Texts: Romans 8:22-27 (the intercession of the Spirit) * Acts 2:1-21 (the Day of Pentecost) * Order of service (PDF) * Video of complete service Can you feel it? It’s a new spirit of hope, which I perceive blowing across the country. Last week, Canada passed the threshold of 50% of the population having received a … [Read more…]
Texts: 1 John 4:7-21 (God is love) * John 15:1-8 (the vine and branches) * Video of the complete service * Order of service (PDF) This year, Mother’s Day feels different to me because Kim’s daughter Katrina is due to give birth to our first grandchild next month; and so this year, Kim and I … [Read more…]
Texts: Psalm 23 (The Lord’s My Shepherd) * John 10:10-18 (the Good Shepherd) * Video of the complete service One week ago, on April 25th, more than 75,000 fans crowded into the Melbourne Cricket Ground for an Australian Rules Football game. It was the biggest crowd to attend a sporting event anywhere in the world … [Read more…]
Texts: Nine poems * Video of complete service * Order of service (PDF) Preamble to Worship Today is the third of three Sundays in which I reflect on using poetry to help us relate to the Season of Easter. I also use it as occasion to honour Earth Day, which, for the 51st time, was celebrated this past … [Read more…]
Texts: John 20:1-18 (Mary in the Garden) * “Thank God for the poets” by Margaret Renkl * Video of the complete service * Order of service (PDF) When I hear John’s account of Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb, the song “In the Garden” comes to my mind: I come to the garden alone, / while the … [Read more…]
Text: Mark 16 (the empty tomb) * Video of complete service * Order of service (PDF) On Thursday evening, Kim and I drove downtown to enjoy one of the Edmonton Spark installations. Perhaps you have seen photos of them. One called Fantastic Planet is a group of huge inflatable figures in Churchill Square. Another involves three large sculptures … [Read more…]
On April 2, 2021, twenty of us gathered on Zoom to mark Good Friday. Below are some of my remarks and my Reflection — Ian * Video of the Zoom gathering Welcome Good morning and welcome to this Good Friday service. My name is Rev. Ian Kellogg; and I am the minister of Mill Woods … [Read more…]
Texts: “I Am the Rain” by Avijeet Das * Mark 9:38-41 (“Whoever is not against us is for us”) Video of complete service * Order of service Today on P.I.E. Day, we are focusing on Mill Woods United’s status as an Affirming community, one that welcomes people from sexual and gender minorities. There are many reasons for … [Read more…]
Texts: Mark 3:20-21, 31-35 (“Who is my mother?”) * “Revolutionary love” by Valarie Kaur Video of the complete service * Order of service The word “family” refers not only to our biological relatives. Our work colleagues sometimes come to feel like a family. Our school friends may become more of a family to us, at least for … [Read more…]
Texts: Mark 9:2-9 (the Transfiguration) * “Fear” by Kahil Gibran Video of complete service * Order of service Dreams sometimes seem to contain important messages. The difficult part is interpreting them. For example, does the appearance of a grandparent in a dream point to one’s attachment to family traditions; to a desire to move beyond those traditions; … [Read more…]