WELCOME
Good morning First Baptist. We welcome you to worship this morning. Be sure to remember your brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the week as you pray for them, and as the Holy Spirit brings their faces to your mind. Be sure to also connect with them in the ways that are possible. And if you have any questions or would like to talk to someone, please don’t hesitate to contact the church through the church telephone and leave a message. (519-733-4144)
Songs
Call to Worship
Hosanna, they cried, Hosanna!! Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!
Today we join the crowd in Jerusalem, lifting our voices in praise, welcoming our Savior with hearts full of joy and anticipation. The road ahead leads to the cross, but this moment—this day—is filled with hope, as we declare: “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”
Songs
Prayer
CONFESSION:
Lord Jesus,
You rode on a donkey and came in peace, You humbled yourself and gave yourself for us. We confess our lack of humility. As you entered Jerusalem, the crowds shouted “Hosanna: Save us now!” On Good Friday they shouted “Crucify!” We confess our praise is often just as empty. We sing “Hosanna”, but cry “Crucify”. As the crowd laid their palms in front of you, You took no glory for yourself. We confess that we want to be accepted and take the easy way. We do not stay true to your will. Forgive us, Lord, and help us.Amen
ASSURANCE OF PARDON (Psalm 30)
God’s anger lasts but a moment, but God’s favor lasts a lifetime. Weeping may last the night, but joy comes in the morning. God takes off our sackcloth and clothes us with joy.
Let us rejoice! We are forgiven!
Set Free
A Dividing Line in Our Story
Today's Message: Pastors Marlee Page and Dave Page
Today is Palm Sunday, the day we remember how Jesus rode into Jerusalem, not on a warhorse, but on a humble donkey. It was the beginning of Holy Week, the start of a journey that would take Him to the cross. People laid down palm branches and shouted “Hosanna!” — “Save us!” — even though most didn’t yet understand what kind of salvation He came to bring.
Today, as we wave our spiritual palm branches, we are going to invite you to become aware of a story. A true story in fact – a story of our own past. We are going to invite you to look honestly at the road we’ve traveled. Because to truly follow Jesus, we must not only celebrate His coming, we must walk in His way. So let us take you back for a moment to a chapter of our own history in the church, a chapter that still echoes in our relationships, our traditions, and yes, even our wounds.
The year is 1841, a group of faithful Black believers, many of them formerly enslaved, gathered in Amherstburg, Ontario. They came from churches across what was then called Canada West. They were driven by a deep love for Christ and a painful reality: they were not welcomed as full brothers and sisters in many of the predominantly white Baptist churches of the time.
At the time, Second Baptist Church of Detroit issued the call. It was a call to unity — among the Black Baptist churches — because they could not find that unity among white congregations. So, in October of that year, they formed what became known as the Amherstburg Baptist Association; not out of rebellion, but out of a need for dignity, spiritual autonomy, and Christian fellowship free from exclusion.
A few years later, tensions rose between this new Association and our own, the Long Point Baptist Association, now known as the Western Association. We may never know every detail, but what we do know is this: the Amherstburg churches felt misrepresented, dishonored, and unwelcome. They had tried to walk in fellowship with us, but instead were met with coldness and, in some cases, outright barriers based on ethnicity and cultural difference. They were offered baptism, but not full membership. To be watched over, but not true brotherhood and sisterhood.
In 1846, Elder H.H. Hawkins of the Amherstburg Association wrote a passionate letter that was circulated. Some remember it only for its harsh tone, but today, we would remember it for something else — for the pain behind the words. For the courage it took to speak truth to power. For the cry of a people who refused to let their faith be treated as second-class.
Here is part of what he said:
“The time has come when it becomes us as an Association, composed as we are denominated ‘the people of color’, to stand like men of war in defence of the truth, and our peculiar privileges, and to expose the base and ignominious misrepresentations of the Long Point Association in Canada West. Since we have come out from them and have formed ourselves into an independent Association and cast of the yoke of anti-Christian bondage; no longer to be set at naught in their Ecclesiastical Councils, to be looked upon with contempt, to be insulted whenever and wherever we meet with them, as we suppose, to worship the true and living God.”
Now, here we are, generations later. The world has changed in many ways, but if history has taught us anything, we know this: division leaves a legacy. Wounds don’t always heal with time. Wounds like this heal with truth. With grace. With repentance. With reconciliation.
And that brings us back to our final message in Galatians and chapter 6; a letter written to a fractured church, full of strong personalities, spiritual pride, cultural tension, and confusion about what it really means to follow Jesus. And what you’ll notice is that this letter ends not with a list of rules, but with a vision of restoration. It calls us not just to remember the cross — but to walk in the way of the cross. It gives us a path forward not only for our personal walk, but for our collective healing.
