Elizabeth’s ecumenical explorations

Scripture Reading:  Luke 6:17-26 J esus came down with them and stood on a level place with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon.  18  They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases, and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured.  19  And everyone in the crowd was trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them. 20  Then he looked up at his disciples and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.   “Blessed are you who are hungry now,      for you will be filled. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.   “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you [ a ]  on account of the Son of Man.  23  Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven, for that is how their...

On Sunday February 16, Ottawa experienced "Snowmageddon". This is one of those winter storms that threatens to dump record-breaking amounts of snow on the city, with blowing winds that cause white outs on the roads, and general chaos for public transit and all snow-clearing crews.  The worst of Snowmageddon is not the snow itself but the anticipation. For days prior there are weather alerts, then weather warnings, then severe weather warnings. The question on everyone's minds is: Do we cancel? It's a tough call for many congregations. We don't sell tickets or take reservations, so it is hard to get in touch with everyone who might try to worship at the church on Sunday morning. Heaven forbid someone would try to come to church that morning and find a "church closed" sign on the door! On the other hand, the worship service requires many volunteers who might feel they have to attend, even if they aren't the best drivers to be out on the roads in a bliz...

  Sermon at Britannia United Church February 9 2025 You might remember this story from the classic Aesop’s fables: A jar of honey was knocked over and the sticky sweetness of the honey inside flowed out on the table. The sweet smell of that honey soon brought a large number of Flies buzzing around. They did not wait for an invitation. No, indeed; they settled right down, feet and all, on the sticky table to enjoy the feast. Before they knew it, the Flies were quickly smeared from head to foot with honey. Their wings got stuck together. They could not pull their feet out of the sticky mass on the table. I don’t think flies have a very long life-span, but this group of flies had their ending accelerated. In a sense, giving their very lives for the sake of a taste of sweetness.   Too much of a good thing.   Doctors and researchers warn us about indulging too much when it comes to diet, exercise, even sleep. “Everything in moderation”. If you were considering the “brussel spr...

  Sermon for Britannia United Church, February 2 2025 A story from my past, honouring the scripture reading from 1st Corinthians 13 which we have already heard.   I was doing a wedding for a couple – it was a second marriage for both of them.  Not surprisingly they had chosen 1st Corinthians 13 – love is patient, love is kind… love never ends. The bride’s teenage daughter was supposed to do the scripture reading.   A couple of days before the wedding, after the bulletins were already printed, including the scripture citation and the daughter’s name, of course, the bride called in a panic. “My daughter says she won’t read the scripture.” She said.    Is she too shy about reading in front of people? I wondered. Is she worried about making a mistake?   “No, it’s THAT scripture. She says she hates it, but she won’t tell me why. But I don’t want to change the reading or the reader… so will you talk to her?”   We set up a quick meeting between the daugh...