February 15, 2026

Matthew 17:1-9

“From the Mountains to the Valleys and Beyond”

For all the years that I was serving as the minister at St. Andrew’s in Saskatoon, I kept up the tradition of my predecessors who liked to schedule the Presbyterian World Service & Development service on the last Sunday before the Season of Lent begins.

It made a certain amount of sense because our practice was to have our annual appeal for PWS&D during Lent, so just before the season began we would dedicate a Sunday to telling the stories of that ministry and encouraging folks to support it, just as we did a couple of weeks ago here at First Church.

However, the other reason that it was scheduled that way was because the ministers wanted to avoid preaching about the Transfiguration – the Gospel story that the lectionary always places on the last Sunday before Lent. I know, it’s kind of a strange story. When I announced the text we were going to be reading in Bible study earlier this week, at least one of our members let out a sigh, as if to say, “Not this one again!”

Jesus takes a few of his friends up to the top of a mountain. … Read more »

January 18, 2026

Psalm 40:1-11
1 Corinthians 1:1-9
John 1:29-42

“Safe Forever”

In our Wednesday Bible study meeting this week, we read and discussed the Gospel text. We talked about the earliest disciples of Jesus and how they came to know him, to believe that he was the one sent by God to be their teacher, leader, and saviour.

We noticed the people who were involved in their becoming Jesus’ followers – John, who pointed to the Messiah and essentially said, “That’s him!” Andrew, who met the Christ and then went to find his brother and bring him along. Jesus, who invited them to “come and see” to stay with him and get to know him.

And I found our conversation to be a little nostalgic. I found myself thinking about my parents who brought me to church, friends who shared their faith with me and taught me how to pray, and the gift of the Gospel texts themselves through which I get to spend time with Jesus, getting to know him, and to love him, and to learn his ways.

We marvelled at the fact that when Simon showed up, Jesus looked at him and already knew how Simon (soon to be renamed Peter) would become a servant leader … Read more »

December 21, 2025

Isaiah 7:10-16
Matthew 1:18-25

“What Was He Afraid Of?”

As I read through a bunch of commentaries on this morning’s Scripture readings, the thing that struck me is that we have two passages about men who are afraid and wondering what to do about a difficult situation in their lives.

The story that we’re more familiar with surrounds Mary’s husband, Joseph, who has to decide what to do when his wife is found to be pregnant by the Holy Spirit, before the two of them have even lived together in the same house. Probably the less familiar story is about King Ahaz who has to decide who to align himself with when his territory is under threat from powerful neighbours.

And you probably noticed that the two stories are linked by the fact that as the Gospel writer tells Joseph’s story, he quotes from the words of the Prophet Isaiah to King Ahaz: “Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son and shall name him Immanuel.”

So, let’s start with Ahaz’s story. Ahaz became the King of Judah around the year 732 BCE when he was 20 years old. He reigned for 16 years, died at the age of 36, and was … Read more »

December 7, 2025

Matthew 3:1-12

“Called to Conversion”

I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed that each of the three years in the lectionary cycle is focused on a different Gospel. Last year was Year C so we were reading lots of stories from the Gospel of Luke. And when we started into Year A last Sunday, we switched over to a focus on the Gospel of Matthew.

One of my favourite lectionary commentaries, the SALT Commentary, points out this week that “as we enter Matthew’s masterpiece, it’s worth remembering what sort of thing a ‘gospel’ is. Originally intended to be read aloud, Matthew is a kind of story-sermon meant to declare good news (gospel) in ways that provoke listeners to reflect, repent, believe, and serve the wider world… In short, a ‘gospel’ is a form of strategic storytelling that aims to change your life.”

Have you ever thought about the Gospels in that way before… that when you sit down to read a passage of Scripture that the goal of the author, or perhaps even the goal of the God who inspired their writing, is to change your life?

