Archive for February, 2024

Journeying with Jesus: A Reflection on Lent

Sermon by the Venerable Fr Theadore Hunt

As we gather on this second Sunday in Lent, I am grateful to see all of you here. Today, I want to reflect on a passage from Mark’s Gospel, specifically Chapter 8, verses 31-32. In this passage, Jesus teaches his disciples that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, be rejected by the religious leaders, and be killed, but will rise again after three days.

This teaching from Jesus marks the beginning of three predictions he will make about his own death. Just before this reading, Jesus asks his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” The disciples respond with varied answers, mentioning John the Baptist, Elijah, and one of the prophets. While these responses suggest that the people were beginning to see and understand Jesus, they lacked a deeper knowledge and relationship with him.

Jesus then turns to his disciples, those who have spent time with him, and asks them directly, “Who do you say that I am?” This question demands a personal and intimate response, based not on hearsay, but on their firsthand experience of journeying with Jesus.

One of the disciples, Peter, answers, “You are the Messiah, the Christ.” While Peter’s answer is correct, it becomes clear that he and the other disciples do not fully understand the implications of Jesus being the Messiah. They do not anticipate the suffering, rejection, and death that Jesus will have to endure. In fact, Peter even tries to rebuke Jesus for speaking about these things.

This interaction between Jesus and his disciples holds a profound lesson for us today. We too may find ourselves in a similar position, desiring to follow God’s lead but struggling when it takes us to unfamiliar or challenging places. We may feel the need to correct God’s plans for our lives. However, Jesus invites us to draw near, to move away from abstract knowledge and truly know him.

In unpacking the meaning of being the Messiah, Jesus teaches us that struggle, rejection, and even suffering are not to be avoided but endured. These hardships do not separate us from God’s love and presence. In fact, they can deepen our faith and character, ultimately leading to hope.

As followers of Christ, we are not immune to the crises and tragedies of life. We may face physical illness, the loss of loved ones, relational challenges, financial burdens, and a sense of unfulfilled expectations. But in the midst of these struggles, we are called to endure faithfully, knowing that God’s love is poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.

Lent, a holy season of reflection and preparation, offers us an opportunity to draw near to Jesus, to encounter him in a personal and transformative way. It is a time to let go of our distorted perspectives of God and receive his true nature.

So, in this season of Lent, let us answer Jesus’ question, “Who do you say that I am?” by moving beyond mere knowledge and truly meeting him, journeying with him. Let us embrace the struggles and uncertainties of life, knowing that God is present with us, guiding and sustaining us. May our faith be deepened, our character refined, and our hope anchored in the unfailing love of our journeying God.

As we continue our Lenten journey, may we draw nearer to Jesus and allow his teachings to shape our lives.

(c) church of st Stephen, Downsview, 2024-02-25

Feb 25: Second Sunday in Lent

Readings
GENESIS 17:1-7, 15-16; PSALM 22:22-30; ROMANS 4:13-25; MARK 8:31-38 OR MARK 9:2-9

Collect
Almighty God,
whose Son was revealed in majesty
before he suffered death upon the cross,
give us faith to perceive his glory,
that being strengthened by his grace
we may be changed into his likeness, from glory to glory;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

First Reading
A READING FROM THE BOOK OF GENESIS
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.” Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”
GENESIS 17:1-7, 15-16

Psalm
PSALM
REFRAIN All the ends of the earth shall turn to the Lord.

Praise the Lord, you that fear him; stand in awe of him, O offspring of Israel; all you of Jacob’s line, give glory.

For he does not despise nor abhor the poor in their poverty; neither does he hide his face from them; but when they cry to him he hears them. R

My praise is of him in the great assembly; I will perform my vows in the presence of those who worship him.

The poor shall eat and be satisfied, and those who seek the Lord shall praise him: “May your heart live for ever!”

All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall bow before him. R

For kingship belongs to the Lord; he rules over the nations.

To him alone all who sleep in the earth bow down in worship; all who go down to the dust fall before him. R

My soul shall live for him; my descendants shall serve him; they shall be known as the Lord’s for ever.

