Category: Sermons

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

Two weeks in a row now, we’ve had Gospel stories that are not particularly encouraging. Last week we heard Jesus turning down potential disciples and warning them of the trials that come with following his way of life. Despite the fact that he’s been really honest about what a tough life discipleship involves, in today’s text we see that Jesus has managed to round up quite a group of disciples, and he’s sending them out like little ambassadors to all the towns that he is planning to visit.

And he’s sending them out “like lambs into the midst of wolves.” This is not going to be a nice little holiday. As Jesus warned the would-be followers in the last chapter, discipleship is the kind of thing that calls for full and dedicated commitment. It involves risk and requires sacrifice — no comfortable hotels, no guaranteed meal-times, no salary, and the real possibility of being frustrated, rejected, ridiculed, or even hurt by the people in the towns.

Depending on which translation you read, Jesus either sent 70 or 72 disciples out on this mission. Some of the ancient manuscripts say 70 and others say 72. … Read more »

2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14
Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20
Galatians 5:1, 13-25
Luke 9:51-62

Today’s Gospel passage begins with a significant moment in Luke’s story of Jesus’ ministry. It is the moment when the author of the Gospel first hints that Jesus’ ministry is going to come to an end in Jerusalem with his death on a cross. The passage begins: “When the days drew near for Jesus to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.” Although Jesus’ ministry of teaching and healing does not change dramatically at this point in the story, the reader who notices this key moment in Luke’s account of Jesus’ life will read everything that happens after this in a different light.

Jesus is not like any other preacher or healer or prophet that might have lived in the area at that time. Jesus was different, because even at this point in his ministry, he is recognizing that his mission is to do something more than preach sermons and offer help to the sick and suffering people that he meets on his journey. Jesus is committed to a ministry that is much broader and more far-reaching than the typical itinerant preacher. … Read more »

1 Kings 19:1-15a
Psalm 42
Galatians 3:23-29
Luke 8:26-39

Children’s Sermon:
I would like to tell you a story about a boy named Sam. One day, Sam waited too late to do his homework. He played until it got dark, and then it was time for supper. So when we finished eating, his father said, “Sam, sit right there and get started on your homework.”
“I’m too tired,” said Sam.
“You should have thought about that when you were playing,” said his father.
“I don’t have my book,” said Sam.
“You can go get what you need,” said his father, “but come back and work right here at the table.”

Sam got his math book and his notebook and found the assignment and wrote down the first problem. He worked at it and erased it; worked at it and erased it. He tried over and over, but he just couldn’t get it right. Then he threw the paper on the floor and said, “I wish I were through with school, married, and dead.”
“Oh, not so fast,” said his father. “Let’s just get through these math problems and see what happens.”
“But I don’t know how to do … Read more »

Psalm 146
1 Kings 17:8-24
Luke 7:11-17

Beginning with Psalm 146, and then reflecting on the stories we have read today from 1 Kings and Luke’s Gospel, the amazing goodness of God is extremely evident. Our God is one who cares about the poor, the oppressed, and those who are vulnerable in our world. Remembering the ways that God has looked after us in our lowest moments can inspire us to respond by paying it forward — by sharing God’s goodness and love with anyone we meet who is struggling.

When I first read the story from 1 Kings about Elijah and the widow of Zarephath, the theme of generosity was what struck me about the text. But it wasn’t a story about a woman who had received so much from God that she responded with grateful generosity towards the hungry travelling prophet.

In fact, we have in this text, the story of a woman who has very little. She is a widow — no husband and no source of income. She has no bread — only a handful of meal and a little oil in a jug. Her problem is not that she hasn’t had time … Read more »

Genesis 11:1-9
Psalm 104:24-35
John 14:8-17, 25-27

“Wind and Fire”

WIND – – Blue, grey, white, invisible power. You can’t see the wind, but you can see the effects of the wind. A colourful kite rising high in the sky. A child’s pinwheel spinning furiously. A flag waving boldly.

Remember the sensation of a cool breeze on a hot day, fresh and invigorating, a welcome, cleansing presence.
Recall the experience of a stiff breeze in your face as you walk along the street or across a field. You feel strong as you walk into it. You feel powerful working against it.

Remember a wind that is too powerful: knocking you down, pulling down trees and overturning cars, blowing up dust and dirt that stings your eyes.

WIND is a powerful image for the Holy Spirit. On the Day of Pentecost, the Spirit came upon the disciples who were gathered in Jerusalem, and the Book of Acts tells us that it came like a rush of wind. A powerful force that they could not mistake for their imaginations. It came rushing through the house where they were staying, blowing them all mightily into attention.

They’d … Read more »

Acts 9:36-43
Psalm 23
Revelation 7:9-17
John 10:22-30

“And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love,
and they’ll know we are Christians by our love.”

