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Dearly Beloved,

Your nose knows. 

On Sunday, I asked our congregation to do something. I do this every few years. 

I asked you to grab your nose (firmly!) with your hand and then pull it off your face. If you weren't with us on Sunday, you should do this now. 

Success? 

Not a chance. 

Why not? 

Because your nose is committed to your face. 

One of our 5 Prayer Priorities for 2026 is "Jesus-style commitment." This year, we are asking God to help us to become more like Christ and to embody commitment like Jesus does. 

When you consider the life and words of Jesus in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, you see what divine commitment looks like with skin on. Was Jesus committed to His relationship with His Father? Was Jesus committed to His purpose? Was Jesus committed to overthrowing the powers of spiritual darkness and even death itself? Was Jesus committed to the truth? Was Jesus committed to love? Was Jesus committed to His church? Was Jesus committed to people? What about to the broken, the poor, and the downcast? What about to the undeserving and the sinful? 

A resounding  Y E S  to all. 

Aren't you thankful? 

Think about how Jesus' commitment has benefitted you! 

Think about how us becoming commitment people, like our Lord, would benefit others! 

On Sunday, we began a teaching series called "I Am Committed to You," and over the next number of weeks, we want to see how God is a commitment God and how we can become commitment people who experience how commitment strengthens everything that truly matters in life. 

Last Sunday, Ryan & Jenn Walter helped us consider how this relates to relationships and marriage (if you missed it, catch up here!), and in the coming weeks we'll discover more about how commitment strengthens our purpose, friendships, family life, and faith. 

Can I share one difficult truth and one wonderful truth with you right now? 

1. A difficult truth: 

The reality is, there is some area of a relationship you are part of that needs help. Things aren't as close as they could be; something needs to be healed, something unsaid needs to be said. There is a part of your faith that isn't as strong as it could be. Or, part of God's purpose for your life is being handled casually right now. 

WE NEED THIS SERIES. 

Thanks be to God for His commitment to us and for the wisdom of His Word to help us grow into greater commitment and vitality in life, faith, and relationships. 

2. A wonderful truth: 

The reality is, if you trust and follow Jesus, the Spirit of the living God dwells in you right now and is already building His attribute of commitment in you! In fact, I see all kinds of evidence of you being a commitment people already. You are the kind of people who love to serve! You are the kind of people who prioritize Sundays! You are the kind of people who care deeply about your faith in Jesus! You are the kind of people who care deeply about the people God has put in your life! You are the kind of people who want to grow in your faith more and more! You are the kind of people who turn faith into action! You are the kind of people who prioritize the mission of Jesus to build His church and to reach the lost — evidenced by how you want to be a missionary to the Comox Valley and by how you give generously toward God's purposes. On this last comment, can we just take a moment to celebrate? Early this year, we began teaching on increasing our giving priorities to CPC's Vision Builders (General Fund) and over and above to Others & Elsewhere (Missions, Multiplication & Major Outreaches). We have since seen strong growth in giving in both categories! This empowers our church to do even more and for our mission to reach even more. God is to be praised, and YOU are to be commended for your generosity and commitment! 

In a cultural setting where most people are hesitant about commitment, we live differently and believe commitment is a good thing.

Your nose knows. 

Pastor Mike