February 11, 2007

Jeremiah 17:5-10
Psalm 1
Luke 6:17-26

Children’s Sermon:
The prophet Jeremiah is describing two types of people… He says there are some people who turn their hearts away from God. They ignore God. They act like God doesn’t exist. They don’t go to church to worship God. They don’t pray or talk to God. They don’t read the bible or pay attention to how God is telling them to live.

Jeremiah says that these people are like shrubs in the desert, while God is like water. Since they have turned away from God, it’s like they are shrubs in the desert. They live in a place where there is no water — no rain, no rivers — and they are slowly drying up.

Jeremiah says that there are other people who don’t turn their hearts away from God. These people trust in God. They pay attention to God, because they believe in God and love God. They come to church and worship God. They pray and talk to God. They read the bible and pay attention to how God is telling them to live.

Jeremiah says that these people are like trees planted beside the water. … Read more »

February 4, 2007

Isaiah 6:1-8
Psalm 138
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Luke 5:1-11

“They left everything and followed him.”

Today’s story from the Gospel of Luke is one that invites us to consider what it means to be followers of Jesus. It is the story of Jesus calling the first disciples, a group of fishermen working beside the Lake of Genesserat.

Though we live in a very different time and place, and though the only fishing we’re involved in is just for fun or maybe for sport… still, within this story, there are messages for us — 21st century followers of Jesus — 21st century people who think we might want to follow Jesus — 21st century people, who though we might be scared and unsure, are nonetheless being called to follow Jesus.

As the story begins, Jesus is fulfilling part of the mission that he took on a chapter ago.
He is out among the common people, proclaiming the coming of God’s kingdom. We don’t get to hear the particular words that he spoke that day, but we can imagine that he was talking about God’s love and God’s grace — God’s special care for the least and the … Read more »

January 28, 2007

Jeremiah 1:4-10
Psalm 71:1-6
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Luke 4:14-21

Jesus, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country.He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

Our Gospel story for today, in which Jesus reads scripture and teaches in the synagogue of his hometown, comes at the beginning of his ministry. Two things have happened so far: First, Jesus has been baptized by John with the Holy Spirit coming down onto him and the voice from heaven announcing his identity as God’s beloved son. Second, Jesus has been led by the Spirit out into the wilderness where he fasted, prayed, and grappled with his identity and purpose. While he was out there in the wilderness, he resisted the temptation to exploit his power and authority for his own personal gain. He resisted the “Bruce Almighty” kind of response to God’s blessing, and he returned to Galilee to begin the ministry to which he had been called.

In the next story, which we heard read today, Jesus stands up in the synagogue to read from the prophet Isaiah and to interpret … Read more »

January 14, 2007

Colossians 3:12-17
John 13:12-17
2 Corinthians 9:6-15
Matthew 28:16-20

Children’s Sermon:
Start music (Mission Impossible Theme Song)

(from pulpit) Children of the church school, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to meet me at the front row of the church.

(Move to front where children are gathered) Did you recognize that music? It’s from the “Mission Impossible” movies. Do you know what a mission is? A mission is a purpose or goal. It’s something that you’re trying to do. It’s your reason for doing the things you do — because you’re trying to accomplish something.

Now, not many people’s lives are like the “Mission Impossible” movies, but most people do have a mission in life. Their mission might be to become rich and famous, or maybe to become the best in their field of work — whether they’re a doctor or a lawyer, or an artist, or an athlete. For some people, their mission is to raise a family, to teach their kids to be good or successful people. For some people their mission in life is to make a difference in the world — maybe through politics, or by teaching school, or … Read more »

January 7, 2007

Isaiah 43:1-7
Psalm 29, Refrain #1
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Reflection on the scripture texts of today’s lectionary readings, the immediate message that came to my mind was of God’s promise to be with us through all the challenges that lie ahead of us in our life and ministry. Just as God promised care and provision for the People of Israel, just as God declared love for Jesus, his son, so God loves and cares for us, the Church, as we seek to follow Jesus and continue his ministry in the world.

Since I am a musician, and a long-time church choir member, when I hear a scripture text, it is often a scripture song or hymn or anthem that comes to mind. When I read Isaiah 43 earlier this week, the song that came to mind was the one our choir sang today…

sing: You shall cross the barren desert, but you shall not die of thirst.
You shall wander far in safety though you do not know the way.
You shall speak your words in foreign lands and all will understand.
You shall see the face of God and live.

