I have long felt that one of the greatest enemies of the Church is respectability. Without a doubt Pope Francis is pointing out one of the ways in which we allow respectability to get in the way of doing the work of Jesus. It is not pleasant to consider being the bruised, the hurting, and the dirty followers of Jesus. Our structures give us a false sense of security and certainly reinforce our desire to sit in our comfortable pew. Continue reading
Despite what we hear in advertisements, the whole world does not revolve around our individual needs. Most time we know when we have fallen into sin. Can we have the courage to do what our baptismal covenant calls us to as repent of those sins? Do we trust that God loves us even when we fall short? Continue reading
Baptism is very much a sacrament which is rooted in belonging to a wider family. We gather regularly around the table and often we hear the same stories told again and again. It is in the retelling of the stories that we come to know who we are and who we have been as a people. It is hearing those stories retold That gives us hope for our future. Simply put, we cannot know who we are and we cannot discover who we are becoming if we do not gather together as community around our table. Continue reading
So whatever our poverty may be; insecurity, lack of material wealth, addiction, low self esteem, loneliness, we have to surrender it and understand whose we are. ‘Whether we understand it or not, God loves us, is present in us, lives in us, dwells in us, calls us, saves us and offers us an understanding and compassion which are like nothing we have ever found in a book or heard in a sermon.’ That is Good News indeed! Continue reading
As an adolescent and young teen there were times life seemed very tumultuous and stormy for me. But when I was at St. George the Martyr I was always secure and always safe. It was, and it remains, a place of refuge for me. While good programming, loads of resources, and great facilities, are great to have as a church, nothing can replace good mentorship and strong witness in a community of faith. While I was feeling like an outsider, the Rev’d Morley Boutcher and the people of St. George’s made me an insider. Continue reading
We are often locked inside of ourselves afraid to embrace the baptismal call that God has given us. We are often locked, into our churches afraid of what lurks beyond our walls. Jesus is calling us out of those fear filled places. I pray that we are able to embrace the doubt of Thomas and long to feel the wounds of Jesus. I pray that having felt those wounds, and having experienced the presence of the risen Christ that we might respond by GOING – into the world with the confidence of knowing that we were sent by the great Healer, Lover, & Redeemer. Continue reading
We have been saturated in the waters of baptism. That soaking has caused us to wade into waters that are often tumultuous. Following Jesus of Nazareth as a baptised follower sometimes will cause us to ask difficult questions about why life can sometimes be so demanding, sometimes dark, and in many cases cruel. But the covenant that we share with Jesus calls us to live in hope that our work, compelled by the love of Jesus, directs us to that time when justice and peace will kiss. Continue reading
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