Matthew 20.1-16 (The Workers in the Vineyard) The story of the workers in the vineyard reminds me of a play I saw a number of years ago called Jesus Hopped the A Train. It’s set in Rikers Prison and surrounds a couple of characters who’ve been locked up for murder. It was a very uncomfortable play,Read more
Essentials SERIES: Creation (part two)Living Waters Church, February 7, 2021Psalm 24.1-2, 7-10 The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world and all it’s people belong to him…Open up, ancient gates!Open up, ancient doors,and let the King of glory enter. This is the second week in our Essentials series where we’re looking at what shapes aRead more
Luke 9. 7-9January 3, 2021Listen to this sermon here. Happy New Year. There are two kinds of people this time of year. Those who have packed up Christmas and those who haven’t. Our church is still a little decorated for Christmas, and there is a reason for that beyond sheer laziness. We’re still a littleRead more
Ephesians 3.17-19 “…May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully…” Watch or listen to this sermon here. I spent the Christmas Eve of 2016 bundled up in my coat in a cold monastery. You might not know that a fully working monastery is just up the road inRead more
Advent means arrival and is the four-week season in the church calendar year preceding Christmas. The season is characterized by waiting and longing for God and what God assures the world through Christ: hope, peace, joy, love. Advent is the dark before the dawn; the candle burning brightly in a deep forest; the star wayRead more
The Gospel of Luke: Don’t Be Afraid Luke 8.40-56 Jerry Seinfeld has an old joke about fear. It goes that surveys show that many people’s number one fear in life is of public speaking, and that their number two fear is death. Which he says means that some people would rather be in the casketRead more
Luke 8. 26-39 | Jesus heals a man under demonic possession If that story sounded dramatic and strange, then you heard it right! A big part of being a Christian is simply listening to the stories about Jesus and learning to see God through him. When our picture of God can be painted by soRead more
The Gospel of Luke: 7.18-35 Happy Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving probably looks different this year as some of us are away from those we love, which is always hard, and others aren’t enjoying our regular traditions because of cancellations or safety restrictions. But I’m ready for Thanksgiving this year more than ever, and not just because IRead more
Being the Body in the Pandemic John 14.15-17 Listen to this talk here: https://www.lwchurch.ca/podcasts/podcasts/2020-09-13-part-one-jesus-the-spirit Last November I read a prayer in Fort Langley’s Remembrance Day service. The most humbling moment was walking behind our veterans as the bagpipes led us through the crowd and to our seats on a platform. But during the prayers, theRead more
“This is real love – not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” (1 John 4.10) Listen to this talk here. I heard a story recently of an elderly married couple celebrating fifty years of wedded bliss. They chose to celebrateRead more