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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
Love and Justice: God’s Loving Justice
A guest column from the Centre for Contemplation and Action First published, Monday, October 17th, 2022 Richard Rohr writes that justice is an essential part of God’s nature. It does not manifest as vengeance or “getting even” but as a method of restoration and healing: God’s justice begins to be revealed in the Torah. If... Continue Reading →