Each day, the sun rises later, the morning is darker. Each day, the sun sets earlier, with the reminder that it won’t be too long when we get up to go to work in the dark and daylight will be fading as we return home. Yet there is some beauty in this time of year. And we’re reminded God sustains us.
Jesus may be working from home, but we are out in the fields — in the factory or in the store or restaurant. We are in places where we’re serving others and contributing to our community.
Money, some say, is the root of all evil. Actually, it’s the love of money that’s a cause for concern, because as Jesus notes, we can’t serve two masters. Another more modern take on the two masters could be our smart phones, aka our handy technology. It is too easy to allow our smartphone to […]
Does life sometimes feel as if you’re just wandering? The feeling can be, too often, “What will I do today and does it really matter?” That’s possibly how the Israelites felt as they wandered for a generation in the wilderness. Today, in our uncertain geopolitical setting – with violence overseas and strange balloons being shot […]
Today is the shortest day, the longest night. It has felt like a long slow decline into darkness. Even the days seemed darker and drearier. They are colder. Life feels that much more severe. The headlines and events in our world too remind us that love and kindness can sometimes be challenging to find, while […]
Last Sunday and today were Advent 2 and 3. But what does that entail – and what does it mean? Many people in many Christian churches light Advent candles. The first was the candle of Hope. As we travel in the darkness, we await God’s promise of a new day, of a Saviour, of new […]
Too often, our minds and our imaginations can run wild. And sometimes they take us down dark paths and into unsettling places. It can happen incredibly quickly. Worry sets in. The mind can begin to spin, and spin and spin. We can imagine catastrophe. We panic. It feels like a dark, downward spiral. So what […]
Practical Compassion. It’s the title of a book, published in August by Presbyterian World Service & Development to commemorate 75 years of working to help others through relief, development and refugee sponsorship programs. Full of engaging photos that illustrate how a helping hand can change lives, Practical Compassion shares the human stories that show how […]
Today is Thanksgiving Day in Canada. The skies are a bright blue, the trees robed in glorious colours and the prospect of sharing dinner with those we care about whets our appetite. In French, Thanksgiving is Le Jour d’action de grace. This is perhaps a more accurate description of what the day is, or should […]
This weekend, it’s Thanksgiving weekend in Canada. We are grateful and celebrate the plentiful harvest. The joy of biting into a fresh apple. The pumpkin pie served with some whipped cream, for pumpkin spice lovers, is an incredible creation. And the dinner – the turkey or ham with all the trimmings – definitely, something to […]