Text: Luke 5:1, 5-8 (Jesus sends out the twelve) Video of part of the service * Order of service The year 2020 is marked by three related crises — a global pandemic, an economic collapse, and a leadership vacuum. Within these crises I see both promise and peril. I believe their resolution could catapult the … [Read more…]
Texts: “To Begin With, the Sweet Grass” by Mary Oliver * 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 (gifts of the Spirit) Video of the complete service * Order of service Saturday is a holiday in the United States. Every July 4th, Americans celebrate the Declaration of Independence of 1776. This year, July 4 might be a painful one for Americans. … [Read more…]
Text: Matthew 15:21-28 (Jesus and a Canaanite woman) Video of complete service* Order of service During the past month of world-wide uprisings against racist police violence, personal realities have presented a challenge for me to understand the feelings being expressed, perhaps because of the positions of privilege I embody. I am a white, male, straight, cis-gendered, … [Read more…]
Texts: “Pandemic as portal” by Arundhati Roy * Luke 4:14-19 (Jesus proclaims Jubilee) Video of complete service * Order of service Today I begin with three of the most challenging questions I can imagine. Could the world rid itself of nuclear weapons? Is there a way to find new homes for the worlds 70 million+ … [Read more…]
Text: 1 Corinthians 12:4-14 (one body, one spirit) Video of the service * Order of service One of the highlights of my first year at Mill Woods United was the Pride Parade on June 7, 2014. When I lived in Toronto, I had gone to the Pride Parade a few times over the years as … [Read more…]
Recently, I’ve come across several commentaries that compare today’s uprising in the United States against police brutality and anti-black racism with the political turmoil there in 1968. In 1968, I was 11 years old, and I remember attending a worship service at Knox United Church in Cornwall Ontario led by the “High C” youth group. … [Read more…]
Texts: John 7:37-39 (living water) * Acts 2:1-12 (the Day of Pentecost) Video of the complete service * Order of service Have you expanded your bubble since May 14 when Alberta relaxed physical distancing restrictions? Ten days ago, I had a chiropractic appointment. Last week, I got my hair cut. More and more, I am … [Read more…]
Text: 1 Samuel 8 (Israel demands a king) Video of complete service * Order of service In September 1962 when I entered kindergarten, I did so as a subject of the British Empire. In the staunchly United Empire Loyalist city of Cornwall Ontario, my elementary school seemed entirely British. Every classroom contained a world map … [Read more…]
Text: John 14:15-21 (the Spirit of Truth) Video of the complete service * Order of service In today’s Gospel story, Jesus tells his friends that the world will not accept the Spirit of Truth God will send to them. But isn’t truth a universal value; and doesn’t everyone want to understand reality? So, why does … [Read more…]
On May 14, both Alberta and New Zealand will move to the next and less stringent stage of physical distancing in the fight against COVID-19. New Zealand has more people than Alberta (almost 5 million to our 4.4 million), but unlike Alberta, it is now almost free of coronavirus. As of this writing, 74 people … [Read more…]