Last night I was pleasantly surprised by the arrival of my copy of The Word is Near You: Seeds of the Reformation. The book is a collection of sermons edited by Peter Robinson that were preached in the chapel at Wycliffe College last year to mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. I was honoured by the invitation to preach as part of the series and am now delighted to see my sermon on Matthew 28: 16-20 in print alongside other sermons from the distinguished faculty at Wycliffe. The book is available through Amazon in both paperback and Kindle. (more…)
Category: Sermons
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The Word is Near You
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“Farewell to Ontario” Preaching Tour
I’m currently in the midst of what has turned out to be a “Farewell to Ontario” preaching tour. This past Sunday, I had the privilege of preaching at North Park Worship Centre in Brampton, Ontario, where my friend and former student Rev. Dr. Mark Lawrence is the Assistant Pastor. It was refreshing to preach in a context where people are disappointed if you don’t preach for forty minutes. (Although, preaching forty minute sermons at consecutive services did test my physical endurance!) It was also a great encouragement to be commissioned and prayed for by God’s people. (more…)
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“Livin’ on a Prayer”: A Prescription for Pastoral Ministry
This past Sunday (June 10, 2018) I had the great privilege of preaching at the ordination of my friend and former student Robyn Elliott at Yorkminster Park Baptist Church in Toronto. The following is the text of my sermon. The Scripture readings were Isaiah 50:4-9 and 2 Timothy 1:3-14. (more…)
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Tyndale Chapel – May 9, 2018
For anyone who happens to be in the north part of Toronto this coming Wednesday morning, I will be preaching at the Tyndale University College and Seminary Chapel. The service begins at 11:15 am and is open to the public.
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On Feet and Forgiveness
“With the basin, God’s people are schooled in the humility necessary to serve in Christ’s upside-down kingdom.[1. Reflecting on the practice of foot-washing, Jean Vanier writes, “It is always very moving for me when someone with disabilities washes my feet or when I see a person wash the feet of their mother or father. It is the world turned upside down.” Jean Vanier, Drawn into the Mystery of Jesus through the Gospel of John (Ottawa: Novalis, 2004), 228.] The practice of foot-washing challenges our deeply held goals and aspirations by replacing popular conceptions of success with a vision of radical downward mobility. (more…)
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“We Are Beggars”: An Ash Wednesday Sermon
The following sermon was preached on Ash Wednesday, March 5, 2014 at Good Shepherd Community Church in Scarborough. The Scripture readings were Genesis 3:17-19; 1 John 1:5-10; Luke 18:9-14.
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“Judgement”: A Sermon for the First Sunday of Advent
The following is the text of a sermon I preached at Fallingbrook Presbyterian Church in Scarborough on the first Sunday of Advent. The Scripture readings were Psalm 98 and Revelation 19:1-9.
Advent is my favourite season of the Christian year, but it seems like the observation of the season of Advent is becoming an increasingly counter-cultural activity. While Starbucks has been serving its Christmas blend in its signature Christmas cups for over a month and Swiss Chalet has been offering its festive meal for almost as long, Advent tells us we are still waiting. While the music blaring in malls and on radios announces that it is the most wonderful time of the year, Advent says to us “Not yet.” (more…)
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“On the Mountain with Jesus”: A Sermon from Wycliffe College
On November 2, I had the privilege of preaching at Morning Prayer at Wycliffe College in the faculty preaching series, entitled “The Word is Near You: Seeds of Reformation.” It was a privilege to join the distinguished faculty of Wycliffe College in this Reformation-themed preaching series and to preach from a pulpit that has, over the years, welcomed an impressive collection of archbishops, leading preachers, and distinguished theologians. My assigned text was Matthew 28: 16-20. You can listen to a recording of the sermon here. For those not familiar with Wycliffe, in the first few sentences of the sermon I am riffing on the titles of books written by members of the Wycliffe faculty.
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95 at 500
The following is an extract from a sermon I preached this past Sunday at St. John’s Presbyterian Church in Scarborough. The service made use of some of the liturgical resources prepared conjointly by the Presbyterian Church in Canada and the Christian Reformed Church to mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. It is not a scholarly treatment, nor does it exhaustively treat the complex and often ambiguous legacy of the Reformation. Rather, it simply attempts to acquaint people with the person of Martin Luther and some of the early developments associated with the beginning of the Reformation in Germany. (more…)
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Audio of Tyndale Chapel Sermon
Earlier in the summer I had the privilege of preaching at the mid-week community chapel at Tyndale University College and Seminary. The primary text for my sermon was the account of the apostle Paul’s visit to Athens found in Acts 17:16-34. The sermon was entitled, “An Earthquake of Heaven, An Earthquake of Love.” If you are interested in hearing the sermon, it is available for download or streaming through the Tyndale Chapel website.
