In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, 2"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." 3This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths...

Gospel: Luke 23:33-43

³³ When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left.  ³⁴ Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots to divide his clothing.  ³⁵ And the people stood...

Luke 20:27-38

Jesus looked up at his disciples and said:
"Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
²¹ "Blessed are you who are hungry now,
for you will be filled.
"Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
²² Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of...

(Luke 16: 19-31 Jeremiah 32: 1-3a, 6-15)

Jesus tells another colourful parable, which shines a spotlight on the problem of hostility and divisiveness in human nature and human society:

… that we live in a divided, violent, and...

At the CLAY gathering this past August (Canadian Lutheran-Anglican Youth gathering), we did a certain exercise in the large group gathering that unnerved me. It `hit me right here.’

...

Being lost and alone, adrift and missing.

This seems to be a common theme arising from the scriptures this morning.

Jesus speaks of one sheep gone missing, and the shepherd leaving the 99 in search of that one lost sheep.

And the woman desperately searching for that one lost coin...

Sometimes it can be tricky to determine where a Gospel narrative ends and a new one begins. It seems that chapter 11 of the Gospel of Luke flows directly into chapter 12, as if they were a part of the same narrative.

In Luke chapter 11 we find Jesus teaching a large crowd. In verse 37 Jesus is invited to dine with some Pharisees and lawyers and...

(Hosea 1:2-10 Luke 11:1-13)

You may know there’s a certain etiquette or protocol when greeting a royal figure – the Queen of England, for example:

…One must remember, if you’re a male, to offer a small bow of the head, and if you’re female, a small...

There are some days where it is easier to walk up here than others. I wish I could stand before you today and preach about something warm and fuzzy. After all, it is summer time… and we just finished an amazing Vacation Bible School. Time to relax right? But, as is so often the case, God had other plans; today’s reading from Amos...

For many different reasons, these days, I’ve been thinking about oceans, and deep waters ….

…. not least of which are these wonderful underwater, oceanic decorations filling this chancel and sanctuary, in preparation for this upcoming week’s Vacation Bible School….

… also because this August...