Text: Mark 1:21-46 (Jesus heals many people) Jesus heals. This is both a summary of the Gospel reading we just heard and a hope that many of us have when we are suffering. Today I reflect on what the phrase “Jesus heals” might mean. Unlike the people mentioned in today’s Gospel reading – a person … [Read more…]
Text: Exodus 3:1-5 (Moses and the burning bush) Have you ever encountered something so startling that it makes you stop in your tracks? When Moses passes by a burning bush that is not consumed, he stops, looks, and listens; and he hears a voice telling him that he is on holy ground. I imagine we … [Read more…]
Text: John 17:1, 2, 17-21 (“that all may be one”) The Anglican Church of Canada first floated the idea of uniting Canada’s Protestant churches in in 1885. In the decades that followed, five denominations discussed the idea, leading to the birth of the United Church of Canada. In 1925, Canada’s Methodist, Presbyterian and Congregationalist churches … [Read more…]
Text: Acts 17:22-31 (“an altar to an unknown god”) Why are there so many different religions? If there is only one God, why are there are so many different paths to the Divine? In today’s reading, Paul tackles the profusion of gods and goddesses in Athens. In the face of the pantheon of Greek and … [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: 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…]