Lenten practices can set this season apart from our normal routine. For some, this has been a time to address bad habits or start a new good habit. However, focusing in on our habits, especially those we are not proud of, can blur our understanding about why God Loves us and why Jesus came. God loves us absolutely and unconditionally, ...

Matthew 4: 1-11  The temptation of Jesus: Matthew’s account of the Temptation of Jesus is crisp and direct and loaded with Old Testament background as each of the passages Jesus quotes back to the devil come from Deuteronomy. Jewish readers of Matthew’s gospel would not have missed the theology here: Jesus is the New Israel who does in the wilderness ...

Exodus 24:12-18  and Matthew 17:1-9 Moses goes up the mountain to receive the ten commandments (actually 613 in total). While there, he encounters God in a strange manner. The “Glory of the Lord” comes upon him. In Hebrew, the word is Shekinah, meaning “The Light of God’s Presence.” The Shekinah so changed him that when he came down, his face ...

Colossians 2:16-18 & Philippians 3:8-14 “ I press on toward the goal to win the prize.” …. The very words of every Olympic contender! .. Did you see the opening ceremony Friday night?  Astounding… very moving. “I press on toward the goal to win the prize!” The apostle Paul uses a lot of athletic imagery to talk about Christian life. ...

Matthew 5: 1-12  The Beatitudes The Beatitudes or the Sermon on the Mount. Be attitude, a new attitude, Be of good Attitude Blessed, this was Jesus’ way of catching the attentions of his followers. They were used to being given laws, not happy. Jesus said Blessed, be happy. Jesus is saying be happy, the poor in spirit, they have room ...

Luke 4:14-21  Jesus reads from Isaiah, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. The Good News Jesus preached at the beginning of Luke, at the start of his public ministry, is a powerful message of social transformation. How can we communicate to others the dramatic dream God has for our world? How can we interest people in God’s dream? ...

Third Sunday after Epiphany Matthew 4:12-23      Jesus begins his ministry In this time of the year when the nights are still long, the Light of Christ continues shining in the midst of the shadows of night. Isaiah wrote of light shining in a time of tremendous fear. The psalmist writes of God being light and by that light bringing salvation ...

Isaiah 11:1-10,  Matthew 3:1-12 John the Baptist is a fascinating character. He dressed in strange clothing of camel hair, and ate locusts and honey. What a strange person to have been sent to prepare the way for Jesus and his teaching. Jesus came to invite us to prepare the way for God’s dream, a way that ultimately must begin within ...

Last Sunday was the First Sunday of Advent. Are you ready for the coming of the Christ Child? There are so many things to do. In many churches the Advent Wreath is is placed in front of the Congregation and each Sunday a candle is lit, Together, the four Advent candles represent a journey of hope, peace, joy and love, ...

Last Sunday was the Reign of Christ Sunday. We joined service with St.John’s United in Marathon and the guest Speaker was Melody Duncanson-Hales. She serves as Community of Faith Support Minister on the Canadian Shield Regional Council. Here is a portion of her Sunday message. “And is it true? The most tremendous tale of all, seen in a stained-glass windows ...

What are your biggest worries right now? What is your spiritual practice when you have fears and worries? God did not promise us a perfect life once we believe and are part of God’s people. Even as followers of Jesus, we will find ourselves in situations where our faith is tested by a world that pushes us into uncomfortable circumstances ...

A Remembrance Prayer: In a world of uncertainty, let us turn to God, who laid the foundation of the universe, whose infinite moral arc bends toward the side of justice. Let us pray to God who steadies us as we pray; Gracious God, on this day, we remember. We remember you as the Creator of the universe, who created us ...

O God, Our Help: at the Cenotaph: O God, our help in ages past, you are our hope in years to come. We gather today to remember the Canadians who paid with their lives – in world wars, in Korea, in Afghanistan, and on peace-keeping missions – for the freedom we enjoy. We give thanks for all the service people, ...

Scripture, Joel 2:23-32 and Luke 18:9-14 The passage from Joel contains with it images of pouring out, of overflowing, of abundance, and the  presence of God therein. Joel contains promises of God providing the abundance. 2 Timothy 4:6-8,16-18 evokes an image of finding both strength and God’s presence in the act of pouring oneself out, giving everything to God, holding ...

On Thanksgiving Sunday, we reflect on our blessings. No one needs to be reminded that we may have much to be grateful for or that others may be worse off than we are. The challenge in a life of faith is to translate the intellectual knowledge of what we should be doing  (ie. Giving thanks) into a spiritual and life-giving ...