"Listen to me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile." ~ Mark 7:14-15 When I lived in Moscow, my family and I attended the St. Andrews Anglican Church, one of only three Anglican Churches in Russia. While it follows the worship of the Church of England they strive to serve Anglicans of all traditions and countries. My family always was relatively involved in church wherever we lived – my dad and … [Read more...]
Equipped for the Journey – Sermon for August 22
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ~ Ephesians 6:10-11 During the first lockdown last year it was a challenge to keep our children engaged and active. As we struggled to deal with the changing landscape of school, work and daily life we had to find new ways to entertain and engage with our children as we balanced work on top of all of that. Our youngest daughter … [Read more...]
Bread of Life – Sermon for August 15th 2021
“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." John 6:51 The last two decades have seen the incredible rise of Comedy News shows – shows like the Daily Show and the Colbert Report have thrived the news-entertainment complex that has arisen. Although they are strictly for entertainment during the early 2000s people under 30 reported getting their news from these shows than … [Read more...]
Culture Shock – Sermon for August 8, 2021
“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5:1-2 As the child of a foreign service officer, I travelled a lot. Before the age of 18, I had lived in 7 countries and visited countless more. One of the realities of travelling to different countries is navigating the vast cultural differences between those countries. Whether it is eating customs, or how one greets one … [Read more...]
Gifted Hands – Sermon for August 1, 2021
“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...]
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...]
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