Thoughtful Reflections on Faith and Life
Mark 5:1-20 Introduction What does Jesus want us to do? Jesus wants us to follow him. Jesus wants us to love God, neighbours and each other. God wants us to work for justice, especially among the marginalized, and Jesus wants us to grow as disciples. All of that would seem to be plenty and I … Read More “Growing the Kingdom” »
Mark 1:14-20 Introduction Do you know why I am a Christian? It is not loyalty to the church or a feeling of obligation based on tradition. I gave up on the church I grew up in and the church in general when I was in my mid-teens. I felt no requirement to remain with the … Read More “Follow Me” »
I must confess that one of the Christian thinkers that I have wanted to learn more about have struggled to do successfully is Soren Kierkegaard. I have only read snippets of his work and I have plodded through a few short introductions. What I am much more comfortable reading is a biblical commentary, even if … Read More “Behold, My Mother and My Brethren! – Review” »
Mark 1:16-20 Introduction One of the themes that repeatedly comes up in both personal reflection and my preaching is the question of: What is a Christian? For some people, being a Christian simply means belonging to a specific religion, the one we call Christianity. Others may specify that a Christian is one who holds to … Read More “Defining Discipleship” »
Mark 1:1-11 Introduction I grew up attending church but I must confess that only a few things actually caught my attention as a child. One of them was Palm Sunday. I had no sense of a liturgical calendar, I just knew that I was happy when I showed up at church and there was a … Read More “What is Salvation?” »
A sermon based on Mark 11:1-11 preached at Queen Street Baptist Church. Introduction I have been stuck in traffic many times in my life. Once I was even an hour and a half late for church when I was commuting to Toronto. But there is one traffic jam that sticks in my mind, and not … Read More “What is So Triumphal About the Triumphal Entry?” »
A devotion based on Mark 8:33. The Apostle Peter is known for saying and doing the wrong thing but one of the worst experiences was that which resulted in Jesus calling him Satan. Not even the denying of Jesus resulted in such a harsh rebuke. After calling him this name, Jesus went on to explain that … Read More “Devotions: Mark” »
Mark 1:1-8 Introduction What are the images that we have of Christmas? Probably the typical nativity scene. We see a proud Joseph and Mary with adoring shepherds and wise men and submissive animals, all surrounding the Christ child sleeping peacefully in the manger. We are left wondering what the purpose of all this is for? … Read More “Sin is the Reason for the Season” »
Mark 14:32-42 Introduction What has been the hardest moment in your life? It may have been the death of a loved one. It may have been your own struggle with illness and the uncertainty about the outcome. It may have been a long period of unemployment in which you could not support your family. Think … Read More “Christ in Crisis” »
