Sun. Oct. 30, 2011 (Charles Paris)

On Reformation Sunday, Dr. Charles Paris (former Roman Catholic priest, theologian and teacher) reflected on ways in which Catholicism has changed during the five centuries following the Reformation. Last month, Pope Benedict XVI did the unthinkable by delivering a major address in the Chapter Hall of Martin Luther's former Augustinian monastery in Erfurt. Not one to mince words, a very frustrated Luther repeatedly called the papacy "asses" in 1531. Were he alive today, one might imagine Luther congratulating the papacy and calling the Pope his brother in Christ, for things have indeed changed, on both sides. Pope Benedict noted that, for Luther, theology was a struggle with God, and this struggle led him to find Christ. Pope Benedict then praised Luther, saying that his whole theology was centered on Christ, and that Luther had pointed out how Catholicism had strayed from the bible. Both the Reformation and Counter Reformation were primarily focused on what divided Christians, but now we are starting to appreciate all that unifies us. [While Pope Benedict praised Luther for his reforms, some at PGIMF praised Charlie for demonstrating another church reform--the 10 minute sermon. We then had ample time for a wonderful 20 minutes of lively discussion. [JEK]

Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, October 30th, 2011 using your browser's preferred media player.

Sun. Oct. 23, 2011 (Dave Diewert)

Dave Diewert spoke about Jesus’ journey toward Jerusalem as his followers anticipated the setting up of a new kingdom. Along the way Jesus encountered Zacchaeus, dined with the tax collector, and paid attention to the weak, the ill and those with little social status. Zacchaeus, (a collaborator with the Roman rulers) as a result of Jesus visit, committed himself to justice. “That’s what conversion looks like for those with imperial power,” said Dave. The parable of the talents is told as they leave Zacchaeus’ home. The nobleman gave his servants money and went away to solidify his hold on power to much fear among the citizenry. On his return, he calls the servants to account for what they did with the money, and praises the first two. The third servant exposes the corrupt master, saying he’s a harsh and austere master who demands to reap what he did not sow. This servant exposes the master’s style of operation and refuses to play the game of abusive power. The master is not impressed, takes the money from the servant and gives it to the first servant. This is not about fairness, it’s about extending the master’s power. This parable is about power and shows how dissent is dealt with. In Jesus new kingdom Jesus is the victim, not the ruler. Salvation means defection from power; defection is possible but costly. We need to realize we are embedded in the systems of our kingdoms. The current Wall Street protests seek a redistribution of wealth, something Jesus called for. How do we embody a life of dissent? [HN]

Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, October 23rd, 2011 using your browser's preferred media player.

Sun. Oct. 16, 2011 (Elsie Goerzen)

Throughout her teaching and work concerning domestic violence in society and in the church, Elsie Goerzen (MCC-BC and CBI) has drawn inspiration from the life and teaching of Jesus, especially from how he related to women and the marginalized in his society. On Oct. 16th, Elsie focused on the story (Luke 13.10-17) about "the woman bent over" -- crippled and essentially a voiceless outcast. In synagogues, women sat behind screens during worship (so they did not 'bother' men), and they were to be silent. When out of the home, a woman was to be accompanied (thereby protecting the honour of her husband), and any man wishing to talk to her was to speak through her chaperone. Touching was out of the question. In Luke 13, an unnamed but crippled woman attended synagogue, possibly knowing Jesus would be there. At one point, Jesus began breaking one taboo after another. He called directly to the woman (not through someone else), contacting her over the dividing screen. He healed her, right then and there, on the Sabbath. She then broke the rules by praising God (rather than being silent). Today, too many women in church and society are marginalized by rules, social practices and legal practices which can be used against the poor (including women). Elsie reminded us that we have the opportunity to be like Jesus, or we can live with 'screens' in our lives. St Paul challenged believers to overturn the traditional prayer of male Jews (giving thanks he is not a Gentile, not a slave, and not a woman). Paul followed Jesus by arguing that in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female. Easy words? [JEK]

Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, October 16th, 2011 using your browser's preferred media player.

Sun. Oct. 2, 2011 (Karl Brown)

To review the history of Faith surely requires more than a single talk, so Karl Brown presented his first in his series on October 2nd, based on the lectionary texts for that day. Karl's opening premise is that you can only have faith in something you cannot prove to be true. According to the earliest legends in Genesis and Exodus, at least some Jews felt that they could indeed prove that God existed, therefore, they did not really need to have faith that there was a God, and instead only had to focus on following that God's ways. Those people are recorded as having heard God's voice, feeling God's presence being manifested by cloud and fire, manna, and improbable victories. But as time passed, so did these very personal and direct manifestations, and Faith entered a new phase. By the time of St Paul, religious fanatics not only had to have faith that this elusive and silent God existed, but also that an utterly strict observance of ritualistic actions effectively curried favour with this elusive God. Paul followed that life journey for years before concluding that ritualistic purity and actions were no longer desired by this God, but instead, one must simply have faith in God, and act accordingly. Jesus had already been developing this theory, synthesizing all the Jewish religious rituals, commandments and commentary to just two statements for the believer: Love God as much as is possible for you, and love your neighbour. Pascal viewed faith rather differently, as a way of hedging his bets. He argued that one is better off believing there is a God (even if this turns out to be incorrect) than in believing there is no God (and finding out upon death that you are dead wrong and have no further options). All of this (and more) led to a lively time of discussion and a most enjoyable gathering around coffee. [JEK]

Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, October 2nd, 2011 using your browser's preferred media player.