“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” ~ Matthew 6:33 Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. While most people that tell you not to worry are well-meaning, more often than not the act of telling you not to worry has the opposite effect of making you worry all the more. I remember when I was first tasked with leadership of Grace, everyone around me told me not to worry, that I was ready and would do a great job – from the bishop to … [Read more...]
All about Grace – November 15th 2020
“For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.” ~ Matthew 25:29 Now I don’t know about you, but if I weren’t in church and heard that verse quoted out of context, I might just think it was something that came out of the mouth of some giant of Wall Street or Bay Street. It sounds like something wealthy western business people might say, as they benefit from the capitalist system at the … [Read more...]
Lord Jesus Come Soon – November 8th
Lord Jesus Come Soon! If there is any prayer, other than the Lord’s Prayer, that I have heard uttered from the lips of Christians over the last couple of years, Lord Jesus Come Soon, probably tops the list. It is often uttered in response to some terrible calamity – every natural disaster, terrorist attack, school shooting, or even personal troubles like the loss of a loved one or a challenging cancer diagnosis elicits the prayer “Lord Jesus come soon.” I feel like these prayers have … [Read more...]
What is a Saint? – All Saints Day 2020
What is a saint? I think that our culture has an unhealthy and extreme view of what a saint is. On one hand, we use the word saint to describe someone, anyone who is kind hearted and good to us. When someone helps us we say ‘Oh they’re such a saint’. In this use of the word, a saint becomes a common thing something, or rather someone, you might encounter on a daily or at least a regular basis. On the other hand, the word saint is used to describe someone of great holiness and power, … [Read more...]
If Love is the Law – Sermon for Oct 25
"Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" Matthew 22:36 If you were to think about the most important part of Christianity what would it be? Maybe you’d say God, or Jesus, or the Holy Spirit – perfectly, true and acceptable answers for sure. Or maybe you’d pick an event, like the Crucifixion or Resurrection – after all, some Christian scholars have called these events the hinge of history or Pentecost since that’s why we’re here. Or if you were more theologically … [Read more...]
Invited to the Feast – Sermon for October 11th 2020
Later in the service after communion we will say together: Glory to God, whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Glory to God from generation to generation in the Church and in Christ Jesus, for ever and ever. Amen We say this doxology, together every Sunday at the close of our service of Holy Communion, and what a way to end our services it is. In it we collectively affirm, celebrate and proclaim God’s glory and power working in us, through the … [Read more...]
Don’t Judge a Book – Sermon for September 27th 2020
“Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you.” ~ Matthew 21:31 Don’t judge a book by its cover. This piece of timeless wisdom is about as clichéd as you can get, but it’s clichéd because we were all probably taught it in some variation as a child and more often than not it rings true. While making snap judgements can be important in intense situations, often we need to look beyond the surface and first … [Read more...]
God’s Justice – September 20th 2020
“So the last will be first, and the first will be last." ~ Matthew 20:16 Fairness and equality are hot topics these days. Don’t get me wrong for the most part this is great news for society – a greater emphasis on fairness and equality can mean wonders for a world that so often skews to the rich, the privileged and those already in power. But the problem is that a lot of our conversations around fairness and equality come from a place of privilege. If you benefit from privilege in society … [Read more...]
Seventy Times Seven – Sermon for Sunday September 13 2020
If there was one word to describe 2020 so far what would you choose? Perhaps most of us would choose pandemic, or crisis, or isolation or some other word related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the large scale changes that have rocked our world over the past 6 months. Perhaps some would choose negative emotions or descriptors like terrible, challenging, topsy-turvy. While all those words would be appropriate and true, I think that the word which resonates with me over the course of 2020 is: … [Read more...]
It’s About Relationships
**Audio version below** **NOTE**: Slides are found in the "read sermon" button at the bottom of the page. Sermon for the Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany: Alice J Stewart [Slide 1] We have some pretty spectacular things happening in our gospel reading today. We’ve got murder, adultery, dismemberment, lust, going to jail, going to hell, and divorce. It sounds like Jesus expects us to follow Jewish law a whole lot closer than we’ve done in the past. But Jesus isn’t talking about the … [Read more...]