They’re not just trying to convey some historical information. They’re not just aimed at educating or entertaining those … Read more »

November 30, 2025

Isaiah 2:1-5
Romans 13:11-14
Matthew 24:36-44

“Ready Like Noah”

I know that I’ve shared with you before that the word “Advent” means “coming” or “arrival,” and that Bernard of Clairvaux, a twelfth-century abbot and theologian, wrote about “three Advents” that are each relevant to this season.

First of all, there is the Incarnation, the Birth of Jesus, the Advent at Christmas. That’s the one we probably think of first – with the four weeks of Advent being a time of waiting and preparation for Christ’s Nativity.

Another Advent is the Parousia, the anticipated Second Coming of Christ, the Advent at the end of the age, which is the subject of our Gospel text today.

And the “middle” Advent, the one in between these other two, is the everyday arrival of Jesus: the host at the table, the still small voice, the hungry mother, the weary migrant. We remember that Jesus comes to us again and again, calling us, inviting us to help repair the world, little by little.

You might have noticed that I focused more on that “middle” Advent when I was speaking to the children. We are invited to keep awake so that we can recognize Christ’s presence among us today, and we are invited to … Read more »

November 23, 2025

Jeremiah 23:1-6
Luke 1:68-79
Colossians 1:11-20
Luke 23:33-43

“A Deep Dive into Baptism”

Friends, it is Reign of Christ Sunday, and we have just welcomed a new covenant member into our congregation and into the family of God.

When I first started to prepare for this Sunday, I was fairly sure that the focus of my preaching would be on the passage from Colossians. I was thinking about Baptism as Belonging, and I loved the way that the letter to the Church at Collosae assured a community of early Christians of their place in the Kingdom of God.

The apostle proclaimed to them the good news that God had rescued them from the power of darkness and transferred them into the kingdom of his beloved Son. Although the passage doesn’t specifically mention baptism as the means through which the transfer takes place, that language of being “transferred” reminded me of our understanding that baptism is not something we do, but is the gracious action of God.

Although it looks like baptism is something that we do – pouring water, saying prayers, and choosing to participate in this ceremony for ourselves or for our children – the text from Colossians reminds us that when we are embraced by God’s … Read more »

November 16, 2025

Isaiah 65:17-25
Luke 21:5-19

“The World is About to Turn”

At our regular meeting of the Presbytery of Assiniboia yesterday, I began the devotional time by reading the children’s storybook, “God, I Feel Scared,” by Michelle Nietert and Tama Fortner. But before I started the story, I invited the gathered ministers and elders to think about what makes them feel scared.

We read about the fears of young children – things like wondering what will happen next, things like shadows creeping across a dark room or flashes of lightning. We were reminded of times when trying something new made us nervous, when a sick loved one caused us worry and anxiety, and what it felt like when we got lost.

As we read about how being scared feels, and the various ways that children respond to those feelings, I wondered how much the adults in our meeting might be able to relate to those feelings too. We might remember the butterflies in our stomachs, the shivers, the tears, or the anger. We might remember feeling frozen in place or wanting to run away. And I think that most of us have felt those things more recently than childhood.

When I invited the presbyters to share what … Read more »

November 9, 2025

Luke 20:27-38

“What Happens When You Die?”

The American late night show host, Stephen Colbert, likes to interview some of his celebrity guests using what he calls the “Colbert Questionnaire.” It’s a series of 15 questions that Colbert claims have been carefully designed to reveal the soul of the person. Just before the first question, he usually warns them “Prepare to be known.” And then he launches in with the first question which is “What is the best sandwich?”

Among the other questions, they’ll be asked “Dogs or cats?” “Apples or oranges?” “Window or aisle?” and “What’s your favourite action movie?” At the end, they’ll be asked to describe the rest of their life in 5 words, and that one is usually pretty revealing about their hopes, dreams, and values. But the question I’m always waiting for it this one: “What happens when you die?”

Stephen Colbert is a Christian, and he has his own convictions about the question, but I get the sense that he’s truly interested in hearing his guests’ perspectives on the question. And they’ve had answers ranging from “Your body decomposes in the ground,” to detailed metaphysical descriptions of spirits that live on in the universe.