I’ve already encouraged you this morning to actively engage in doing the works of God — to get around to doing the good works that God has called you to do in Jesus’ name in and for the world. I hope that I don’t need to remind you that your good works are not, however, what saves you. You do not earn God’s love or favour or salvation by giving to the poor or engaging in mission, by caring for the environment or loving your neighbour. God loves you simply because you are God’s creation — God’s own children. You are saved by God’s grace through faith. It is a gift from God — not an honour that you have earned or that you deserve.

That is a really good thing to remember, especially on days when you “haven’t gotten around to it” — on days when other stuff has gotten in the way, and when doing God’s work has taken second place, or third place, … Read more »

Acts 5:17-32
Revelation 1:4-8
John 20:19-31

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come.

One of the amazing and inspirational things about the gospel stories and the stories of scripture in general, is that we can read them over and over, and each time, discover new messages and insights from God. Some of you may have noticed this morning that today’s Gospel reading from John somewhat overlapped with the reading we explored last Sunday with the puppets. But, as anyone who has attempted the act of preaching knows, there are many many possible sermons that could arise from the same text of scripture. The challenge is often to choose just one, and let the others go for this time around.

Last week, we thought about the strange experience that the first disciples had when the risen Jesus appeared to them beside the tomb, inside a locked room, and later in other ways. We remembered Thomas and his doubts about whether it could really be Jesus appearing before them, and we considered the many ways in which we have met and experienced the risen Christ in our own lives … Read more »

Psalm 118:1-4, 19-29
Luke 19:28-40

When Palm Sunday comes around each year, we buy some palm branches and we re-enact Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. The crowds sang, “Hosanna” and hailed him as the king. They shouted out their praise, laid their cloaks along his path, and waved palm branches in the air.

Some congregations gather outside their church buildings on Palm Sunday. They pass out the palms, and everyone parades down the street and up into the church. In other churches, I have heard, they have someone dressed as Jesus, and someone with some farm animals offers a donkey for Jesus to ride on. In one congregation that I used to attend, we got up part way through the worship service, and had a parade around the neighbourhood. Some people played their instruments, we all sang lots of “Hosannas”, and we witnessed our faith in Christ to the people who heard and saw us pass by.

But no matter how elaborate our rituals become around Palm Sunday, I always have the feeling that we’re not as enthusiastic or as excited as the crowd would have been on that day when Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Some might … Read more »

Joshua 5:9-12
Psalm 32
2 Corinthians 5:16-21
Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation. The old life has gone; A new life has begun.

These words, written by the apostle Paul to the Christians in Corinth, were first read by people who were only too aware of their sins. They were divided among themselves, and they argued about which of their leaders to follow. They were steeped in the polytheistic religions of their culture and they were still struggling to live as Christians and to sort out what that would look like in their context, with all their varied backgrounds and experiences.

If the Corinthians had been paying any attention to Paul’s letters to them, then they must have been fully aware of their sins. Imagine having a great religious leader writing letters to your church, pointing out all the things you’re doing wrong – being specific about the cliques among you, about the silly arguments, and exhorting you as to how to do better.

The Corinthians couldn’t help but be aware of their sin when they are reminded by Paul that, as Christians, that is all behind them. When they … Read more »

Isaiah 55:1-9
Psalm 63:1-8
1 Corinthians 10:1-13
Luke 13:1-9

Today’s text from the Gospel of Luke begins with some comments by Jesus regarding some recent tragic events in Jerusalem. First, Jesus is told about a recent violent event involving the deaths of some Galileans who were slaughtered by Roman troops under Pilate’s command. What’s more, it appears that the slaughter took place while those Galilean Jews were offering sacrifices (almost certainly at the Temple in Jerusalem). It’s not clear in Luke 13 whether this was a very recent event – “Breaking News” – or if it had happened some time earlier but was still a hot topic of conversation among Jews in the greater Jerusalem area. Either way, it was a tragic event.

We might liken this conversational topic to people today discussing 911. A tragedy occurs, and for days, months, and years afterwards, we talk about it. We try to make sense of it. We wonder about how it might have been avoided. We argue about what and who caused it. We worry about when, where and how it might be repeated.

Or perhaps it’s more like the tragedy last year when a man broke into … Read more »

Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Psalm 91 (Refrain #1)
Romans 10:8b-13
Luke 4:1-13

It kind of goes without saying that there are temptations in the world that we face every day. As religious people, we have generally accepted the idea that there are ways of behaving, acting, and living that are contrary to God’s will for us and that we ought to avoid these things. However, sometimes these things that we know we should avoid can be very enticing. We are tempted to do them, even though we know that we shouldn’t.

The first temptation that comes to my mind is the temptation to eat something unhealthy when you’ve decided that you’re going to eat well. It’s a temptation that many people face on a regular basis, and often fail to resist.

Just last night, in the Veggie Tales movie that our youth were watching, the Veggie Tales superhero, Larry Boy, demonstrates a weakness for chocolate that many of us can probably relate to. He wants desperately to avoid chocolate so he can get in shape, but when the “bad apple” tempts him, he eventually gives in and goes on a major chocolate binge. He gets in so deep that … Read more »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »