A Memory from Jim Palmer on Facebook About eighteen years ago a young woman named Rachel Held Evans contacted me because she was beginning to see Christianity differently and wanted to write about it. She sent me her manuscript, and we worked on her book together. She published four books in total. I got to... Continue Reading →
Leadership
A reflection by the Revโd Jon Swales [Extracts] Every church has leaders.Every church has a culture.Even if nobody names it,something is shapingthe life of that community. Culture is the feel of a place. Itโs how people are treated when nobody is watching. Itโs what gets celebrated, what gets ignored, who gets heard, and who slowly... Continue Reading →
Seeds of peaceful possibility
A sermon for the congregation of St. Saviour, Penticton, the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Sunday, May 3rd, 2026, by the Very Rev. Ken Gray JOHN 14:1-14 A few weeks ago, on the 5th Sunday in Lent, I preached on the text from Johnโs Gospel: โI am the resurrection and the life.โ At the time I... Continue Reading →
Closing Churches: A response to Mattheew Larkin
Following from my posting of a sermon by Sam Rose, the Anglican Bishop of Central Newfoundland, the very distinguished, brilliant, and thoughtful music Matthew Larkin left a good comment. My response is below: Thanks for your thoughts, Matthew. Allow me to broaden the context somewhat. I am not sure that church leaders celebrate the loss... Continue Reading →
How to close a church well — A sermon
Sermon Notes at the Closing of St.Andrews Trinity East from the Right Rev. John Watton, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Central Newfoundland My friends, Iโll be honest. Throughout the three dioceses in Newfoundland and across the country, we will face increased Church closings. Itโs hard to talk about, let alone live through it. When... Continue Reading →
On the Road again
A SERMON for the congregation of St. Stephen, Summerland, Sunday, April 19th, 2026, the Third Sunday of Easter by the Very Rev. Ken Gray Willie Nelson said it, and sang it, best: On the road againGoin' places that I've never beenSeein' things that I may never see againI can't wait to get on the road... Continue Reading →
โGod does not listen to the prayers of those who wage warโ Pope Leo XIV
How the first American pope is reclaiming Christian values from the Trump administration By Christopher Lamb at CNN Flying to Algeria at the start of his landmark tour of Africa on Monday, Pope Leo had a choice. He could ignore Donald Trumpโs extraordinary overnight social media tirade against him, or he could tackle it head... Continue Reading →
Claims about Easter, Beauty, and the Institutional Church
Ikonostasis, Orthodox Monastery, Birchdale on Kootenay Lake BC - David Burrows photo Extract from an interview in Sundayโs New York Times between David Bentley Hart and Peter Wehner - The complete interview is worth a careful read David Bentley Hart is one of the worldโs most formidable and provocative theological minds. He is an Eastern... Continue Reading →
Jesus is risen โ So what?
Photo Credit: ScottProject Photography/Kamloops Tourism, Kamloops BC A sermon for the congregation of St. Saviour, Penticton on the Second Sunday of Easter Sunday, April 12th, 2026 by the Very Rev. Ken Gray I know itโs not the traditional, formal Easter greeting many of you prefer: โThe Lord is risen / He is risen indeed; Hallelujah.โ... Continue Reading →
Resurrection allows us to see the world with a long view
Re-posted from the Centre for Action and Contemplation (CAC) first published on April 9, 2026 Theologian Paula Gooder describes how Jesusโs resurrection would have been interpreted as a sign that the end timesโof justice, mercy, and loveโhad begun: To a lot of Jews living at the time of Jesus, believing that a resurrection had happened... Continue Reading →