View Archived Sermons Exodus 20:1-17; Matt. 5: 17-20 On the surface this morning our scripture texts do not seem to have much to do with Gratitude or Thanksgiving. I propose this morning that not only do they have something to do with Gratitude or Thanksgiving, but within them one may find a foundation for Gratitude. I begin this morning with a personal story of gratitude. Earlier this week, on Monday in fact, I was reminded of how…
View Archived Sermons Ephesians 2:11-22 Welcome and inclusion have become really important words/ideas in the church. – and for good reasons. We are a mobile society and one of our fundamental needs is to find and experience a community where we belong or feel at home. The fulfillment of this need often eludes many in our society. From TUMC’s declaration of Values and Identity (in a listening process that this congregation undertook in 2008)I find the following list…
View Archived Sermons Deuteronomy 6:4-25 On August 27, the following headline appeared on CNN.com: “Author: More teens are becoming ‘fake’ Christians”. A link to the article, and some related links, can be found at the bottom of the sermon. The article begins: “If you’re the parent of a Christian teenager, Kenda Creasy Dean has this warning: Your child is following a ‘mutant’ form of Christianity, and you may be responsible.” I know that with Gathering Sunday, we…
View Archived Sermons Psalm 139 and Jeremiah 18:1-12 Just like the clay in the potter’s hands so are you in my hands O house of Israel. Clay is a malleable substance – something that can be formed and transformed in a literal hands-on relationship between the potter and the clay. Just like the clay in the potter’s hands so are you in my hands O house of Israel. Do you think that the house of Israel was comforted by…
View Archived Sermons Luke 12:32-34 Our Summer theme as many of you are aware has been Holy Headlines: News and Good news.I wondered as we approached this theme whether the news as we hear it or read it and the Good news of scripture might be mutually exclusive. If you are an avid “news junky” you will realize that this is not always the case. A couple of weeks ago I preached a sermon entitled, “who is my Neighbour?” …
View Archived Sermons (Psalm 112; Luke 14:1, 7–14) Years ago I was a graduate student in religious studies at McMaster University. One of the required seminars was on method and theory in the study of religion. Every week the professor assigned a reading from philosophy, theology, sociology, or the like. One week he handed out a reading that was only five pages. One of my colleagues commented that this was very short. The prof looked at him…
View Archived Sermons Luke 13:10-17 …………………There are moments when the world as we know it changes on a dime – like a kaleidoscope of mirrors, where the whole picture explodes in new expressions of movement and colour with a twist of the wrist. The familiar patterns of daily living have disappeared and something new is required. After 9-11 I saw a video documenting people’s response to a world turned upside down by the attacks on the world trade centre –…
View Archived Sermons Luke 12:49-56 “I came to cast fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather the sword of division! From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; they…
View Archived Sermons Third in a summer series: Holy Headlines: news and Good News Luke 10:25-37 records for us the story of the Good Samaritan. This morning I will look first at the text and what is going on there. Then I will share a couple of vignettes related to local and global news that might be enlightened by this story. In context, this story is part of the conversation between Jesus and an expert in Jewish Law or Torah.The…
View Archived Sermons Second meditation on the summer theme, Holy Headlines: news and Good News Col. 3: 15-17 On Thursday, we marked Canada Day. Many of us probably enjoyed fireworks or some other red white and summery celebration, and perhaps we reflected a little on what we cherish about living in our part of the world. Today, our friends in the United States will celebrate their national day with even greater hoopla. I remember vividly the first time I felt…