sermon

Loving Our Enemies?

Homily from February 24 2019 by Jo Connelly

In our first reading from Genesis, Joseph clearly had enemies. In preparation for this homily I re-read Joseph’s history, going back as far as Abraham and Sarah, Jacob and Esau, Leah and Rachel—what tales of treachery and deceit! Joseph was the favoured son of Jacob’s favoured wife Rachel. Not only was he given a very special cloak but he announced to his brothers, dreams suggesting they would bow down to him. His brothers seethed with jealousy and somehow Joseph seemed a bit clueless in the lead up to their plot. Though they had originally schemed to kill Joseph, in the end they put him in a cistern and decided to sell him into slavery. They brought the hated cloak back to their father Jacob covered in animal blood to convince him that Joseph had been killed by an animal.

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“May we be courageous today. May we learn today. May we love today.”

 June 10, 2018 – Church of Holy Trinity, Trinity Square

Our sisters and brothers at the Corrymeela Community, Northern Ireland’s longest-serving centre for peace and reconciliation, begin their day with these words:

“We resolve to live life in its fullness:

We will welcome the people who’ll be part of this day.

We will greet God in ordinary and hidden moments.”

What a remarkable story from the Book of Samuel. The elders of Israel complain to Samuel about the judges who were the government of the day. Israel was a group of scattered tribes under attack by the Philistines. The elders wanted a strong man for protection.

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woodcut of Mary as Queen of Heaven

Sermon: Mother’s Day 2018

Mother’s Day 2018
by Joanna Manning
Mother’s Day 2018 finds me in a militant state of mind. And if we go back to the origins of the celebration, that’s actually very appropriate frame of mind to be in.
As you may know, Mother’s Day began not as a celebration of a woman’s personal devotion to her family but as a holiday that commemorated and fostered women’s civic and international activism.

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Sour Grapes

By James Harbeck

Sermon, Holy Trinity, October 1, 2017

Readings: Ezekiel 18:1–4, 25–32; Psalm 25:1–10; Philippians 2:1–13; Matthew 21: 23–32

I’m going to tell a little story today. I don’t know whether I’d call it a parable. It’s not quite a literal history. But it’s close enough.

There was, once, a place that was very nice. Lush. Great for growing grapes and things like that. There was a family living there, and they were pretty happy with it. We’ll call them the Ones. Nothing’s perfect, but, you know, the Ones had food, family, all the things that people do with their time when nothing and no one is forcing them to do something else. Life was good enough.

And then another family showed up from another place. We’ll call them the Twos. They liked where the Ones were living. They wanted to live there. They didn’t say, “Hey, do you mind if we fit in here somehow?” or “What can we give you in exchange for some of what you have so we can live here?” They said, “Hi. We’re the Twos. These are guns. Look what they can do: [BANG BANG BANG]. Get the idea? We want this land. Oh, you? You can get out and live somewhere else, or you can stay and work for us.” Some of the Ones left. Some were killed. Some decided to stay and work for the Twos, because at least they’d still be in this nice place getting the benefit of the land.Read More »Sour Grapes

How Big is the Tent We Call Home?

Notes for a Sermon by Suzanne Rumsey
Holy Trinity, August 20, 2017

From “Coming Home,” by Katharine O’Flynn. The year is about 1922; the place, southeastern British Columbia:

Fernie. Cranbrook. Yahk. His excitement grew. Here was a mountain that looked familiar. Could it be Goat? Yes. Yes. That was surely its peak. And here was the siding for the mine. Then the trainman came along the aisle shouting, ‘Creston! Creston is the next station stop. Creston next.” …The train puffed to a standstill, sending out clouds of white steam. The trainman set the nobbled brown stool on the platform, and reached up to give Charles a hand, but the boy was already running along the platform towards outstretched arms. “Gran! Gran!” he was shouting, “I’m home!”Read More »How Big is the Tent We Call Home?

Freedom to Love

+In the name of God our Maker, Jesus Living, and the Fulfilling Spirit, Amen.

[When Sherman said that we were cutting things down to make the service shorter, I thought that here was a chance for me to expand the homily—and I have a bit—especially here to make the connections clearer— though those of you who heard it, will recognize that I moved from the text more than just here and there—and what was also apparent (I am sure), was that I was cutting like mad as I was preaching—even when we had some competition from one or more of our visitors]Read More »Freedom to Love