Who’s in and who’s out? Any introductory course in Sociology or Psychology will tell you about “In groups” that exist in every society. Those who fit in a variety of different categories – race, culture, gender, age, class or religion – are in and those who do not fit are out. You could read about it in a textbook, or you could […]
Do you know Joseph? He’s the youngest child by quite a few years, almost a different generation from his oldest siblings. He is the child of his father’s later years and he is doted upon. Some people would say spoiled . . . rotten. Unlike his many siblings, he can do nothing wrong. Everything he does is the […]
The life of Jacob was — from the very beginning – marked with struggle, with challenge, and often with profound moral ambiguity. Born to Isaac and Rebekah, the second-born of a set of twin boys, the first thing that we learn about him was that he was already contending with his brother Esau while […]
“We know that all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose.” Today’s suggested reading from the eighth chapter of Romans contains one of the most comforting claims in all of Scripture – the claim that regardless of what happens to us in our […]
Today’s suggested reading from the eighth chapter of Romans invites us to catch sight of Paul’s vision of reality. And what he saw was not always beautiful and pleasant. Rather, the passage wrestles with a difficult dilemma that Paul confronted, and that people of faith have had to confront through the […]
Today’s suggested reading from the Gospel of Matthew invites us to hear the story of the sower who goes out to plant seeds, and how the seeds fare in relation to the types of soil upon which they were scattered. Although it is a fairly straightforward story, we should all be somewhat grateful that […]
So, what are your strengths and weaknesses? In my early twenties, during my studies at seminary, I was the director of a summer camp up in the Muskokas. Each spring, young people would apply to work as camp counsellors, and for many of them, the application process was one of their first opportunities […]
Yesterday, we celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Confederation of Canada. And though the celebrations have not been free of spectacle and controversy – from the ridiculous, such as the price of a large rubber duck; to the more serious, including whether our focus should be on 150 years of history, or on […]
Last week, Rev. Faris invited us to focus our reflections on the laughter of Sarah when she overheard the news that she was going to become pregnant, even though she was well into her nineties. Her reaction to that seemingly absurd declaration wove an unexpected note of grace into an otherwise serious narrative, and […]
“You laughed. “ “No, I didn’t.??? “Yes you did.??? “I did not.??? “Well, maybe I did??? Sarah, listening behind the flap of the tent to what the three strange visitors were saying to her husband Abraham. They had done everything that was required to fulfill the etiquette of hospitality in the ancient world. Of course […]
