Sun. June 29, 2014 (Tony Tremblett)

"Run to Win!" On July 29th, in the midst of a hotly-contested World Cup 2014, Tony Tremblett focused his meditation on the sport metaphor used by Paul in 1 Cor. 9. In Paul's day, Greek runners prepared for the various levels of games by training intensely for as many as eleven months before traveling to the game site to finish training with an acknowledged coach. Paul encouraged his new Christians in Corinth (not far from where some of the games were held) to take their spiritual lives just as seriously as if they were striving to become top athletes. If their lives are successful (if they could 'win the race'), the honours would not be the transient cheers of the fickle crowd or the laural wreath that wilted a few days later, but that which is everlasting, eternal. Unlike a mere footrace in which only one person wins, every person serious about their faith can ultimately win. Unlike sports, in which there is always another race, our life-long 'race' happens only once. The writer of Hebrews imagines "a great cloud of witnesses" cheering us on, even though they are unseen by us. Tony ended by asking what we want to leave behind, at the end of our race: money, things, or a positive influence on others. [JEK]

Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, June 29th, 2014 using your browser's preferred media player.

Sun. June 15, 2014 (Michelle Drewitz)

Michelle Drewitz detailed for us what it is to be made in the image of God, based on Genesis 1 and 2. Contrasting Genesis with older texts, she established the origins and workings of our universe, as well as our function within in it. Genesis also names and differentiates - this allows us to establish a relationship based on function. Given that man is created in the image of God (theomorphism) it’s important to remember we are like God, but not God. No images of Yahweh are ever seen, unlike other ancient deities. In ancient worldviews, the cosmos existed to serve the gods, and so did humans. The focus is reversed in Genesis - God creates the cosmos for plants, animals and humans. Things exist for each other, not Yahweh, and Yahweh’s presence is made known to all by the human presence in the world. As we bear the image of God, so to are we called to do God’s work on the planet. Michelle indicated our dominion is to rule creation and care for it - in a dense passage worth reviewing, she indicated kingship is an act of justice (Ian Provan), but it is to be exercised in community, not as sole rulers. Our image of God arises out of our relationship with God, and we become more like God as we care for His creation and each other. [AP]

Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, June 15th, 2014 using your browser's preferred media player.

Sun. June 8, 2014 (Gareth Brandt)

Last Sunday Gareth Brandt (Professor of Practical Theology at CBC) brought a vivid retelling of his personal journey of healing through spoken-word poetry. Lost Boy, a common metaphor for youth damaged by the actions of others was the theme for a series of readings which offered images ranging from the dark (“wounded boy, trying to be a man”) through emotional (an unguided bulldozer going over a cliff to crash upon the ground) to the joyful (a calf leaping in blinded abandon in sunlight) that mirrored his own journey from hurt to healing through seven stages of denial, fear, pain, despair, anger, acceptance and reconciliation. Gareth insists that healing is possible in all cases, but the work involved in healing confronts people, and the easy way out - instant forgiveness - isn’t worth the words expressed by it. Noting that wounded people often become empathetic healers themselves sometimes to avoid dealing with their own hurt, Gareth nonetheless insists that healing is possible and desirable for everyone, and later shared that his own healing did involve meeting with his abuser, but that it was not a necessary condition for healing. More on Gareth’s journey is available on his blog at garethbrandt.wordpress.com. [AP]

Regrettably, the audio recording of Gareth Brandt’s talk is unusable and can’t be posted on the PGIMF web site due to electrical interference from a poor-quality cord. The CD is available for borrowing for those who wish to struggle through the awful noise, but the message will not be posted to the website. Gareth’s newest book is also available for sale.

Sun. June 1, 2014 (John Friesen)

John Friesen contrasted an apocalyptic (dystopic) story by Veronica Roth called “Divergent”, characterized by dysfunction and murder; and a utopian story of spiritual renewal and transformation about Jesus encountering a Samaritan woman at a well in “enemy territory”. Despite her questionable history, Jesus accepted her and offered her life-giving water. John and Erna visited Cuba recently and found much of the same dystopic quality of life among the people in Cuba. Visiting Christian seminaries, they found hope for the people where the thirst for living water was palpable. In a dialogical approach to instruction, students were offered information about spiritual kingdoms, and despite challenges and trials, students offered great appreciation for the hope that Christ offers in the seminaries in Holguin and elsewhere. In contrast to the highly-segregated community of Divergent, where youth were required to select a faction or community to which they were to devote the rest of their lives under a repressive system of government, rejection brought not only ostracization, but also a challenge to live with meaning in a world which sought to remove meaning apart from the herd. “You are you, and nobody else” echoes a message that Jesus gave to the Samaritan woman, when encouraged her to - break free of your society, be transformed and live with honour and dignity regardless of the circumstances of her past. Despite new directions in movements such as the New Calvinist movement, can we treat women with any less dignity today? [AP]

Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, June 1st, 2014 using your browser's preferred media player.