then,

we are called into one body united in Christ.

And I always love those verses

when it talks about

the different parts of the body, right?

Some of us may be an ear,

some of us may be a nose

or maybe a little toe kind of thing.

Essentially, we all have different parts

and different functions

within the body of Christ.

And they are all important

in the eyes of God.

Now, I'm not going to call any of you guys

a little toe or a big toe at that,

but the purpose is

they're all important.

They all serve in different capacities.

And so that's so important for us

that there's diversity

that exists within the body.

And so we are to be called into one body,

not to be in isolation,

but to come together,

to come together united in Christ.

And peace is something, again,

that shapes us from who we are

and from that what we do.

And so in that,

what does that mean then

for the church then?

We can see that the text is talking about

let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts.

But what does that mean for us here

at Ontario Community Church,

here in this town?

Well, it's important to know then

that we are to share Christ's peace

and we have to know who we are.

So it's important we identify

who we are,

where we belong to,

and how God is working in our lives.

And Christ does not merely give peace,

as it says in Ephesians 2, verse 14.

Ephesians 2:14

He is our peace.

And in order for us to be peacemakers,

we have to grow in our faith.

We have to properly identify

who we are as a church.

And our identity then can be named

and we have,

I call it the 4-H framework.

You don't have to call it that.

That's just me and my crazy titles, right?

Four words.

Can we say this together?

Hope, heart, hospital, and hub.

Four words that define

who we are as a church.

So I want to go to the first one then.

A hope that is found in Christ.

Now, of course,

Christ has to be central in our lives.

That we trust in the living God.

We trust in Jesus Christ

as our strength and our salvation, right?

We have to,

we are anchored in hope.

We are anchored in it.

Just like as it says that

in Hebrews 6, 19,

many of you guys think of

the anchor for the soul, right?

And this image of this weight, right?

We can also think of

hope being our foundation, right?

There's many different verses

that talk about this.

But in the Hebrews 6, 19,

it states that

we have this as a sure

and a steadfast anchor

for the soul.

And so it begins

by us knowing

and seeking the Lord

and knowing that

in all of this culture

and craziness

and division

that exists in the world,

we seek Christ

who is above all of that.

Who transcends all of that.

And I don't know about you,

I really believe

that this world needs hope

more than ever before,

especially with,

let's face it,

the year just began

and how many crazy things

have already happened?

I don't want to go

too much into that.

But I'm seeing a lot of you

shake your heads and see.

We know a lot of craziness

is going on

and people need

the hope in Jesus Christ

more than ever before.

Can you imagine

living in a world

without knowing Christ?

Having that sense

of hopelessness

and division and fear

that exists in culture,

it's out there.

But we turn to the Lord

in every season of life,

in every situation

and circumstance

in our life.

And so,

hope allows for us

to build bridges

and to cross bridges.

It allows for us

to be peacemakers.

And hope grounds us

in our faith.

It is the foundation.

That's why we believe

in Jesus Christ

as the source,

the way,

the truth,

and the life.

It is so important.

And in Romans 15, 13,

may the God of hope

fill you with all joy

and peace in believing.

That we are to be filled

with joy

and with peace

and we are to receive

salvation

in believing in Jesus Christ,

the death, burial,

and resurrection

of Christ.

what wonderful things

we receive.

The most important thing

being our salvation,

but it doesn't stop there.

We receive that peace.

We receive joy

and love

and we're constantly

being molded

as God being

the great potter

and us being the clay.

And so,

Christ is not just

our example.

He is our Savior.

He is our Lord.

He is the King of Kings

and He is the anchor

for our souls.

And it's important

for us to know

that when we face

any sort of

storm in life,

culture,

craziness,

any sort of thing,

some of us may have

those emotions

where we feel

lost

or abandoned

or afraid

or confused even,

not understanding

what's going on,

but having that

and having Christ

is the greatest thing.

Knowing that

at the end of it all,

it is God who reigns.

He rules and reigns

and He is victorious

in the great battle

between good and evil.

And so,

we don't deny

that storms happen in life.

We recognize

storms are there,

but we seek Christ

as our anchor.

No storm.

Storms will pass,

but the foundation

in Christ will remain.

Amen?

And so,

it's important for us

to consider then,

where is your anchor?

Is it in Christ?

Or is it in something

that fades away

because God

doesn't change?

He is everlasting

to everlasting.

Let us seek Christ

and let us be a people

that has our hope

found in Christ.

The second thing then

is a heart.

