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https://curriejesson.ca A Collection of Sermons by the Rev. Amanda Currie Tue, 16 Jun 2026 15:50:21 +0000 en-CA hourly 1 https://curriejesson.ca/june-14-2026/ Sun, 14 Jun 2026 15:47:46 +0000 https://curriejesson.ca/?p=5838 Genesis 18:1-15; 21:1-7 Matthew 9:35 – 10:23 “We Will Laugh Together!” I just love the way that Sarah’s laughter was transformed from the private scoffing laughter of disbelief to the shared, buoyant laughter of astonishment and joy. This week’s story from Genesis is a turning point in the story of Abraham and Sarah. God has promised to make them ancestors “of a multitude of nations” even though Sarah is childless and ninety years old. Abraham initially finds this unimaginable, even laughable – and in today’s story, so does Sarah. After showing three strangers some extravagant hospitality, Abraham and Sarah stand by – and from inside the tent, Sarah overhears the visitors (that may in fact be God who came to visit them) tell Abraham that she “shall have a son.” Sarah laughs to herself in disbelief – she’s ninety, after all! But not only does she eventually have a son (She names him “Isaac” which means “to laugh.”) But she ultimately declares these words: “God has brought laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me.” I didn’t hear anyone telling jokes yesterday at the Queen City Pride Parade or at the OUT in the Park event that followed, but there were a lot of bright eyes, big beaming smiles, and laughter shared in our community. Of course, that hasn’t always been the case. Our society has changed a lot in my lifetime alone, including the raised status of women, greater acceptance of cultural and ethnic diversity, and much ... Read more »

]]> https://curriejesson.ca/june-7-2026/ Sun, 07 Jun 2026 12:00:44 +0000 https://curriejesson.ca/?p=5835 Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26 Genesis 12:1-9 “Mercy, Not Sacrifice” This morning’s Gospel text sounds like many others that describe the ministry of Jesus. We see him welcoming, teaching, and healing a variety of people. The stories confirm Jesus’ abundant love, his surprising power, and his generous commitment to heal and help the people he encountered. It makes sense that people were impressed, and that the news about him began to spread quickly through the district. But it wasn’t just that Jesus was the best of the itinerant preachers in the area, or that he was the most successful of the doctors that tried to help the sick and suffering people. I think part of what got the people talking about Jesus was that he broke the rules and taught things that were starkly different from the other teachers. So, I want to look at the brief bit of teaching that Jesus did in this passage. He was in the house having dinner with tax collectors, sinners, and his disciples. Some Pharisees see this, and they ask the disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” It’s obviously not something that the Pharisees would do themselves. Sharing a meal in Second‑Temple Judaism signaled acceptance, shared purity, and religious alignment. Pharisaic tradition required that one eat only with those who were ritually observant, tithed properly, and maintained purity laws. Eating with the impure was seen as endorsing their behaviour and risking one’s own defilement. Jesus doesn’t defend his decision by ... Read more »

]]> https://curriejesson.ca/may-31-2026/ Sun, 31 May 2026 14:52:42 +0000 https://curriejesson.ca/?p=5832 Genesis 1:1 – 2:4a Psalm 8 “All Things Under our Feet” In the lectionary cycle, today is Trinity Sunday, but I’m not going to preach a sermon about how God is Three-in-One and One-in-Three and try to make sense of that mystery. At First Church, today is also Camp Sunday, a moment to highlight and support the ministry of our Synod camp, Camp Christopher, but I’m not really going to preach about camp either. I should say that Presbyterian camping ministry made a huge difference in my faith formation and my call to ministry. I was a camper and then a staff member at Gracefield Camp in Quebec for many years, and it had a big impact on my life. But I’ll leave the specific topic of camp to Donna Wilkinson, who will share about Camp Christopher’s ministry a little later in the service. This morning, I want to focus on the readings from Genesis 1 and Psalm 8 that celebrate God as the Creator of the universe – one of the aspects of God’s being that many of us come to recognize when we have the opportunity to spend time outdoors, away from the city, exploring the beauty and wonder of the natural environment. One of the things I noticed when studying these texts this week was that they didn’t just tell us about who God is as the powerful, creative, maker of everything that is good. But they also tell us something about who we are as human ... Read more »

