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Category Archives: lectionary reflection
Who is the greatest?
Because I am no greater than my enemy; I am no more beloved of God than my neighbour; I am created no closer to the image of God than the face that I love the least. Continue reading
Posted in lectionary reflection, sermon
Tagged child, greatness, Mark 9:30-37, Psalm 54, vengeance
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Opportunist
Robin alighted as soon as I mowed the first swathe of grass, an aspiring scavenger sifting the cuttings for prey. Undeterred by the turning blade, it tilted an eye as though to say, we are not so different, you and … Continue reading
Posted in lectionary reflection, poetry, sermon preparation
Tagged greatest, greatness, Mark 9:30-37, Year B Proper 20
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But who do you say that I am?
This poem was first published at the Episcopal Cafe When Christ confronted the demons, they cried outin loud voices and with forked tongues,“We know who you are, Holy One, Son of God,hope of the nations and light of the world!”And … Continue reading
A sustaining hope
The interventions of God, strength for the journey, can come from humans sweating over laboratory test tubes as easily and as often as angels baking on hot stones. Continue reading
Posted in current events, lectionary reflection, sermon
Tagged 1 Kings 19, Bread of Life, COVID-19, Elijah, gun violence, Jesus, John 6:35
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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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over the water 