30 November 2025
Every year at this time I find myself teetering between nostalgia and cynicism.
First comes nostalgia: the walk down memory lane.
I turn the radio to 98.1- “non-stop Christmas music” – and then it happens: Bing and I are once more dreaming of a “White Christmas, just like the ones I used to know”. The memories return: ‘my brothers I are throwing tinsel at the tree; Dad is busy testing the Lights and mom has begun to do her magic in the kitchen. ‘Let it snow! Let it snow!’ We are warm and cozy by the fire.
Well ?? … that is half the Equation.
Unfortunately for many it is also a season of painful nostalgia. Beloved friends and family members are gone -we try not to look at the empty chair. Among friends there has been a divorce, a painful loss. The kids are going on a tropical cruise during the holiday, but they promise to send pictures. On top of this, everywhere we turn is the call to spend, spend, spend. Buy your way to happiness.
If you feel the tension, I dare say you have come to the right place.
“Advent” is here!
Advent is the church’s way to help deliver us from both an overdose of nostalgia and creeping cynicism.
In a moment we are going to sing the Advent hymn, “O Come, O Come Immanuel.”
Instantly, we focus on the Baby Jesus. It’s an excellent start but there is so much more. Listen carefully to these words:
O come, O Key of David
And open wide our heavenly home
Make safe for us the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
O come, desire of nations, bind
in one the hearts of humankind;
O bid our bitter conflict cease,
and be for us our Prince of Peace.
You see we are in the year 2025 waiting and praying for heavenly redemption and peace on earth. Now here is the good news.
Into our darkness comes Jesus the Prince of Peace and Light of the World.
Advent calls us to, “lift up your heads, your redemption draws near.”
Advent also comes with the message that by the gift of the Holy Spirit we are empowered to turn fear into hope and hate into love.
My friends, advent, more than any thing else, is about making straight the highway of our God.
So come Lord Jesus come!
Fill our hearts with joy!
Amen.
23 November 2025
Today is the feast of Christ the King. It is the last Sunday in the liturgical year. Next Sunday we enter Advent and begin the journey to Bethlehem.
For me this has never been an easy transition.
The very word “King” is a challenge.
What type of king is Jesus?
The only way to answer that question is to turn to scripture and read the meaning out of the text and not into it. Prepared to discover the unique expression of Our Lord’s kingship.
Remember, Jesus is the one who says he is come “to make all things new,” Over and over again, he takes religious, cultural and social conventions and turns them inside out and upside down.
It is not subtle!
He says, “You have heard it said, but I say…” He amends the teaching of Moses about divorce. He rejects Old Testament standards for punishment for infidelity and in his Sermon on the Mount He redefines the Law.
His ministry overturns and expands all the accepted notions of who and what the Messiah is to be.
This means we are set free from stereotypes and traditional definitions of kingship. We are free to discover the true kingship of Jesus ‘the king like no other king.’
Our readings today are eschatological: they point beyond the kingdoms of this world. Our king is Lord of Heaven and earth. His throne is established in the glorious light of the world to come.
He tells us, “My Kingdom is not of this world.”
This king will not be limited or defined by earthly standards.
This is the one “coming with clouds” who says: “I am the Alpha and the Omega… The one who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Paradoxically, Jesus being King of Kings and Lord of Lords does not put him beyond our knowing.
The Good News is the one who is high and lifted up has emptied himself into our world and our flesh. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us full of grace and truth.”
But there is more!
This king reaches out to those we call the marginalized, the rejected, the poor, the sick and the lonely.
The religious establishment constantly attacks him for associating with those they judge unworthy: drunkards, lepers, prostitutes, thieves and even worse Samaritans (Jewish heretics). Jesus is Lord of All!
Given the trouble most of us have in dealing with these types of folks, the real test comes when the King call us to serve and love them as he does.
If we wish to find our place in his heavenly kingdom, we must follow him by serving those most in need. (We cannot say we love God and hate our neighbour.)
The King says when we feed the hungry, give drink to thirsty, bind up the wounded, welcome the stranger, cloth the naked, we do it to Him.
Our mission is to extend our king’s heavenly rule of mercy, love, peace and justice here on earth.
So it is we pray: “Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.”
Amen
16 November 2025
Just a bit of history to provide a setting for today’s reading.
The first Jerusalem temple built by King Solomon, was destroyed by the Babylonians in 516 BC. Then, over time, a second temple was built and completed by Herod the Great only to be destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.
Nevertheless, what remains from Jesus’ time is a portion of the great Western Wall. Today, a continuing site for Jewish and Christian devotions and prayer.
You literally stand in the place where Jesus often walked and taught his disciples.
On a visit, I was amazed at the size of the stones. One can only image the grandeur of the temple!
Here Jesus is preparing his disciples for the future – for his return at the end of time.
It is both a promise of future glory and a sober warning about coming tribulation and testing.
