A sermon for the congregation of St. Stephen, Summerland Anglican ChurchSunday, November 17th 2024The Very Rev. Ken Gray During the 1970s while a student at the University of Calgary my friend, Rod, was a men’s residence supervisor. In those days, bomb threats were common on Canadian university campuses. One day Rod received a call advising... Continue Reading →
Finding our proper place — An ancient scene revisited
Walter Brueggemann is one of the foremost interpreters of the Old Testament of our day. As an American Christian educator he reflects here a day after the recent US federal election. He turns to Holy Scripture and to the prophet Elijah In the wake of the 2024 presidential election and its acute disappointment for many,... Continue Reading →
We’ve only just begun — On Blindness
Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 30] (Sunday, October 27th, 2024)A SERMON for the congregation of St. Stephen, Summerland BCThe Very Rev. Ken Gray ON (MY) BLINDNESS When I consider how my light is spent, Ere half my days, in this dark world and wide, And that one Talent which is death to hide Lodged with... Continue Reading →
RIP Robert Willis
The former Dean of Canterbury Cathedral and founder of the “Garden Congregation” the Very Rev. Robert Willis - The following from The Church Times. THE former Dean of Canterbury the Very Revd Robert Willis died “suddenly and peacefully” in the United States on Tuesday. He was 77. In a message to Berkeley Divinity School, Yale,... Continue Reading →
Nothing is impossible, I hope
A Sermon for the congregation of St. Saviour, Penticton BCSunday, October 13th, 2024 (Canadian Thanksgiving)The Very Rev. Ken Gray JOB 23:1-9, 16-17; PSALM 22:1-15; HEBREWS 4:12-16; MARK 10:17-31 I can say with confidence that I have never been accused or convicted of a crime. I have been in court a number of times to watch... Continue Reading →
And the angels, they go up and down (With thanks to Joni Mitchell)
A sermon on the Feast of St Michael and All Angels for the congregation of St. Stephen, Summerland, Sunday, September 29th, 2024 -- The Very Rev. Ken Gray Today’s preacher is presented with an embarrassment of homiletical riches. On this, the Feast of St. Michael (Michaelmas) Revelation describes how “war broke out in heaven; Michael... Continue Reading →
I missed preaching on Ephesians chapter 6, and that’s a shame
I return to these words often: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of... Continue Reading →
Bread for the journey
Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, Sunday, August 4th, 2024A sermon for the congregation of St. Saviour, Penticton BCThe Very Rev. Ken Gray Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father... Continue Reading →
What I did on my summer vacation — AKA There’s no place like home
A sermon for the Anglican Congregation in Summerland, BCSunday, July 21, 2024 // The Very Rev. Ken Gray The idea was so simple. In exchange for presiding and preaching at Holy Eucharist for just two Sundays at the Church of the Nativity, Sandy Cove, Nova Scotia we would receive rectory accommodation at no cost to... Continue Reading →
Singing for my supper
I have now “sung for my supper,”--and I did actually sing, though not for my supper. In leading Anglican worship at the Church of the Nativity in Sandy Cove Nova Scotia on Sunday, July 14, 2024, I have now fulfilled my liturgical obligation. The deal was that I would lead worship for two successive Sundays... Continue Reading →