Sermon Archive

A reflection for Palm/Passion Sunday Growing up, I have to admit I always looked forward to Palm Sunday… quite often because we did make a big deal about it at church. The congregations that I was a part of weren’t necessarily that big on the various days of the church year, but Palm Sunday was certainly one of the big ones. Hosanna, Loud Hosanna, the Little Children Sang! All Glory Laud and Honour, to thee redeemer king, for whom the lips of children, their sweet hosanna’s ring… it was largely a day that seemed to be tailor made for children. In celebrating the joyful triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, it was very much a part of that whole parade mentality. I have to say that I enjoyed it! Who wouldn’t? Everyone loves to be part of parade… But as I grew older, I began to realize how misplaced all of this joy and celebration was. After all, if Easter was the real celebration, and Good Friday was between now and then, then why all of this celebration and palm-branch waving? I beg...

(Claiming your Spiritual Style Part 2) Philippians 3:4b-14 I think perhaps one of the most dangerous things in life is the human tendency to rest on our laurels. We can learn and accomplish great things, but then once we’re there we get comfortable, with where we are at… and we coast… spending the rest of our time trying to re-live or re-capture that glory. We often see this in the entertainment industry, most tragically with individuals who become stars in their childhood or teenage years. They reach great heights of popularity and success in the early years of their life, but are not well equipped to be able to handle the real-life consequences when their time in the sun fades. It’s been in the news recently, but it’s nothing new. Even the Little Rascals had their struggles when they grew up, several of them died well before their time in tragic circumstances, and they pre-date all of us! It happens in churches too… you’ve likely heard me tell the story of one church that I worked in...

Text: Luke 15:1-3; 11b-32 There are some stories that become so familiar to us, so common that they begin to lose their impact. In some ways I prefer preaching on the lesser known stories in the Bible, because it is much easier to bring out something that people have never heard before. Yet when it is a story that we’ve all heard, and we’ve all known, it becomes much more difficult to draw out something new. Or at least that’s what we tell ourselves. We know the story. We’ve heard it a thousand times. How can we actually learn anything new from it? The parable of the prodigal son is a class example of this sort of thing. Even today, where Biblical stories have faded into the background in mainstream culture, people know the basic story line of a wayward son who finds his way home. We look to the change that happened in this person who has come back as the virtue in this story. When we do a so-called direct application, we look at all those people who have “fallen away” folding our arms...

Text: Ref. to Isaiah 55:1-9 While we are now three Sundays into the Season of Lent, my practice for the past two years has been to focus on some aspect of our Spirituality. Last year, it was an exploration of the book of Ecclesiastes, and how the teacher’s wisdom and insights on God can be a means for us to enjoy life as a gift from God. The year before that, I preached on “healthy spirituality,” before we even knew that officially as a congregation it would need our attention in the coming years. It seems appropriate to take another shot at this theme, but with a few more practical tools. After all, the Season of Lent is a time for us to take stock of our faith, to spend some extra time and reflection on our relationship with God. It’s nice in a general sense, but in many respects, we really have no idea where to start. It’s not as simple as picking up a devotional guide, or starting to read the Bible at Genesis 1:1. Although for some people it might be a great place to work from. So...

Luke: 4:1-13 Firstly I want to say a special thank you to everyone who has joined us today in worship, as well as everyone who participated in this morning’s pancake breakfast. I’m grateful to Andrew in his assistance in the service today, especially for taking on so much, and being willing to step in to help in the event that my voice cuts out on me. I still wish to offer a short reflection because of how important Scouting has become to the life of this congregation. It has helped us re-connect with the life of the community in a way that I don’t think all of us fully understand. I hope and pray that this relationship continues because we are all better for it. For the past number of years, Baden-Powell Sunday has landed on Transfiguration Sunday. It has been a story that has worked well, about mountaintop experiences, about how they can prepare us for life out in the real world. However, because Lent and Easter move around from year to year, we celebrate Scouting and Guiding in Cana...

Luke 9:28-36 I remember that I once remarked rather flippantly that I could preach a sermon on the Transfiguration in my sleep. I have to admit that I really regret describing it that way… because it gives the implication that the text itself is boring and has nothing to offer. Nothing could be farther from the truth… I think I made the remark because in many ways this Biblical story preaches itself because of how the action unfolds. It is a powerful story, and with it being Transfiguration Sunday, it is always appropriate before head into the Season of Lent. But today I also have a rather unique “problem” in that today is Valentine’s Day… or more appropriately from within these church walls, it should be Saint Valentine’s Day. It’s one of those rare occurrences where a day of celebration that once had a church connection now falls on a Sunday… but get this, St. Valentine’s Day hasn’t even been a major feast day for the Roman Catholic church since 1969… the year I was born. Part of the...

Texts: Isaiah 6:1-8; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11 There is a common theme that runs throughout many stories from the Bible for those who are called into a unique ministry… but it’s an uncomfortable one for us because it doesn’t paint a particularly rosy picture the people we regard as the pillars of our faith. Normally we think of the story where Jesus walks up to some fishermen at the seaside, and says to them “come, follow me, and I will have you fish for people!” –Fishers of Men as many of us were raised with. As Mark tells it, they immediately leave their nets behind and follow Jesus. But Mark’s telling of the story is the rare exception, it is not the rule. What is far more typical is what we hear in all of the scripture readings we heard this morning. In every reading, including even the Psalm, there is a reluctance to follow God’s call… in all three of the readings there is this near-despair from ordinary people who realize that God is not only looking at them, but is call...