Harvest Thanksgiving — Deuteronomy 8:7–18 | Luke 17:11–19 A psychology professor at U of T was giving an oral exam and asked one of her students, “How would you diagnose a patient who is screaming at the top of his lungs one minute, then sitting in a chair weeping uncontrollably the next?” A young man in a hockey jersey raised his hand and said, “He’s probably a Leafs fan.” With hockey season underway again, Leafs fans are once more being asked to exercise that peculiar combi

Exodus 16:2–15 | Matthew 20:1–16 A wealthy man stands up in church to give his testimony. He explains that when he earned his very first dollar, it was all the money he had in the world. That night he heard a missionary speak, felt moved, and put the entire dollar in the offering. Then he tells everyone, “I’ve always believed God blessed that decision, and that’s why I’m a rich man today.” He sits down looking rather pleased with himself. An elderly woman sitting beside him l

What a changing forest can teach us about love, community, and what God may be creating next. A farmer in Lowville was worried about the coming winter, so he called Environment Canada. “What kind of winter are we expecting?” “Looks like a cold one.” So he started cutting extra firewood. A couple of weeks later he called again. “Any update?” “Actually, we’re expecting a very cold winter.” So he cut even more wood. Finally, a few weeks later, with an enormous pile stacked besid

Isaiah 55:10–13; Matthew 13:1–9, 18–23 An elderly man in New Jersey wanted to plant his annual tomato garden, but the ground had become too hard for him to dig on his own. His son, who happened to be in prison, was unable to help, so the man wrote him a letter explaining how disappointed he was that he wouldn't be able to plant his tomatoes that year. A few days later, he received a reply. "Dad, don't dig up the garden. That's where I buried the bodies." The next morning, at

Healthy gardens don't grow because someone shouts at them—they grow because the soil is alive. Reflecting on Jesus' invitation to "come to me," this sermon explores how God's grace creates the conditions where real spiritual growth can flourish.

Third Sunday After Pentecost | Memorial SundayRomans 5:1–8 | Matthew 9:35–10:8 This sermon was preached at St. George's Anglican Church, Lowville (Milton), on the Third Sunday After Pentecost. If you're exploring faith or looking for a welcoming church community, we'd love to welcome you on Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m. Whoever you are, and wherever you are in your journey of life, you are welcome. One of the advantages of being both a priest and a therapist is that I get to h

Readings: Hosea 5:15–6:6 & Matthew 9:9–13, 18–26 A man goes to the doctor and says, "Doctor, I work eighty hours a week, and when I'm home, all I do is worry about work." The doctor nods and says, "I see. You don't have a work addiction." The man sighs with relief, "Oh, thank goodness. What is it?" The doctor replies, "A Messiah complex. But don't worry, the position is already filled, and He didn't need eighty hours to save the world." I suspect many of us spend our lives ca

Matthew 28:16-20 & 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 If you have ever traveled internationally, you know the distinct feeling of holding a passport. It is a small book that grants you entry. It is a document that says, “You have the right to cross this border; you belong here.” For centuries, the global Church has treated the final verses of Matthew’s Gospel—what we call the Great Commission—as a sort of divine passport. Armed with the command to “go and make disciples of all nations,”

Readings: Acts 2:1-21; John 7:37-39 Pentecost celebrates the gift of the Holy Spirit to the Church. In this sermon, we explore the biblical image of living water and consider how God's Spirit continues to flow beyond boundaries, bringing life, healing, and hope to a thirsty world. A Misunderstanding of the Spirit Good morning, and Happy Pentecost! A pastor was preparing a children's sermon for Pentecost Sunday. She wanted to explain the Trinity using the church's architectura

Scripture Focus: John 14:15-21; Acts 17:22-31 I. The Opening: A Lesson in Fractions Happy Mother’s Day! While I was in the younger grades, I once I had a teacher asking me a math question: "Suppose your mother baked a pie for your family – there were six of you, your parents and your three sisters. What part of the pie would you get?" I quickly answered, "A fifth." The teacher shook her head and said, "I’m afraid you don’t know your fractions. Remember, there are six of you

Homily Easter 4 2026: "I am the gate." [John 10:1-10] As we saw when I was talking to the children, there are all sorts of gates. They may make us think of security, but also of invitation, being invited into a beautiful place or invited to leave a place of safety to go out and find adventure and excitement.Unfortunately, they can also be divisive, creating insiders and outsiders. Insiders and Outsiders Of course, the concept of insiders and outsiders isn't limited to the

When Our Defenses Become Our Prison There is an old story about a man who was paralyzed by a singular, recurring fear: he was convinced there were monsters living under his bed. Every week, his therapist would ask, "Have you made any progress?" and every week the man would sigh, "No, Doctor, the monsters are still there." Then, for a few months, the man stopped coming. When he finally bumped into his old therapist on the street, he looked like a new person—bright-eyed and con

There were three boys in sixth grade in a Catholic school who were two grades behind, too big for their desks, the only ones in puberty, and bully all the others. Their teacher goes to the principle and says, "We gotta get the kids out of 6th grade." The principle says, "Ask them one question that will show they have learned something correctly and pass them." Teach goes to Davey, "what is the meaning of Easter?" Davey, "That's easy, that's when all the kids dress up and go

The journey nears its end / A fully human Jesus In our journey with Jesus along the Via Dolorosa from his trial to his execution, we have nearly reached the place where he is to be crucified. It’s only been a short walk, a little over half a mile, from Pilate's court to the place of execution. But, for one who has been beaten, scourged and made to carry a heavy cross, one has been without any sleep, it was too far. As he climbed the hill to the place of the skull, Golgotha, w

Lenten Series - Jesus Blesses, the Beatitudes & the Stations of the Cross - 2nd Sunday of Lent, March 1st, 2026 Our first reading is the first beatitude given by Jesus in the gospel of Matthew [5:1-4]: When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be co

Introduction to our Lenten Sermon Series This Lent our homilies are following a special Lenten series that reflects on the Beatitudes and the Stations of the Cross. Each week we will explore one of the neatitiudes from Matthew Chapter 5, and 2 of the traditional Stations of the cross. The Sermon on the Mount begins with this manifesto of hope and promise. The beatitudes introduce the heart of Jesus’ teaching to his followers. The Stations of the Cross are an old Catholic Chr

Premier Doug Ford and some of his staff were flying over the Greenbelt in a small plane when, looking down upon miles after miles of farmer’s fields, the Premier mused "You know, we could crack open a window, drop out a $20 bill and make some farmer very happy." The staffers all laughed at his joke, except for one cynical old guy at the back of the plane, who leaned over and whispered to the person next to him "Or we could open a door, drop his butt out, and make everybody

Okay, so this is a fairly straight forward parable, isn't it? Seems to me that, at first glance, it's saying Don’t think too highly of yourself like this hypocritical Pharisee; rather, be like the self-abasing tax collector . Or, to make it even simpler, we can boil the point of this parable down to two words: “be humble.” If only it was that straightforward … I could announce the final hymn and them we could all head into the Narthex for some more coffee or other refreshment

Scripture: Isaiah 32:14- 18 which inspired thus year’s theme for the Seasons of Creation: “Peace with Creation” In our first reading from...

Meditations for August 10th, 2025 by Jan Savory Introduction Today we are celebrating the Remembrance of the Holy Women of the Old...