This is the first time I have preached on angels. That seems odd because Scripture is full of angels—from the Garden of Eden to the Garden of Revelation. In the Hebrew Bible, angels appeared to the Patriarchs, to Moses, and to Joshua. They appear to Hagar in Genesis 16:9, to Lot in Genesis 19:1, and to Abraham in Genesis 22:11. They ascend... read further....
Today we celebrate Holy Cross Day.
You may have noticed that wearing a cross has become something of a fashion statement these days. Large, diamond encrusted or gold plated crosses adorn the outfits of many of today’s celebrities and sports stars. I don’t know about you, but I find it highly offensive to take the most sacred of Christian symbols and trivialize it as a showy piece of expensive jewellery. It seems to me that this fashion trend is rather indicative of the society and culture in which we find ourselves in modern day North America....read further
Jeremiah 18:1-11; Psalm 139: 1-5, 12-17; Philemon 1:1-21; Luke 14:25-33
Our Gospel today begins with some of Jesus’ most controversial words in the New Testament: “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.” Surely Jesus cannot mean that we cannot serve him without hating other people or the life that God gave us. ... Read further...
Jeremiah 2:4-13; Psalm 81:1, 10-16; Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16; Luke 14:1, 7-14
In today’s society, many people like to live out loud. Between Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat, there are a plethora of places to share one’s life. Generally, social media posts are positive and highlight only the greatest of accomplishments. People love to display pictures of wonderful, exclusive vacations, job promotions, and great social occasions. There are glimpses offered of ... read further...
Jeremiah 1:4-10; Psalm 71:1-6; Hebrews 12:18-29; Luke 13:10-17
Harvard Professor Hugh O’Doherty says that all conflict is about power and control, and in fact, a great deal of other human activity involves power and control in one way or another. Two of today’s scripture readings bear out this reality.
The gospel’s central issue focuses on the application of Sabbath rules – specifically whether it is forbidden to heal on the seventh day, the day of rest. Actually, ancient Sabbath .... read further...
Luke 12:32-40
We take up this week where we left off last week with Jesus speaking to the crowds concerning the love of God and the way to eternal life - a life that is both lived and prepared for here and now - and which extends – with greater blessings than we can imagine -- into the next life......read further
Hosea 11:1-11; Psalm 107:1-9, 43; Colossians 3:1-11; Luke 12:13-21
How many of you make a habit of reading the obituaries in the newspaper? The comedian George Burns once said: “I get up every morning and read the obituary column. If my name's not there, I eat breakfast.”......read further