The first time I heard … Read more »

November 5, 2006

Isaiah 25:6-9
Psalm 24
Revelation 21:1-6a
John 11:32-44

I remember hearing once that the two things that Canadians fear the most are death and public speaking. So I suppose that not too many people would like to be in my position this morning, of speaking (publicly) about death. Yes, that’s what I said. I’m going to preach about death this morning.

And it’s not because we’ve just had Hallowe’en, and I’ve got ghosts and ghouls on the brain. And it’s not because I’ve been watching too much CSI lately. In fact, it is because death seems to be the major theme in our scripture texts today. More specifically, these texts, and the context of a Remembrance Day service, and several experiences that I’ve had over the last month, have got me thinking about the power of death.

The fact that our greatest fears in life are death and public speaking can be somewhat amusing. But for those who don’t like to get up and preach or lecture or give a speech, they can usually find ways to avoid it. Death, on the other hand, is inevitable. It’s as inevitable as “death and taxes,” as they say.
… Read more »

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, 2005

A sermon preached by the Rev. Amanda Currie at the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity service hosted by St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Tuesday morning, January 27, 2005 at 7 a.m.

One of the things that happens during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, and other times when we gather together as Christian churches to pray and worship God together, is that we learn about one another. And it very often means that we’re learning what is different about other churches than our own. The different hymns we sing, or the praise choruses. The kind of prayers we say. What our worship spaces look like, crosses displayed, pews or chairs, straight rows or circles, stained glass, high pulpits, liturgical colours, powerpoint projectors, prominent altars or communion tables. Do we stand to pray, sit to sing, kneel or raise our hands? Add to all of these differences and more, the theological distinctions that you may notice as you visit churches from traditions different from your own.

Those of you who have been attending these services for many years in Saskatoon have probably already encountered the range of differences that once surprised, shocked, or confused you. You may not be completely comfortable in … Read more »

April 11, 2004

John 20:1-18
Acts 10:34-43

Alleluia! Alleluia! Let the Church rejoice and sing this Easter Day! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!

We’ve heard the Easter story many times before. It’s told in all the Gospels. It’s repeated in many of the letters of Paul and in the Acts of the Apostles. It’s the story that is the foundation of our faith. It’s the story that gives shape to our life as Christians.

We believe in God. We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s Son. We believe that Jesus was killed on a cross, but that he didn’t stay dead. God raised him on the third day. His body was not stolen. It was raised. We believe that he was the first to be raised, but that all will be raised on the last day. God is more powerful than death. Death is not the end. This is the Good News of Easter, and this is what we believe.

And so, as did the first disciples who witnessed the resurrection, we tell the story. We tell it over and over… Easter after Easter, Sunday after Sunday. After years of preaching, ministers have told me that it becomes difficult to find fresh ways of telling the story. … Read more »

January 20, 2004

The following reflection was shared by the Rev. Amanda Currie at an ecumenical noon hour service hosted by St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Saskatoon during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in 2004.

Deuteronomy 30:11-14
Luke 10:38-42

“Listening Together”

Hospitality is one of the things that many Christian churches pride themselves on. Presbyterians, at least, joke all the time that we can’t get together without having something to eat. Here at St. Andrew’s, the kitchen is one of the busiest places because whenever we get together we share food…. Tea, coffee, cookies or squares, little sandwiches, pots of soup, or pizza. Whatever the occasion, there’s some appropriate food or drink to go along with it.

And there are some among us in our congregation, (and in yours, I’m sure) for whom the ministry of hospitality is their greatest gift to the community. They welcome the visitors and the newcomers. They pour the tea, and make sure there are enough cookies. And they take care of the endless, behind the scenes, tasks that keep the church kitchen clean, stocked, and ready for company.

Today’s reading from Luke is sometimes difficult for those of us whose gift is hospitality… Those of us who slide out … Read more »

December 7, 2003

Annabelle phoned me on Saturday morning this week to let me know that she was well enough that she was planning to be here for worship this morning. In the course of our conversation about the service, she asked me, “How’s the sermon going?” And I responded with something like, “It’s a work in progress.” It had begun more than a week before when I’d sat down in my new study here at the church, and opened up my bible to the lectionary readings for Advent II, Year C, and read the scripture texts for my first Sunday here at St. Andrew’s.

That day I had jotted down some notes about the readings – things that struck me right off… the music of Handel’s Messiah that came to mind as I heard the words from the prophet Malachi … the hopeful sound of Zechariah’s song for the life of his son John, and for the Saviour whose way his son would prepare. And then there was the image of the apostle Paul, sitting in a dark jail cell, tired and lonely, and almost losing hope for his own future… but praying fervently for the churches that he had started, remembering the … Read more »