Worship this Week! It’s Thanksgiving Sunday in Canada, I’ll be continuing the Atomic Church series where we explore how small changes over time can have a big impact. Scripture: Exodus 16: 1-18 Things I am Pondering: The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years before they left behind the chains of the past andContinue reading “Thursday Thoughts – October 7, 2021”
Author Archives: Stairs Memorial United Church
October 3: World Communion
Rooted in Relationship Exodus 2:23-25; 3:1-15; 4:10-17 Last week at the Millbrook Cultural and Heritage Centre I learned the word Gwai, it means hello. I heard it again on Thursday morning as I attended the opening ceremonies of the Mi’kmaw Friendship Centre’s Weekend of Reconciliation on the Halifax waterfront. The MC greeted us with ‘gwai.’Continue reading “October 3: World Communion”
Rooted in Relationship
We have been listening and discerning for two years now… wondering what kind of future God is calling us into. Are we confident enough to trust God and let God lead us? Will we trust in our relationship with God and one another?
Thursday Thoughts – September 30, 2021
Worship This Week! Scripture – Exodus 2:23-25; 3:1-15; 4:10-17 Sermon – Rooted in Relationship Things I am Pondering: How do we hear God say, “Here I am?” How do we respond when we do hear? What relationships do we want to nourish? How do we choose courage over fear? It’s also World Communion Sunday, soContinue reading “Thursday Thoughts – September 30, 2021”
Unlearn and Relearn
I thought I knew a fair bit about Indigenous Peoples in Canada. I lived in Labrador for three years and went to school with Indigenous students, although it was as a teenager. I was married to an Inuit man. I did my grad project at AST on Residential Schools. NOTHING however, prepared me for aContinue reading “Unlearn and Relearn”
The Beguine Mystics:
Divine Belovedness For the past couple of weeks, we’ve been considering themes of love and longing for Christ from the perspective of the medieval women mystics known as the Beguines. Now, the beguines lived in a time in which most religious orders focused heavily on the divine side of Christ, and if they did contemplateContinue reading “The Beguine Mystics:”
Oriented to Love – Luke 2:25-38
During one of our heat waves last month, I was at Kinsmen Beach with my kids, and I overheard a conversation between two young girls nearby. They were probably, 9 or 10 years old. One was singing a song she must have learned at VBS or in Sunday school, and suddenly she stops singing andContinue reading “Oriented to Love – Luke 2:25-38”
September 5, 2021: Reflection written by Jessie Crabtree
Scripture: Luke 10:38-42 Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who also sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so sheContinue reading “September 5, 2021: Reflection written by Jessie Crabtree”
June 27: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13; Acts 2:43-47
I don’t know about you, but one thing I’ve been doing throughout our on-again-off-again quarantine, is catching up on some of the buzz-worthy, highly recommended movies that I never had a chance to see back when life was going at its more normal pace. And one of the best movies I’ve seen in that timeContinue reading “June 27: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13; Acts 2:43-47”
June 20 – 2 Samuel 11 (selections from 11:2-25)
This story of David and Bathsheba illustrates the relationship between self-control and peace quite directly. David, at this point in his royal career, has grown quite comfortable with his privilege, he’s become rather accustomed to simply taking whatever he desires. We see no evidence of his youthful gentleness when he dispatches his guards to goContinue reading “June 20 – 2 Samuel 11 (selections from 11:2-25)”