Silence. If you’ve ever been out in the early dawn, before the sunrises you will know something of the sound of silence. Even in a city like Toronto that is practically awake 24/7, the early morning hours provide a taste of silence, especially the further you are from downtown. Back when I trained to run a marathon, the early morning wake-ups were grueling, forcing myself to get out of bed before 5 am, strap on shoes and running clothes was difficult, but once out on the trails the stillness … [Read more...]
King for a Day – Sermon for Palm Sunday
“The whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying, "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!" ~ Luke 19:37-38 Have you ever received bad news amid other people’s celebrations and excitement? In those situations, you try to go along with the occasion not trying to put a damper on things, you might even put on a brave face so no one knows the … [Read more...]
Jubilee Road – Sermon for Jan. 23 2022
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour." ~ Luke 4:18-19 One of the unfortunate realities of our modern society is the amount of debt each one of us carries around. In 2020 the average household debt in Canada rose to $1.71 for every dollar of disposable income, meaning that on … [Read more...]
There’s Something About Mary – Sermon for Advent 4, 2021
There’s something about Mary…. This morning I want you to think about what words or images come to mind when you think about Mary. If you want, you can take a look at the stained glass window of the Nativity here in the Sanctuary, which I’ve included in the PowerPoint for those of you at home. The scene depicts Mary and Joseph bowed over their new son Jesus, Mary is small in stature and has a position of humility and gentleness, bowed down to take care of her infant son. As you look at … [Read more...]
Divine Delight – Sermon for Advent 3, 2021
“The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing” ~ Zephaniah 3:17 What do you delight in? Delight is a word that we don’t often hear nowadays – in fact, usage in print and other media has dropped significantly in the last century – and when we do hear the word I think we don’t necessarily hear it or appreciate the full weight of the word. A person can be … [Read more...]
Prepare the Way O Zion – Sermon for Advent 2, 2021
If you were here last week, you will know the great relief it was to be able to sing together again. As lovely as the voices of our soloists and choir have been over the last 2 years, there is something special about congregational singing. It doesn’t matter if you sing flat or sharp, loud or softly, combined it creates a sacred chorus, it was truly a joy to behold. Singing is in many ways the universal language, you do not need to understand the words of a song to necessarily understand its … [Read more...]
Waiting, Watching – Sermon for Advent 1, 2021
“Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and stand before the Son of Man." - Luke 21:25-36 Waiting can be hard at the best of times. Several years ago at Christmas time, you’ll remember that there was the ice-storm. Christmas services across the city were threatened as many people and churches experienced days without power. For many of us, it was a back-and-forth week. Is the power on yet? We knew that the power would … [Read more...]
The King and the Cross – Sermon for Nov. 21
“Through him, God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.” – Colossians 1:20 Through the blood of his cross… it might seem odd to you that today our scripture readings are focused on Jesus’ death, on his crucifixion, on the blood of the cross. After all, today is the last Sunday of the Christian liturgical calendar – next week we begin the season of Advent; we get to begin again the journey of preparation … [Read more...]
There is More, and that’s Good News
**Audio can be found below** Sermon for Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost - Luke 21:5-19 Alice J Stewart November 17, 2019 Notre Dame in Paris - 2019. Christchurch Cathedral in New Zealand - 2011. The Buddhas of Bamiyan in Afghanistan - 2001. The Twin Towers in New York City - 2001. The Library of Alexandria in Egypt - first century AD. The Second Temple in Jerusalem - 70 AD... less than 40 years after Jesus spoke the words we heard in today’s Gospel reading. Both … [Read more...]
Gift from God – Sabbath Week 4
Then he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.” ~ Luke 6:5 I remember as a child one of the worst things you could hear was a new set of rules or especially for a new gift, game or toy that you just picked up – don’t do this, don’t do that, you can’t do that here and what not. Now don’t get me wrong rules are important, most games wouldn’t be any fun without them but if rules suffocate and eclipse everything than there is no joy or delight. The same is true as we grow older, … [Read more...]
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