“The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” ~ Ephesians 4:11-12 Just before I entered grade 7 my family moved from Paris, France to Buffalo New York. As if the culture shock of that move wasn’t enough I got to go into a new school for Middle School as both a Canadian (hated by many Buffalonians) and a foreigner (I had developed a slight British … [Read more...]
The Church’s Calling Card – Sermon for Sunday July 25th
I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:18-19 A number of my friends have had babies through the pandemic. This means that my social media feeds are filled with all things baby. Which is lovely. Babies are wonderful, aren’t they? (especially when they’re keeping someone else up at … [Read more...]
Unity in Diversity – Sermon For July 18th 2021
“For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility” ~ Ephesians 2:14 Although I know you’ll probably say I am starting to sound like a broken record, the world seems to be hurtling more and more towards division than in previous eras, but our epistle lesson for today from the Letter to the Ephesians brings the topic of division to centre stage once again and because of the severity, I think it is an essential … [Read more...]
Good News and Gospel Truth – Dec. 6
“The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” ~ Mark 1:1 What is the most important part of the Advent and Christmas seasons? For some people it is probably all the opportunities to celebrate with family and friends, the exchange of gifts and the delicious food – holidays, after all, is the perfect time to spend with family after all. Others may find it is the familiar music which wafts through the air: the carols and holiday classics that remind us of years past and … [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...]
Sing for Life – Sermon for Oct 18
Our psalm today might be a little hard to hear in this strange time and place we live in ravaged as we are by the COVID-19 pandemic, with its emphasis on singing – something we are unable to do safely together at this moment. Three times in the first 2 verses we hear the imperative to sing! O Sing to the Lord a new song! Sing to Lord all the earth. Sing to the Lord and bless his name. We all want to sing O Lord, but alas we cannot for the sake and safety of others. While the psalm might be … [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...]
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