Today is the last day of April, 2026. I have nine more Sundays left before I retire on June 28th. Last night I attended the April Church Council Meeting. I only have two more such meetings left before the Council takes a leave for the summer and resumes in the fall with their new minister. As I write this I am aware that I am feeling a mixture of relief and sadness. I am relieved that my time here as your minister is coming to a close. I have been in this role far longe

Thanks to Rob McPhee, our 50th Anniversary Book is now published and being distributed. Looking back over the last 50 years, 1976 – 2026, evoked a myriad of wonderful stories and memories. The scripture reading for this coming Sunday describes the early church as a community where everyone shared whatever they had, and none went without. It reminded me of some of the old hippie communes back in the 60’s and 70’s where a large home or farm was shared by many people and all

I am writing these Ponderings on April 15 th , and there is a skiff of fresh snow on the ground. Our niece sent us pictures of a recent visit her family made to Butchart Gardens near Victoria. The sun was shining, the flowers were blooming and spring was clearly in the air. This time of year a part of me longs for the resurrection of spring. Yet on the Prairies, including in Edmonton, I am always amazed that when it rains or even when it snows, people often say, “Well, yo

Mother’s Day is this coming Sunday and it is always a challenge for a minister and/or for a church to decide how to deal with this day. When I grew up in the church, mothers always received recognition and sometimes a flower on Mother’s Day. But over the years traditions have shifted and changed. This happened partly because some people had horrible, even abusive mothers, or mothers who abandoned them. It is hard to pretend that all mothers are the source of comfort, love

The psalmist proclaims, "There may be tears for the night, but joy comes in the morning." In many ways this passage reflects our Holy Week journey. Today, Maundy Thursday, we remember Jesus celebrating Passover, and what we now call the Last Supper, with his disciples in which he predicts that one will betray him. They then go out where Jesus enters into agonizing prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. On Friday we remember Jesus' crucifixion, death and burial. Thursday and Frid

Holy Week is approaching. Following Palm Sunday, this Sunday, we will launch into a week of contemplation and reflection which includes the remembering the Last Supper on Maundy Thursday and the Crucifixion on Good Friday. During Holy Week this year we will have the opportunity to walk the Labyrinth in the sanctuary beginning Monday, March 30 th . The Labyrinth will be open through Thursday from 10:00 – 4:00. On April 3 rd , Good Friday, we will have a brief Good Friday Se

Tomorrow, March 20 th , is the first day of spring. It just might be my perception, but it feels like this winter has been exceedingly harsh with cold temperatures; snow, snow and more snow; and ice so pervasive that parking lots are turning into skating rinks. So on the eve of the return of spring, I am reminded of these words from a familiar hymn written by Natalie Sleeth: In the bulb there is a flower In the seed an apple tree, In cocoons a hidden promise: Butterflies wil

Traditionally Lent is a season of soul searching, an opportunity to take an honest look at one’s self and identify both one’s strengths and weaknesses. As a clinical educator I observed that growth and change come when someone makes a mistake or experiences a failure, reflects on what they did, and explore what they could do differently. Refusal to recognize and admit a mistake and reflect on one’s experience stunts growth and limits one’s ability to change. It also keeps