Scripture: Genesis Chapters 2-3; Matthew 6: 5-15 Each year, we begin the season of Lent with prayers that call us to, “observe a holy Lent by self-examination, penitence, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving …” We also read Psalm 51. Together they make Lent begin with a very gloomy feel. A few weeks ago, Todd Townshend was […]
Scripture, Good Friday 2022: Luke 23: 1-5; 13-25 Nigel Bunce Who sinned when Jesus was crucified? Although I reject the idea that Jesus died to atone for human sin, his death was clearly the result of human sinfulness. And, there was plenty of blame to go round. Pilate, the crowd as a group, and the […]
Scripture, Good Friday 2020: John 18: 38b-19: 1-6; 13-16 Nigel Bunce This morning I ask the question, Who sinned? when Jesus was crucified. I want to focus on just one vignette in the Passion story. It’s when Jesus appears before Pilate. Pilate, the Roman governor, has a dilemma. He sees no reason to execute Jesus, […]
Sermon June 19, 2022. National Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Fathers Day, Nigel Bunce Indigenous reconciliation usually means restoring the broken relationship between Indigenous peoplesand the governments and settler people of Canada. But reconciliation is about much more than affirming peaceful and respectful relations. How can we set about trying to restore, or replace, what past […]
Pelagius claimed that human ability to choose to do evil or to do good is evidence fo God’s goodness. Without that freedom, we would be merely robots. Who was Pelagius? We just read part of Pelagius’ letter to a friend called Demetrius. Pelagius was a Welsh monk. He travelled to Rome, where he […]
Scripture: Luke 1: 57-66 Nigel Bunce “His name is John”. The name means, “God has looked with favour.’ Today, I compare the lectionary Gospel readings for Advent with Luke’s account of the origins of Jesus and his cousin John the Baptist. The story so far … Two weeks ago, we read about the angel […]
Feast Day of St. Mary, mother of Jesus: Nigel Bunce Today, August 15, we celebrate St. Mary outside Christmas. We usually meet the mother of Jesus in the Advent story of the Annunciation, and on Christmas Eve. Today, I want to explore where the Christmas story comes from. This is definitely not a homily for […]
Scripture: Acts 2: 1-38 Jan Savory Pentecost has always seemed strange to me. What is different about the Holy Spirit that “came at Pentecost” and the Spirit of God that was mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures and the Gospels, the spirit hovered over chaos before creation, that spoke to the prophets, that appeared […]
Scripture: John 1: 35-51 Nigel Bunce “Come and see.” An invitation. That’s John’s story of Jesus recruiting his first disciples. How different from Matthew, Mark, and Luke, where Jesus orders them, “Follow me.” Mark’s version of Jesus’ call to the first disciples This Epiphany season, I’ve been comparing how Mark and John understood Jesus’ […]
Scripture: John 3: 1-17. Nigel Bunce To be ‘born again’ is not necessarily a once-only event. God’s grace can restore us many times back to the goodness that we had on the day that we entered this world. Nicodemus meets Jesus John’s Gospel emphasizes Jesus’s interactions with specific people. This week, it’s Nicodemus. Next […]