Presbyterian pastor and writer Mark Davis offers us a menu of possibilities when it comes to the definition of “world” in John’s Gospel. We’ve all heard references to “the world” in the Gospels, moreover we’ve heard these references in sermons and everyday conversation...

Some time ago at one of the first Faith Studies I led I asked each of the small groups that gathered in a different section of the church, “What are the different denominations you have experienced in a worship service?” The responses were mostly ones you might expect...

When I was a QEH high-school student I used to travel on the bus with this student from the west end. As our senior year was drawing to a close I asked him what his plans were for the coming academic year, would he go to a Community College, go to university, join the workforce or travel...

You are witnesses of these things. Luke 24:48

I was standing by the bus stop at Scotia Square waiting for my ride back to Tantallon. I was approached by a former parishioner and we talked for some time. When the bus pulled up I was surprised he wanted the conversation to continue...

If I were to ask you to identify someone you previously knew, someone whose very presence made others “better”, who brought out the best in everyone, who embodied an energy so good you wanted to be with her/him every opportunity you could, who would that be? Let me hasten to add this...

Resurrection is a complex, mysterious, and head-scratching word. What does it mean? When ministers like me stand up in the church and proclaim that we believe in Jesus’ resurrection from the grave, that Good Friday was not the final word, that Jesus has “returned” to God and together they form a partnership that knows no end, what exactly are we getting at...

I have referenced in previous sermons that my late mother was leader of the Halifax Civic Majorettes. For anyone under the age of 50 that fact will mean nothing, the term “majorette” is about as common as shoveling coal into your home or separate schools and hospitals for different church denominations...

This Lenten season I feel like every sermon has begun with a story about a visit I shared with someone at a coffee shop. So not to disappoint you…here we go again. In another city, at another time, I met a man who had attended the church I served for some time...

Some years ago I met a man who identified himself as a born again Christian, someone saved by Jesus, born from above to a new life. He was a friend of a parishioner and accepted her invitation to worship with her at a place and with people who gave her a sense of mission, community and compassion...

Some of you know that Lucy has started her first job, working at Lawton’s in the Professional Centre. She is really enjoying it. I would like to think Kim and I have each enhanced her skill-set with our own unique personality. Lucy doesn’t take everything personally, a good asset when working in custom service...

I’ve had some unusual and unique experiences as a Minister but one of the most jarring requests I have received came from a woman I had met many years before when I presided at her wedding. The marriage did not work out and from there things went from bad to worse...

Some of you are aware that I served a congregation in the eastern part of Toronto and worked primarily with the church’s outreach programs. The signature ministry then was the Out of the Cold Program, our church hosted all of the homeless persons in the east end of the city every Friday night...

As I inch closer to retirement I am keeping only a small fraction of the books I formerly owned. One of those special books I keep on my shelf is Robert Bellah’s Habits of the Heart. The title is from Alexis de Tocqueville who, writing about us in Democracy in America from 1835 to 1839...

This week my mind went back several years ago when I travelled to Cape Breton to attend, and participate in, a funeral. I took a bus to get there and two things stand out as memories of the trip. 1) the duct tape that covered the bathroom door...

Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?

As many of you know I participate in public forums held around this city that focus on topics like social housing, poverty and mental illness...

The little notebook I use to write sermons, write blogs and check emails automatically connects me to the search engine Bing. You likely have never heard of it, Google reigns supreme. But Bing is trying hard to grab the attention of its consumers, so before people...

Some thirty years ago I accompanied a friend to her family’s home for a large gathering. There were multiple generations of kin in the room and most of the conversation focused on the community itself, changes happening, interesting characters doing interesting things, and local gossip...

The significance of (traditionally three) magi/astrologers from so far away recognizing Jesus as Lord so early in his life cannot be overstated. From what we know, chronologically, the shepherds were the first to “recognize” Jesus, then Simeon in the Temple at Jesus’ dedication...

Rev. Edward F. Markquart of Seattle, Washington has been the Minister at Grace Lutheran Church since l973. This congregation is one of the largest worshipping congregations on the West coast. The congregation is known for its many and varied ministries that run 24 hours a day and include a homeless shelter...

Preachers spend a lot of time and energy trying to make sense of things. At least this one does! I have been accused, more than once, of bringing the search for meaning to every human endeavor. People say to me, “Kevin, can’t you just let go of this need to analyze everything and just enjoy the experience?” Perhaps...