Cynthia O’Connell One of the things my best friend and I share is an interest in MLM documentaries or Multi Level Marketing Companies, particularly the stories of corruption, controversy and exploitation that have in recent years made for compelling television. Now an MLM, if you are not familiar with the Read more…
Deuteronomy 30:15-20 See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you Read more…
Luke 20:27-38The Question about the Resurrection Some Sadducees, those who say there is no resurrection, came to him and asked him a question, ‘Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, the man shall marry the widow and raise up children Read more…
Luke 18:9-14, NRSV The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax-Collector He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax-collector. The Pharisee, Read more…
This is not a feel-good story of healing and restoration, is a story of rebuke for the way we as humanity treat the poor.
This is a story that seeks to name the trouble in Jesus’ time and in our time; poverty.
If you came looking for grace in this scripture, you will not find it. What you find is an indictment of our way of life and the chasm between rich and poor that we allow to perpetuate.
The Parable of the Dishonest Manager Then Jesus said to the disciples, ‘There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property. So he summoned him and said to him, “What is this that I hear about you? Read more…
Lost sheep and coins, I have to tell you only in a church will you hear someone talk about the spiritual and metaphorical meaning behind coins and sheep, well maybe on a farm you’ll hear about sheep. For many of us lost keys and phones might be more relatable metaphors. Who hasn’t at one point another taken part in the frantic and frenetic search for house or car keys, or in my case church keys.
This is the fifth in a five part series called “In the Beginning,” exploring various creation stories.
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What does it mean to be people who have bodies, created in God’s image? Genesis tells us that we are made in the image and likeness of God. I thought it might be helpful to dig a little into what these words actually mean in their original language. The Hebrew word for image tselem has the sense of a cut out or something constructed. I imagine the craft where you cut out a paper people chain. The Hebrew word for shadow tsel comes from the same root. The word likeness can mean similar in manner or pattern. Perhaps we are the shadows of God – not exact but similar. We were created to act in a manner like God, though we often do not act as such.
This is the second in a five part series called “In the Beginning,” exploring various creation stories. Psalm 121 – A Song of Ascents I lift up my eyes to the hills— from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He Read more…
This is the first in a five part series called “In the Beginning,” exploring various creation stories.
Why creation stories you may be wondering? Why look to the stories we have told of our origins for thousands of years? When Glebe’s Music Minister and I began to plan services for the summer, we knew we wanted to focus on a creation theme. It is no secret that there is a climate crisis. Part of the United Church of Canada’s new creed proclaims that we are to live with respect in creation. We live in a beautiful country, blessed with natural resources that we take for granted will always be there. One of the things I discovered and I think many of us did over the course of the pandemic was a new appreciation for the outdoors, of being able to meet outside with friends when we were not allowed to meet indoors. The importance of green space never became so relevant living in the city.