Category Archives: Progressive Theology

Valentine??? Who Knew???

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rainbow heartsLegends abound! There are three individuals who over the centuries have been credited as being the St. Valentine for whom the upcoming saint’s day is named. My favourite Valentine legend concerns the radical Valentine who ran afoul of the powers that be when he insisted on preforming marriages between pagans, literally someone who lives in or loves the the country or nature, and a Christians. These kinds of marriages were illegal at the time. Other versions of this legend suggest that during the reign of Claudius II it was illegal for soldiers of the Roman Empire to marry. Valentius, a bishop, is said to have conducted secret weddings for Roman soldiers. However the story is told, the idea of a priest preforming marriages which the state and the church refuse to endorse speaks volumes. Cheers and blessings be upon all valentinian priests and officials who continue to engage in courageous acts of love.

Breakfast in the Temple

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David Paul Kirkpatrick “The beauty of the practice of the Presence of God as outlined in “Breakfast In The Temple’s is reflected in the beauty in this short. Most of the imagery comes from the stop motion works of film maker, Louis Schwartzberg.”

The Social Media Gospel: Meredith Gould

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Social media gospelMeredith Gould the author of The Social Media Gospel: Sharing the Good News in New Ways, offers insights for those of us engaged in the use of social media in as we try to communicate a new articulation of Christianly. Meredith Gould is a sociologist and digital strategist with decades of communications experience. I wish this book had been around when I was making my first forays into the world of social media. I offer it as a suggestion to those of you who are considering the plunge. To the reluctant church professional, Gould insists, “You can’t afford to continue to ignore social media. In one form or another, social media is here to stay. Social media is part of your congregants lives part of your community and neighbourhood and — whether you realize it yet or not —  part of your ministry.” 

Gould founded the weekly Twitter-based ecumenical Church Social Media Chat (#ChSocM) and serves as its lead moderator. 

Jesus, Gandhi, and MLK – A Very Salty Trio: a sermon for Epiphany 5A

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Gandhi on Sermon on the Mt copy

This morning’s readings included Matthew 5:1-12, “What Jesus Means to Me by Mahatma Gandhi (found here) and Matthew 5:13-16. The full text of the Sermon by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. can be found here. 

Listen to the sermon here:

Project Peace On Earth: Philosophy of Oneness

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Project Peace on Earth

The Role of the Church in Our New Multicultural World: Walter Brueggemann

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The Gospel After Christendom: Phyllis Tickle

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Prayer for the Earth: Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee

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Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee draws together Christian and Sufi traditions of mystical prayer to offer up a prayer for creation from creation. His book Prayer of the Heart is a rare find which I treasure. I beg your pardon for the robotic voice in the youtube video review of the book.

Chanting for Peace: John Philip Newell

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More than Just the Be Happy Attitudes: a sermon for Epiphany 4A

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jesusThe Beatitudes: Matthew 5:1-12

Listen to the sermon:

A Passionate Commitment to the Christian Vision: John Dominic Crossan

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Advice to preachers from the best New Testament scholar I’ve ever met!!! What a preacher needs to have, at a bare minimum, is a “passionate commitment to the Christian vision!” If you don’t have that, stick to worrying about the church’s leaky roof and stay out of the pulpit! Perhaps, it’s his Irish lilt that allows him to make inflammatory statements sound like ordinary common sense.  Dom’s passion for the Christian vision comes through in his articulation of the Jesus’  vision of peace through justice.  Enjoy this interview recorded on Dec. 16, 2013

You – What Worship Might Be?

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youI have often wondered why hymnody prevails on Sundays in most Christian sanctuaries. Perhaps its because the alternatives on offer with their praise bandy shallowness insult the intelligence of those who have made the effort to gather together on the off chance of an encounter with the Divine. Radical theologian, Peter Rollins has suggested that worship leaders ought to consider inviting musicians who sing the blues into our churches to facilitate worship that includes all of life. When I consider the plethora of musical styles that could be employed in worship to open us to the breadth and depth of our abundant lives, I wonder if those of us employed in the art of worship planning need to look beyond our hymnals and song sheets to discover the endless possibilities that might facilitate worship that opens us to the deepest mysteries of this life.you kh

As a teaser, I offer two videos that interpret the work of English folk rock musician, Keaton Henson’s piece “You”. Both interpretations, the first by the poet himself, the second by the brilliant actor Derek Jacobi, function as both prayer and praise. Can I get an “Amen”???

