A SERMON FOR THE 3RD SUNDAY IN LENTSunday, March 3rd 2024St. Saviour Church, Penticton BCThe Very Rev. Ken Gray I feel so righteous in my indignation today. And I am not alone, for today’s Gospel text takes into the heart of the temple of Jesus' day, where we see our Lord acting in a similar... Continue Reading →
Creating Homefulness in Summerland
Another in our “Life in our little town” series I was expecting a battle as I took my place in the viewers gallery of the District of Summerland council chambers a couple of nights ago. Someone told someone who then told me that NIMBYism was again exploding in our little town. (Don’t get me going... Continue Reading →
The baby is born, so what next?
Rev. Alecia Greenfield, priest, activist, artist will host a launch in Vancouver on Sunday, April 21 -- details soon An update on my little book project -- Partnership as Mission READER RESPONSE This is a such a well written book, creatively addressing a most vital, if not the most vital issue for those of us... Continue Reading →
NEVER AGAIN. NEVER?
A sermon for the first Sunday of Lent, 2024 So what is your favourite bible story? Many for whom a Christian Church has not been part of their upbringing or first-hand experience will say something like “Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat” or “Jesus Christ, Superstar”—and what would we do without Andrew Lloyd Webber. (Point of... Continue Reading →
The Good News Story
Reprinted from Richard Rohr's Daily Meditations -- From the Center for Action and Contemplation -- Read online here This Daily Meditation explores the “seven stories” inspired by Brian McLaren and Gareth Higgins’s e-book The Seventh Story. Father Richard describes how the gospel offers us a new story: If we’re honest, culture forms us much more than... Continue Reading →
Connections
Sixteen squares each occupied by a single word. At first glance, they are simply words, seemingly unrelated to each other. The challenge--in this popular New York Times e-game--is to group these sixteen words into four connected clusters. The clusters are grouped supposedly by difficulty. Much depends however on how aware I am of pop culture,... Continue Reading →
Rod
Rodney David Rhys Smith, 1945 – 2023A reflection by Ken Gray I told Rod many times, that when the time comes for his funeral —and if I am invited to officiate—that I get the last word! And so I did, as about seventy-five family and friends gathered at Sequoia Gardens in Victoria recently. They laughed,... Continue Reading →
This fiction is not fiction — A review of The Ministry for the Future: A Novel by Kim Stanley Robinson
“This is the best book I have ever read.” These are not my words but those of a Berkley liturgical scholar who reads and publishes on Christian worship. Her unexpected outburst concerned Kim Stanley Robinson’s The Ministry for the Future: A Novel (Orbit, 2020). Described on the cover by American novelist Jonathan Lathem as “the... Continue Reading →
Remembering the Martyrs—in a season of immense happiness
Commemoration of St. Thomas of Canterbury, d. 29 December 1170 In a beautiful liturgy at Canterbury Cathedral, the mother church of the Anglican Communion, St. Thomas, Martyr was remembered as an inspiration to those who suffer for their faith in our own day. Historically, Thomas Becket, also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, served as... Continue Reading →
Christmas Cards 2023
A version of this material will form my 2023 Christmas Eve Sermon at St. Stephen’s, Summerland. 7 p.m. is you’re in the hood. Everyone likes receiving Christmas cards—at least most people do. See my comments elsewhere. For many, the traditional Christmas card is now replaced by the annual newsletter—my own tend to go on a... Continue Reading →