Dealing with Silence

I recently watched "Silence," the latest Martin Scorsese film, based on the novel written by Shusaku Endo. It was a deeply troubling movie. The film portrays the fictional story of a 17th Century Jesuit Missionary from Portugal named Father Sebastian Rodrigues (played by Andrew Garfield) who sets sail for Japan in 1640, determined to help …

My Babies

by Julie Walker I don't know how this happened. I feel like yesterday we had small children running around this house and today we have a house full of teenagers. Every single one of our children is a TEENAGER!! What has actually happened! This cannot be God's plan. All those runny nose, messy eating, midnight …

The Son of God and an Unwed Mother

Today is the day of Epiphany, a surprisingly complex holiday that celebrates different things depending on what flavor of Christian you are. In Eastern Christianity, it is a day (usually 13 days later) celebrating the baptism of Jesus. In Western Christianity, it is a day celebrating the visit of the Magi, representing the revelation of …

Book Review: The Day the Revolution Began

In this book, N.T. Wright explores (in exhausting detail) what actually happened (spiritually, and theologically) when Jesus was nailed to the cross in the Spring of 33 CE. Wright observes that nobody on the Saturday after Good Friday was persuaded by the humiliating death of Jesus from Nazareth that a world-wide revolution had just been …

Humanity Washed Up on Shore

//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js Pictures are said to be worth thousands of words but Nilüfer Demir's picture of 3-year-old Alan Kurdi, found dead on the coast of Turkey could be worth millions of words.  On Wednesday this week Alan, his brother and mother all drowned trying to cross the Mediterranean from Syria to Turkey.  Only his father survived. …

What Being a Leaf Fan Has Taught Me About Idol Worship

Seems like everyone's a Leaf hater these days, and I mean HATE. It's like everybody's gotta tell me that the Leafs haven't won the Stanley Cup since 1967. (Thanks, I'll write that down somewhere) or tell me that the Leafs suck (no kidding). I know you're all having some fun, but some folks need to …

(Not So) Merry Christmas From the Pope

Today, Pope Francis addressed the Vatican in his annual Christmas address for the bishops, cardinals and other staffers who live and work in Vatican City.  Rather than offer up a pithy "Merry Christmas" and how-do-you-do, Pope Francis offered up what we in the preaching biz call an "epic verbal smackdown." Not an angry rant or …

My Wife is a Minister of the Word

My wife is a minister of the Word.  What I mean by that is that she is a proclaimer of the Gospel.  She works part-time as a labour and delivery nurse at West Lincoln Memorial Hospital, but it is more than a job for her, it is a vocation. A vocation is a calling. It …

What Do You Do With A Reluctant Prophet?

Sermon Series: Jonah: The Reluctant Prophet / What To Do When We Don't Agree The book of Jonah is a prophetic masterpiece that is often neglected by churches in their teaching. It is a vivid picture of how a faith community that becomes self-obsessed and in-grown fails to embody the life God has called us …

A Funeral Sermon

In chapter fifteen, the Apostle Paul is wrapping up his first letter to the Corinthian church by answering a few practical questions. The Corinthian church had been confused about many things, not the least of which is Jesus and the resurrection of the dead. For starters, there were some in the church there who didn't …