Let's read this together.

A heart for God

and neighbor.

Right?

It's so important for us

to receive the love of Christ,

this very powerful

and beyond human understanding

type of love.

That God loves us

in a way that

is beyond us.

Beyond our understanding

and to know

that we are called

to love God

and to love others

in the same way,

it's important for us

to know that love

is at the center then.

It's just like

that famous song,

you guys probably know

the Beatles, right?

Love is all we need

and specifically

we need the love of Christ.

And that love abounds

from God's grace.

We think of the fact

that God loved us

first and foremost.

That he loved us

and he sent his son,

Jesus Christ,

that whosoever believes

shall not perish

but have eternal life.

How is your relationship

with God?

A lot of us can answer

that very easily.

I'm good with God.

How are you with other people?

That's maybe a little

harder one, right?

It can be difficult at times

but we are reminded

in Matthew,

Gospel of Matthew

where Christ says

you shall love the Lord

your God

with all your heart

and the second is like it

you shall love

your neighbor

as yourself.

To love God

and to love people

is important.

And so

when we think of

loving the Lord,

love him back.

But now to extend it

to other people,

even people

that may look funny

or smell funny

or may dress

different than you,

we are to extend

that love to others.

We think about that.

Those that,

think about those

that make us angry

at times.

Think about those

that you might have

cut off when driving

or the one that cut you off,

right?

Or the one that's

paying with pennies

at the grocery store

and you wonder

why.

we're called to love

our neighbor as well.

It's very important

for us.

We don't abandon love

and in fact,

I remember

in 1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 13 · chapter mention

chapter 13,

many of you guys

know that verse

where it talks about

love is patient,

love is kind

and it's talking about,

that's the verse

that's used very often

at wedding ceremonies,

right?

And it's perfectly

appropriate for weddings.

But it's also important

to look previously

in 1 Corinthians 13

where it talks about

if I speak in tongues,

if I have the faith

to move mountains,

if I can do all

of these things

but I do not have love,

the text says

I am nothing.

Ooh, ouch, right?

And it's so important

in that entire section

before the Apostle Paul

mentions what love is,

it's important to know

we have got to have

the love of God

and to extend it

to other people.

I mean,

you want to talk about

something that is

challenging for all of us.

We have to have love

in addition

with our ability,

with our talents,

with our proper beliefs,

right?

The language even talks

about a clanging cymbal.

I don't know about that.

That doesn't sound

very good, right?

We think about that.

All of these kind of things

and that our,

how we view God,

how we see God,

how we understand Scripture,

let us not lose love

in the process.

And it's very unfortunate

when you meet people

who have it all here,

right?

They have it all in their brain,

and they have it all

in their head,

but what about the heart?

As you learn

and as you grow,

you must keep

that love for God

and for people.

And let us think

of how that ties in

with the peace of Christ.

Is the peace of Christ

ruling in your heart?

how is your heart?

Are you reacting from fear

or the pursuit?

I've met many people

who they want to be so right,

yet the love is gone.

That's why we are called

to balance the grace,

the love of Christ

with the truth of the word.

And it's not an easy thing to do,

but we're called

to balance in that.

So let us love God

and love neighbor.

The third thing then

that pops up,

let's read this together.

A hospital for the hurting.

Now, this is something

that is very unique

with this church.

Now, granted,

there should be healing

and transformation

in every church,

but when we're talking

about this specific church,

the simple fact

that this church

has been described to me

by people within the congregation

and outside in the community

as a hospital

for people to heal

is something that is remarkable.

It's something

that we should pay attention to.

A place of spiritual healing,

a place where there is transformation,

and we get this image

of a hospital.

Well, we have to think,

as I mentioned

in the very beginning,

this idea of the broken plates

that we're all broken

and we all need the Lord.

And this sense of us recovering.

Now, it doesn't have to be

you're on life support, right?

Now, granted,

before we know the Lord,

we kind of need the Lord.

That's the most important thing.

But there's other times

where there needs to be

like physical therapy

if you break your leg, right?

You need to make sure

the immediate pain is fixed

and to nurture it

and to be put into proper health

and to a plan

and think of how

you can be fully restored.

And I think about

the history of this church.

I think about how

in the very beginning,

the Japanese heritage

and how the people

could come together

and worship God together.

Talk about a place,

a refuge, as it were.

A place where

there is that sense

of healing

from the very beginning.

And then we even think about now

how people are hurt

in different capacities.

It could be from racism.

It could be from spiritual abuse.

