Category Archives: Sunday Reflections

Connected to Heaven and Earth

Highs and lows… Terror and joy… Heaven and earth… Advent asks us to open our hearts to all of it. The nativity story itself holds this tension: a birth surrounded by angels and shepherds, yet set within a world marked by empire, fear, and displacement. (Rev. Janice MacLean) Let’s listen to the words we areContinue reading “Connected to Heaven and Earth”

Light Is Returning

Anyone else feel like crawling into bed right after supper? The only thing that keeps me sane at this time of year is counting down the days till the days start getting longer. It’s less than three weeks before that happens! Surely we can last long? It’s no wonder ancient people of all sorts inContinue reading “Light Is Returning”

Born Again and Again

This is the 5th and final week in the Theological Banquet Series. I’ll recap in case you missed the earlier installments. This series is based on the book Undivided Love by Janet Gear, a United Church minister and theologian. She uses the metaphor of different courses at a banquet to describe different ways in whichContinue reading “Born Again and Again”

Unlearn and Learn

I thought I knew a fair bit about Indigenous Peoples in Canada. I lived in Labrador for three years and went to school with Indigenous students, although it was as a teenager. I was married to an Inuit man. I did my grad project at AST on Residential Schools. NOTHING however, prepared me for aContinue reading “Unlearn and Learn”

Presence

Surely, the presence of the Lord is in this place. As I pondered the very long reading this week, that line from the hymn we sang a few minutes ago, kept ringing through my head. Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place. I could remember singing it… I went searching in theContinue reading “Presence”

Light and Life

A few weeks ago, I attended a reading by Marie Wilson, one of the commissioners to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. And of course, bought her book, North of Nowhere! I’ll get back to a story that she told in a minute. Did any of you attend one of the public sessions when it wasContinue reading “Light and Life”

Open Hearts

One of the ways I prepare to write my sermon is to read the scripture slowly… Then I read it again… slowly…. The third time, I pick up a pen and circle the words that jump out at me… This week, the three words that jumped out were opened, heart and listen. I was alsoContinue reading “Open Hearts”

Decisions, Decisions

My first thought, when I read through this passage last Sunday evening was, “I’m supposed to preach on a church meeting?” Because essentially that’s what this passage is… a report on a gathering, it’s called the Council of Jerusalem. To set the scene, we need to know a bit about what happened after last weeksContinue reading “Decisions, Decisions”

Look! Here is Water!

Look! Here is water! Those words, spoken by an Ethiopian eunuch from the passage of scripture that you’re going to hear in a few minutes, kept ringing in my ears this week! Look, here is water! Nova Scotia has 7400 km of coastline. No matter where you are in NS, you are never more thanContinue reading “Look! Here is Water!”