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Thanksgiving is more than the perfect table

It is Thanksgiving in Canada this coming Monday, and the holiday has a way of arriving with expectations. There should be turkey, of course. Potatoes prepared the right way. Enough vegetables to satisfy everyone at the table. Pie. Cranberry sauce. Family traditions. And somewhere along the way, we can begin to act as though gratitude itself depends…
Sunday Reflection – October 4, 2026

. From 2020 Overlooking the Cornerstone Matthew 21 33 Jesus told the chief priests and leaders to listen to this story: A land owner once planted a vineyard. He built a wall around it and dug a pit to crush the grapes in. He also built a lookout tower. Then he rented out his vineyard and…
Kids Korner: Sharing Jesus’ teachings (October 4th)

Read Matthew 21:33-46 with your family. Jesus tells a story about people who are trusted to care for a vineyard. But after a while, they start acting as if the vineyard belongs only to them. When the owner sends people to them, they refuse to listen. They become so determined to keep control that they…
When did Christianity become a Religion?

It sounds like a simple question. Was it with Jesus? Pentecost? Paul? Constantine? But before we can answer it, there is another question hiding underneath: What do we mean by religion? I am looking at this through a Christian lens. Christianity is the tradition I know from the inside, and it has shaped the language…
Sunday Reflection – September 27, 2026

. From 2020 Changing Our Minds Matthew 21 23 Jesus had gone into the temple and was teaching when the chief priests and the leaders of the people came up to him. They asked, “What right do you have to do these things? Who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus answered, “I have just one question to ask…
Kids Korner: Changing our minds (September 27th)

Read Matthew 21:23-32 with your family. Jesus tells a story about a father who asks his two sons to go and work in the vineyard. The first son says, “No, I won’t!” But later he changes his mind and goes to work. The second son says, “Yes, I’ll go!” – but he never does. Jesus…
Who decided children should sit still?

Watch a group of children when nobody has told them what to do with their bodies. They sprawl. They squat. They climb onto things. They sit sideways, upside down, cross-legged and occasionally on top of each other. They move while they talk and talk while they move. Then we send them to school, church, concerts…
Sunday Reflection – September 20, 2026

. From 2020 Generosity Matthew 20 As Jesus was telling what the kingdom of heaven would be like, he said: Early one morning a man went out to hire some workers for his vineyard. 2 After he had agreed to pay them the usual amount for a day’s work, he sent them off to his vineyard. 3 About nine…
Kids Korner: Working in God’s vineyard (September 20th)

Read Matthew 20:1-16 with your family. Jesus told a story about a man who owned a vineyard. Early one morning, the man went out and hired some workers. A few hours later, he hired some more. He kept going back throughout the day, even hiring people when there was only a little time left to…
Why do we say grace?

Thanksgiving is coming, which means that sometime in the next few weeks, people all over Canada will gather around tables loaded with turkey, potatoes, stuffing, vegetables, pies and all the other foods that somehow became essential to the occasion. And then, just as everyone is ready to eat, somebody will say, “Wait – we need…