Text: John 20:1-18 (the empty tomb) Easter, resurrection, and Jesus all featured prominently in the Edmonton Journal last Tuesday. Paula Simons’ front-page column wasn’t about Jesus of Nazareth, though. It was about McJesus, otherwise known as Connor McDavid, the captain of the Edmonton Oilers. Simons’ column suggested that in Edmonton this spring, resurrection hope lies … [Read more…]
Text: John 11;1-45 (Jesus raises Lazarus) Why does Jesus weep as he approaches the tomb of Lazarus? As John tells the story, Jesus is going to bring Lazarus back to life. So why weep? Perhaps Jesus weeps in sympathy with Mary and Martha, the sisters of his dead friend Lazarus. Perhaps he weeps for the … [Read more…]
Text: John 9:1-41 (Jesus heals a blind man) Light can lead to enlightenment; and so light is central to healing. In today’s reading, Jesus calls himself “the light of the world” before he heals a blind person. Like a person born blind, many of us live in darkness. Happily, the ups and downs of life … [Read more…]
Text: John 4:5-42 (Living Water) Who are we? How do we describe ourselves? And with whom or what do we identify? These are some of the questions that come to my mind after hearing today’s Gospel reading. In the reading, the author notes that a person who approaches Jesus is a Samaritan; she in turn … [Read more…]
Text: John 3:1-17 (born from above) “Who’ll walk me down to church when I’m sixty years of age / When the ragged dog they gave me has been ten years in the grave / And senorita play guitar, play it just for you / My rosary has broken and my beads have all slipped through.” … [Read more…]
Texts: Genesis 3 (“the Fall”); Matthew 4:1-11 (Jesus tempted in the desert) Last week, we marked the start of Lent in a couple of ways here at Mill Woods United Church. Yesterday after the Bread Run, a group of volunteers changed the tall banners at the front of the sanctuary from Epiphany Gold to Lenten … [Read more…]
Text: Matthew 17:1-9 (The Transfiguration) I was pleased when Bryan told me that he had chosen “And the Glory of the Lord” as the anthem for Transfiguration Sunday. It is the opening chorus of a well-loved piece of baroque music: “The Messiah” by George Frederick Handel. While it is from the Advent and Christmas section … [Read more…]
Context: a “Minister’s Reflection” submitted to the late February issue of “Connections,” the newsletter of Mill Woods United Church Love is our most sacred value. We worship the God who is Love. Our ministry is centrally about love. And one of the tasks of a minister is to allow themselves to be loved by a … [Read more…]
Text: Matthew 5:38-48 (love your enemies) Do you get the impression that the number of people seeing each other as enemies has grown lately? There seems to be a lot of fighting going on these days between opposing viewpoints — in the media, in the church, and on the streets. One of the news stories … [Read more…]
Texts: Micah 6:6-8 (justice, kindness, and humility); Matthew 5:1-20 (the Sermon on the Mount) What does the Lord require of us? In the first of today’s two readings from the Bible, Micah gives an answer: to seek justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God. Many of us value his answer for its clarity and … [Read more…]