Peace and Happiness: Karen Armstrong

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43,000 Feet: “Travelling Through Life Arse First Is All I’ve Ever Done”

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“Everything a person perceives, has already happened.” All we have is the past!

Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount

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Before becoming a poet, Baraka Kanaan was a University Professor, his work was in re-articulating the Christ Figure. He studied dozens of translations, but came upon an Aramaic text & paraphrased what Jesus said in ‘The Sermon on the Mount’ from the book of Matthew; chapters 5,6, & 7. Here is a brief exploration of the purest essence of that message, made into modern day English, & escorted musically by the rare & exotic hijaz hang instrument. Delivered live at the Temple of Peace in Haiku, Maui… on Yom Kippur, or the Day of Forgiveness.

Contemplating the Beatitudes: preparing to preach on Matthew 5:1-12; Epiphany 4A

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The gospel reading for this coming Sunday is Matthew 5:1-12, known as the Beatitudes. The reading is so familiar that we all too often read the beatitudes as if they were a  prescription. However, when read as a description they take on a whole new meaning. Jesus climbed up above the crowd, looked around and saw the poor, the grieving, the gentle, those who were hungry and thirsty for justice, the merciful, the righteous, the peacemakers and the persecuted; and Jesus comforted, uplifted and inspired them with the truth that they are blessed. Jesus was not telling the crowd how to live he was recognizing and affirming who they are. Can we hear this affirmation of our lives? As I prepare to preach on this text, I see the faces my congregation and I know that they are blessed for they too are the poor, the grieving, the gentle, those who are hungry and thirsty for justice, the merciful, the righteous, the peacemakers and the persecuted. The Good News is that the Kindom of Heaven is theirs. 

Walk With Me: Mary Youngblood

Blanket Exercise at Holy Cross in Newmarket

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IMG_0190Yesterday, the Holy Cross’ Global Justice Team hosted a Kairos Blanket Exercise. The experience of participating in the Blanket Exercise was  powerful, humbling, enlightening and inspiring. The Global Justice Team did a splendid job of guiding us through Indigenous Canadian history.  We were blessed by the presence of indigenous leaders: Suzanne Smoke (The Georgina Arts Centre and Gallery) and Cathy Elliott (DAREarts). Suzanne brought along her sacred bundle and graciously led a smudge ceremony and talking circle. Cathy gifted us by singing and drumming. Reflecting on the range of emotions that the experience generated, it is clear that in addition to providing a powerful educational experience the gathering opened our hearts and minds to a history which many of us have remained ignorant of for far too long. We have been challenged and inspired to continue to advocate for our First Nations sisters and brothers. 

I am not by any stretch of the imagination a filmmaker, but I did manage to collect a few clips to give you a taste of the experience.

The Global Justice Team has organized a followup to the Blanket Exercise in the form of a Book Club. Check out the titles:

Blanket Exercise Book Club

To view a video of a Kairos Blanket Exercise recorded at New Hope in Calgary click here

Following Wherever Christ Leads: a sermon for Epiphany 3A

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This afternoon our congregation is hosting a Blanket Exercise designed to help us to listen to the histories of Canada’s First Nations. Our worship was designed to open us so that we might engage in the exercise with open hearts, ears and minds. Our readings included Acts 10:9-16, 2 Corinthians 5:17-20 and Matthew 4:12-13.

Birdsong, Human Creativity, Richard Holloway and Richard Maybey

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hollowayIf you are familiar with postings on this blog, you will know just how brilliant I think Richard Holloway is. If you don’t know about this amazing, iconoclastic, barmy former Anglican primate and self-described “agnostic Christian”,  you can begin reading about him here and here. 

Children Praying a New Story by Michael Morwood

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Children PrayingMichael Morwood is an “Adult Faith Educator” whose various books help adults to “re-imagine and re-evaluate their faith in light of the contemporary ‘story’ about our universe.” In Children Praying A New Story, Morwood turns his attention to the task of education children from the perspective of a thinking twenty-first century Christian. Morwood offers insights about teaching children to pray, not to an external, listening Deity but to the Source and Ground of our being. This book has helped me as I craft the prayers of our congregation and I know that parents, grandparents and anyone who is engaged with children and their spirituality will find inspiration in Morwood’s approach. We are looking forward to hearing from Michael Morwood in person; when he visits Holy Cross the weekend of May 2-4.