This week we strive to learn the lessons of humility and love that are found in the birth narrative of Jesus and is found in the study book “On the Way to Bethlehem.”

Rev. Cameron Trimble tells this story:

Two friends were caught in a storm while hiking in the ……………………….

Today is Reign of Christ Sunday. It is the culmination of a whole year of scripture reading, discernment, and prayer. We have walked with this Jesus from the time he was a child, to his calling of the disciples, and the teaching and healing that followed. We have been with him on trial and watched helplessly as he died on a cross. We were surprised at his rising. Now on this Sunday we are asked, …

As he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” Then Jesus asked him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”

When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately

One of the worst lines to hear is, “What do you want to hear first, the good news or the bad news?” Well, you already know that there is going to be bad news, so it doesn’t matter how good the good news is.

As I have said when I was planning this series on prayer and creation I used the book “Before Amen” that of Spirit Circle is studing and the resource of Trees in the Bible. This week at the book study on prayer we talked about why do we consider God good? And how can we trust in the goodness of God when God allows the world to be such a mess?

Max Lucado’s book on prayer Before Amen in his opening words to what he calls his “Pocket Prayer” reminds us that the one we pray to, our God, is a loving, approachable, comforting presence in whose company we can feel safe and secure. James reminds us that to live a Godly, or Good life we are called to draw near to God and God will draw near to us. We live in a world that can be challenging and difficult and we are also part of a community of faith who support us, pray for us and care for us in the name of the one we follow who taught us to do that.

As you have already heard, today we embark on a sermon series that connects our prayer life, or at least our hope for one through the Spirit Circle study on the book "Before Amen" by Max Lucado And to connect it to our celebration of the Season of Creation which we have just entered. To help me keep focused on creation, we will hear about a specific tree in a specific scripture story.  

This morning, we have a small part of a great letter or Epistle from James. There is a creative group of scholars called the Bible Project who with videos and wipe board drawings crack open the scriptures for us.

I find it helpful, as much as possible, when you are going to talk about the scriptures, to begin with the scriptures.

And today it would seem like the writer of the gospel of Luke had two very different, unrelated stories on scraps of paper that he just stuck together on the same page.

One morning, the sun got up in a bad mood. [The sun rubbed its eyes and stretched its rays before letting out an exhausted grumble:

Irish philosopher Pete Rollins took our passage from last week, and put it through a first-world translator (see if you can hear the difference)

… the crowds continued to follow [Jesus]. Evening was now approaching and the people, many of whom had traveled a great distance, were growing hungry.

Get ready to start your Christmastime shopping early!
November 9, 2024 at the Forest Hill United Church

I’m going to start today with a riddle… (for those who have heard it before and know the answer, just hold back for a split second and see if people can figure it out)

What is greater than God, and worse than the devil?

Poor people have it. Rich people need it.

If you eat it you die.

What is it?

Answer? Nothing.

I have never questioned why this passage of Paul to the Corinthians was written. It always felt like this is a really good image for the body of Christ. A body with a great variety of different parts. A body where each part is valued, not above another, but equal to one another. Indeed, if any part is missing, then the whole body suffers. This metaphor means that all men and women, slaves and freeborn, Jew and gentile, younger and older, are all to be honoured equally. None of us here this morning are superior or inferior to another. Within the body of Christ all are equal.

The first scripture this morning is called, ‘The call of Samuel.’ It highlights several things. First is that God is willing to go around, those who should have inherited leadership within the Faith community. Eli the high priest wanted his sons to inherit his authority. They enjoyed having that authority but lacked the honour and capacity to act according to the will and way of God. So, God chooses…

In Amos 5, we encounter a powerful message condemning hollow religious rituals that lack true justice and righteousness. The prophet Amos criticizes the people for their hypocrisy, for going through the motions of worship while neglecting the essential values of justice and righteousness. God's desire is not for empty ceremonies but for a life marked by justice, that

flows like a mighty river and righteousness, that is as constant as an ever-flowing stream.