Nathaniel said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him “Come and see.” – John 1:46 How many of you like icebreaker games? You know the games that are designed to get people out of their comfort zone and introduce themselves to a group of strangers. Often ice breakers can revolve around your name, or around what you’d bring to a desert island and one of the most common ones is where you are invited to think about which person from history, dead or alive, that you … [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...]
Sign of the Cross – Good Friday 2018
Even in this day and age of secularism you don’t have to walk very far down the street before you see a Cross of some description. Whether it is on the steeple of a church, built into architectural features or hanging around someone’s neck – crosses are all around us. In church we see them all the time – we process up the aisle with one, we have them embroidered on our linens and stoles, and here at Grace we have the large Christus Rex which hangs upon on our wall. Many find comfort in the … [Read more...]
Cross to Bear – Sermon for Lent 2
“He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” – Mark 8:34 I have a confession to make, I can sometimes be a little selfish. Ok maybe that’s not much of a confession – we can all be a little selfish at times. Especially, when I was kid I would often look out for myself. It comes with the territory I guess, I have two sisters and as the youngest I needed to protect my interests. As … [Read more...]
Between Two Worlds – Sermon for Advent 2
“The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance.”- 2 Peter 3:9 I want to begin today with a modern day parable: For the Kingdom of God may be likened to business owner who hired two women who worked as coworkers for many years. When each woman was hired, the owner warned them that the job did not come with a pension, and that one day their retirement would be upon them, advising them to … [Read more...]
I Can Only Imagine – Wk. 8 Biblical Imagination
Imagine there's no countries. It isn't hard to do. Nothing to kill or die for. And no religion, too. Imagine all the people. Living life in peace... You.. – Imagine by John Lennon Who recognizes those lyrics? They are from the second verse of John Lennon’s famous song ‘Imagine’ – where he waxes melodically about imagining the world a better place. When I was attending seminary, I lived near Sheppard Subway station and would take the subway into class. On many afternoons and evenings as I … [Read more...]
Forgive it All – Sermon for Sunday September 10th
“If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one.” – Matthew 18:15 Discipline. In our day and age, discipline is an unpopular word. And I don’t mean the kind of discipline that it takes to be a professional athlete, I mean the kind of discipline that we received at the hands of our parents when we made a mistake, the discipline we received at school for making bad decisions. … [Read more...]
The Hand that Feeds: Sermon for August 6th
A sermon exploring the super-abundance of God in the face of scarcity and how Jesus brings life into the midst of death. May you be encouraged by Jesus, the one who feeds us physically and spiritually. Blessings, Rev. Graham … [Read more...]
Sermon for July 9th – Great Expectations
A sermon exploring our great expectations surrounding Jesus and how God is a God of the unexpected, a God who we cannot box in with our expectations of who he is. May you find both challenge and comfort in Jesus, who's yoke is easy and who's burden is light. Blessings, Rev. Graham Audio and sermon notes available at the bottom of the page … [Read more...]
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