Lection: Psalm 42

September 1, 2024

James 1:17-27
Psalm 42
Romans 8:19-25

“To Hope and Act with Creation”

The theme for the 2024 Season of Creation is “To Hope and Act with Creation” based on the passage Marianne just read from Romans 8:19-25. This biblical image pictures the Earth as a mother, groaning as in childbirth.

Thousands of years after this passage was written in a letter from the Apostle Paul to the Church at Rome, its imagery takes on new meaning for Christians grappling with the climate crisis and looking for hope for the future of our planet.

Along with our Sister, Mother Earth, creatures of all kinds today, including humans, are crying out because of the consequences of our destructive actions causing climate crisis, loss of biodiversity, and human suffering as well as Creation’s suffering.

Our national and international news is filled with stories of climate-change induced disasters affecting human communities. Out-of-control forest fires have become such a common occurrence in Canada that we probably all know at least one person or family who has been evacuated or even lost their home in the last ten years.

Other communities have been devastated by destructive floods, typhoons, and other weather events that people used to refer to as “acts of God” as if … Read more »

June 23, 2019

1 Kings 19:1-15a
Psalm 42
Luke 8:26-39

“In the Strength of that Food”

This is the season in the Church Year that is called “Ordinary Time.” If I were dressed more formally in my alb and stole, I’d be wearing the dark green stole and I’d be sticking with that colour all the way through from now until Advent at the end of November.

Now, it’s not called “ordinary time” because it’s nothing special or just a regular Sunday. Ordinary Time actually refers to the ordinal numbering of the Sundays after Pentecost. Today is the 2nd Sunday after Pentecost, and we’ll keep counting the Sundays like that all through the summer and fall.

But some commentaries suggest that paying attention to the more common meaning of the word “ordinary” may actually help us think about what comes after big events for a community. We celebrated Holy Week and Easter with great planning, and many people involved, and special music and liturgies. We marked Pentecost too – the birthday of the church – and rejoiced in the gift of the Holy Spirit poured out to give us courage, and confidence, and wisdom in sharing the good news with all people.

Now that the high holy days are past, … Read more »

June 23, 2013

1 Kings 19:1-15a
Psalm 42
Luke 8:26-39

“I Shall Again Praise God”

Over the last several weeks, today, and next Sunday, the Old Testament readings in the lectionary have been the great stories of the prophet Elijah. We heard about Elijah challenging the prophets of Baal to a contest between the gods, and demonstrating powerfully that the God of Israel is the one true God.

Then we had the story about Elijah’s visit to a poor widow in Zarephath. He invited her to share the few resources she had in the midst of a drought, and with God’s help he multiplied her grain and her oil so that she and her family were fed for many days. Then when the widow’s son died, God gave Elijah the power to raise him back to life, and he did.

We skipped over last week’s reading about Elijah in order to celebrate Christian Family Sunday, but it was the one in which King Ahab and his wife Jezebel get a man killed in order to take possession of his vineyard. God sends Elijah to challenge the king and accuse him of his wrongdoing. Elijah serves as the prophet of truth and justice, assuring the … Read more »