“But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name." ~ Acts 9:15-16 The saying goes “Good fences make good neighbours.” But do they? From the earliest pre-historic hunters who built walls around their hunt camps with mammoth bones to the walls of Athens that differentiated them from the nation-state of Sparta to the defensive … [Read more...]
Do you believe in Resurrection? – Sermon for Easter 2
Alleluia Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed Alleluia!! While we tend to make a big deal about celebrating the one day of Easter Sunday, the joy of the season of Easter is that we get to celebrate it for six weeks following Easter Sunday until Pentecost. Every Sunday is a Resurrection Sunday, but for six weeks we focus specifically on the Resurrection, we focus specifically on the stories of Jesus, which speak of the Resurrection, or the stories from the Book of Acts, and the effect of the … [Read more...]
Resurrection Matters – Sermon for Easter
But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. ~ 1 Corinthians 15:20 If you went to the mall, maybe not today, but on almost any other day, and took a survey asking people which holiday they thought was the most important day in the Christian church, what do you think they would say? … Christmas. Somehow, somewhere along the way, Christmas has become THE defining day on the Christian calendar (at least as it is seen by outsiders). There’s … [Read more...]
Found it in Silence – Sermon for Easter Vigil
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...]
Rejected Stones – Sermon for the Second Sunday in Easter 2019
*Audio Available Below* “The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.” Psalm 118:22. Jesus was the stone that the builders rejected. Jesus became the cornerstone of what God built and is still building today. Jesus reminds us elsewhere that the disciple is not above the master. So, if Jesus was a stone the builders rejected, his followers most certainly are. Before we dig deeper, let’s review some basics. What is it that God is building? God is building … [Read more...]
Say my Name – Sermon for Easter 2019
What’s in a name? We all can likely remember times when our parents or our friends have called out our name with a deep sense of affection and love bottled up – perhaps after a long period of absence, or a parent calling a child over to offer a hug or a comforting shoulder to cry on. Our names are powerful. Just ask any child the power of a name, when their parent uses it to chastise them! When I was a child I would go around saying ‘I am not an Edddin! I am not an Eddin!’ because when I was … [Read more...]
He is Risen – Sermon for the Great Vigil of Easter 2019
*Audio available below* Christ is risen. Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia. We are not here to celebrate death. We are here to celebrate life. There are a lot of people out there who accuse Christianity of being an antiquated death-cult to a vengeful God. They only see the crucifixion and forget about the resurrection. They find it all too easy to believe that a man was murdered a long time ago. They find it really difficult to believe that a man who was also the Son of God was raised … [Read more...]
Caught Between Heaven and Earth – Sermon for Ascension Day
When I lived in Moscow, Russia during my high school years, I had the chance to go on a school trip to the Ural Mountains for a week as part of Discovery Week at my school, which was a program designed for us to explore parts of Russia we wouldn’t normally see. The Urals aren’t a particularly high set of mountains, but they are the divide between Europe and Asia which is their claim to fame and as part of the trip we took a trip up on of the peaks of the mountain range. I’ve never been a huge … [Read more...]
The Spirit Carries On – Sermon for Easter 6
"Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" – Acts 10:47 As the father of two girls, even as young as they are, I am intimately aware of the lingering inequalities and injustices that exist in this world even as white middle class Canadians we enjoy many, many privileges. When my eldest daughter first became enthralled with the Blue Jays three years ago, she quickly decided that she wanted to play for them when she grew up, and … [Read more...]
Look, Here’s Water – Sermon for Easter 5
Look. Here's water. What's to prevent me from being baptized? When I was a teenager, I began to ask impertinent questions about religion. In this way, I was a pretty typical teenager. Once I approached a church-going relative and asked about Jesus. I was beginning to think there was more to this Jesus person than simply “Jesus-loves-me-this-I-know.” So I asked this relative of mine and he said, "Well, you just gotta love Jesus. If you don’t, you’ll go to hell!" I don’t blame my … [Read more...]