Words are powerful.  The Hebrew people knew how powerful they were.

Creation itself begins with a word spoken. When we open our Bibles, on the first page it says, “In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the...

In John’s gospel, Jesus is using these great “I am” statements to tell us the truth about who he is. He calls upon the great traditions and stories of Moses, here specifically echoing the words that God whispers to Moses upon finding the bush that would not burn down. What is your name, what shall I say to the people, Moses...

I have an ASUS computer tablet I use daily for my work.
And every time I turn it on, I see these words flash on my screen as the machine boots up: “ASUS: Inspiring Innovation; Persistent Perfection.”

These words have become so familiar. I think I’ve almost memorized them by now….say them in my sleep.
Almost every day I...

A lifeline.

It’s a loaded word, because, when a lifeline is all you have, it becomes the single most important thing around.

A lifeline keeps you safe. It keeps you alive. It pulls you out of danger. It can rescue you out of a certain catastrophic end. It becomes your “best friend.”

Much like that rope that runs down the middle...

Over the last couple of Sundays, we’ve been focussing our attention on the Gospel of John chapter 6 which is full of rich, symbolic and metaphorical language about who Jesus is, what he’s all about, and what his life’s purpose and mission is.

And, to be honest, this passage can raise a lot of questions.

For example: What does...

This morning I want to share some of my thoughts on the Gospel reading – John 6:1-14 – that we just heard, about how Jesus takes the little boy’s meagre five loaves and two fish, and out of that, creates enough food, an abundance of food, enough to feed five thousand people.

In this story, we’re once again given a glimpse...

In the Gospel reading in Mark 6, the word that pops out and resonates for me, is the word “rest.”
Mark 6: 31: “[Jesus] said to them [the Apostles], “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while….”

Rest. What a wonderful concept. Am I right?

And yet, as we all know, true rest is often...

Mark 3: 20-35, 2 Corinthians 4:13- 5:1

A phrase that jumped out for me from today’s scripture readings, is in the 2nd reading, in the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Corinthians.

“So we do not lose heart.”
What wonderful, supportive, encouraging words to the Corinthian Church!

“So we do not lose heart.”

Paul is...

Jesus commands us to love.

Now, some may hear Jesus’ words in this passage from the Gospel of John as a bit heavy, and top-down.

That’s because today, the word “commandment” has a more negative than positive connotation.
“I command you to do this….”
We’d often hear these words in a loud,...

I recently met Mark, a Chippewa of Rama First Nation elder, when he spoke to us last weekend as a guest speaker at a meeting of Bishops, Ministry Directors, Deans and Synod Council on the eastern shores of Lake Couchiching outside Orillia.

Mark spoke to us about how difficult decisions are made in his aboriginal community, when there are many...