Blog
Good People or God's People
This Sunday's lesson spoke about the many promises that God made to Abram that were part and parcel of his call. One promise I found particularly interesting. God says to Abram: "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse;and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." Genesis... Read More
Does God change or not?
In today's sermon I asserted that while human nature was not changed by the Flood, that God changed, determining to respond to ongoing human wickedness with mercy instead of vengeance. I argued that this change could be seen in God's commitment to never again destroy the world with a flood: "Whenever I bring... Read More
The Fear of Scarcity and the Allure of Wealth
For this week's sermon I made an interpretive decision to read the Parable of the Rich Fool (Luke 12:13-21) in light of Jesus' subsequent teaching on worry (Luke 12:22-34). Because Jesus followed his story with a sermon on anxiety I inferred that motivation of the Rich Fool was to attempt to purchase security by... Read More
Seeing with the Heart
In Sunday's Bible lesson, 1 John 3:1-7, we were reminded of our identity as God's children and called to express this identity in holy living. As I was preparing the sermon I found it interesting how John spent a considerable amount of time talking about our new God-given identity. He seemed to sense a resistance... Read More
O Canada!
This past weekend a couple people asked me: "What happened to our flags?". Last fall as Session was discussing the purchase of new banners, it was noted that the flags in the sanctuary, in particular the St. Andrew's Cross were in disrepair, literally falling apart. After some discussion Session decided to... Read More
Unpacking Sunday's Sermon: God's Calling in our Senior Years
The past two weeks we have encountered two Biblical characters who saw God's purposes for their lives revealed in their senior years. Abram was 75 when he received God's call to leave to a new land, and set out from Harran (Genesis 12:4). Moses was 80 when he encountered God at the burning bush and was called to... Read More
Unpacking Sunday's Sermon: Abraham
In our culture the goal of many people is to be settled: to stay in one place, in one job, with one person, rather than moving around or changing. A good life is a life where people have been able to establish something for themselves that is permanent and sustained. The life of faith the vision is by comparison... Read More
The Closure of First Presbyterian in Prince Rupert
During the worship service I mentioned that First Presbyterian Church (Prince Rupert) closed this past week. You read the story and watch a video about it HERE. There is inevitable sadness with the closing of any ministry. But as the the story/video reveals there is the realisation that God's mission exceeds the... Read More
Unpacking Sunday's Sermon: Esther
The book of Esther makes for an interesting read. It is a rag-to-riches story that adds court intrigue, violence and heroism. One thing you may find strangely absent is any mention of God. The lack of divine mention may explain why "not one commentary was written on Esther during the first seven centuries of the... Read More
Unpacking Sunday's Sermon: Elijah
All at once, a strong wind shook the mountain and shattered the rocks. But the Lord was not in the wind. Next, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. Then there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. Finally, there was a gentle breeze, and when Elijah heard it, he covered his face... Read More