There's a strange story in Genesis 11 that goes like this: The peoples of the earth, wanting to gain fame and power, decide to build a tower that stretches up all the way into heavens. But God confuses their speech, so their venture fails and they scatter across the earth. The whole story of the … Continue reading Babel Revisited
Happy Pentecost! It's a brilliant, beautiful feast. And it's also an important feast for us, this year more than ever. But, before I begin, I have two confessions to make: I came to the readings weary from a week of horrible, frightening, heart-rending news, searching for words of peace and comfort. I didn't find them. … Continue reading Winds of Change (A Reflection for Pentecost 2020)
The weather here in Toronto has finally turned. After a long and unusually cold Spring, warmth has finally returned. Suddenly, almost as though someone flipped a switch, all that greening potential in the trees and flowers that had just been a blush of colour has exploded into full view. Gone are the drab greys and … Continue reading Come, Holy Spirit, Come
Yesterday we celebrated the feast of Pentecost, the celebration and appropriation of the gift of the Holy Spirit poured out on Jesus’ disciples. My reflections yesterday centered on the theme of freedom: The Holy Spirit frees us from spiritual slavery, from bondage to fear and everything else that holds us back. But, as I’ve noted … Continue reading #Blessed (A Reflection on Matthew 5.1-12)
The great promise of Christianity is that a fundamental change has come into the world. The “normal” ways of the world, whether conceived of as sin or fate or the writing of the stars or the law of karma, have been overturned. We can now opt out of the power of these forces and be … Continue reading A Spirit of Freedom (A Reflection for Pentecost 2019)
