Sermon Archive

Text : John 8:31-36 I have been finding through the Bible for Dummies course that we have been doing that those who come really appreciate the work that I’ve been doing to give the historical background as to how the Bible came together… as well as where each book finds itself located in history. This is more than just a “when was it written” kind of approach, but understanding the events that were going on when a particular book or section of the Bible, and how they addressed those events… If anything the Bible makes far more sense when we really get a feel for what both the people of Israel experienced through the Hebrew Bible, as well as the genuine struggles that the early church faced. Even so, it would be a mistake for us to think that those experiences and struggles ended in the early 2nd century. After all, it may surprise you to learn that the Creeds that we say around Baptism and Communion you won’t find anywhere in the Bible. Why? Because they came later… when the church fac...

Text : John 8:31-36 I have been finding through the Bible for Dummies course that we have been doing that those who come really appreciate the work that I’ve been doing to give the historical background as to how the Bible came together… as well as where each book finds itself located in history. This is more than just a “when was it written” kind of approach, but understanding the events that were going on when a particular book or section of the Bible, and how they addressed those events… If anything the Bible makes far more sense when we really get a feel for what both the people of Israel experienced through the Hebrew Bible, as well as the genuine struggles that the early church faced. Even so, it would be a mistake for us to think that those experiences and struggles ended in the early 2nd century. After all, it may surprise you to learn that the Creeds that we say around Baptism and Communion you won’t find anywhere in the Bible. Why? Because they came later… when the church fac...

Texts: Mark 10:35-45 At some point early on in my career, I stumbled across a saying that I try to take to heart every week when preparing sermons. It is a real caution, and a reminder of the responsibility that comes with this pulpit every week. The saying is quite simple, really… but its implications are far reaching. It goes something like this: “Beware of finding a Jesus that is entirely congenial to you.” In other words, be careful because there is a human tendency to want to see Jesus in a way that is entirely friendly to us. Although it’s far more than just a nice, safe Jesus who seems agree that everything we do is okay in God’s eyes... that somehow Jesus fits our image, our ideas, our thoughts as to what should be, and not the other way around. Perhaps it’s better to say, beware of finding the Jesus you want to find. It has been a struggle for a very long time… wanting to essentially create or shape God in our image, instead of the other way around. One of the most frequent ch...

Text: Matthew 6:25-34 Thanksgiving Sunday 2009 Sometimes there are certain passages from the Bible that it seems nearly pointless to write a sermon on because on the surface they seem so self-explanatory. I look at the passage, my keyboard, and the screen and I wonder to myself as to how to make this sound any more relevant than it already is. On Thanksgiving Sunday, we shift gears away from the Gospel of Mark over to Matthew, who offers a very timely and very wise reflection on worry. It may seem a little strange to be talking about worry on Thanksgiving weekend, but at the same time I think the timing is very apt. It seems to be really out of place. After all, with all of the big family dinners going on, there’s so much to be done, so much to be put in place and so much more to do… and Jesus is telling us to not to worry about it? But then again, maybe that’s the idea. These days worry is what dominates our life… anxieties about trying to keep up with all the work that we need to do,...

Text: Mark 10:13-16 Two weeks ago I talked a bit about anticipating my daughter’s first full day at school. Megan was very excited, and consistently looks forward to the days in the week that she gets to go to school and learn. Initially I began asking her about how her day was, and she usually smiles and says “good.” –and that’s about it. I ask, “did you enjoy your day?” and she replies simply “Yeah.” –but getting her to volunteer more information is sometimes a bit of a challenge. It’s not that she hasn’t done a lot, but there’s often so much going on that she can’t really focus one thing or another. Not only that, because Sarah is the one who more often than not picks her up from school, she’s had a chance to talk about all the exciting things right then and there. It’s very immediate! Sarah also tipped me off that perhaps instead of asking her how her day was, to be more specific and ask what her favourite part of the day was. So I tried that, “What was the favourite part of your ...

The Millstone Award Text: Mark 9:38-50 There are occasionally certain texts and stories that come up in the Bible that us preacher types go to great length to avoid. Let’s be honest. They can be difficult sayings, hard stories, or accounts of ancient medical procedures that while interesting for some, might work better as a cure for insomnia for most. Among these readings are ones that are so jarring, so strange, that to simply read them without preaching on them would likely leave everyone scratching their heads. Today is one of those days where one of those hard readings has come up, and really won’t let go… I also find the timing rather interesting… Starting on Wednesday night, I’m leading a series of stand alone studies as an introduction to the Bible. Each night will be a different theme, doing what is essentially a broad overview on what the Bible is, how it has made an impact on society, who them major characters are, languages and translations… At the request of a few people, I...

Text: Mark 9:30-37 As most of you know by now my daughter started school this month for the first time. Tomorrow she actually begins attending classes all day on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Alternating Fridays. Over the past week, they have been doing what they call “graduated entry.” We talked with her new teacher. We saw the classroom, while a teaching assistant asked Megan to play with a number of different things. Being the son of teachers, it was obvious that they were trying to figure out where Megan is developmentally… but to Megan, she was just having fun. Our teacher shared with us that much of the early part of the school year is simply getting the children used to the routine. Not the least of this is the whole idea of lining up… waiting one’s turn… A lot of this stuff we tend to take for granted, but in order for the class to work, these basic skills are needed from the get go. It’s amazing how quickly we forget. Maybe because as adults we look patronizingly ...