]]> https://curriejesson.ca/may-17-2026/ Sun, 17 May 2026 12:00:15 +0000 https://curriejesson.ca/?p=5827 Acts 1:1-11 Ephesians 1:15-23 “Because Jesus is in Heaven” When we recite the Apostles’ Creed, we say a few lines about what Christians believe about what happened to Jesus. This should sound familiar: “On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.” In the liturgical calendar, Ascension Day actually falls on a Thursday. It’s forty days after the Resurrection, as noted in our reading from the first chapter of Acts this morning: “After his suffering [Jesus] presented himself alive to [the apostles] by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.” But in many churches where we don’t add a special service on a Thursday, we move the celebration of the Ascension to the following Sunday and call it “Ascension Sunday.” And a week later, we will celebrate Pentecost Sunday when the Holy Spirit that Jesus promised to his followers was poured out in power to make them his witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. I wonder… when you think about the Ascension, do you picture Jesus dramatically rising up into the sky? Where did he go after that? Through earth’s atmosphere and into outer space? And when you think about Jesus in heaven, do you picture him sitting on a royal throne, just to the right side of God ... Read more »

]]> https://curriejesson.ca/may-3-2026/ Sun, 03 May 2026 22:21:07 +0000 https://curriejesson.ca/?p=5829 Acts 7:55-60 John 14:1-14 “Do Not Let Your Hearts Be Troubled” Today’s Gospel text is probably a familiar one for most of us. I’ve read it many times (particularly at funerals). And when you hear it you may notice that beautiful promise of Jesus to his worried, scared, and confused disciples: “In my Father’s house there are many rooms. I will go and prepare a place for you, so that where I am there you may be also.” When I think about the end of my own life, I can imagine trying to focus on that promise, trusting in God’s mercy and grace, and the gift of everlasting life. Although I don’t know what heaven will be like, I’ve said many times that I believe that there will be a heaven – a continuing reality, in the presence of God, where there is joy and peace and rest. But when I imagine the end of my life, I imagine myself at an advanced age, and in my bed. It’s not like the end of life that the Apostle Stephen experienced – way too soon, surrounded by an angry crowd, anticipating the agonizing pain of the barrage of stones hitting his head, and body, and legs. Nonetheless, when Stephen came face-to-face with his own immanent death, his faith didn’t falter. Like many other Christian martyrs who would face horrific deaths in the centuries to come, Stephen was filled with the Holy Spirit, he looked up to heaven, and he saw Jesus ... Read more »

]]> https://curriejesson.ca/april-26-2026/ Sun, 26 Apr 2026 12:00:54 +0000 https://curriejesson.ca/?p=5824 Acts 2:42-47 Psalm 23 John 10:1-10 “Devoted to God and One Another” This fourth Sunday in the season of Easter is also known as “Good Shepherd Sunday” because of the readings from Psalm 23 and John 10 which compare God and Jesus to a shepherd who cares for the sheep. As individual believers, these passages assure us of God’s loving care and guidance throughout our lives. God leads us towards green pastures and still waters. God guides us through the darkest valleys. Jesus calls each one of us by name. We know his voice, and we trust that he will lead us out towards nourishment and freedom, and back home to a place of safety. When we are experiencing difficult times, or when we are afraid for ourselves, for our families, or for the wider world, these passages are a source of hope and strength for us who know ourselves as sheep of the Good Shepherd. But I think that one of the most important things to notice about the imagery of God or Jesus as a shepherd and God’s people as the sheep is the fact that it means each one of us belongs to the flock. Yes, God cares about us individually too. The Parable of the Lost Sheep comes to mind, in which Jesus says that the good shepherd leaves the 99 sheep in order to go and search for the one sheep that has become lost. And that’s great. But the other great thing about being ... Read more »

]]> https://curriejesson.ca/april-5-2026/ Sun, 05 Apr 2026 17:49:04 +0000 https://curriejesson.ca/?p=5821 Matthew 28:1-20 “Goodness is Stronger than Evil” As I was reflecting on the Gospel story for this Easter Sunday, a little song kept coming to mind. It goes like this: Goodness is stronger than evil; love is stronger than hate; light is stronger than darkness; life is stronger than death. Victory is ours, victory is ours through him who loved us. Victory is ours, victory is ours through him who loved us. One week ago, we gathered here with palm branches waving to sing “Hosanna! Save us, O Lord!” as we remembered Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem a few days before his arrest. The Jewish people who formed the crowd on that first Palm Sunday were singing words from Psalm 118. They were remembering and celebrating the fact that God had saved their people in the past – rescuing them from slavery in Egypt, guiding them through the wilderness and into the promised land, and later bringing them back from the exile in Babylon. And they were hoping that God would save them again – from poverty, from illness, from oppression, and from all the other struggles of their present context. The people wondered that day if this Jesus from Nazareth might be the one who was coming in the name of the Lord to be their saviour. And today, Matthew’s Gospel confirms that he was indeed! Goodness is stronger than evil; love is stronger than hate; light is stronger than darkness; life is stronger than death. Victory is ours, ... Read more »