Yes! There will be persecution and trials but all this is preamble to the second coming and “the creation of a new heaven and a new earth.”
Gloriously summed up with these words: “They shall not hurt or destroy any on my holy mountain.”
As I read this sacred text, I see three admonitions or warnings about the future time.
Basically, Jesus tells us: ‘BE WARY’, ‘BE READY’, and ‘BE CONFIDENT.’
Interesting, the first thing Jesus says is a warning against asking for signs of the end times: “Beware that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name and say I am he! Do not go after them.”
‘Not a real threat you say?’
There are no false prophets? No pretenders?? No recent examples?
It is something I try to forget but it still haunts me: ‘The memory of George Town.’
It was not that long ago Jim Jones led hundreds of men, women and children to destruction by promising them a doorway to heavenly bliss. And then David Koresh of the Branch Davidian repeats this madness.
Second admonition: Jesus calls us “TO BE READY.” To be more than spectators.
At every turn he calls us to share the love and mercy of God with others. “To prepare the way.’”
Captured in a hymn written by Annie Johnson Flint in 1919.
“Christ has no hands but our hands –
To do his work today;
He has no feet but our feet
To lead others to his way;
He has no tongues but our tongues
To tell them how he died and rose again;
He has no help but our help
To bring them to his side.”
Third admonition: – ‘BE CONFIDENT.’
Well, today, it is hard to be confident!
I remember during a visit with my older brother I asked him to turn on the evening news.
His response: “Why bother - it is always bad news and you can’t do anything about it.”
I get it!
This is the wisdom of the secular world: “Times are bad and likely to get worse!”
As Christians we have another resource: “The Word of God.”
I will let Jesus give you the good news.
United to me, “not a hair of your head will perish. By your faithfulness you will gain your soul.”
“They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the Lord.”
So, ‘be wary’ - ‘ be ready’ - ‘ be confident’ and know:
His light is stronger than the darkness!!
Amen
9 November 2025 - Remembrance Sunday
QUESTION:– ‘ARE YOU A FAN OR A FOLLOWER OF JESUS?’ ……. ‘ARE YOU AN ADMIRER OR A DISCIPLE OF JESUS CHRIST?’
It is a question prompted by today’s epistle where Paul challenges us : “to present your bodies to be a living sacrifice, holy acceptable to God.”
What does it mean to be a living sacrifice?
Surely, it is a call to love as Jesus does: - fully, totally, without limits.
Look no further!
On ‘REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY’, we pause to honour an epic sacrifice of love : ‘ when millions of men and women lay down their live to defeat the powers of darkness.’
Now “Sacrifice” is not a word you will find in the lyrics of any silly love song. It belongs to Jesus the one who invites us to “TAKE UP YOUR CROSS AND FOLLOW ME.”
Listen again to Paul: –“I beseech you therefore that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy acceptable to
God which is your reasonable service.”
When Paul wrote this during the time of the Roman Empire, Christians were in constant danger of being martyred – put to death for simply being followers of Jesus. (Tragically this threat still exists in some parts of the world.)
‘So give us some example of sacrificial love today!’
I start with two examples I have used in the past: – doctor John Elliott and nurse Jennifer Cameron – both parishioners at All Saints Kingsway. John a senior physician and surgeon at Etobicoke General Hospital and Jennifer a nurse, parish visitor and now an ordained deacon. (In my time at All Saints they were part of the Out of the Cold program that ministered to homeless men during the winter. It meant that we fed and housed 30 to 40 guests in the church auditorium from Friday evening through Saturday morning.)
I soon discovered Doctor John arrived at 6 am every Saturday to cook breakfast for our guests. He not only prepared the food but also ate and talked to folks.
Now, Jennifer set up a foot care clinic for the men. Imagine dealing with feet never washed belonging to someone who normally slept in doorways and under bridges. I still remember the smell! (By the way, If I had been allowed to stay, I intended to ask Jenifer to speak to us.)
So how do we present our bodies as a living sacrifice?
We are not serious candidates to be martyred and not likely to run a homeless shelter?
You might begin by asking yourself: - ‘What is precious to me? What treasure might I sacrifice to share God’s love with others?’
Let’s start with our time? I suggest it is at the top of our list. We never have enough time to do the things we want or treasure. So it would be a sacrifice, holy and acceptable to offer God.
Perhaps visit a sick or house-bound neighbour – buying their groceries – taking them to appointments – sharing a meal – just listening.
Closer to home and an even less dramatic sacrifice how about on Sunday morning in cold January rather than rolling over and pulling up the covers you sacrifice your comfort and get up and come here to meet Jesus and worship him in Word and Sacrament.
Let’s call it “A STARTER SACRIFICE OF LOVE.”
A HOLY OFFERING ACCEPTABLE TO GOD WHICH IS YOUR REASONABLE SERVICE.
AMEN!!