But most people say things … Read more »

October 26, 2025

Joel 2:23-32; 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18; Luke 18:16-18

“God is Amazing!”

Singing: “I am amazing! I am filled with power! And God loves me like crazy! I am amazing!”

I can’t remember if I’ve shared that song with you before. About 15 years ago, that was the theme song that went along with the Bible study curriculum at Camp Christopher. I remember thinking that it was super fun, and kind of “over the top,” and I’ve kept singing it with the kids and camp and elsewhere in the years since.

But I notice that when I invite adults to sing that song, you sometimes like kind of uncomfortable. I think that some of you probably feel slightly awkward throwing your arms in the air and singing out loud about how amazing and wonderful you are.

I don’t think it’s that we are particularly shy or awkward people. Some might say that it’s because we are Presbyterians… very reserved and proper individuals…

But I wonder if, really, it’s awkward for us to sing “I am amazing” because we’ve been taught from a young age that we should be humble. We should not make ourselves the centre of attention. We should not be proud or brag about our … Read more »

October 19, 2025

2 Timothy 3:14 – 4:5
Luke 18:1-8

“Like a Tenacious Widow”

I’ve been thinking a lot about the young church leader, Timothy, since we’ve had a series of Scripture passages from the Apostle Paul’s 1st and 2nd letters to Timothy among our lectionary readings this Fall. I was wondering how young Timothy was, and what his ministry might have looked like, so I did a little research to find out more about him.

A few weeks ago, we noted that Timothy learned his faith from his mother and his grandmother. They would have been Jewish women who became Christians in the early years of the Jesus movement. Timothy was born and raised in Lystra, a city in Asia Minor that included both Jewish and Greek cultures. Interestingly, Timothy’s father was a Gentile – a Greek man who likely didn’t become a Christian.

Timothy was probably about 20 years old when he started working with Paul in the ministry of the early church around the year 50 CE. He accompanied Paul and Silas on their missionary journeys, delivered some of Paul’s letters to various churches, and he eventually became the first bishop of the Church in Ephesus.

By the time Paul was writing letters to Timothy from … Read more »

October 5, 2025

2 Timothy 1:1-14
Luke 17:5-10

“Pass It On”

We are at an exciting moment in our ministry together at First Church. The ordination of Sumi Jung and the expansion of her role to be our Minister for Youth and Families represents a bold commitment on the part of this congregation to nurture the faith of young people and pass on our faith to the coming generations.

When I think back just a few years to the Covid pandemic – when we couldn’t gather together for worship and other church programs. Our youth ministry stalled completely, and just a few of our children showed interest in gathering online for Sunday School classes. I wasn’t surprised, given that school was online at that time too. I don’t think any of us needed more Zooming in our lives!

But as we started to emerge from that difficult time in the world, people started coming back to church, and with the older generations, little children started to come as well. We re-started Sunday School classes, and soon added a second class to divide up the age groups a bit.

We started to explore intentionally intergenerational worship, and how to engage all ages in lively and accessible worship experiences. With the … Read more »

September 28, 2025

1 Timothy 6:6-19
Luke 16:19-31

“Our Motivation for Sharing”

On this Sunday when we are invited by The Presbyterian Church in Canada to highlight the ministries that we share through “Presbyterians Sharing,” the lectionary has helpfully provided two great texts about giving and sharing.

First, Taeyang read a passage from the Apostle Paul’s first letter to the young, Christian leader, Timothy. It’s full of good advice for Timothy regarding how to think about and deal with money, and that personal advice is supplemented with suggestions for Timothy’s preaching and teaching, especially his preaching to people who are rich.

Paul warns Timothy and his church members to avoid the love of money for their own good. He reminds them that they “brought nothing into the world” and they will “take nothing out of it,” so they should try to be content with food and clothing.

