Sermon during Ukrainian Crisis, March, 2022
One of the most profound deathbed confessions came from Prof. J. Gresham Machen, the founder of Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. As he laid suffering in…
C.S. Lewis described God’s love like this: "God, who needs nothing, loves into existence wholly superfluous creations in order that He may love and perfect them. He created the universe,…
During the Civil War a man by the name of George Wyatt was drawn by lot to go to the front. He had a wife and six children and a…
The Parable of the Unfruitful Fig Tree – Luke 13:1-9 – raises the question of whether we are living a fruitful Christian life, which is to look different from a…
Have you ever been on a mountain top? Have you been, for example, to the peak of Whistler or some other ski resort mountain, or perhaps some other place where…
A man was arraigned for murder in Los Angeles about 60 years ago. It was a difficult case with a lot of circumstantial evidence. The man’s defence lawyer thought of…
In April 1912, a 39 year old Scottish preacher from the Walworth Road Baptist Church in London, Rev. John Harper, was making a trip across the Atlantic Ocean. He was…
Life would be simple if moral and ethical issues together with daily decisions regarding a multitude of things were black and white. It unfortunately is not the case that everything…
Imagine there is a bank that credits your account each morning with $86,400. It doesn't carry over a balance from one day to the next. Every night deletes whatever part…
As Christians we are called to be more than "believers." Yes, belief, holding on to values, having convictions, knowing our doctrine, our theological underpinnings, all that is important. What do…
A tightrope walker once strung a cable across Niagara Falls all the way from the American to the Canadian side. There were about 5000 people who witnessed the spectacle as…
What moved a young man from a wealthy family while being in medical school in the 1850's to go and live in the poorest neighbourhood in London? What moved him…
A Man was telling his neighbour, “I just bought a new hearing aid. It cost me $4000-00, but it's the best you can buy.” “Really, what kind is it?”, replied…
Morris H. Chapman wrote a book entitled, “Taking God at His word.” In the book he illustrated what it means to put your faith in God. A little girl was…
In the movie Dead Poet Society Robin Williams used the Latin phrase, “Carpe Diem”, when he wanted to emphasize to his students the importance of doing what you have to…
In 1910, two explorers began their quests to become the first man to ever set foot on the southernmost point on earth. It was the “Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration”…
The most significant world event of 1809 was the fall of Austria by the hands of Napoleon. In the same year two prominent world leaders, William Gladstone and Abraham Lincoln…
After returning home from a long tour, Bono, lead singer of the pop group U2, returned to Dublin and attended a Christmas Eve service. At some point in the service,…
A little boy was told by his father to wait in a corner at a store, while he had a tire changed on his car. It turned out that the…
Abraham is sometimes called our ancestor in the faith. As this title indicates, his life-journey required a lot of faith as though he was walking through thick fog. Ironically, although…
Christmas stories are fascinating – especially this time of the year. There is the story of Cibor, a man named Andrew, shared in a Christian magazine. Andrew went to a…
Dr. Wilt from “The Joyful Noise Letter” in the Dec. 2003 edition asked, “What is Joy? It is one of the most important things in the whole universe.” CS Lewis…
When George H. Bush was vice president he represented the U.S. at the funeral of Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. Bush was deeply moved by a silent protest carried out by…
About a year ago, I got a phone call from one of the staff at Dunwood Place Seniors Complex. The name of the staff member is Yolanda Yonzon, who used…
A priest got news about an hour before worship that king Louis XIV of France would be present. He decided to ditch his well prepared sermon and to speak on…
One of history’s greatest musical conductors was Arturo Toscanini. Born in Parma, Italy, in 1867, Toscanini died in his sleep in New York City in 1957. For years he conducted…
Gracious God, we humbly ask that you would grant us the gift of the Holy Spirit so that in the hearing of your most excellent word we may know our…
In his book, “The Mystery of Christ”, Episcopal priest, Robert Farrar Capon, illustrated faith as grace and not earned by works. He wrote, “Suppose I were to tell you that…
On a rainy Sunday afternoon, a brother and sister were playing “Noah and the Ark.” An old shoe box with holes cut for windows and a door was the ark. …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the prince of preachers, was said to have severe struggles with depression and discouragement. It made him feel guilty that he who preached the Gospel of hope…
An English girl named Elizabeth Barrett suffered a spinal injury and was disabled for the rest of her life. But her extraordinary poems brought many admirers to her. Among them…
In a remote area in the Republic of the Congo is a river where the native people have to cross over by stepping on rocks. The current is very strong…
During World War II, Dr. Victor Frankl from Austria was imprisoned at Auschwitz, where he was stripped of everything he worked for his entire life – his identity; his profession;…
Charles Swindoll gave the story called “Don’t Quit” which tells us so much about God’s role in our lives – Ignace Jan Paderewski, the famous composer-pianist, was scheduled to perform…
Rev. Christopher Lanham from Cascades Fellowship Christian Reformed Church in Michigan once talked about a lesson he learned about excellence. When he was 16 years old, he and his father…
I found two definitions of “audacity” on Google. The first is: “a willingness to take bold risks.” The second is: “rude or disrespectful behavior, impudence.” My sermon title, “The Audacity…
There was a factory in northern France where lavender for use in perfumes was produced. Each evening as the workers headed home and walked the streets the whole village was…
“Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.” These are words to live by. Dietrich Bonhoeffer says in his book on Christian community (Life…
A man in Switzerland was scheduled for a job interview and he had to take the train to travel to Zurich. He looked at his watch and thought he had…
Most of you will be familiar with the story of Sisyphus, king of Ephyra from the Greek mythology. He was proud and was punished by the gods for his pride. …
Strange how our attitude to age varies. You can ask a little girl how old she is and she will proudly hold up three fingers and say "three". Ask the…
Ronald Warwick, captain of the luxury cruise ship Queen Elizabeth II, questioned a passenger who paid full fare for his dog to join them on an around-the-world cruise. Accommodations averaged…
The Apostles Commissioned 19 Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were [a]assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came…
Jimmy was playing after dinner and his Mom and Dad were busy with paperwork from work. They didn't notice the time. It was full moon, and some of the light…
It happened in 1948, just a few days before Christmas in Austria. A flood ravaged a small town, leaving a gaping hole in the wall of an old church building…
Three little boys were in the back yard playing. Pretty soon they got into this old thing of “You know.” I think you are familiar with “You know.” One child…
The grandson of Rebbe Baruch, Yechiel Michal, was playing hide-and-seek with another boy. He hid himself well and waited for his friend to search for him. After waiting for a…
We live in a society that thrives on more. People everywhere are after more possessions and more money. Investors warn their clients that you can never have enough when it…
Oscar Cervantes is a dramatic example of Christ’s power to transform lives. As a child, Oscar began to get into trouble. Then as he got older, he was jailed 17…
A young couple, very much in love, were getting married in church. However, the bride was very nervous about the big occasion and so the pastor chose one verse that…
There is the story of a girl who was asked to write an essay on “birth.” She went home and asked her mother how she had been born. Her mother,…