Center for Action and Contemplation faculty member Brian McLaren introduces the 2026 Daily Meditations theme: “Good News for a Fractured World” — Sunday, January 4, 2026 [Brian McLaren] Our world is deeply fractured. We see the symptoms all around us. We see it in politics. We see it in social media. We see it in... Continue Reading →
Photo credit: Michael Shapcott A sermon for the congregation of St. Stephen, Summerland, Epiphany 2025 – The Very Rev. Ken Gray Before one sets off on an Epiphany journey it’s important to know which star to follow. There must have been dozens of bright lights in the Middle Eastern sky, many visible to the ancient... Continue Reading →
Originally published by the New York Times as The Kingdom of God Is Ruled by the Humblest of Men, an essay by Peter Wehner While long for a blog post, I commend to readers Peter Wehner's exploration of the significance of Jesus' incarnation as a babe at the biblical Bethlehem. We typically hear such explanations... Continue Reading →
My favourite poetic Christmas tradition it to read this very Canadian piece written by John Terpstra, the Little Towns of Bethlehem. If God arrived in Christ in Bethlehem Christ arrives in the places and spaces of our nation, places familiar and unknown to us, though I am privileged to have lived in, or passed through... Continue Reading →
“NOEL” by J.R.R. Tolkien was written in 1936, amidst the gathering gloom of national socialism in Germany. At the time, it provided an antidote to social and political anxiety. May it provide some relief for us now. Grim was the world and grey last night:The moon and stars were fled,The hall was dark without song... Continue Reading →
It’s Carol Service at church this morning. Typically the 4th Sunday of Advent focuses specially on Mary, the “Mary of the Annunciation.” Church today will pay homage mostly to “Mary of the Nativity,” including her pondering of what happened on Christmas Day and afterward. In this space today, I return to Mary of the Annunciation,... Continue Reading →
From SALT, an Emmy Award winning, not-for-profit production company dedicated to the craft of visual storytelling. The article below was first published here. There can be a gauzy, candlelit coziness to Christmas Eve and Day — and that’s all well and good, as far as it goes. Coziness in the midst of December is a fine... Continue Reading →
The politics of humiliation and the God who listened to Mary Many thanks to Betty-Ann Xenis for this suggestion. Derek Penwell on Substack - Dec 12, 2025 Mary asked, “How can this be?” but heaven didn’t call her nasty. Quiet, piggy. Ugly inside and out. Stupid and nasty. Can you hear the beat? Say the... Continue Reading →
A sermon for the congregation of St. Stephen Anglican Church, Summerland BC, on the Third Sunday of Advent, December 14th 2025 She would not get out of my way. Maddening, and frustrating to me, there she was; and so she remained, right in front of me. Admittedly, I am not the most patient of persons;... Continue Reading →
By Tim Snyder Tim Snyder in for Sojourners, Mar 13, 2025 As a theologian, I get nervous when reading Dietrich Bonhoeffer becomes all too relevant. I’m the kind of theologian who would rather not find myself in what some scholars refer to as a Bonhoeffer moment. Let me explain. In the lead up to the... Continue Reading →
Take Note - Reflections on life, music, politics, retirement and more by Ken Gray 