“Jesus was praying in a certain place.” The gospels often remind us that Jesus spent time in prayer. There seems to have been a rhythm to his life, a rhythm he maintained even in the midst of his journey to Jerusalem. His days were spent walking, teaching, and healing. But late at night or early in the morning, or even all night at times, Jesus would spend time with God in prayer. We don’t know too much about what Jesus did or said during those times spent in prayer. After all, he was usually alone, and so his disciples were unable to give us too much detail about Jesus’ prayer life. But one of the most enduring images that’s given to us in the gospels is the image of Jesus withdrawing f
Saturday at General Synod 2019 Good morning from General Synod 2019. I say ‘good’ with hesitation. I am so sorry for the hurt and harm caused to so many at General Synod last night with the vote on the marriage canon. The motion to change the marriage canon was approved by 75% of General Synod delegates – but it failed to achieve the technical threshold of 2/3rds in the House of Bishops required to change a canon. Though this outcome was not unexpected, the impact was devastating, both here at General Synod, and beyond. This I lament. I heard the cries of many, most poignantly, the cries of the youth here at General Synod. But this Synod is not over, and the movement towards full incl
Some thoughts for those following General Synod 2019 from afar . . . It is morning here in Vancouver. Today at General Synod 2019 is the day that everyone has been anticipating. Here’s a look at what’s coming up to day: https://gs2019.anglican.ca/wp-content/uploads/Orders-of-the-Day-Friday-July-12.pdf This morning we will look at a resolution https://gs2019.anglican.ca/cc/resolutions/a050/ which is intended to further the self-determination and the self-governance of our Indigenous church within the Anglican Church of Canada. For me one of the great joys of General Synod is the opportunity to spend time getting to know Indigenous people from across the country, and I wish them well on th
“Jesus appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go.” This is a movement. It is organized. It is purposeful. It is urgent. It is important. In fact, the word ‘important’ actually understates the significance. This is a movement of cosmic importance, of ultimate significance. When the seventy have been sent out, Jesus, who is surely praying for them, has a vision of Satan falling from heaven like a flash of lightning. This is about God’s ways prevailing over the forces of evil. So the stakes are high. And the core proclamation of the Jesus movement is this: “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” It’s worth
Today in our New Testament reading we reach the climax of Paul’s letter to the Galatians. “For freedom Christ has set us free.” That’s the high point. Paul’s conviction is that through Christ we have been set free, liberated from factors and forces that constrain, diminish, and enslave us. That should be a welcome message, especially in our age, on a Canada day weekend, in a culture that places such a huge value on freedom. It is a gift, in Paul’s language, it is grace. But what is this freedom that has been gifted to us? Are we now living in a world of “anything goes”? Not at all. If there is one person in recent history who knew a little something about being set free, it would be Ne