The large window in the office’s southern wall frames seasonal pictures of the immediate neighbourhood. Today is a beautiful fall day. As I write, the sun’s bright light bathes the landscape. There is a row of tress with flaming red leaves in one of the neighbour’s yards. Towering above them and forming an arch are…
06Oct
Give Thanks In All Circumstances
This Thanksgiving holiday will find us grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic and its fallout, just as we were last year. Most, if not all of us, were hoping that things would have returned to normal by now. From all indications it seems that it will be a while before we are anywhere close to the…
17May
Pentecost 2021 Reflections
This week the Church celebrates the Festival of Pentecost. On the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit descended on the gathered, praying disciples, in fulfillment of God’s promise. The coming of the Holy Spirit occurred ten days after Jesus ascended to the Father. The Day of Pentecost is regarded as the birthday of the Church….
04Apr
Easter Message
I greet you in the name of our risen Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. The angel greeted the women who went to anoint the body of Jesus with the message, “He has risen; he is not here.” The message of Easter is particularly pertinent and meaningful for us in these difficult and challenging times of…
19Feb
Blessings Of Lent
Perhaps no other season in the church’s liturgical calendar offers opportunities for spiritual reflection as LENT does. The joyous Alleluias of Christmas and Easter are more conducive to a spirit of celebration than reflection though the two are not by any means mutually exclusive. Pentecost Day brings its own excitement with sounds of mighty rushing…
09Jul
Sharecropper Project Crop Blessing
A few members of the congregation gathered at the site of our crop of wheat on Wednesday, July 8 to share a blessing by Pastor Roy for a good harvest. It is anticipated that the crop will likely be harvested in about two weeks, depending on the weather. Our Sharecropper Project supports the work of…
04Jun
Not Even The Gates Of Hell
It is ironic that the church all around the world had their doors closed to public worship on Pentecost Sunday. The irony lies in the fact that Pentecost is the day the Church was born. The Holy Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost. On that day, as at all Pentecost times in those days,…
15Apr
Then There Was The Resurrection
The world is a good place despite of appearances to the contrary. There are good people everywhere. All around there is more goodness than would appear. Keeping this in mind helps us to maintain perspective in the midst of so much evil and bad things happening. Our experience of the ubiquity, power, and effects of…
22Feb
Remember You Are Ash…
Remember you are ash and to ash you will return. With these words spoken, ash is placed on your foreheads in a cruciform shape, reminding us of our mortality. With these words we also welcome the Lenten season on Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday is on February 26. Bethesda will hold its traditional Ash Wednesday service…
04Jan
A New Year and Hope
The New Year is upon us. The dawning of a new year is usually accompanied b the (re)kindling of hope in our heart. Perhaps there is something about the beginning of a new year which brings hope by presenting opportunities to start over again. Then again it may be that last year was so fraught…