A sermon for the Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost, November 9th, 2025 for the congregation of St. Stephen, Summerland by the Very Rev. Ken Gray The original title of Norman Lear’s 1971 TV sitcom All in the Family was Those Were the Days which ended up as the show’s theme song. I can imagine J D... Continue Reading →
Remembering “All My Relations”
[Disclaimer. You will never get me in a sweat lodge. The heat and the smoke would do me in. I know a number of folks, mostly men, who have benefited greatly from such a practice, including the Premier of Manitoba, Waab Kinew. Beyond the lodge itself, the practice of acknowledging “all my relations” teaches us... Continue Reading →
How to lead prayers in the US Senate — Clergy-craft 101
With thanks to Curtis M Wong writing in the Huffington Post So here’s a clergy gig I have never held, and never will — Chaplain to the United States Senate. What does one say? What can one say? In an effort to surface divine love, before many who are interested more in loyalty to a... Continue Reading →
A skeleton under the sun deck
A sermon for the congregation of St. Saviour Anglican Church in Penticton BC on Sunday November 2, 2025 by the Very Rev. Ken Gray My sermon title for today is “A skeleton under the sun deck.” It’s perfect for today, All Souls Day; it draws inspiration from All Saints Day which was yesterday; and it... Continue Reading →
Sadness and joy in the Anglican Communion — A bishop celebrates the new archbishop of Canterbury
Posted by the Rt. Rev. Craig Loya, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Minnesota. It’s been an eventful few weeks in the wider Anglican Communion. Bishop Sarah Mullally, the Bishop of London, was chosen to be the next Archbishop of Canterbury, the head of the Church of England and an important figurehead for the whole... Continue Reading →
An alien in the household of God
Readers of my blog may recall my appreciation for the ministry of the late Dean of Canterbury, the Very Rev. Robert Willis. Dean Willis was gay and in long term relationship with his life partner, Fletcher, with whom he lived in the deanery for decades. To those near him he was open about his relationship.... Continue Reading →
Trees loom large in the imagination of Canadian Anglicans, including yours truly
Images throughout this post do not relate specifically to the text of Sean Franklin's article. They simply express how I engage with and respond to the presence of trees where I live. Article by Sean Frankling in the Anglican Journal Published October 15, 2025 The pages of Scripture are rife with roots and branches. From... Continue Reading →
William Morris and St. Stephen Anglican Church, Summerland
An old bridal tale goes: Something old,something new,something borrowed,something blue . . . In a different tone and context, the good book reminds us: No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak; otherwise, the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. (Mark... Continue Reading →
Are there lessons from the Church of England for us in the Anglican Church of Canada?
The report below suggests that in the Church of England at least, a growing number of congregations are moving in a “congregational” direction. This means “low church” where the preaching of the word is prioritized over the sacramental engagement with that Word that is God. Congregationalism also indicates less tolerance for uniformity in practice and... Continue Reading →
Law and (dis)order — Never stop praying
A sermon for the congregation of St. Stephen Anglican Church, Summerland BC on Sunday, October 19th, 2025 — Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost y the Very Rev. Ken Gray Kathie and I love watching TV legal dramas. It’s where I can channel my inner lawyer. She can speak to her favourites, but here are my top... Continue Reading →