Breaking down the pretty/ugly altars
I think you know a lot about Jesus’ body, so I invite you to close your eyes and picture some things. Picture Jesus as a baby, his tiny body wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger. As a 12-year-old boy walking with his family to Jerusalem and sitting in the temple. As an adult…
Busy bees
Over the course of the pandemic, I have noticed a bit of a shift in my “homiletical disposition.” I’ve been talking an awful lot about forgiveness, grace and mercy. I’ve been talking about a God who “does for us what we cannot do for ourselves,” and about a God whose love and acceptance is not…
Readers write: March 8, 2024
To pay the price of peace Thank you for the February 21 webinar with Maoz Inon. He reminds me of the many Israelis who work for peace by embodying forgiveness, hope, justice and reconciliation. Their witness affirms my commitment to Anabaptism. The three Abrahamic religions clearly value the sacredness of life. The Qur’an states: “Whoever…
COVID creativity: Cards, buns and wreaths
Like most of the country, Alberta is experiencing, its second wave of novel coronavirus. As of early December, as many as 1,800 Albertans were contracting COVID-19 every day. With the Christmas season approaching, every church had to look at past traditions and ask whether to try to alter them in some way or to cancel…
Too much news?
These are days of information overload. There is so much news to follow! Local, regional, national, international, from this part of the country and from that part of the world. It is hard to cope with how much news there is, and with how overwhelming it feels. News stories with an emotional catch lead me…
Bridging the rural-urban divide to help end world hunger
Fifteen acres of wheat and a good cause—that’s what brought nearly 200 people together in Pembina Crossing, Man., in June 2018. Some drove two hours from Winnipeg, others five minutes from their rural homes. Most came from Anglican church communities in Winnipeg. “It was a moment where I felt like I was part of something…
A clear statement about stuttering
It is a hard thing to live with as much fear as Albert (Colin Firth) harbours. But it is especially difficult when you are a royal. For Prince Albert, later to become Great Britain’s King George VI, the familiar fears of authority figures, childhood bullies and judgmental crowds are made all the worse by his…
Strengthen what remains
I wonder what it was like to be on the receiving end of those seven letters to the churches named in Revelation 2 and 3. The words of Jesus to fellowships in present-day western Turkey were both encouraging and at points sharp with direct challenge. Jesus is serious about the health and vitality of his…
Restless hearts in Hollywood
So, a struggling actor and a pastor walk into a bar … What sounds like a setup for a lame joke was my reality one afternoon in the Rockies last year. My wife was attending some meetings, and I came along for the ride. Another tag-along and I found ourselves meandering around town before landing…
Class of ’60 reunion
To the sounds of much laughter, along with moments of sadness, the Rosthern Junior College (RJC) class of 1960 met in Saskatoon on May 18-19 to mark 63 years since graduation. Given that students generally complete high school at age 18, most of us at the reunion had reached the age of 81. More than…
