Sermons
Is it hard or easy or something else
This Sunday’s texts include the story of Naaman, the leprous general who wants to be healed. Naaman and his stories is one of the easiest to have fun with in the whole Old Testament (if you want to hear a bit of what can be done, listen to the St. Mark’s sermon where I give in to the temptation a bit). We can poke fun at Naaman from several different…
Paul and law
This Sunday we took a look at some of the things Paul has to say about laws, law, and the Law, in Galatians. Was Paul confused? He says we are not under the law, then he says we are under a law, and then he says there are some things we do which are against no law. Lots of talk about law but little clarity . . . but is…
An annual thing
It is good to be back. I was gone last week attending the 145th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. It was a good, if exhausting, time and I strongly encourage you to give the web site for the Assembly a look if you want to know what happened, etc., click this link to get to 2019 General Assembly. Today is Pentecost Sunday, the birthday of the church,…
Who wants a vision?
Silly question isn’t it. “Who wants a vision?” Everyone wants a vision. And just in case you’ve never heard it before, it is OKAY to want a vision, a divine visitation with some visual memories to go with it like Paul being called to Macedonia. There is nothing wrong with asking God for something like that, go ahead. The only thing to consider is what you are going to do…
We are cared for
It is perhaps too much to say I never know what or where a Sunday is going to do or go but not by much. If this Sunday’s sermon seems a bit funereal it is because it kind of was. One of the women in the community died of cancer leaving children, grandchildren, mother, friends, . . . . grieving. I might disregard Mother’s Day or Father’s Day but I…
Not just for Peter and Paul
We sometimes say we wish we could have the experiences of our biblical heroes. We want to be like Peter, or Paul, or John (one of my favourites). It is more than simple hero worship, we want the same experiences because we see the outcomes of their experiences. We read about Moses encountering the burning bush and see how he was changed for the rest of his life and we…
Still the best day of the year
Easter Sunday! The best day of the year! Better even than Christmas or my birthday or . . . well any other day. It isn’t like I get presents on Easter Sunday, well sometimes I get tasty things to eat which is very nice, but it is just as good a day if I don’t. You may be asking why, let me tell you. In a nutshell, Easter Sunday is…
The ultimate mixed up day
Of all the mixed up days we can have, and we can have a lot of them, this Sunday might be the most mixed up. The mash-up of Palm Sunday and Good Friday, now called Palm / Passion Sunday can give the more conservative church year people the willies, and I know because I was one of them at one point, but if we can get past the temptation to…
Keep going
There was another first today. I preached in a suit, and a football jersey. Today is Green Shirt Day, a day in recognition of and for organ donation. I would like to say a bright green Riders jersey, as that is the only non-t-shirt, non-sweatshirt, green, garment I have looks good but I’m not willing to lie about it 🙂 but all in a good cause and organ donation is…
Lost things
Every three years I have the opportunity to override the Lectionary and preach on something dear to me. I realize I can override the Lectionary any Sunday I choose but this Sunday, the fourth Sunday in Lent for Year C, I almost feel I have to. The Gospel lesson in the Lectionary is Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32, which is all well and good, except we read, “So he told them this…