Sermons
Some thoughts on “separate”
This Sunday we spent some time with Paul and his letter to the Romans. Romans 8 has some of the most comprehensive language about our relationship with God anywhere in the Bible. In a couple of different places Paul provides lists that cover virtually everything and then says the things on the list and insufficient to come between us and God. He finishes the chapter with, “For I am convinced…
God’s children
One of the most pervasive images in both Scripture and church history for the relationship between God and us is that of parent and child. There are many instances where God is described in parenting terms, most frequently as father but mother shows up as well. This Sunday the lectionary provides us one of those instances. Romans 8 is a well know chapter for many reasons but the paragraph that…
Sort of farming
This Sunday we had another opportunity to revisit a familiar story to see if there is anything there for us to find. I have spoken frequently about how helpful it can be to revisit what we already know, what what we “know” but what we actually have knowledge of. Needless to say it is helpful to dispense with knowledge that has scare quotes around it but this is different. The…
Pick a burden
This Sunday’s sermons are drawn from the Epistle and Gospel lessons, Romans 7 and Matthew 11 respectively, and revolve around what kind of burden we want to carry. The image of burden is taken from Jesus’ words at the end of the Gospel reading, “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30 NRSV) and then applied to what Paul is talking about in Romans 7. I’m…
I won’t work for that
The picture to the left notwithstanding, I did not preach about Canada and how wonderful it is nor how much I love my country, flawed as it is. This Sunday’s sermons are all about wages and eternity. It might seem like a peculiar combination but both of these ideas are very much in our Epistle lesson, Romans 6.12-23. They are primarily found in the last verse of this section, which…
Grace is not license
This post’s title is the answer to today’s sermons title. I still think you will get value from listening to one of both of them but I don’t mind spoilers now and then 🙂 In addition to the usual stuff, this week you also get a small example of how translation from one language to another can work, and one of the more dramatic examples of one sort of translation….
One hundred years!
This Sunday the two congregations I serve got together for a joint service to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Knox Presbyterian! That’s right, a century of faithful witness in the town of Briercrest. I am very proud to be associated with this church and to have contributed my small bit to it. It is an interesting juxtaposition of a centennial celebration and Trinity Sunday. I wasn’t entirely sure how to…
Another birthday
Today is not my birthday it is the birthday of the church. We frequently forget that things we have been around for a long time had a beginning. I seem to have a memory of being quite surprised to find out that my parents were born at some point. It is easy for us to forget that Canada, or whichever country we are most familiar with had a beginning; there…
Questions are okay
I should probably get it out that I have an aversion to trying to figure out what exactly biblical prophecy means. There, I have finally said it. I don’t know if it comes from my upbringing, listening to too many “teachings” about end times, or my education but I just can do it. I don’t suggest that anyone else avoid it as assiduously as I do; if this is your…
No more talking at each other
It may seem a bit ironic that I took a run at the internet in this morning’s sermons and I am now writing a blog post, which will be posted on the internet, but I am willing to live with that contradiction. As I may have mentioned in one or the other sermon it is a constant source of wonder to me that the Holy Spirit can reveal things about…