Year: 2025

February 9, 2025

Isaiah 6:1-8
Psalm 138
Luke 5:1-11

“God’s Purpose for Us”

I am very often amazed by the ways that the Scriptures – the stories of God’s people thousands of years ago – still speak to us today. Whether we’re listening to one of Jesus’ timeless stories, like the Parable of the Prodigal Son, that was our focus at Messy Church yesterday… Or if we’re hearing a story about Jesus and his disciples or one of the old prophets like Isaiah… Regardless of the fact that they lived in a very different time and place, and had very different lives than we do today, still God speaks to us, guides us, and encourages us with these texts in the context where we live today.

For example, when we read the prayers of the psalmists, as we did today with Psalm 138, I am well aware that the troubles and worries that they were dealing with so long ago were not the same as mine. But when I hear about them feeling lowly, walking in the midst of trouble, and asking for protection against their enemies, I can relate.

Because we are living in troubling times as well. Like them, we may feel helpless against the powers of … Read more »

January 26, 2025 – Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

The following sermon was preached at an ecumenical service at Christ the King Roman Catholic Parish in Regina on Sunday, January 26, 2025 at 2:30 pm.

Thank you for the invitation to preach this afternoon at this special service for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. As was mentioned, I’m the minister at First Presbyterian Church here in Regina, and I’m currently also serving as the President of the Canadian Council of Churches.

I’ve been a Presbyterian representative on the CCC for almost 10 years. But long before I was connected with our national ecumenical body, I was involved in the work of the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism in Saskatoon. And the WPCU, celebrated in January every year, has always been on my agenda. It is a special time for Churches and Christians to come together in prayer and worship, to strengthen our relationships across denominations, and to encourage us towards greater unity, cooperation, and shared witness and mission throughout the year.

This year’s theme is quite unique. As always, we have a theme text and a title: “Do you believe this?” based on Jesus’ conversation with Martha of Bethany in the Gospel of John. But we also have a theme “Creed”, … Read more »

January 26, 2025

Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-7, 8-10
Luke 4:14-21

“Do Not Weep”

We are gathered together this morning to do something that God’s people have done for millenia. We have come together, as we do every week, to read aloud from God’s Word and to interpret it for one another. There are other things that we do in our worship. We sing, we pray, we share Sacraments, and we make offerings. But the central part of worship in our Reformed tradition is the reading and preaching of God’s Word.

The Scripture passages that we read aloud today included two stories about God’s people doing something similar. First, there was the text from the Book of Nehemiah. After the Exile in Babylon, as the Israelites were re-settling in Jerusalem and Judah, the people gathered together in the square before the Water Gate.

They hadn’t yet rebuilt the Temple, and yet it seemed important to gather and listen for God’s voice. They met in one of the busy gathering places, where everyone went in and out of the city to get water for their households.

Ezra, the priest and scribe, took out the Book of the Law of Moses, and began to read. He didn’t read three or four short passages … Read more »

January 19, 2025

Isaiah 62:1-5
Song of Solomon 8:6-7
John 2:1-11

“Love is Stronger than Death”

Marriage is the theme that connects the Scripture readings suggested in the lectionary for today. We just heard the well-known story of Jesus’ first miracle according to the Gospel of John, in which he turns water into wine to keep the celebration going at a wedding in Cana.

Before that, we joined in the song of the Psalmist who praised God for God’s faithfulness and steadfast love for God’s people. And we heard the prophet Isaiah’s description of God as a loving spouse who makes vows, delights in their partner, lives in faithfulness, and never abandons God’s beloved people.

A couple of weeks ago, I outlined the marriage theme in the readings for our Music Director, Chloe Golden, and she selected the lovely song she sang for us as the Ministry of Music today. As I mentioned to the children, the song is based on a verse from the “Song of Solomon” or the “Song of Songs” as it is sometimes called. It’s part of a passage that is often chosen for one of the readings at weddings.

You should know that the “Song of Solomon” is a poetic book about a couple’s relationship. … Read more »