Sermons
What’s permanent?
We all want things to last. There is comfort in permanence; if nothing else, it is predictable. The moon is permanent and predictable. There is something wonderful about watching it wax and wane but always being there, even when we can’t see it. We want our relationships to last. We want the relationships of people we love to last. Just about everything we value, we want to stick around. But…
Who gets chosen?
Who gets chosen is a question we usually think of in terms of getting picked for a team at school. But being chosen can be a big thing. Being chosen for an award or a promotion can make a big difference to our self-esteem and sometimes to our paycheques. Being chosen is also a big thing in the world of theology. The theological term is predestination. There is a group…
Water
Water. It is one of the critical things for survival. We can live for about three days without water. We have to have it. Most civilizations arose around water – lakes, rivers, oceans – because if you have water, you can get the other things you need to live. Agriculture is impossible without water; water from the sky or water from irrigation works, the source is irrelevant. Two of today’s…
Nicodemus? What about him?
There are quite a few intriguing characters in the Bible. Most of them are intriguing because we know so little about them. One of them is one of the two principle characters in our Gospel reading, Nicodemus. Who was Nicodemus? We know he was a Pharisee and we know he was on the Jewish council but other than that, not a lot. So why does he get most of chapter…
Do I have to give up something?
Here we are, another season in the church year, another Lent. If there is a single question I get asked most frequently about Lent, it is, “Do I have to give up something?” A reasonable question, to be sure. For those folks who weren’t raised in a liturgical church or any church, their view and understanding of Lent is most likely informed by popular culture. Jokes about giving up atheism…
Clouds and mountains
Today is Transfiguration Sunday. Today is also the first Sunday since the tragic, multi-victim shooting in Tumbler Ridge, BC. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) Synod of BC issued a call to prayer. They wrote: Our hearts are broken by the horrible tragedy in Tumbler Ridge. Words can hardly express the depth of pain and sorrow we feel for all affected. We hold in our prayers those who mourn…
What’s wrong with upside down?
So what is wrong with upside down? Well, everything, if you are properly oriented to the world. The thing is, when the world is upside down, or better, “upside down,” then everything is wrong. And, our world is upside down. We are in a time when what was formerly considered undoable, or even unthinkable, is being thought and done. Wealth inequality has grown exponentially in my lifetime. The gap between…
Surely not!
Surely not! The late Rev. Dr. John Stott once said about the Beatitudes, “the Sermon on the Mount is probably the best-known part of the teaching of Jesus, though arguably it is the least understood, and certainly it is the least obeyed.” Well, that’s a “fine” situation to be in . . . but only if I think I am somehow supposed to change the behaviour of people by my…
A great light
There are many sources of light in our personal worlds. From the sun to a “happy” light to the bulbs that light up our kitchen, light is all around us. So why on earth would I choose to preach about light? The answer is, as it so often is, the lectionary. The lectionary texts both explicitly and implicitly talk about light. When Paul got knocked off his horse, there was…
Who should we follow?
It seems everywhere you turn on the internet these days, there are opportunities to learn about leadership or how to be a leader or a better leader. There is quite a dearth when it comes to follower-ship. Where is a book on the X number of steps to becoming a better follower? If you were to look at the bookshelves at any bookstore, you will find all sorts of books…