Easter 5

Sermons

• Easter 5
  Posted by ParishAdmin
  

  The book of Acts was written by the same author as the Gospel according to Luke. Yet, while the Gospel focuses on Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, Acts focus on what happens thereafter; it tells how the story continues. Acts reveals the ongoing unfolding of God’s salvation in the history of the Christian Community as [...]

• Easter 3
  Posted by ParishAdmin
  

  I have been surprised how much the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic has been front stage and centre in the media over the past few weeks. There is a cynical part of me that wants to shout out: “She sank. Get over it!” After all, don’t we have more important issues to [...]

• Easter
  Posted by ParishAdmin
  

  German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche said a lot of important things. The one thing I keep remembering, though, isn’t philosophical. “Die Christen müssten mir erlöster aussehen,“ Nietzsche once said: Christians should appear more redeemed. I do believe that Nietzsche observed something with which many of those, who interact with Christians are familiar, but about which many [...]

• Good Friday
  Posted by ParishAdmin
  

  Good Friday has been and remains one of the most difficult days in the liturgical life of the church. How does one find meaning and theological significance in the death of a fellow human being? How can the death of human being be a central feature of a religion? And of course these questions don’t [...]

• Annunciation
  Posted by ParishAdmin
  

  At the first Wednesday evening service of Lent this year, I compared Lent to a spring-cleaning. This came in reaction to my own trepidation about and my own issues with this season. At times, it feels as if the season of Lent confirms some of the assumptions of our non-Christian friends about us: We are [...]

• You as an agent of God’s Love
  Posted by ParishAdmin
  

  John 3:16 We have all seen the signs at public gatherings. Even on street corners there are people holding up signs with this one word and those two numbers. And some have argued that it summarises the Gospel. Martin Luther called John 3:16 “the Gospel in miniature.” But, what makes it such a pivotal little [...]

• Lent is not an easy season.
  Posted by ParishAdmin
  

  Lent is not an easy season, because in our struggle to get through the winter-blues this season is too gloomy and too solemn. Can’t we just have one nice March, for crying out loud? Lent is also not an easy season, because it is just not good marketing! Talking about our need for repentance and [...]

• Pochemuchkas
  Posted by ParishAdmin
  

  Coll Thrush, who many of you here know through his work with our Labyrinth, recently shared with me a link to a website that lists nine foreign words the English language desperately needs.[1] One of these words is “Pochemuchka.” Unfortunatley, our own Zehnia is visiting family in Montreal, but I bet she would be able [...]

• This Little Smudge
  Posted by stpauls
  

  [This sermon was written and preached by Clare Morgan, St. Paul's seminarian intern, for Ash Wednesday. ] “And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.” Oh no. Is this [...]

• Jesus Heals
  Posted by stpauls
  

  Jesus heals. This is an outrageous and courageous statement. It is what today’s reading from Mark proclaims. But can we believe it? Well, maybe looking back 2000 years this is not so easily done. What proof is there besides the witness of our sacred text? And it is hard for us in the busyness of [...]

• Jonah and Nineveh
  Posted by stpauls
  

  The season of Epiphany is a strange little season. On the one hand, we have just moved out of the beauteous mystery, wonder, and awe of Christmas, when we celebrated the birth of God among us, God with us, and God for us. And on the other hand, we are not quite in the season [...]

• Canterbury Cap and All
  Posted by stpauls
  

  As most of you know, I describe St. Paul’s very often as a place that is both wonderful and crazy. And lest you think this is a judgment from afar, I realise very much that I am crazy, too. Just last month, for example, I ordered a new piece of liturgical clothing, which I received [...]

• The Star of Bethlehem was a Sign
  Posted by stpauls
  

  Many of you know what these are: signs. The interesting thing about these signs is that they describe something they are not. This sign does not mean that it is Highway Number 5. Equally, you cannot park on top of this sign. And, even though this picture was taken in Europe, where things are a [...]

• Flounder, Flounder in the Sea
  Posted by stpauls
  

  Once  upon a time… No, this is not about the TV-shows of the same name. Rather, I want to share a fairly-tale today. But before I start, I need to make a disclaimer: I want to apologize for the sexist undertones in the fairy tale. But this is how the story has been handed down [...]

• The Still Small Voice of God
  Posted by stpauls
  

  Over the last couple of Sundays, we have encountered one of the great prophets of God and one of the great saints of Advent: John, Jesus’ cousin. First we met him as John the Baptist, as the one who offered baptism to wash away any stain or blemish. John the Baptist was the voice calling [...]

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