There’s something about Mary…. This morning I want you to think about what words or images come to mind when you think about Mary. If you want, you can take a look at the stained glass window of the Nativity here in the Sanctuary, which I’ve included in the PowerPoint for those of you at home. The scene depicts Mary and Joseph bowed over their new son Jesus, Mary is small in stature and has a position of humility and gentleness, bowed down to take care of her infant son. As you look at … [Read more...]
Divine Delight – Sermon for Advent 3, 2021
“The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing” ~ Zephaniah 3:17 What do you delight in? Delight is a word that we don’t often hear nowadays – in fact, usage in print and other media has dropped significantly in the last century – and when we do hear the word I think we don’t necessarily hear it or appreciate the full weight of the word. A person can be … [Read more...]
Prepare the Way O Zion – Sermon for Advent 2, 2021
If you were here last week, you will know the great relief it was to be able to sing together again. As lovely as the voices of our soloists and choir have been over the last 2 years, there is something special about congregational singing. It doesn’t matter if you sing flat or sharp, loud or softly, combined it creates a sacred chorus, it was truly a joy to behold. Singing is in many ways the universal language, you do not need to understand the words of a song to necessarily understand its … [Read more...]
Waiting, Watching – Sermon for Advent 1, 2021
“Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and stand before the Son of Man." - Luke 21:25-36 Waiting can be hard at the best of times. Several years ago at Christmas time, you’ll remember that there was the ice-storm. Christmas services across the city were threatened as many people and churches experienced days without power. For many of us, it was a back-and-forth week. Is the power on yet? We knew that the power would … [Read more...]
The King and the Cross – Sermon for Nov. 21
“Through him, God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.” – Colossians 1:20 Through the blood of his cross… it might seem odd to you that today our scripture readings are focused on Jesus’ death, on his crucifixion, on the blood of the cross. After all, today is the last Sunday of the Christian liturgical calendar – next week we begin the season of Advent; we get to begin again the journey of preparation … [Read more...]
Broken Stones, Broken Temples – Sermon for Nov. 14
‘Then Jesus asked him, "Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down."’ ~ Mark 13:2 When I was a teenager I had the wonderful and privileged opportunity to travel to several European cities for conferences, sports tournaments and the like. Throughout my three years living in Moscow, Russia, I travelled to Zagreb, Prague, Warsaw, Dublin, The Hague and more if you include the trips we took as a family. During these trips, we often had … [Read more...]
Mo Money Mo Problems – Sermon for Nov. 7th
“They devour widows' houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation." ~ Mark 12:40 Over the last few months, as we have been reading through the Gospel of Mark, one of the common themes that we have been seeing come up in Jesus’ teaching and his ministry is the turning upside down of the ways of the world because the Kingdom of God inverts the priorities and the expectations of our culture and society – the weak become strong, the least and … [Read more...]
Eyesight to the Blind – Sermon for Oct. 24
“When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" ~ Mark 10:47 As someone who has the gift of sight, I cannot even begin to imagine what it would be like to lose it. There is so much that we take for granted when we have our sight, so much that are passive about the way that we enjoy the world around us. Even without my glasses, which are very necessary for my sight – I can see colours and shapes and read in ways that I … [Read more...]
Baptism into the Kingdom – Sermon for Oct. 17
“Then Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized” ~ Mark 10:39 When I think of the things I have truly missed most in ministry during the time of the pandemic, baptism is right there at the top of the list. Baptisms are wonderful celebrations in the church, where families and the church come together to welcome someone, usually, a baby though not always, into the mystical body that we call the church, to … [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...]