As we finish our journey through Galatians this morning, we would ask that you hear it not just as Scripture, but as an invitation to be part of a story that’s not finished yet.
Let’s begin.
Scripture Reading: Galatians 6
Bear and Share Burdens
6 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. 5 For each one shall bear his own load.
Be Generous and Do Good
6 Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches.
7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. 9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.
Glory Only in the Cross
11 See with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand! 12 As many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, these would compel you to be circumcised, only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. 13 For not even those who are circumcised keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. 14 But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.
Blessing and a Plea
16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.
17 From now on let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.
18 Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
Restore Gently, Don’t Dismiss Harshly (Gal. 6:1–3)
“Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:1–2
Right out of the gate, Paul gives us a picture of the kind of community the Spirit creates not a place where people are torn down for failure, but where they are gently lifted back up. Not a place where burdens are ignored, but where we shoulder each other’s pain. We talked about that last week in our own context at FBK.
If we zoom out into our broader history, as we’ve explored already today we would have to concede that there was obviously a time when we didn’t do this well.
We, as a collective of churches, the Western Association today, have our legacy in systems and attitudes that did the opposite of what this passage teaches. When Black believers, many of them newly arrived in Canada after escaping slavery, came seeking fellowship, some of our churches offered baptism, but not belonging. We offered spiritual oversight, but not spiritual embrace.
That is not gentle restoration. That is not bearing one another’s burdens. That is not the gospel of Jesus Christ.
This Palm Sunday, we remember that Jesus didn’t storm the city demanding power. He came low. He came gently. He came to restore what was broken between God and humanity, and between people themselves.
Verse 3 perhaps cuts the deepest:
“If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves.”
We, a remnant of the legacy of the The Long Point Association, thought we were protecting order. But the truth is, the only thing being protected was pride. Pride doesn’t heal. It divides. It distances. And it damages the witness of the church.
Remember: We Always Reap What We Sow (Gal. 6:7–10)
“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”
— Galatians 6:7
Paul is telling us something here that’s not just spiritual theory it’s a law of life. What we plant, we eventually harvest. Whether that’s good seed or bad seed, whether we see it in a day or in a decade, the harvest always comes. In the context of our own history, we must acknowledge: the seeds sown during the early days of our early Associations, both Associations, bore painful fruit. In the name of ecclesial order and tradition, some of our churches sowed exclusion, not embrace. They sowed distance, not welcome. Even if it was dressed in the language of “discipline” or “policy,” the outcome was real, relationships were fractured, trust was lost, and whole generations of faithful believers had to find community apart from those who should’ve been family.
But before we start thinking this is unique to us let me remind you: the early church struggled with this too.
In Acts 15, we find Paul, yes, the same Paul who wrote Galatians, in sharp disagreement with another leader of the early church: Barnabas. These men had traveled together, planted churches together, suffered together. They were brothers in the gospel. But when it came time to take John Mark on a new journey, Paul said no and Barnabas said yes.
The disagreement became so sharp, Scripture says, that they parted ways (Acts 15:39). Think about that. Two apostles. Two anointed, Spirit-filled leaders. And yet even they couldn’t avoid division when pride, passion, and differing visions collided.
What does this show us?
It shows us that even godly people can sow the wrong seeds. Even those full of zeal for the gospel can find themselves on opposite sides of a split. And when that happens, the fruit isn’t just personal, it affects the church, the mission, and the witness of the gospel.
But here’s the good news: that’s not where the story ends. Later, in 2 Timothy 4:11, Paul writes from prison and says,
“Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.”
Did you catch that? Paul had changed. He now saw the value in the very man he once rejected. Somewhere along the way, hearts softened. Grace did its work. Reconciliation happened. And so must ours.
Look at verse 9:
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
It takes time to heal what was broken. It takes perseverance to rebuild trust and yes, it takes courage to admit past mistakes and commit to something new. But if we sow humility now, if we sow understanding, truth, and reconciliation we will reap a new kind of harvest. Not just peace between associations, but fruit for the kingdom. Not just a mended history, but a renewed witness to the world that Jesus really does make us one.
Here’s the invitation, let’s participate in planting the seeds of peace and reconciliation even if it’s slow, even if it’s hard and trust that God will bring the harvest.
Because that’s what He’s always done with His people.
The Only Thing Worth Boasting About (Gal. 6:11–15)
Paul closes his letter: “See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand! Those who want to impress people by means of the flesh are trying to compel you to be circumcised… May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Galatians 6:11–14
Paul’s saying: I’m not here to defend my status. I’m not trying to impress anyone. The only thing I’m holding onto, the only thing I’m proud of, is Jesus, and what He did on that cross.
This is where we need to land too.
We are certainly not here today to boast in our past, not in our history, our policies, or even our intentions. We’re here to say: the only thing that gives any of us value is the cross of Jesus Christ. And when we all kneel there together, there are no second-class citizens, no insider or outsider, no persons to be watched over and “real membership.” Just one body. One Spirit. One Lord.
“Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation.” Galatians 6:15
For us today, that verse might sound like this:
Neither White tradition nor Black tradition.
Neither Western nor Amherstburg.
Neither ethnicity nor culture.
What counts is this: Are we new?
Are we walking in the freedom that Jesus died to give us?
Neither denominational legacy nor old divisions mean anything. What counts is that we’re becoming new — together.
What the Gospel Requires Now: Reconciliation and Grace
To our brothers and sisters in the Amherstburg Regular Missionary Baptist Association, we want to acknowledge what you endured. We want to honour the faithful leadership of men like Elder H. H. Hawkins, who, even in a fiery letter, reminded us of something true — that fellowship without dignity isn’t real fellowship. That baptism without belonging is an empty gesture.
And we want to say: we are sorry.
We are sorry that doors were closed when they should have been opened.
We are sorry that leadership gifts were overlooked because of skin colour.
We are sorry that people had to walk away to be seen and heard.
We also want to say: we need you. Not just your forgiveness. Not just your patience. We need your partnership. Because the mission of the gospel in this country and this world is too big for us to stay apart. And we believe — truly believe — that the same Spirit who gave you strength to start something new in 1841 can give all of us grace to start something new again today.
Called to the Cross, and to Freedom (Gal. 6:16)
As Paul closes his letter to the Galatians, he doesn’t soften his message, he makes it even more personal. He says:
“Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule — to the Israel of God.” (v. 16).
Church family, this is the word we need to hold onto as we reckon with our past and seek healing for our future: Peace and mercy.
We’re not just trying to avoid conflict. We’re sowing peace. We’re not just trying to fix a historical disagreement, we’re making room for the mercy of God to cover us all, again and again.
And here’s where we must end – with freedom.
All throughout Galatians, Paul’s been proclaiming this radical truth:
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” (Gal. 5:1).
Not just freedom from sin, but also freedom from systems of exclusion. Freedom from pride. Freedom from the need to prove our worth to anyone but Jesus.
The Amherstburg Association formed because they longed for this freedom. F Freedom to worship, to lead, to serve, to preach, without being treated as less than fully Christian. They weren’t seeking rebellion. They were seeking the liberty the gospel already promised them. And now, in our generation, the question is: What will we do with that freedom?
Will we use it to stay divided, each side defending old ground? Or will we use our freedom, hard-won, blood-bought freedom, to reach out, reconcile, and walk together?
So here we are, waving spiritual palm branches once more.
The crowds in Jerusalem wanted a king who would conquer their enemies. But Jesus came as the King who would reconcile them to God and to each other.
Today, we are invited to do the same.
To lay down our pride.
To lay down old divisions.
To lay down any banner that isn’t the cross.
Instead, let’s lift up the name of the One who still rides into the city gentle, and bringing peace.
Hosanna. Come, Lord Jesus. Save us. Unite us. Make us new.
Prayer
Hosanna in the highest, Lord Jesus, King of Peace,
On this Palm Sunday, we join the great crowd that welcomed You into Jerusalem. We lift up our voices to cry, “Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord!” We wave our branches in joy, but we also come with hearts that long for more than a parade we long for Your kingdom to come in us.You came not with sword or pride, but with gentleness and truth. Not to conquer with violence, but to heal with mercy. Not to affirm old divisions, but to make us one in Your love.
So now, Lord, we lay before You not only our praises, but also our past.
We remember, with humility and sorrow, the division between our churches — the wounds of exclusion, the pain of injustice, the years of silence. We confess that, like the Galatians, we too have sometimes boasted in the wrong things: in tradition more than transformation, in separation more than reconciliation, in appearances more than the cross.
Forgive us, Lord. Restore us. Make us new.
We thank You for the courage of our forebears those who stood for justice, and those who turned back toward unity. We thank You for every seed of peace that was sown, and we pray now for a new harvest a harvest of grace, a harvest of friendship, a harvest of gospel witness.
May Your Spirit move among us, softening every hardened place in our hearts, opening our ears to one another, and binding us together in the freedom of Christ.
Lord, You said, “If the Son sets you free, you are free indeed.” Let us walk in that freedom not as individuals alone, but as one body, one family, one people under the cross.
As we look to the week ahead, we remember that the road from palms leads to the cross. Give us courage to follow You all the way through humility, through sacrifice, through surrender. And on the other side, may we rise with You into resurrection life, where mercy reigns and love has the final word.
Hosanna, Lord Jesus. Save us. Unite us. Lead us. Be glorified in Your church now and always.
Amen.
Song
Benediction
Do not grow weary in doing what is right, for you will reap a great harvest if you do not give up. Sow in the Spirit and reap the blessings of God. Go in peace.