Moment Of Clarity With Rev. Lorrie Daly-price

Palm Sunday Jesus resolves to ride into Jerusalem and expose himself publicly, even though he realizes the dangers he will face since the Jewish leaders have been clamouring for his arrest. From the Roman Governor’s view, this was a dangerous time to keep peace and order with the impending Jewish Passover festival and the last thing the Roman authorities wanted was a riot  stirred by religious intolerance. So when Jesus enters Jerusalem the atmosphere is tense.    As Jesus set out from the Mount of Olives for the final descent into the holy city many people had gathered on the roadside to welcome him. Many of these had no doubt witnessed his healing, and listened to his preaching, but some perhaps were there to have a  glimpse of this man who had been causing a stir by his radical teaching. As crowds go this would not have been much different from any other crowd then and ever since. The majority found themselves going along with the general consensus, which was to acknowledge joyfully Jesus as king. Yet we

During the Jewish feast of Passover, some Greeks arrive in town and approach Philip. They come with a request that the disciples must have fielded many times during Jesus's ministry. Had they traveled all the way to Jerusalem just to ask their question?            "Sir, we would like to see Jesus." Philip shares their request with Andrew, and together they tell Jesus. But their query fizzles out and the story then takes a new turn. We never learn if they actually get to see Jesus, the one have heard so much about. Were these Greeks genuine seekers or mere gawkers? What did they hope to see or want to hear from Jesus?

The passage from John‘s gospel that we hear this week begins in the midst of Jesus’ nighttime conversation with Nicodemus. Nicodemus has gone to Jesus because of a deep yearning. What do I need to do to be closer to God? To be right with God? How can I have more meaning in my  life?    Though he was a religious leader, something was lacking. He was educated, well connected and respected. He is unlike some of the Pharisees that Jesus has criticized for their hypocrisy, the ones who thought they had nothing left to learn, that there was no room for growth, that they never made a mistake and that God was on their side. Nicodemus is far less certain. He wanted something more.    And so, Jesus gives him a long answer with many moving parts that have to do with loving what God loves and as God loves. What are our expressions of loving as God loves?

This morning we hear a story from John’s gospel that takes place in a courtyard the size of a football field. This is part of a complex of temple buildings that are beautifully crafted of the finest materials. It is in outer courtyard that we hear about the merchants selling animals for sacrifice. There are also the moneychangers who are changing money into authorized temple currency. This currency was called shekels or temple coins and was needed to purchase a sacrifice or pay annual dues. The problem that we hear about though, is that an unfair exchange rate is being charged and puts an additional burden on the people who were already struggling. The noise in this place would have been incredible. Thousands were gathered because of the Passover and they would be talking and laughing together. For some, they may not have seen each other since the year before. There were birds cooing and squawking, cows mooing, sheep bleating and goats doing whatever goats do. It was in the midst of all this that Jesus took a

In this week’s Gospel reading from Mark, Jesus predicts his death for the first time. “The Son of Man must undergo great suffering,” Jesus tells his disciples quite plainly. He must “be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.” Standing on this side of resurrection history, we too easily miss the bombshell effect these words must have had on Jesus’s disciples. Their great hope, cultivated over the three years they had followed Jesus, was that he would lead them in a military revolution and overthrow their Roman oppressors. After all, they had seen his miracles, and witnessed firsthand his charismatic ability to draw huge crowds. They had heard him proclaim loud and clear the arrival of a new kingdom. He was their longed-for future. Their cherished dream. So what could be more disorienting, more ludicrous, than the news that their would-be champion was determined to walk straight into a death trap? To surrender without a fight to a common crimi

On this first Sunday of Lent our reading from Mark’s gospel is about a long and treacherous stint  in the wilderness. Unlike his counterparts, Matthew and Luke, Mark offers his readers no colourful details about Jesus’s experience in the wilderness.  We don’t learn what the specific temptations were, or how Jesus responded to them. Mark doesn’t even assure us that Jesus “passed” his desert test.  All he gives us are two abrupt sentences: “And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.  He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.” I don’t know about you, but this terse version of events leaves me buzzing with questions. How exactly did Jesus spend his time?  Was he tempted 24/7?  Did he walk for miles each day, or camp out in one spot?  Where did he sleep?  What was the silence like, hour after hour after hour?  Did he break it up by humming, laughing, or shouting?  Did he star gaze?  Play with birds?  Chase lizards?  As

