Sermons
From Tiny to Tremendous
As parents, volunteers, neighbours, workers in God’s garden, we do the best we can. We scatter our hours, our words, our deeds of kindness and support and encouragement, trusting that they will fall into the good soil of God’s providence and lead to good growth. But we cannot control that. These parables do not... Read More
Holy, Holy, Holy
“Terry Fox taught us that life is a victory, but you don't always win,” writes former moderator Peter Short. When the ugly threat of cancer loomed over Terry’s life, the holy God loomed yet larger and put his fears in perspective. And it was then that Terry heard a call from the holy God saying, “whom shall I... Read More
Spirit of Truth
Sometimes people understand faith in a narrow way, as if to have faith in God means to reject science or other religions or what other people believe to be true. But faith in God cannot mean the rejection of any truth from any source. Because any God worthy of the name, any God who is the creative source of all... Read More
Seeking Security
Martin Luther, the great German reformer, was once asked what he would do if heknew without a doubt that the world would end the next day. “I would plant atree,” he said. To plant a tree when the world is convinced there is no tomorrow isthe greatest act of hope. In the midst of anxieties and worries about the... Read More
Waiting for God
Many people think of prayer as talking to God, but the image of waiting for God suggests that we ought rather to think of prayer primarily as listening, patiently, for God's leading to become clear. Many in our time are realizing that this posture of attentive waiting for the leading of the Spirit is absolutely... Read More
Easter and Earth Day
Earth Day is the recognition that just as individuals can lose their way in violence and addictions, so also societies can lose their way. We are addicted to unsustainable patterns of living and we need to learn anew how to live with respect in creation. The good news which the church brings to Earth Day is that... Read More
Living Beyond Fear and Doubt
A person who feels no fear, ever, is a foolish person. A healthy fear of traffic, for example, teaches us to look both ways before we cross the street. A healthy fear of gravity teaches you to acquire certain skills before you point your skis or your board down a steep hill. But without pushing the boundaries of... Read More
Easter Stories: Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr.
It was 50 years ago this past week that Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot by a sniper while helping organize a non-violent direct action campaign in Memphis, Tennessee. He once said that Christians are supposed to be thermostats rather than thermometers. Thermometers simply adapt to the temperature of the room, but... Read More
Not in Vain!
On that first Good Friday, Jesus’ life seemed to have been in vain. The powers of fear and death had done their worst. He had died a shameful death. But Friday is not the end of the story and the power of fear did not have the last word. On Good Friday, all of his work and teaching and healing seemed to have been... Read More
Transforming the Agony of the World
Jesus on the cross is a powerful symbol of the agony of the world: the suffering of women in restrictive cultures, the suffering of children forced to become child soldiers, child prostitutes or child laborers, the suffering of men working in appalling conditions; the suffering of animals raised in inhumane... Read More