“Nothing accursed will be found there anymore. But the throne of God and the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.” Revelation 22:3-4 The book of Revelation is in some serious need of image rehabilitation. If I ventured a guess, I would bet that the Book of Revelation doesn’t sit atop any of your lists as your favourite book of the Bible, probably not even close. It’s a book filled with cryptic imagery, with … [Read more...]
Jubilee Road – Sermon for Jan. 23 2022
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour." ~ Luke 4:18-19 One of the unfortunate realities of our modern society is the amount of debt each one of us carries around. In 2020 the average household debt in Canada rose to $1.71 for every dollar of disposable income, meaning that on … [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...]
O When the Saints – Sermon for All Saints 2021
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them” ~ Revelation 21:3 As someone who loved both medieval and church history throughout high school and university, the lives of Saints played a significant part in my education. Even a secular study of history cannot ignore the impact that ‘saints’ and their legends had on communities, the church and the course … [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...]
Kingdom Focus – Sermon for Sunday Sept. 26
"If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea.” ~ Mark 9:42 When I was a child my sisters and I loved Harry Potter. Well in fact my sisters really loved Harry Potter, but I couldn’t get into it when they first came out. By the time the fourth book came out, my sisters were deep into the world of wands and wizards and I finally took the plunge. … [Read more...]
Love Will Overcome – Sermon for Sunday Sept 19th
"Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me." ~ Mark 9:37 While we all want to find comfort and soothing words at the feet of Jesus, the reality there are times that he could make his disciples uncomfortable, and us along with them. Over the last two weeks, we have heard from the Gospel of Mark and Jesus’ frequent announcements of his impending torture, humiliation and death. Last week Peter had found it so … [Read more...]
For the sake of the Gospel – Sermon for September 12, 2021
“He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things." ~ Mark 8:32-33 This past summer my house was dominated by the Olympics. Morning and evening we would take our seats on the couch and take in whichever event happened to be on that day. As Canadians, we would obviously be rooting for our national … [Read more...]
Kingdom Breakthroughs – Sermon for September 5th
“Then he said to her, "For saying that, you may go--the demon has left your daughter." Mark 7:29 One of the great paradoxes of parenting is this: On the one hand, to be a good, kind, patient and loving person getting enough sleep and being well-rested is essential and on the other hand children, especially young children are exhausting, often interrupting your sleep and developed periods of rest. It is a good thing that God created humanity with the biological imperative to love and care for … [Read more...]
Pure of Heart – Sermon for August 29, 2021
"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...]