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...]
Living in the Light of Easter (Part 1)
“With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.” – Acts 4:33 When Bethany and I were first engaged, I must admit I was appalled by the whole wedding-industrial complex. Weddings these days are complex events, often requiring a wedding planner to pull off all the various elements. It seems that people look to one-up one another on how extravagant their wedding can be – the best dress, the best ring, the best cake and … [Read more...]
In the Garden – Sermon for Easter 2018
"Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." – John 20:15 Two days before Mary had stood at the foot of the Cross, as her teacher, her friend and Lord had suffered the full force of the Roman Empire’s brutal power – death upon the twisted, torturous tree. The whole earth seemingly mourned Jesus’ death as the sky was darkened, bruised by … [Read more...]
Do not be Afraid!
“Do not be afraid.” – Matthew 28:10 Do not be afraid. As we have walked through Holy Week we have heard a lot about fear. The fear of the elders and chief priests had concerning Jesus, the fear of Judas as he realized what he had done in betraying Jesus, the fear of Pilate’s as he tried to reason with a bloodthirsty crowd, the fear of Peter of being connected with Jesus, the fear of all the disciples who abandoned Jesus. Even after Jesus’ death it seems that fear reigned in the hearts and … [Read more...]
Break Down these Walls
“If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to hinder God?” – Acts 11:17 While I’m not typically an advocate in favour of skipping the Old Testament lesson on a Sunday morning, it is one of the pleasures of the Easter Season that we get to hear 9 weeks of readings from the book of Acts. Despite this consistency during the Easter Season, we nonetheless hear these lessons out of context. Last week we heard the story of Tabitha, and … [Read more...]
Lay Your Hands on Me
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 all the way 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 … [Read more...]
Give Peace a Chance
A sermon exploring what it meant for Christ to say "Peace be with you!" to the scared and lonely disciples after his resurrection and what it means for us when Jesus continues to declare his Peace among us even today. … [Read more...]
Easter Day Sermon
An old story of Jesus, told to a group of frightened, silent people in a world full of unpredictable change. We hear Mark's gospel this day. What is it saying to us? … [Read more...]