A prophet cannot know that all will be well, that those in power will wake up and mend the damage they have caused, and that peace will prevail. The mystic can never be certain that union with God will be the outcome of longing for God. They must rest in unknowing. Unknowing is not always... Continue Reading →
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 →
A sermon for the congregation of St. Saviour Anglican Church, Penticton BC // Sunday last before Lent , March 2, 2025 // The Very Rev. Ken Gray My long time organist friend, Curt, grew up in a very conservative evangelical family in Vanderhoof BC. Following high school he attended college at Prairie Bible Institute (PBI)... Continue Reading →
Jazz Vespers returns to the South Okanagan, in Penticton on Sunday March 2 @ 4 p.m. at St. Saviour Anglican Church, 150 Orchard Ave. in Penticton. Church or no church, newcomer or longtime jazz enthusiast, friends of the band, whatever gets you off your couch, come on out. As for the band, Justin Glibbery is... Continue Reading →
Sermon for the Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany, February 23, 2025Delivered by the Rev. Dr. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Ashfield, MA Reposted from Margaret's Blog siteGenesis 45:3-11, 15Psalm 37:1-12, 41-421 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50Luke 6:27-38 The moral witness of a loving heart “Love your enemies” (Luke 6:27). That’s got to be one of... Continue Reading →
I am pleased to share a prayer from Irwin Keller, Rabbi, Teacher, writer, hope-monger. Rabbi Keller knows well how the news is a double-edged sword; it informs us about what is happening locally, nationally, and globally; likewise it often upsets us often to the point of despair. Whether we learn of events in the Middle... Continue Reading →
With thanks to the Rev. McAllister, the following: Thicken my love.Widen my heart.Sharpen my analysis.Enliven my praxis.Embolden my voice.Deepen my rest.Lighten my heaviness.Toughen my skin.Soften my spirit.Strengthen my friendships.Lengthen my endurance.Weaken my ego.Awaken my soul.Refreshen my vision.Hearken to my weary voice, O God,as we are co-conspiratorsin the struggle for a new world.Amen -- Terrance Hawkins... Continue Reading →
A sermon for the congregation of St. Stephen Anglican Church, Summerland BC / Sunday, February 16, 2025 / The Very Rev. Ken Gray I was recently told that I should include more humour in my sermons. I often do, though my joking around is often unplanned and spontaneous. Today however, I will begin with a... Continue Reading →
A sermon for the parish of St. Saviour, Penticton BCSunday, February 9th 2025 / Fifth Sunday after the EpiphanyThe Very Rev. Ken Gray “Are you saved brother?” I used to hear this question a lot some years ago. It was spiritual lingua franca when I was coming into adulthood in the 1970s. Christians, especially evangelicals,... Continue Reading →
A sermon for the congregation of St. Saviour Anglican Church, Penticton BC — Sunday, February 2, 2025 — Feast of the Presentation of our Lord in the Temple — The Very Rev. Ken Gray Mitzy J Smith, J. Davison Philips Professor of New Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, GA sets the stage for our... Continue Reading →
Take Note - Reflections on life, music, politics, retirement and more by Ken Gray 