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Category Archives: lectionary reflection
The faithful shepherd
The Incarnation of Christ is the certainty that God has experienced and undergone all that drags us down into that valley. God is with us in its depths, with rod and staff, the faithful shepherd. Continue reading
Posted in homily, lectionary reflection, sermon
Tagged consolation, depression, Good Shepherd, grief, Psalm 23
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A red, white, and blue sermon
Might we be just a little afraid of what might happen if we allow ourselves truly to be changed, converted, transformed by the grace of our Saviour, Jesus Christ? Are we just a little concerned about going against the flow of popular culture, painting with a different brush, suggesting that mercy is greater than might and love more lasting than power; that even the great and the wise need repentance? Are we afraid to trade in our red, and blue, and whiteness for something in a soft velour? Continue reading
Posted in current events, lectionary reflection, sermon
Tagged discipleship, Ezekiel 2:5, Independence Day, interdependence, July 4, Mark 6:1-13, Matthew 18:1-4
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Do not invite death
We are not made in anyone’s image but God’s. We are not made for the corruption of death but for the covenant of life. Jesus does not love death or bloodshed – but Jesus loves us. Knowing this, how can we not consider turning from death to life; to pour out healing without counting the cost; to withhold death and restore relationship wherever it is possible; to deny the devil’s envy and replace it with love? Continue reading
Posted in lectionary reflection, sermon
Tagged death, death penalty, gun violence, Jesus, life, Mark 5:21-43, Wisdom of Solomon
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Stormy weather
This is our faith: that Jesus Christ is the very Word and Wisdom and embodiment of God; that he is known to us still, in the breaking of the Bread and in the prayers; that he cares for us still, through the storms and their aftermath; that he is our safe harbour, and our home. Continue reading
Gardening with God
It is only by God’s gracious provision that creation produces within itself shelter for the birds, food for the hungry, growth for the seed, awakening for the earth; and yet God graciously partners with us to nurture the soil, to spread the germ, to discover, to harvest, to share the gifts of the Creator. Continue reading
The dry bones
They must have been famished,that bunch of bones shrugged together,flesh and sinew awaiting breath.How long had they been fasting in the dust? They were surely parched;their skin must have sagged,their steps dragged – how manycalories does resurrection burn, anyway? Did … Continue reading
Posted in lectionary reflection, poetry, sermon preparation
Tagged creation, Ezekiel 37:1-14, Pentecost, Resurrection, Valley of Dry Bones
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“Let anyone accept this who can.”
How we talk about one another matters. Loving our neighbours matters. Bringing life, extending resurrection, matters. Recognizing the image of God, infinite in its diversity and indivisible in each person into whom God has breathed life, including you, including me: this is part of loving the God who has so loved us. In those whose bodies, lives, families, or identities most differ from our own, there it is that we see most clearly the breadth and expansiveness of God’s embrace. Continue reading
Let justice roll like a river; still waters can wait
There is no way of praying Psalm 23 truthfully, honestly, lovingly, in this time and place that does not acknowledge that there are no still waters, there can be no resting in meadows, when violence threatens to break in at any moment. There is no peace while injustice holds sway anywhere among us. Continue reading
How I discovered that I have no sense of smell
if my devotions appear lacking or incomplete,
charge it I pray to my imperfect property,
and not to my intent. Continue reading
Posted in Holy Days, lectionary reflection, meditation, poetry, prayer
Tagged Holy Week, John 12:1-11, Mary of Bethany
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Bronze serpents and steel needles
The people found their way into the snake-infested territory through impatience, selfish grumbling, ingratitude against God, and concern each for their own comfort over the salvation of the whole people from slavery. As long as each person sat in their own poison, death pursued them. But when they looked to the sign that God had given them of hope and of mercy, they were made better, and not only as individuals, but the community recovered, and they were able to move on from that place. Continue reading
Posted in current events, homily, lectionary reflection, sermon
Tagged COVID-19, foetal stem cells, John 3:14-17, Moses, Numbers 21:4-9, vaccinations
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