“The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil,” Paul warns. And we might think of the endless desire to have more and more that overshadows any sense of meaning or purpose in our lives, the injustice and oppression that results when our first priority is always our own comfort and wealth, and the brokenness in relationships that we … Read more »

September 21, 2025

Jeremiah 8:18 – 9:1
1 Timothy 2:1-7

“Starting with Lament”

I wonder if you noticed the immense grief and frustration of the Prophet Jeremiah in our first Scripture reading this morning. “My joy is gone; grief is upon me; my heart is sick,” he laments, “I am broken, I mourn, and horror has seized me.” And then he goes on to describe how his head is like a spring of water and his eyes like a fountain of tears because he is weeping day and night for his people.

This is why Jeremiah is often called “the weeping prophet,” because he lived in a time when God’s people were turning away, doing terrible things, and suffering the consequences of their sin – being conquered by Babylonian powers and being sent into exile. And Jeremiah, the young prophet appointed by God to speak the Word of the Lord to the people and call them back, is absolutely devastated by the fact that they are not responding in good way.

If you go back a little in the book, chapter 7 is an account of all the wrong things that the people are doing. It includes injustice, oppression of foreigners, orphans, and widows, shedding innocent blood, and … Read more »

September 14, 2025

1 Timothy 1:12-17
Luke 15:1-10

“Who Are You in the Story?”

Who are you in the story? Where do you place yourself in the parable? Which character can you relate to today?

Perhaps you can relate to the lost sheep… wandering alone and scared?… hoping for some help, some hope, for a strong and faithful shepherd to find you and carry you home to safety?

Do you feel like the lost coin?… obviously useful and valuable, but forgotten, hidden, over-looked, being passed by over and over?

Or do you relate most easily to the tax collectors and sinners who were coming near to listen to Jesus? You know that you’ve made some mistakes in your life. You’ve been far from perfect, and those close to you know it too… but you’ve been invited to listen to Jesus, to eat with him, and to learn from him. You feel accepted in his presence, and your history disappears into the background. You have discovered that to Jesus your life is as precious as a lost sheep to a shepherd or a lost silver coin to a woman who needs it.

If you can place yourself in the role of the lost sheep, or the lost coin, or the sinner … Read more »

August 31, 2025

Luke 14:1, 7-14

“Places of Honour”

This morning in the Gospel text, we encounter Jesus at a social gathering. The Gospel of Luke, in particular, tells about many times when Jesus participated in a meal with other people. You might think of the famous Last Supper that he shared with his disciples, or the other times he shared meals with his friends like Mary, Martha, and Lazarus.

Besides that, Jesus also became known as someone who sat down to eat with unpopular or outcast people – with tax collectors, prostitutes, and others who were rejected by society. And of course, there were some spectacular meals too – when Jesus took a few scraps of food and multiplied them to feed huge crowds of hungry people.

But today’s story is about a banquet that Jesus attended at the house of one of the leading Pharisees – an important religious leader. You might compare it to attending a formal event today, where you have to think carefully about what to wear, and which fork to use for which course of the meal.

The other thing that’s important to know is that in Jesus’ time, the Mediterranean world operated on a deeply ingrained honour-shame system. A person’s identity … Read more »

August 17, 2025

Hebrews 11:29 – 12:2
Luke 12:49-56

The Trouble With Jesus

In reflecting on today’s Gospel text, Jared Alcantara wrote this: “If a pollster walked around a major city with a film crew and asked strangers at random, ‘Why did Jesus come into the world?’ we can presume that none of the respondents would reply, ‘That’s easy. Jesus came into the world to bring fire upon it and cause division in it.’ If someone answered this way, the pollster might assume the person had misheard the question.”

But that is indeed what we hear Jesus saying in Luke 12: “I have come to cast fire upon the earth! I have come, not to bring peace, but division!” Oh my! It’s not quite what we’re used to hearing in church about love, kindness, caring, and peace. Isn’t peace supposed to be one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit? Wouldn’t Jesus bring peace into the world and into our hearts?