]]> https://curriejesson.ca/april-3-2026/ Fri, 03 Apr 2026 17:47:04 +0000 https://curriejesson.ca/?p=5819 John 18-19 Matthew 25:31-46 “J.S. Bach and the St. John Passion” On Good Friday, April 7, 1724, Johann Sebastian Bach’s St. John Passion was first performed at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig. Through the centuries, this setting has remained one of the most revered musical settings of the Passion narrative. Composed in two parts, intended to be performed before and after a sermon during a Good Friday service, the piece contains the text of John 18-19, sung by a four-part choir and several soloists. When I started to read about Bach’s St. John Passion, I quickly discovered that there has been significant controversy surrounding its performance in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Perhaps the average listener without a working knowledge of the German language wouldn’t notice, but there is an issue with how “the Jews” are depicted in the text. “The Jews” (Juden) are the ones who arrange for Jesus’ arrest, who accuse him of blasphemy, who refuse when the Roman Governor Pilate suggests that he could be released, and who relentlessly call for his crucifixion. In the narrative that is presented, “the Jews” are clearly portrayed as the “bad guys” who killed Jesus the Lord. It’s no surprise that many people have been concerned about how this presentation of the Passion has the potential to promote anti-Semitism and the demonization of Jewish people today. Of course, biblical scholars would be quick to point out that the negative depiction of “the Jews” in Bach’s composition is almost entirely ... Read more »

]]> https://curriejesson.ca/march-29-2026/ Sun, 29 Mar 2026 17:43:40 +0000 https://curriejesson.ca/?p=5817 Psalm 118:1-4, 19-29 Matthew 21:1-11 “God’s Steadfast Love Endures Forever” O give thanks to the Lord, for God is good; God’s steadfast love endures forever! Let the people of First Church say, God’s steadfast love endures forever! One more time: God’s steadfast love endures forever! On this Palm Sunday, our liturgy draws upon an ancient tradition of prayer and praise – one of the Hallel Psalms that were recited during major Jewish festivals, the pilgrimage festivals including Sukkot, Shavuot, and Passover, when ancient Jews would travel to Jerusalem to make sacrifices and honour God. Psalm 118 begins and ends with that antiphonal call and response: O give thanks to the Lord, for God is good; God’s steadfast love endures forever! It is a communal declaration of God’s faithful love, and a processional hymn that may have been sung as worshippers approached the temple gates. One of the festivals that featured Psalm 118 was Sukkot (also known as the Feast of Booths) in which Jewish people remembered their ancestors’ journey through the wilderness after God freed them from slavery in Egypt. One of the practices of that festival, still enacted today by faithful Jews, was to set up temporary tents, booths, or shelters. They would have at least three walls and a roof, but they would be open to the sky. They would remember how God took care of them in that wilderness time when they were so vulnerable, how God saved them and gave them what they needed as they ... Read more »

]]> https://curriejesson.ca/march-22-2026/ Sun, 22 Mar 2026 17:40:18 +0000 https://curriejesson.ca/?p=5815 John 11:1-45 Ezekiel 37:1-14 “Greatly Disturbed” This morning’s Gospel story includes the Seventh Sign of John’s Gospel, the final miracle of Jesus that is included by the Fourth Evangelist to help convince those reading this book that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, the One sent by God into the world. Within the narrative of John’s Gospel, this incident in which Jesus raises Lazarus from death, accomplishes two important things. First, it does convince many people to believe – the Twelve Disciples who came along with Jesus, Lazarus’ siblings Martha and Mary, their friends and neighbours, and others who were present to witness the absolutely shocking and amazing miracle of making a dead man live again. The text tells us that many of them believed in Jesus because of what they saw, and others likely had their faith strengthened and confirmed. The other thing that this Seventh Sign does is that it convinces the authorities and those opposed to Jesus and his mission that they had better do something to stop him, and do it quickly. Immediately following this episode, the religious leaders decide that Jesus must be put to death (John 11:53). They are worried that a sign such as this will convince the masses to believe in Jesus, and the Roman occupiers, fearing an insurrection, will crack down on the whole Jewish nation. It’s possible that they may have been thinking about Scripture passages like the one we read today from Ezekiel 37 in which God ... Read more »

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