This is the week when it all begins… Palm Sunday on Sunday morning; an early celebration of Good Friday on Sunday evening, with the Community Easter Cantata Choir service, “In Calvary’s Shadow;” followed by an intimate service of foot washing and Communion on Maundy Thursday; and then a celebration of the miracle of resurrection on Easter Sunday! In this one week, as we accompany Jesus to the cross, it’s possible to feel a whole range of human emotions, from expectation, to t

Apparently “Jesus wept” is the shortest verse in the Bible – the King James version, anyways. This brief sentence appears in the account of the raising of Lazarus, which we will encounter on Sunday. In this account, Jesus is summoned because his friend Lazarus, brother of Mary and Martha, has died. Upon coming to the place where Lazarus’ body has been put to rest, Jesus, surrounded by a weeping Mary and other friends, begins to weep too. This says a lot. It reinforces the ide

Sometimes the Holy Spirit just drops things into your lap – like the fact that this Sunday is International Women’s Day and the lectionary Gospel scripture just happens to be Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. There are so few accounts of women in the Bible, so I’m really glad that the lectionary served one of them up for us on this important day. Did you know that Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman is the longest sustained conversation that he h

The lectionary Gospel scriptures for the season of Lent are all about encounters -- Jesus having surprising encounters with people who are transformed because of it, and who become – overtly or covertly – his disciples. Sunday’s lectionary passage tells us of Nicodemus, a Pharisee, who visits Jesus late at night. The passage lends itself well to dramatic images – Nicodemus stealing silently down a dark street, a single candle burning in a window, a gentle but firm knock on a

A thousand thanks to Heather Munn and her amazing team for a stellar pancake supper last Tuesday. After so many years coordinating this endeavour, Heather knows what she’s doing, so feeding more than a hundred people pancakes, sausages, ham, homemade baked beans, devilled eggs and desserts went off without a hitch. The best part was hearing the blessed clamour in the Community Centre as folks chatted, visited and laughed. It’s been a long winter, and I think everyone was glad

Well, hello. I’m back. I have good news and bad news about my vacation time. We’ll start with the bad news: A three-day train trip from Toronto to Jasper, sadly, is not a good experience for an 85 year old with mobility issues (my mother). What started as a highly anticipated bucket-list experience – my mother, my sister and I travelling west by train – turned into a very difficult time for all of us, as my mother’s walker would not fit in the passageways of the train and she

Well, it’s been a week… One of those weeks where the weather dictates our activities, a week of cancelling, rescheduling, shovelling, shifting meetings to Zoom, but in the midst of all that, also gratitude. Gratitude for warm shelter, for the people who plow the roads and the ones who show up in emergencies even in a blizzard. The key to winter in Tobermory seems to be flexibility. As I said in a Zoom meeting on Thursday, “Blessed are the flexible.” We are in the middle of th

It’s a powerful question. Powerful now and powerful in the Gospel of John when Jesus asks it of two of John the Baptist’s disciples. The disciples answer, “Rabbi, where are you staying?” And so it begins, the teaching relationship that unfolded over three years and countless miles and the witnessing of miracles and the authorities always hovering in the background, ready to shut things down. A relationship that begins here and will end at the cross… Each of the Gospels has a

This Sunday, January 11, we celebrate Jesus’ baptism. The Revised Common Lectionary provides a quick shift. Just last week, Jesus was still a baby with the magi coming to offer gifts of frankincense, myrrh and gold. This week, he’s an adult, having grown up, been taught, and now ready to commit his life to the revelation of the kingdom of God. It’s interesting to think of those years that aren’t covered so much in the Bible. What was Jesus like as a child? How was his wisdom

I was talking to a friend a couple of days ago, and he was about to take down his Christmas tree. “Noooo…” I wanted to say, “not until Epiphany!” Epiphany is celebrated on January 6, or the Sunday nearest it, and it completes the Christmas story. Jesus is born in Bethlehem, the angels and shepherds have borne witness, but the story continues with the magi, the wise men who followed a star to Bethlehem in order to pay homage to the birth of a king. How surprised they must have

I am still feeling warm and fuzzy from Thursday evening’s “Christmas with Peninsula Musicians and Friends” concert. Well over 60 people came out on a stormy night to hear the music of several combinations and permutations of local musicians, including our own Tobermory United choir. Comments I’ve heard today are about blessedness. How blessed we are to live in a generous and connected community. How blessed we are to have such musicians among us. The vibe was warmth.  The vib

Well, the boiler at the church failed this week, but we are blessed that it is able to be replaced quickly. Sunday morning should be warm and dry at Tobermory United! Something like this reminds us that things can change in an instant, sometimes in life-changing ways. This week, we focus on Joseph, who, suddenly faced with the improbable knowledge that his betrothed is with child by the Holy Spirit, must make a decision about what to do. Does he dismiss Mary quietly? Or does

Thank you to everyone who contributed in any way to the spectacular St. Nicholas Bazaar last week. The grand tally of revenue will be revealed this Sunday, but anecdotal evidence concludes that the bazaar was a happy place to be last Saturday. There was a lot of laughter, smiles, animated conversations and general jolliness all around.   This Sunday, Dec. 7, the second Sunday in Advent, we celebrate Peace. This evokes a heavy sigh, just writing it… How is it that generation a

This Sunday, Nov. 30, is Advent 1. Advent 1 is always a very special Sunday for me, as, nineteen years ago now, it was on the first Sunday of Advent that I experienced a call to ministry, completely out of the blue, up in the balcony of Dublin St. United Church in Guelph. I did not know where that call would lead me at the time and couldn’t have imagined that it would lead me here, doing what I do in this very special place. We will all be exhaling a sigh of relief this Sunda

On. Nov. 16, we celebrate Children’s Sunday, and Brian Taylor, Brian Osborne and Arnie Crittenden – Bluesky Day – will be present to offer their musical gifts! Bluesky Day has carefully chosen the songs they’ll sing: “Teach Your Children,” for example, by Graham Nash, and the old favourite, “All Things Bright and Beautiful.” In honour of Remembrance Day that has just passed, they’ll sing “Where Have All the Flowers Gone” and “The Strangest Dream.” How blessed are we to have r

This Sunday, Nov. 2, we look at a well-known account in the Gospel of Luke – the story of Zaccheus up in the tree, waiting to see Jesus. I remember singing a song in Sunday school oh so long ago about Zaccheus: Zaccheus was a wee little man, a wee little man was he. He climbed up in a sycamore tree, for the Lord he wanted to see. . .   If you want to hear that song, you’ll find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkd-QFD7vMA . It’s a cute song, and we might think this a

Many thanks to the worship committee for their leadership and especially Barney Hopkins and Gloria Smith, who participated in ‘Tales of...

I have this strange sensation in my fingers… It’s um, cold… So, yes, the weather seems to be turning, or at the very least, we’re getting...

Many thanks to Heike Domke-Talbot, who was ready, willing and able to host our outdoor service at her home last week. Though the forecast...

There’s a lot to trying something new… Back in the dark days of winter, one of the members of the worship committee said, “In the summer,...