stjamesunitedchurchdartmouth

Living in the Light

One summer, about 35 years ago, a twelve-year-old boy from Northern Ireland stayed with my family and I. He was among about 40 children ages 10-12 who came to Nova Scotia that year. These were children from a boys and girls club in Belfast, a town noted for its religious intolerance, violence and terrorism. TheseContinue reading “Living in the Light”

Midweek Message – November 6, 2024

The US election has been on everybody’s mind this week, in some of my ministry groups on Facebook, there has been speculation that worship bulletin prep and sermon drafts may have to wait till after the election. I looked at what I had already prepared for liturgy and decided that it was still very appropriate.Continue reading “Midweek Message – November 6, 2024”

A Little Meal.. a Little Oil…

450 grams of dry rice or some other grain. 50 grams of beans/lentils of some sort. 50 grams of oil. 5 grams of iodized salt. That is a day’s worth of emergency food aid. And this is what it looks like as one of three meals a day. As most of you know, I wasContinue reading “A Little Meal.. a Little Oil…”

Midweek Message – October 30, 2024

Worship – I am going to share some of my experience of Hunger on the Hill, the Canadian Foodgrains Bank event that I participated in Ottawa while on Study Leave. It links nicely with World Food Day which was October 16th, which we didn’t mark, but will on Sunday. Scripture – 1 Kings 17:1-16 –Continue reading “Midweek Message – October 30, 2024”

Mission: Possible!

I spent much of last week in an old church building, an Anglican church building, on Elgin Street in Ottawa. Not quite as old as ours, and the hall that we used was bright and cheerful with comfortable chairs and a small kitchen. I didn’t attend church on Sunday morning… 😉 I was going toContinue reading “Mission: Possible!”

Thoughtful Thursday! October 24

I’m back from Ottawa and will be back in the pulpit on Sunday. Worship: We are marking All Saints Day, remembering the ‘saints’ in our lives; you are invited to bring in photos of your loved ones that you would like remembered. Scripture is 1 Kings 5:1-5; 8:27-30, 41-43 and I have NO idea whereContinue reading “Thoughtful Thursday! October 24”

Midweek Message – October 16

It’s World Food Day! If I were going to be in church this Sunday, we would be marking it in some way, but since I’ll be in Ottawa for my final week of Study Leave, participating in Hunger on the Hill. This is a Canadian Foodgrains Bank initiative, where a group of 20 people fromContinue reading “Midweek Message – October 16”

If Only

If only, if only. Those were the two words that stuck in my head as I pondered and prayed about this passage! It’s part of Hannah’s fervent prayer for a son, which you are about to hear. This passage introduces her story, a woman deeply troubled by her inability to have children. And remember, inContinue reading “If Only”

Midweek Message – October 9

Is it Wednesday again already? 😉 Scripture – 1 Samuel 1:1-18 – Hannah’s story of supplication to God for a son. Reflection – What If? Questions that have been rolling around in my brain: What I’ve been up to this week! Monday – It started with a Zoom Call, well, actually a Microsoft Teams call,Continue reading “Midweek Message – October 9”

Every Child Matters

You might think the title of my reflection is more suited to last week, where we marked Orange Shirt Day and Truth and Reconciliation Day. But as I pondered and researched the scripture passage for this week, along with reading the news reports of the devastation of Hurricane Helene and the continued and increasing violenceContinue reading “Every Child Matters”