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Dearly Beloved, 

You say tomato, I say tomato. Which is right? Which is best? It’s a bit like comparing apples to oranges when comparing Mike Bidell’s tomatoes to mine. Did Mike end up having a successful season with a few very delicious and large tomatoes? Yes. Did I have a very long and very successful season with hundreds upon hundreds of sweet, tiny, delicious, can-eat-handfuls-at-a-time cherry tomatoes whose plant grew so large my 8-foot-tall supports collapsed under the weight of its grandeur? Also yes. I do most certainly congratulate Mike on the exquisite tomatoes we have enjoyed and, perhaps most impressively, the way he was able to save his two plants from utter demise. Will I concede to give him the 'win'? Nope. Perhaps next year we should develop a committee to decide.  (Love you, Mike Bidell!)

As for the recipe Mike shared in last week’s DB, I can truly say that it is the best sandwich OF ANY KIND that I have ever eaten. If you haven’t tried making it yet, do so ASAP. As my grandma likes to say, “It’s like a blessing in my body!” 

Now, onto something else entirely that I don’t really have a great segue for…

As you may have noticed, we keep to a fairly tight repertoire of songs that we sing on Sundays here at CPC. There are a few reasons for that, but one of the main reasons is that music is one of the most powerful ways of learning and remembering, well, anything. When it comes to corporate worship on Sundays, oftentimes people will remember the lyrics of a song better than they will remember what the message is about. As a pastor, I’ve had to get over the tiny offence to that reality, that it’s more likely you’ll remember the songs than what I preached about. Ha! This being the truth, though, really does increase the importance of what we are singing together on Sunday mornings. 

This past Sunday, we learned a new song together. It’s called “The Blood” by David Funk and others. You can listen to it here on Spotify. The lyrics in this song tell the story of the transformational power of Jesus. One of my favourite lines in the whole song is:

"When my shame hit the wayside
And my sin met the Most High
I was washed from the inside
I was washed from the inside out.”

This. This is what happens when we allow Jesus, the Most High, in. We are washed, shame is gone, sin is forgiven, and we experience grace and mercy we have not earned. We are given the opportunity to allow Jesus to shape us, change us, free us, and love us. Wow. We decided to introduce this song this week because lyrically it fits so well with the Leviticus chapter 16 preach. 

Now, I know I said just a few sentences ago that many people won’t remember much of a message that is preached as they will a song sung, but I really hope you took notes on last week’s sermon as much as I did! What an amazing picture in the Old Testament of just how far Jesus went to deliver us and be the final sacrifice, paying the ultimate price once and for all. If you missed the message, you can listen to it here.

Friends, it really, truly is Jesus that makes all the difference. It is Jesus, His death and resurrection, that sets us apart in our faith. It’s not about what you and I can do or have done; it’s about Jesus being the one who freely gives us the gift of salvation. It’s not you or I that can make ourselves holy, worthy, accepted, or forgiven; as the lyrics say, it’s only by the blood. It’s not about perfection, performance, or striving—it’s about the blood of Jesus. THAT is the most hope-filled truth we all need! 

Thank you, Jesus. 

See you Sunday. I hope you get the chance to listen to that song on repeat today and tomorrow. It’s the kind of song you want stuck in your head.  

Laura.