It could be just prayer

for healing of the body.

When we're talking about a hospital,

I'm not just talking

about physical healing.

I'm talking about spiritual healing

and allowing for God

to work in and through

all of our lives.

Just like it says

in Colossians,

put on then

compassionate hearts,

kindness,

humility,

and patience,

bearing with one another.

Because the wonderful thing

about a hospital,

especially a church

that is working

and helping restore people,

is that we help

each other out.

Bearing one another's burdens

is so important.

Now,

I think I've mentioned it before

and I'll mention it again.

There was a book

that I was reading

that out of every

ten

rebukes

that are given,

nine of them

should have been

prayer

and presence.

Being there to help someone

and seeing,

okay,

what happened?

instead of being so quick

to rebuke

and to

attack someone

as it were.

It's not to say

that rebuke can't happen,

but more often than not,

we have to think

of how people

receive misunderstandings

in the world

of Scripture

or how people

are hurt

by even the world.

We are to have,

we have this church culture

of where

we help people.

in Psalm 147

Psalms 147:3

verse 3,

he heals

the brokenhearted

and binds up

their wounds.

A description

of how God is,

right,

those that are brokenhearted

and those that have been wounded,

but also how us,

as we are to share

in the love of Christ,

we are to help

people heal.

I can't tell you

how many people

I have talked with

who have been hurt

in one capacity

or another.

It's just living

in a fallen

and broken world.

Sometimes it's,

and a lot of times

it's from the world.

Sometimes it's from

a brother or sister

in Christ.

It's reminding,

it's important for us

to be reminded

that

us as human beings

we're imperfect

and we live

in an imperfect world,

but we worship

a perfect God

who heals

and restores

each and every one of us

and for us to be called

to help people

be restored,

to be transformed

and healed

is a wonderful calling

for us.

That is something

that the world

does not have to offer.

Sure,

they have physical therapy.

I'm not denying hospitals

or something,

but beyond that,

something that is

truly unique

about our church,

this hospital

for the hurting.

And healing

takes time.

It takes patience.

It takes passion.

And it's important

for us to know

that hospitals

exist because

people are wounded.

Just like how Christ

said that he came

for those that were sick.

That's important.

We all

need

healing.

We all need

transformation.

We all need

to continue

to be transformed

by him.

And so,

for us being

a peacemaker,

we are

living and loving

like Christ.

It's kind of like

going out

and being a nurse

or going out

and being a doctor,

going out

and representing

Christ

and saying,

look,

there's a better way.

You're in darkness.

Why don't you come

to the light

or you've been hurt.

Come to Christ

so that you can be healed.

there's a better way.

That's part of our mission

in sharing the good news

of the gospel.

Sharing in our testimony

and how,

hey,

I have been healed.

I have been restored

because of Christ.

Because of how God

has worked in my life.

You should do the same.

You should come

and see that the Lord

is good.

And so,

one final thing

about a hospital

is a simple fact

that

when we all come to church,

none of us here

are perfect.

Raise your hand

if you're a perfect person.

I should not even be

raising my hand

in this sense.

None of us

are perfect.

And that's why

we continue to rely

on the Lord,

his strength,

his comfort,

his peace,

all of these things.

And so,

ask yourself the question,

are you making room

for healing

in yourself

and in other people?

The fourth thing then,

let's read it together then.

Let's go to that next slide.

It is a hub

for the community.

Now,

this is an interesting one

because

something that's

important for us

is

we have this sense

of healing,

but a place

where people

can gather together.

I always like,

I have this

painting that my mother

got me.

It's called

The Little Brown Church.

And it's a little

church building.

It's like,

you know,

circa the 1800s

kind of thing.

Just an old school

country church.

And I love that image

of a church

being a place

where people

gather together

to worship the Lord,

right?

The corporate body,

the body of Christ

coming together.

But also

as a place

where

in a lot of

those kind of towns,

all the church

building was used

for town halls

and was also

used for school,

was also used

for many different

things.

And granted,

we're not in

that kind of an area,

but the idea

of having,

being a hub

for the community

is very powerful,

not only just

for the church

community,

the church body,

but also

as an invitation

for the community

to come

and see

what we are doing,

what we are about,

that the Lord

is good

and that

we have

our own

culture,

we have our

own way

and that God

is doing

a remarkable

thing in this

place.

As Ephesians

Ephesians 2:19

chapter 2

verse 19

states,

you are no longer

strangers,

but members

of the household

of God.