It has been said that Science teachers never tire of that moment when a student first looks into a microscope. What had seemed like nothing more than a speck of dirt, suddenly becomes something full of colour, patterns and interest. That student will never look at things the same way again; in that moment everything now has the potential to be more than it was.     This same thing happens elsewhere too. Telescopes have the ability to transform. Just think of the night sky when you look through it, it has the ability to turn it into a world of awe.    This morning we hear the story of Jesus’ transfiguration in Mark’s gospel. If you were to take those quite common experiences and move them up a few notches on the scale, this would certainly top the list. The transfiguration of Jesus describes an event in which the deepest significance of everyday reality and overwhelming confronted his disciples Peter, James and John.

In our reading from Mark’s gospel we find Jesus after a long day of preaching in the synagogue, healing a man who had been possessed by an unclean spirit and who knows what else. As the day comes to a close Jesus, with the disciples, head over to Simon Peter’s house for a warm meal and some time of rest. When they arrive Jesus is quickly directed to Simon’s mother-in-law who is deathly ill with a fever. We read that Jesus, “came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her and she began to serve.”  He lifted her up. Who do we lift up? Or to look at it another way, when do we need lifting up?

In our reading from Mark’s gospel Jesus encounters a man with an unclean spirit. In ancient times, mental health issues were often identified with spiritual possession. Something was  believed to “take over” a person’s psyche, imprisoning them by forces greater than themselves. While we cannot rule out spirit possession, we know that we are possessed by many things that need to be cast out. Virtually all of us have behaviors that we struggle with that are large and small.  We know often what’s best for us, but often also succumb to temptation. Like the man in the story, we need assistance from an energy and wisdom greater than our own. In today’s reading, the unclean spirit is more perceptive than the synagogue audience or Jesus’ first followers. The unclean spirit clearly knows who Jesus is, and the nature of Jesus’ power. Was the unclean spirit recognizing Jesus as a threat or was there something in the spirit’s make up that was seeking healing and wholeness?

This week we hear the call of the first four disciples from Mark’s gospel. After forty days in the wilderness, Jesus begins his ministry proclaiming the good news of God.  Jesus goes to Simon and Andrew and then James and John and says, “Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately, they went and followed Jesus.  There wasn’t a well let me think about it or a let me get permission from this person or that person, or will you pay better than what I’m getting right now. They just immediately follow Jesus. 

The scriptures chosen for this week focus on listening for the voice of God and God’s movements within our lives. God is constantly speaking in our lives through insights, encounters, hunches, dreams, bursts of energy, and inspirational thoughts. Our calling is to listen to the many voices of God, often hidden in everyday experience, and then follow God’s guidance, shaping our encounters with God in our own unique ways. In our reading today from John‘s gospel Jesus’ ministry begins with calling disciples – and significantly, disciples who will immediately go off and call others, saying, “Come and see! We’ve found him!” So Andrew calls his brother, Simon, and in today’s passage, Philip goes off to find Nathaniel. John’s point about the story of Nathaniel’s call is that Jesus knows Nathaniel; Nathaniel is called to come and get to know Jesus. Look at Nathaniel’s question: “Where did you get to know me?” In other words, he says, “We’re not acquainted, are we?” This becomes an epiphany for Nathaniel who makes the

This week as we hear the story of Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist from Luke’s gospel. This provides us with an opportunity to reflect on our own understanding of baptism. Jesus’ act  of being baptized is the assurance of his commitment to partner with us, and is the invitation for us to participate in the work of God’s reign. There is also the promise of God’s Spirit to empower us, and the gift of God’s living word to challenge, guide and strengthen us. We are provided with an assurance that we have all the resources we need to participate in God’s work

This Sunday we focus primarily on the Gospel of John, chapter 1 verses 1-18.  It is a tightly packed prologue that allows us to ponder Jesus as divine, but also one who came to live among us in human form. Similar to perhaps some childhood games you may have played growing up, you might get a ‘do over’ if you mistakenly did something—you’d ask for a ‘do over’. In a way, each year as we travel through the season of Advent with Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem which culminates in Jesus’ birth—consider that we all have been given a ‘do over’ in the miracle and mystery of Jesus’ birth. How did Christ’s birth and life help shape or define who you are in the world; who you are in Christ?

