The story of the Annunciation, the visit of the archangel Gabriel to Mary, highlights an issue that confronts every present or past human living on earth--just as it did for Mary. The issue is whether we will say ‘yes’ to God and His desire and plan for our lives, and whether we will say ‘yes’ without any guarantee or foreknowledge of where that will take us--other than the guarantee that God will be with us and guide us and help us, and, work out everything for our ‘best’ (whatever that might be!). So, the issue is really about whether we are willing to trust Him, and how far we are willing to go with Him in terms of that trust. Mary was willing to ‘go all the way’: what about us?

I don’t know about you, but debating whether the resurrection did or did not happen can seem somewhat remote and detached from everyday life as I know it. However, considering whether God is alive and at work in our world today--and able to make a difference to it, is a lot more pertinent. When it comes to questions like this, my belief and faith in God suddenly becomes much more crucial. That is, do I really believe that He can make a difference in Ukraine, or in Gaza and Israel, on the world stage? Or, in the more immediate questions and problems that you and I face? Here’s where my faith comes up for a reckoning, just as did the faith of Thomas. And here’s where I need some help--just as he did.

Far too often we underrate God, underestimate just what He can do. But then, faced with something as seemingly impossible as the Resurrection--or Paul’s conversion--who can blame us? I’m afraid that most of us are probably like the father of the epileptic boy, “I do have faith! Please help me to have even more” (Mark 9:24). “Help us, Lord, to have even more faith--so we can be more faithful and expectant in prayer, and more ready to take risks in doing your work. Amen.”

I don’t know about you, but risk-taking isn’t exactly my forte. I like things to be comfortable, steady and predictable, and so watching the two disciples Peter and John as they ‘take on’ the Jerusalem establishment and preach a message that isn’t at all ‘acceptable’, is a bit unnerving. It poses, for me, something of a challenge, namely about taking risks today, whether by word or by example or by actions. I sort of wonder: are there risks that I should be taking for the sake of the faith, for the sake of Jesus and the Gospel? And if so, what might they be? Something to think and pray about.

Far too often we think of God in perimeters that are far too small. Or, at least, I know that I do that. I don’t consider praying about a common cold or some other seemingly small issue, because I write it off as being too small to bother God about. Or, on the other hand, I neglect praying about Ukraine or Israel/ Hamas or Canadian or US politics because I say to myself, ‘well, what could God do about it?’ Either way, my lack of faith may be impeding God from truly showing His power to work in our world today. Is anyone else out there like me in this? I’m thinking that I need to reassess my prayer life in this regard--and my faith in God.

The story of Jesus meeting up with the two disciples on the Emmaus Road has to be one of my favourites, for who among us has not had times of sorrow and despondency when we were drowning in our upset and loss and unable to see where the future might be heading. But then, to know that Jesus is there for us, that He comes along side us, comforts us and helps us ‘make sense’ of it all: it is such as relief, and such a help! Thanks be to God that He is always there for us.

The key and rather seminal verse in all of The Acts of the Apostles is chapter 1, verse 8: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the world.” The word that I want to pick up on and highlight is the word, ‘witnesses’. This is addressed to all believers, young or old, male or female, all believers regardless of race or nationality or language or time. And by ‘witness’, Jesus means not just our words--though these are very important and crucial--but our entire lives--the way that we portray Jesus in everything that we do or say or are. Mary Magdalene, as we read today, was the first to be a witness, but then we, you and I, are called to follow in her footsteps. May we, by our words and actions, show forth the very alive, risen and glorious Christ. Thanks be to God so such a privilege.

I was asked to preach and celebrate yesterday at St. John’s Minster, Lloydminster, and so I decided to tackle one of the chief ‘objections’ to the Christian faith head-on, namely the question of whether Jesus truly died on the cross and was truly raised from the dead. Numerous skeptics (Josh McDowell, Evidence That Demands a Verdict, Frank Morison, Who Moved the Stone?, and Lee Strobel, The Case for Christ, for starters) have examined the evidence carefully and decided that the evidence was conclusive, that Jesus truly died and was risen. However, not everyone in the pew has had a chance to access such books nor read them, so I wanted to present the case as clearly as I could. I will leave it to you see whether I succeeded. Anyway, here is yesterday’s sermon for your ‘reading pleasure.’

In this era where rights and freedoms are so loudly proclaimed and fostered, the Bible ideals of humility (humbling oneself) and servanthood (serving others) are often overshadowed. And so that while the idea that Jesus took upon Himself the role of a servant still has some credence, the suggestion that we should do likewise is dismissed or overlooked, even in the church. Far too often, by way of contrast, we see individuals who trumpet their own ideas or agendas or ambitions, sometimes with little thought of how they impact either those around them or the church in general. Interesting--and this should be an even greater shock to our system--is that, on occasion, the word used in the New Testament is not ‘diakonos’ (from which we get the word, ‘deacon’), which means ‘servant,’ but ‘doulos’, which literally means ‘slave’. Servants had rights, a place in the household, and had tenure. Indeed, it is interesting, and informative, that both Paul and Timothy described themselves as ‘slaves’ of Christ (Romans 1:1 and Philippians 1:1). This should give us pause in terms of how we think of ourselves and how we act toward others.

I sort of wonder at times whether people generally pray as much as perhaps they used to. And whether their prayers are ‘real’, that is, heartfelt and dealing with the ‘real’ issues that they are facing at that particular time. Here’s where the psalms really stand out. They certainly are heartfelt and certainly deal with some real issues. Perhaps we can borrow a page from them--and do likewise. Just an idea.

God, in His promise to Abraham and Sarah, stipulated, promised, that Israel would prove to be a blessing to the entire world. That was His original promise, one that I believe has continued for all time, even though often Israel failed miserably in fulfilling it. It is here that Jesus did succeed, and it is here that He asks--commands is more like it--to continue that mission. But here we must ask ourselves: just how well are we doing with this? Are we effectively spreading His message of love and forgiveness? And, are we actually being a blessing to those around us? Given all that God, in Christ Jesus, has done for us, it is only right and proper to consider anew what we have done in respond to that.

oday’s reading and meditation remind us of something that is highly overlooked in our modern world, namely that ‘our God is an awesome God’. Our God is able to work wonders, both in terms of world events and natural phenomena, and in terms of individual lives. Some Bible critics have looked at the several plagues that Egypt suffered under the auspices of Moses and concluded that all or most of them were simply natural occurrences, things that happened on a somewhat ‘regular’ basis. But, that beclouds a couple of details that set the ones in Exodus apart from any others. Firstly, they happened, more or less, in close sequence to one another. And secondly, they took place precisely when Moses invoked God. Surely, neither of these could be a coincidence!

Needless to say, in a world where people often ‘write off’ God, we need to recapture that conviction that He can, and does, work, and then to go to Him, expectantly and persistently, in prayer.