Rev Chris Roth

  Genesis 9:8-17; Psalm 25:1-10; 1 Peter 3:18-22; Mark 1:9-15 We have now entered into the season of Lent. The practice of observing Lent began sometime in the 200’s. That was a time when being a Christian could be quite dangerous, and it was also a time when Christianity was spreading deep into the Roman Empire to people who had very little experience with Judaism or the Hebrew Scriptures. For Jewish people who came to believe in Jesus they already had a lot of the basic beliefs and practices in place- they had a solid foundation. However, Gentile Pagans needed more time and training to understand what they were getting themselves into. The time of Lent became a time when new converts prepared for their baptism, which would happen at Easter. The preparation would involve intense study of Scripture, and the abandonment of cultural values that were contrary to their new Identity in Christ. It was a time of repentance. They seriously considered what it meant to become a Christian, an...

  2 Kings 2:1-12; Psalm 50:1-6; 2 Corinthians 4:3-6; Mark 9:2-9 We have reached the end of the Season after Epiphany, which begins with the Magi kneeling before the infant Jesus, and ends with the Transfiguration. We have interrupted our usual readings to talk about practices that strengthen community. The usual readings show how Christ’s identity is revealed, and today we are returning to our usual readings, so we will be looking at the Transfiguration. There is a lot of symbolism in this little passage, and I don’t think we can really appreciate the Transfiguration without spending some time looking at these elements. We have Elijah appear in both our Old Testament and our New Testament readings today. Elijah was the prophet’s prophet. He was surrounded by supernatural acts of power. He famously faced off with King, Queen Jezebel, and the prophets of Ba’al. God miraculously consumes the sacrifice that Elijah offers, proving to be the true God. He fled that event because Jezebel w...

Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14; Psalm 95; 1 Corinthians 6:12-20; John 4:7-30 I once heard someone describe a dream they had. They were walking through an ancient cemetery in an old European church yard where many medieval kings were buried. As they walked through the cemetery, suddenly the ground started to shift as warrior kings in armour rose from their graves, swords in hand. As the kings saw each other they started to engage in battle. This vicious battle continued until Christ descended from the sky and all the kings stopped fighting, turned, and knelt before him. It is an interesting metaphor. We all can be like kings and queens of our own little kingdoms. We all have opinions about how things should be, and how people should behave. Things tend to be peaceful as long as we don’t cross the threshold into another person’s kingdom and act like it’s our kingdom. Maybe you are a parent and someone else tells you how to parent your child. Maybe someone comments on the state of your ...