The Hat of Elijah: A sermon on Matthew 21:23-32 by Joe Ellis, Sept. 27, 2020
I’ve never felt like this story was a home-run. I’ve always thought, “I get it, God wants us to be like the one son and do what he says.” I felt in a similar way when Jesus tripped up the Chief Priests’ by asking if John’s baptism was sent from heaven. At most I’ve seen this just as an example of Jesus avoiding a trap from his enemies, and having a little bit of fun at their expense. This all changed when I began to take the context of these stories more seriously. When we re
God's Generosity: A sermon on Matthew 20:1-16, by Joe Ellis, Sept. 20, 2020
Jesus starts out the parable saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like...” and then tells a striking story of a Land Owner and his workers — a story where the one’s who work the least receive the same amount as the one’s who work the most. This story of the Kingdom of Heaven is so unlike what the Kingdom of Earth is like. In the Kingdom of Earth, if you don’t work, you don’t eat. In the Kingdom of Earth, if you don’t study, you fail your course. In the Kingdom of Earth, if you d
Forgiveness: A sermon on Matthew 18:21-35 by Michelle Ellis, Sept. 13, 2020
In preparing to look at this text together I’ve been imagining the scenario that prompted this question from Peter about how many times he needs to forgive. Maybe Jesus and the disciples have gathered for a meal and hangout at Peter’s place for the fourth time that week and yet again, he’s been left alone with the dishes. Maybe he and Andrew arranged to meet three times to work on fixing his roof together and three times, Andrew was a no-show. Maybe Philip cheated Peter at wo
A Sermon on Matthew 10 by Joe Ellis, June 21, 2020
I’ve been thinking a lot about division lately — probably not a huge surprise given the global political climate. That seems to be a hallmark of our time — division. In different conversations I’ve had this past month, I’ve been struck by how our church family is a little microcosm of the wider culture. We’ve got a huge array of political and cultural perspectives in our fellowship. This is impressive given the fact that our church is only 90 people strong on our best pre-Cov
A Sermon on John 14:15-21 by Joe Ellis, May 17, 2020
The promises contained in this passage are filled with power, hope, and intimacy. Every time I read this passage I’m inspired. How could you not be inspired when you hear Jesus say, “Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you!” It sounds as if we were being welcomed into the inner life of God. It sounds as though Jesus were welcoming us to be the fourth member of the Trinity. What an honour. What a pr
A Sermon on John 14:1-12 by Joe Ellis on May 10, 2020
I’d like to start by unpacking what Jesus means when He talks about His Father’s House. For that, we need to turn to another passage in John that is really helpful in understanding what Jesus is talking about when he says, “My Father’s house.” In John chapter 2 Jesus kicks the money changers out of the temple “because they were trying to make money off those who were coming to worship God. Jesus storms into the temple, makes a whip out of some cords, and starts driving out al
A Sermon on John 20:19-31 by Joe Ellis, on April 12, 2020
In this morning’s reflection, I’m going to dial in on the first part of the passage we heard, when Jesus first appears to the disciples and breathes His Spirit into them. Let’s begin with contrasting their situations with ours. Interesting that they are also socially isolating in this passage, isn’t it? They are also staying at home. They have also closed and locked their doors. They are also afraid — there is something out there that is seeking to do them harm. Their fear i
A Sermon on Matthew 21:1-11, prepared by Joe on April 5, 2020
One thing I like about studying a passage more than once is that I get to zero in on the parts I didn’t understand the first time around. So, this last week I began to study Zechariah and figure out why that quote about Jesus coming on a donkey is so important. This quote was obviously important to Jesus. Look how much trouble he went to get a donkey so that he would remind people of the King in the Zechariah passage. Not only did Jesus go to a lot of trouble to get that don