It's important

for us to know

that we are not

only building

the church here

where we

as Amber

was mentioning

earlier,

we'll be having

Bible studies,

we will be having

Sunday school,

we'll be having

the life

of the church,

but as

also what is

important is to

have an opportunity

for us to be

present within

the community,

to build

relationships

with people

and to represent

Christ

because when we

have these

parent cafes

and these dad

cafes,

it allows

for

conversation,

it allows

for people

to,

maybe they've

never been

to a church

before or

they have a

misunderstanding

or they've

been hurt

before,

and you

allow to

plant seeds

with other

people.

Now certainly

we're called

to go out

into the

community

and to

serve

and to

represent

Christ

as we

go out

from the

doors of

the church,

but it's

also as

important

to invite

the community

on in.

Just building

relationships.

You know,

it's interesting

the constant

conversation

that I have

with our

own community

partnerships

about how

people say,

oh,

you're a

church.

Why are

you working

with this

organization?

Well,

because we're

working for

the common

good.

This

XYZ

or building

healthy

families

is focused

on having

strong

families

and so

do we.

We focus

on that

as well.

so we

have a

common

goal.

Now,

certainly,

they're not

going to

talk about

Christ,

but you

don't think

that Christians

being present

in that

space would

allow for

relationships

to mold,

to be

formed,

and people

to ask

questions.

it happens

all the

time.

Hey,

you're a

pastor.

How do

you raise

your kids?

And I

answer,

not perfectly.

Right?

A lot of

people tend

to think,

like,

oh,

you're a

pastor,

you must

have it

down.

No,

I don't.

You should

see a

Sunday morning

sometime when

you're getting

the kids

up.

It's

chaotic.

They're

kids.

Okay?

And I'm

sure if

you haven't

thought of

that,

maybe think

of the time

when you

were a

kid.

Did you

get up

every Sunday

ready to

rock and

roll?

The answer

is no.

Right?

But it's

so important

to just

be present

and to

have those

kind of

conversations.

Now,

it doesn't

mean everyone

will come

to Christ.

It doesn't

mean everyone

will come

to our

church,

but at

least the

effort is

being made

with people.

As we

are called

out to

share in

the love

of Christ

and build

those

relationships,

you never

know the

profound

impact you

will have

by simply

being present,

especially those

in the community,

especially those

who are in

need.

That's why

when we're

looking at a

hospital for

the hurting

and a hub

for the

community,

I have to

be very

intentional

by explaining

church culture

as well as

community presence

because they're

both important.

A hub,

then,

is a place

of presence,

a place where

connections are

made,

where relationships

are built,

and also

a place

of belonging.

And we

have to be

reminded as

we've gone

over in

last week's

sermon how

Christ tore

down the

dividing wall.

Christ tore

down the

dividing walls

and we are

to live

with open

minds and

open hearts

to other

people,

to exhibit

that love

and to stand

firm on the

truth of

the word.

And so

in all of

this,

we have to

ask ourselves,

how can we

serve one

another and

how can we

serve those

in the

community

representing

Christ?

Because think

about it,

isn't the

community our

neighbor?

Just as we're

called to love

God and to

love our

neighbor,

what better

opportunity

than to be

present with

those in

the community?

You'd be

amazed the

kind of

stories and

the kind

of people

they are.

And it's

an honor

to meet

them,

for them

to feel

safe enough

to even

walk in

a church.

It's crazy,

I mean,

it can be

hard for us

to think

that there

are some

people who

are afraid

of even

entering a

church building,

but yet they

enter for the

first time.

Praise God

that progress

is being

made.

And so

all of

this,

how can we

serve each

other and

our community

who is

our

neighbor?

And so

in all of

this,

let's go to

this next

slide.

This is

who Christ

is forming

us to be.

As people

who have

received

peace,

we are

people who

bring peace

to others.

As we

receive love,

we are to

share in

love.

We are to

share in

how God

is working

in all of

our lives.

And last

year we were

talking about

building bridges

and this

year we

are being

a peacemaker,

carrying out

Christ's

mission to

the church

and to

the community.

Think about

that.

Think about

how important

all of these

four things

are in

our own

church

context.

This isn't

who we

hope to be

someday.

This is

our reality

as a

church

body.

Our hope

is in

Jesus

Christ.

We are

to love

God and

love our

neighbors.

We are

to be

that

hospital

for those

that are

hurting

and a

hub for

the

community.

Let us

think about

that.

Let us

think of

how Christ

calls for

us to

have that

peace

rule within

our hearts.