Today’s readings from both Luke and Matthew's gospel speak of our ability to notice God in our midst. God is abundant, providing hints and revelations everywhere, but do we have senses to notice? If we can notice God in a Bethlehem baby, perhaps we can notice God in all things, and all things in God. Perhaps, if we train our senses to discover God’s presence, every cup of coffee will become, as Joyce Rupp suggests, “the cup of life.”

This Sunday we come together to hear the story from so long ago. We will see Mary, riding a donkey, accompanied by Joseph, making their way to Bethlehem to be counted. It is here that they end up staying in the only place available to them, a stable where Jesus is born. Angels appear and summon the shepherds, who come with their offerings of sheep and other animals. Then wise men follow the star that was over the very place where this child had been born, bearing gifts for the child. Come and be apart of this magical performance of the story being told. Our pageant this year is sure to be a special treat, make sure to tune in to our 10 am service. 

This week we turn to Luke’s writing which is an account in two acts: the Gospel biography of Jesus and then the story of the early church–the “Jesus community." Whether you were a Jew or Gentile in those days, deciding to become a part of this illegal early Christian movement could bring punishment for your allegiance. Surely the message in both Luke and Isaiah that the  downcast, lowly, and oppressed would rise up is a welcome and inspirational account. Like the Jewish exiled people of Isaiah’s time and the early Christians, we also sometimes wonder where God is in our suffering. We long to hear the promise that a reason for joyful praise is the good news on the way! 

“Look! A virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, And they will call him, Emmanuel (‘God with us').” (Mathew 1: 23 and Isaiah 7: 14) In both the Gospel of Matthew and Isaiah, a messenger appears as a sign from God, heralding a new era. In each passage, the words “do not be afraid” appear... offering a clue that the messenger–whether prophet or angel–was referencing something that induced fear in the recipient. A new way of being, of relating and loving takes courage– eschewing the present order of things so that a new and better day can be born.

“Prepare the way...” “Change your hearts and lives, and trust this good news.” “Raise your voice... raise it; don’t be afraid”  (Mark 1: 1-15 and Isaiah 40: 1-11)  This Advent, we are looking to hear some comfort, some challenge and some good news. The prophet Isaiah and the four Gospel authors were writing in a time when people needed desperately to hear all of these as well. This first week, Isaiah and the gospel writer who published first–Mark–reassure the people that good news is beginning and yet they both say, “make yourself ready!” Raise your voices, change your hearts, get ready to be transformed, because now is the time. Have hope that we can do what needs to be done to bring more light into the world.

This week we hear Jesus’ parable of the “sheep and the goats” from Matthew‘s gospel. A  parable reminding us of our role in caring for the vulnerable, for when we do we are implicitly caring for God. God feels the pain of the vulnerable and the joy of their restoration to wholeness The reminder today is straightforward, it seems to me. We will encounter Jesus in the ‘least of these’ — in the hungry and the thirsty. In the stranger and the naked and the sick and those in prison. Oh no, our faith is not only of the mind and of the heart, but is also for the hands and the feet. We live our faith in what we do. In those moments we become the face of Christ for another and in our times of need they become that for us.    Think of a time when you were confronted with great need.  How were  you able to see Jesus then?  How did you respond?

This week is Jesus’ parable of the talents found in Matthew‘s gospel. It is about the ways we use our gifts and resources. The Master congratulates and rewards the business savvy of two servants, while punishing the servant who holds onto his allotment, fearful of risk-taking. There  is no need to punish judgment, and perhaps the third servant doesn’t deserve the rebuke he receives. Still, the times call out for risk-taking, that is, trusting God with the future and acting creatively and responsibly. Adventure can be risky but it can also be rewarding, opening to us new gifts and horizons of possibility.   Today‘s reading begs the questions: What prudent risks do we need to take as individuals and as a congregation? What would happen if we were awake to events and energies emerging in our current situation? It challenges us to speak out on behalf of the vulnerable, even if this may involve a degree of risk.