Certainly, peace is one of the gifts that we do hope to receive from our faith. When our lives are stressful and the future is uncertain, we come to church looking for hope and encouragement, hoping to find peace in the midst of the figurative storms around … Read more »

July 20, 2025

Amos 8:1-12
Colossians 1:15-28
Luke 10:38-42

“The Time is Now”

I love the way that the prophets of the Bible use such striking images to get their messages across. Amos is one of the prophets who was completely frustrated with the people of his time. They were taking advantage of the poor and cheating the needy ones who tried to buy food in the marketplace, and Amos was angry. More importantly, Amos knew that God was angry, and his job was to get that message across to the people. God was not going to put up with their greed, and cruelty, and injustice anymore!

So Amos talked about a basket of summer fruit. I mean, God gave Amos a vision of a basket of summer fruit. Our translation says it’s “summer fruit”, but others describe it as “ripe fruit” or even “rotten fruit” that has been sitting around too long and is starting to get overly soft, perhaps with fruit flies swarming around.

I would like to think that it’s not too late for these people to repent and change their ways, but Amos is pretty clear that their time to act and to change is running out. Maybe it’s just too late now. The damage … Read more »

July 6, 2025

Link to YouTube video of the full service from July 6, 2025

Galatians 6:1-16
Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

“The Reign of God is Near”

One of the first academic courses that I took on the Bible was at St. Paul University in Ottawa many years ago, and it was on the Gospel of Mark. I remember learning some interesting things about the earliest of the Gospels to be written, its unique style, and how it had influenced some of the other Gospels as they were being put together as well.

Perhaps the most important concept I learned in that course, however, was the concept of the “Kingdom of God” that Jesus was announcing in his ministry. It’s a big theme in Mark’s Gospel, and one that is picked up in Luke as well. Jesus proclaims that the Kingdom of God is near, and he describes it in parables as surprising, unexpected, wonderful, and so precious.

When I was making notes in my class on the Gospel of Mark, I was using the term so frequently that I started writing “K of G” as a shorthand for the “Kingdom of God.” All these years later, I’m more inclined to use the phrase “Reign of God” to avoid … Read more »

June 29, 2025

Galatians 5:1, 13-25
Luke 9:51-62

“Free to Follow”

The Gospel text this morning, in which Jesus and his disciples are out travelling in the towns and villages sharing the good news, prompted me to start thinking about the church’s mission. Like Jesus and his first followers, the church throughout history has tried to take up the call to tell the world about God’s love and to invite folks to follow Christ.

Certainly, there have been times and places where the Christian church was very committed and determined to spread the good news about Jesus Christ throughout the world to every nation, people, and culture. And that was great… but also not great.

Along with the message of God’s amazing grace and love for us in Jesus Christ came the subtle (and often not so subtle) message that white, European culture, spirituality, gender roles, and community norms were the only good and right way to live in the world. Christian missionaries contributed to the colonizing impulses of powerful nations, and in the process did great harm to Indigenous people, cultures, languages, and spiritualities throughout the world.

And, of course, you could go further back in history to find Christian crusaders who were literally giving people the choice … Read more »

June 22, 2025

1 Kings 19:1-15a
Luke 8:26-39

“Talking about Mental Wellbeing”

When I read the Scripture stories that were set for this Sunday in the Revised Common Lectionary, it was the mental anguish that stood out to me. Jesus met a man who was tormented by a legion of demons. In a Roman army at that time, a legion was 6000 soldiers – so we’re talking about thousands of demons tormenting this poor man – filling his mind with negative thoughts, taunting him with threats and misinformation, plaguing him with anxiety and fear, and keeping him from living a fruitful and happy life.

Although first century people described what they saw in this man as a legion of demons, in the millenia since that time, we’ve come to understand that not only our bodies, but also our minds can suffer illness and cause all kinds of mental anguish.

As a young adult, I had the opportunity to learn a little about mental health when I worked for a few years in a group home that supported folks living with these kinds of challenges. I learned a little about bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and OCD. And I started to recognize severe anxiety, depression, and manic episodes, as I worked … Read more »