All of

these things

are equally

important.

what an

honor it

is for

us to

be here

today and

to know

that God

is working

in all

of us.

We think

of the

future,

we think

of the

present,

and we

think of

the past.

All of

these things.

And so

this is

who Christ

is forming

us to be

today.

Let us

think of

all of

this

together.

that this

is who

we are

as a

church.

And we

thank God

for that.

We thank

God that

we are

formed by

Christ and

we are

called to

live as

peacemakers.

And so

in closing,

I didn't

have all

the crazy

notes that

I normally

have,

but I

want you

to take

this home

and to

reflect on

this and

to reflect

on how

God is

working in

this place

and will

continue to

work in

this place

and how

this

identifies

who we

are as

the local

church

and how

we are

called to

live and

love like

Christ.

Let's pray

together.

Father God,

we thank

you

for this

insight,

for your

word,

for this

congregation,

for this

church and

those who

are attending

even online.

You have

given us

wisdom

and insight.

I pray,

Father,

that we

remain

rooted in

you.

May we

recognize

that our

hope is

found in

your son,

Jesus Christ,

and that

who we

are,

we have

a heart

for you,

Father God,

and for

other people.

And who

we are

is a

hospital for

the hurting.

Father,

I think of

all the

people who

have been

hurt in

some

capacity,

those who

need

spiritual,

physical,

mental,

emotional,

holistic type

of healing,

and how

you have

done so.

And how

you transform

each and

every one

of us.

And who

we are,

Father,

how you

have revealed

that we

are a

hub for

the community,

a hub for

our congregation,

and a hub

for those,

for our

neighbors,

to come

and see

who we

are,

but most

importantly,

who you

are.

We love

you so

much.

And we

ask that

we may

remain

united

in Christ,

that we

seek

unity,

and that

we can

be a

peacemaker

in our

lives,

in our

own

personal

context.

And

Father,

we are

in awe

of who

you are,

what you

have done,

what you

continue to

do,

that you

remain

everlasting

to everlasting,

and that you

are the

foundation

may we

build our

lives and

our

church

upon you.

May we

never

abandon

love,

and may

we always

care for

you and

for others.

May we

represent

Christ in

what we

say and

in what

we do.

It is in

the name

of Jesus

Christ that

we pray,

and we all

say together,

can I get

an amen,

church?

Amen.

Amen.

Thank you

for joining

us for

this message

from Ontario

Community

Church.

Today we

have reflected

on who

we are

as a

church

body,

not just

what we

do,

but our

shared

identity

in Christ.

Just like

that

Kintsugi

pottery,

we are

broken,

and we

are mended

together with

gold,

the gold

of God's

grace,

and we

are made

more valuable

through our

journey in

Christ.

I want

you to

think about

these four

movements,

or the

4-H

framework.

We are

a hope

found in

Christ,

and we

are anchored

when everything

else is

shaking around.

We are a

hope for

God and

neighbor,

loving with

more than

just correct

beliefs.

We are a

hospital for

the hurting,

a place where

healing and

transformation

happens,

and wounds

don't have to

be hidden.

And we are

a hub for

the community,

where church

family and

neighbors and

people from

the community

can gather

together and

belong.

These four

pieces,

or these four

movements,

the 4-H,

they belong

together,

hope,

heart,

hospital,

and hub.

This is our

present reality.

This is who

Christ is

forming us to

be today.

And as

people who

have received

peace,

we live as

people who

bring peace

to the world.

last year,

we focused

on building

bridges,

and this

year,

in 2026,

we're crossing

those bridges

as peacemakers,

the ones who

carry out

Christ's

mission.

May the

peace of

Christ rule

in your

hearts.

May you

know where

your hope

is anchored.

May love

flow from

your heart.

May you

find healing

and offer

it to

others.

And may

you see

the church

not just

as a place

that you

attend,

but as a

place where

you belong.

You can

find all of

today's

resources at

ontariocommunitychurch.org.

There,

you will find

slides,

sermon notes,

Bible studies,

and interactive

reading.

You can also

find us on

YouTube,

Rumble,

Facebook,

TikTok,

Instagram,

or wherever

you get your

podcasts.

May the

Lord bless you

and keep

you.

May he

make his

face shine

upon you

and give

you peace.

May the

Lord of

hope fill

you with

all joy

and peace

in believing

so that

you may

abound in

hope by

the power

of the

Holy Spirit.

God bless

you and

thank you.

God bless you.

God bless you.