Community, Peace, Ecology
“HERE I AM” Genesis 22: 1,7&11 June 28, 2014 Westmount Park United Church “After these things God tested Abraham. God said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And Abraham said, ‘Here I am.’” [Genesis 22:1] “Isaac said to his father Abraham, ‘Father!’ And Abraham said, ‘Here I am, my son.’” [Genesis 22:7] “The angel of the Lord called […]
“DO NOT BE AFRAID” Genesis 21:17 June 21, 2014 Westmount Park United Church What a fearful and awesome scene is painted by our reading from the book of Genesis, the story of Hagar and Ishmael being rescued from the brink of death after they have been driven out of Abraham’s household into the wilderness. […]
OUR NEXT ASSIGNMENT June 14, 2014 Westmount Park United Church For centuries the Christian Church has observed the Sunday after Pentecost as Trinity Sunday. That is why the gospel reading assigned to this week in the church year is the very end of Matthew’s gospel where Jesus tells his disciples to “Make disciples of […]
“MANY GIFTS FROM ONE SPIRIT” I Corinthians 12:4 June 7, 2014 Westmount Park United Church In the second chapter of the Book of Acts Luke tells us that fifty days after Jesus’ resurrection, when his disciples were gathered together, they experienced the coming of the Holy Spirit, first as a noise like the rushing of […]
THE VOICE OF JESUS May 10, 2014 Westmount Park United Church In Jesus’ time, sheep folds often housed flocks belonging to several shepherds which would all be together at night, and then in the daytime each shepherd would gather together his own animals and lead them out into the pasture lands. Sheep would learn […]
“I WAS A STRANGER AND YOU WELCOMED ME” Matthew 25:35 May 3, 2014 Westmount Park United Church Two people were travelling along the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus on the first Easter day when a stranger overtook them and they fell into conversation with him. Cleopas and his companion were astonished that this man was […]
“NEW BIRTH INTO LIVING HOPE” I Peter 1:3 April 26, 2014 Westmount Park United Church In our reading from the Book of Acts Peter accuses his fellow Israelites of doing a terrible and tragic thing. He denounces them for conspiring to kill Jesus of Nazareth by handing him over to the Romans to be crucified. […]
“DO NOT BE AFRAID” Matthew 28:10 April 19, 2014 Westmount Park United Church All of Jesus’ disciples had good reason to be afraid. Their close friend and leader had been arrested and cruelly executed, and there was no telling who might be next. It was out of fear that the men had all fled […]
CHILDHOOD MEMORIES April 18, 2014 Good Friday Westmount Park United Church I grew up in a family that went to church every Sunday morning. Actually we would all go to Sunday School because while the adults worshipped upstairs in the sanctuary the children were downstairs in the basement, and my parents were Sunday School […]
“ARE YOU STILL SLEEPING” Matthew 26:45 April 12, 2014 Westmount Park United Church Who was responsible for the death of Jesus? He was executed by Roman soldiers on orders from the governor, Pontius Pilate. Imperial Rome was responsible for his undeserving and tragic death. But Pilate was acting at the urgings of the religious […]