They shall come and make known to a people yet unborn the saving deeds that he has done. R
PSALM 22:22-30

Second Reading
A READING FROM THE LETTER OF PAUL TO THE ROMANS
The promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation. For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”) in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become “the father of many nations,” according to what was said, “So numerous shall your descendants be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. Therefore his faith “was reckoned to him as righteousness.” Now the words, “it was reckoned to him,” were written not for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.
ROMANS 4:13-25

Gospel
THE HOLY GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
ACCORDING TO MARK
Jesus began to teach his disciples that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
MARK 8:31-38

Or

THE HOLY GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
ACCORDING TO MARK
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus. As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
MARK 9:2-9

Prayer over the Gifts
God of wisdom,
may the light of the eternal Word,
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,
guide us to your glory.
We ask this in his name.

Prayer After Communion
Creator of heaven and earth,
we thank you for these holy mysteries,
which bring us now a share in the life to come,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Feb 18: First Sunday in Lent

Readings
GENESIS 9:8-17; PSALM 25:1-9; 1 PETER 3:18-22; MARK 1:9-15

Collect
Almighty God,
whose Son fasted forty days in the wilderness,
and was tempted as we
are but did not sin,
give us grace to discipline ourselves
in submission to your Spirit,
that as you know our weakness,
so we may know your power to save;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

First Reading
A READING FROM THE BOOK OF GENESIS
God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”
GENESIS 9:8-17

Psalm
PSALM
REFRAIN The paths of the Lord are love and faithfulness to those who keep his covenant.

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; my God, I put my trust in you; let me not be humiliated, nor let my enemies triumph over me.

Let none who look to you be put to shame; let the treacherous be disappointed in their schemes. R

Show me your ways, O Lord, and teach me your paths.

Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; in you have I trusted all the day long. R

Remember, O Lord, your compassion and love, for they are from everlasting. Remember not the sins of my youth and my transgressions; remember me according to your love and for the sake of your goodness, O Lord. R

Gracious and upright is the Lord; therefore he teaches sinners in his way.

He guides the humble in doing right and teaches his way to the lowly.

All the paths of the Lord are love and faithfulness to those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. R
PSALM 25:1-9

Second Reading
A READING FROM THE FIRST LETTER OF PETER
Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you -not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.
1 PETER 3:18-22

Gospel
THE HOLY GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
ACCORDING TO MARK
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” 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. Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”
MARK 1:9-15

Prayer over the Gifts
God our refuge and our strength,
receive all we offer you this day,
and through the death and resurrection of your Son
transform us to his likeness.
We ask this in his name.

Prayer After Communion
Faithful God,
in this holy bread
you increase our faith and hope and love.
Lead us in the path of Christ
who is your Word of life.
We ask this in his name.

Feb 11: Last Sunday after the Epiphany

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11:00AM Sunday

Readings
2 KINGS 2:1-12; PSALM 50:1-6; 2 CORINTHIANS 4:3-6; MARK 9:2-9

Collect
Almighty God,
on the holy mount you revealed to chosen witnesses
your well-beloved Son, wonderfully transfigured:
mercifully deliver us from the darkness of this world,
and change us into his likeness from glory to glory;
through Jesus Christ our Lord
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

First Reading
A READING FROM THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS
When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. The company of prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?” And he said, “Yes, I know; keep silent.” Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here; for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. The company of prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?” And he answered, “Yes, I know; be silent.” Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on. Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground. When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you.” Elisha said, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.” He responded, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not.” As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. Elisha kept watching and crying out, “Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.
2 KINGS 2:1-12

Psalm
PSALM
REFRAIN God reveals himself in glory.

The Lord, the God of gods, has spoken; he has called the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.

Out of Zion, perfect in its beauty, God reveals himself in glory. R

Our God will come and will not keep silence; before him there is a consuming flame, and round about him a raging storm.

He calls the heavens and the earth from above to witness the judgement of his people. R

“Gather before me my loyal followers, those who have made a covenant with me and sealed it with sacrifice.”

Let the heavens declare the rightness of his cause; for God himself is judge. R
PSALM 50:1-6

Second Reading
A READING FROM THE SECOND LETTER OF PAUL TO THE CORINTHIANS
Even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
2 CORINTHIANS 4:3-6

Gospel
THE HOLY GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST ACCORDING TO MARK
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus. As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
MARK 9:2-9

Prayer over the Gifts
Holy God,
receive all we offer you this day,
and bring us to that radiant glory
which we see in the transfigured face
of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayer After Communion
Holy God,
we see your glory in the face of Jesus Christ.
May we who are partakers of his table
reflect his life in word and deed,
that all the world may know
his power to change and save.
We ask this in his name.