https://youtu.be/hKgUxqXoc9M Today is the day that I will sit down and plan my own funeral, not the entire rite, but the music. Some will ask me if I am feeling poorly. Not at all. My arthritis continues to exert influence; hearing joins sight in disadvantage; diabetic management continues apace, and my memory fails increasingly each... Continue Reading →
Lamb
A sermon for the congregation of St. Stephen, Summerland on the 4th Sunday of Easter Season, May 11, 2025 — The Very Rev. Ken Gray Every once in a while a hymn arrests me; it makes me stop in my tracks, and I go WOW. This happened last week when I presided at St. Saviour’s... Continue Reading →
Take me out to the ball game — A baseball classic is in good hands
I love this woman, Sue Nelson. Not so much the woman herself; we have never met. But I watch her most mornings. She brings a tonic to my day, a spring to my step, a smile to my face. For over twenty-five years she has been the ballpark organist for the Minnesota Twins baseball team.... Continue Reading →
Dunking Duck and a favourite evening hymn
Now several years into blog creation here at takenote.ca I love to receive feedback from followers and subscribers. One curious reader enjoyed my Dunking Duck blog so much that she has requested a longer video, something akin to the popular and widely available Christmas fireplace, something she could watch when she is frustrated with her... Continue Reading →
Room at the table — A Sermon
A sermon for the congregation of St. Stephen, Summerland Anglican ChurchThe 3rd Sunday of Lent — March 23, 2025The Very Rev. Ken Gray Let me tell you about my recent trip to the hairdresser. We used to call these persons “barbers”; we still have some of these in our little town of Summerland. Over the... Continue Reading →
Truth Telling — Introducing Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday is one of my favourite times of the liturgical year. Sure, Christmas is fun; and Christianity is anchored in the Easter Festival. We enjoy communion with Christ through the gift of the Holy Spirit celebrated at Pentecost. But despite the richness of all these great festivals, I still find Ash Wednesday profound and... Continue Reading →
500 — It’s more than just a number
So what is it about the number 500? There is a particular “ring” to it as it points me towards all sorts of events, persons, music and memories. First, I think of the Indianapolis 500, one of the most famous car races in the world. A race car enthusiast in a former parish never missed... Continue Reading →
Lovers in a dangerous time
A sermon for the congregation of St. Stephen SummerlandSunday, January 19, 2025Andrew Stephens-Rennie, Director of Missional Renewal, Anglican Diocese of Kootenay[Bold emphasis KJG] [Andrew Stephens-Rennie]Between the word that is spoken, the word that is heard, and the word that is lived, may your name be praised O God, our Strength and our Song. Amen. You... Continue Reading →
We don’t sing this hymn much these days, but today we should
Standing in a Penticton pulpit yesterday I thought aloud about suitable music for the Epiphany season. Today, on the Feast of Epiphany itself I have a suggestion which came to mind during yesterday’s sermon, a text by the English clergyman and theologian John Hanry Newman (1801-1890) who in 1833 wrote Lead Kindly Light enroute to... Continue Reading →
HOME
Once again Kathie and I have returned home, at last. We have had other grueling travel adventures throughout 2024; and many more will likely occur. For now, however, we are home! Pardon the cliché, but there really is no place like home. Dorothy said it best, with other poets and prophets before her; there’s nothing... Continue Reading →
Take Note - Reflections on life, music, politics, retirement and more by Ken Gray 