The Second Sunday of Advent: Isaiah 40:1-11 1 Peter 3:8-15a Mark 1:1-8 From the mid 1800s to mid 1900s there lived a brilliant Episcopalian (i.e. American Anglican) woman named Vida Scudder. She was a professor, author, and activist, and had been one of the first women ever admitted to graduate studies at Oxford University. In […]

The First Sunday of Advent: Isaiah 64:1-9 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 Mark 13:24-37 “O that you would tear open the heavens and come down!” The opening line from the prophet in the first reading we heard. You can hear the impatience, maybe even desperation in the voice. ‘We have had more than enough of this…’ and […]

Sunday, November 26, 2023: Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24 Ephesians 1:15-23 Matthew 25:31-46 When something’s wrong the natural response is to find a solution. Sometimes that solution is embodied in a person: a hero, a strongman, a saviour. A lot of people in our own day feel discombobulated, or alienated, or like things just change so quickly. […]

The Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 Matthew 25:14-30 Two siblings: Tom and Annie — twins — inherited parts of their parents’ estate. Tom was given the family house, and Annie received the summer home (to call it a cottage would not do it justice). They both wanted to honour their parents, and the […]

The Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Matthew 25:1-13 Two years and eleven months ago someone expressed interest in acquiring a cross to hang in their home. I thought this was a great idea and said that I could definitely help. I logged into the website of a nearby church supply store and ordered […]