Today’s suggested reading from the Book of Deuteronomy invites us to hear instructions about an old tradition that stretches far back in the history of the Jewish faith, which was meant to accompany a time of harvest celebration. It is an interesting passage for us to read on this particular Sunday […]
Living in the tension between justice and forgiveness. For the last few years I have been doing my Mom’s tax return. She is ninety-nine years old and is now living in a Long Term Care facility. Her income is quite small. She has some pension income and some returns on her […]
Today is Ash Wednesday. As most of you know – by virtue of the fact that you are here – Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent, which is a forty day period that will lead us into the remembrance of Christ’s crucifixion on Good Friday and the celebration of […]
Today’s reading invites us to hear a rather difficult invitation to Christian discipleship, juxtaposed with a story about a glorious spiritual experience on the mount of the Transfiguration. The two stories are laid side by side in the Gospel of Matthew, which is interesting in light of the profoundly different visions that they contain. […]
What we believe matters. Christian spirituality is, at its very core, a belief system, a system of faith which is based upon certain assertions about truth and about reality. From the very earliest days of the Christian tradition, our ancestors have sought to discuss, and debate, and wrestle towards a clear […]
In 1992, I stood on the Birchenough Bridge over the Save River in Manicaland in Zimbabwe. Usually when you look down from the bridge you will see a broad expanse of water in one of the large rivers that flows from the interior of the African continent toward the Indian Ocean. But in 1992, […]
The Bible contains many accounts of people being called into the service of God. These passages, which biblical commentators often refer to as “call narratives” not only offer insights into the spiritual experiences of the characters described, but also bear a lasting relevance for each one of us, in the living of our […]
Today’s reading from the 13th chapter of the First Letter to the Corinthians contains some of the most beautiful words in all of Scripture, and likely some of the most beautiful words ever written. In many ways, there are no words that need to be added to this passage about the nature of love. […]
It is hard to imagine a reading that is more relevant to this worship service, today, than today’s suggested reading from 1 Corinthians 12. In light of the fact that we follow the suggested readings in the Revised Common Lectionary, I can take no credit for this worth noting nonetheless. The passage offers […]
Introduction to the Scripture Readings The colours in the chancel have changed from white to green. That indicates that we are moving from the feast days of Christmas and Epiphany to what is usually termed, “Ordinary Time”. There are several weeks of “Ordinary Time” now until we reach Lent and then a lot […]
