Timely and prescient thoughts from American writer Parker Palmer By accident of birth, the Christmas story has been a staple of my life for 85 years. As a kid, it was all about the glitter and gifts, of course. Today, the story compels me to question my courage and my resolve… It asks me to... Continue Reading →
Wild Lectionary
Fundraiser by Salal + Cedar Watershed Discipleship Ministry [Ken Gray] As a contributor to Wild Lectionary project I have found my own inherited prejudices challenged and my theological imagination stretched. As one who continues to preach almost weekly, even in retirement, I have been introduced to powerful scholarship and deep ecological experience shared by a... Continue Reading →
Pray without ceasing . . . Now?!
This prayer by the Rt. Rev. Susan Goff, retired Bishop Suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, has been shared widely on Facebook. I share it here as an example of genuine prayer and as encouragement to all who find it difficult to pray in this current political climate: My ConfessionGod, I can’t for the... Continue Reading →
A Letter to the Church
Letter from Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe on the U.S. presidential election / Bishop Rowe is the recently installed Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church (USA and affiliated territories) Issued November 6, 2024 / Reprinted from here Dear People of God in The Episcopal Church, Early this morning, we learned that President Trump has been elected... Continue Reading →
It’s the beginning of a beautiful friendship
With thanks to photographers Linda Curle, Linda Carnegie, Lorne Hoover, and Nancy Montgomery Still my favourite movie, Casablanca, contains some brilliant cinematic lines: “Play it again Sam”; “We’ll always have Paris”; and “Round up the usual suspects.” Filmed in 1942 during the depths of the Second World War, the plot centres around Victor Laslo, a... Continue Reading →
God as Lover — Moving towards a fresh and unexpected future
In a recent post from the Centre for Action and Contemplation (Richard Rohr) Theologian Elizabeth Johnson shows how our understanding of creation has evolved since Genesis: Ancient biblical writers, imbued with faith in God’s creative power, described poetically how God stretched out the heavens, laid firm the foundations of the land, gave the sea instructions... Continue Reading →
We’ve already been wiped out — Don’t bet against the Holy Spirit
Thoughts on “church” from Kelvin Holdsworth, Provost (Dean) of St. Mary’s Cathedral, Glasgow, in the Scottish Episcopal Church [Anglicans in Scotland and Canada face remarkably similar circumstances and challenges, through which the Holy Spirit now leads us.] I heard of another church that is due to close this week. It is in a place some... Continue Reading →
AI Preaching — Never say never
OK, I admit it; I fell asleep during a recent Canadian Council of Churches online seminar titled: “Theology and Artificial Intelligence: Systematic and Denominational Perspectives” which occurred Tuesday, Oct 1, 2024. No worries however, as there will likely be a recording available. If not, AI will come to my rescue. Researching via Perplexity (an NYT... Continue Reading →
God is green, and denying climate change is anti-Christian
From The Independent — Sunday 22 September 2024 When we hear the command of Christ to treasure God’s creation, it is up to us to heed the call, writes Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby Earlier this year, I attempted to visit the Darien Gap in Central America. With its 165 miles of dense jungle, connecting... 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 →