Spirited Reflections
Spirited Reflection: Gun violence – where will we stand as a community of faith?
March 5, 2018
Yet another violent massacre has happened in a school, this time in Florida. Every week, every month, every year this happens, and on a gut level, it feels like it is happening on a more regular basis. Over the past few…
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Spirited Reflection: In an age of diversity, how do we deal with differences?
February 23, 2018
“Earlier this year, National Geographic put a call out to photographers from around the world to capture images that would close ‘a widening empathy gap between us and those who have life experiences that differ dramatically from our own’. The…
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Spirited Reflection: Coming down from the mountain
February 14, 2018
Have you ever been to a conference, retreat or gathering of like-minded souls, and wanted it to go on and on? A place where you felt understood, where you were with “your people”? A moment when you hear a speaker, a greater leader, that inspires and challenges…
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Spirited Reflection: Good News – Black History
February 14, 2018
Peter Haresnape has written a Bible Study Resource for Black History Month 2018 for those who, like him, are seeking to be allies to people of African descent. It is part of the materials created by the United Church of…
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Spirited Reflection: The gift of flexibility and softness in the face of injustice
February 1, 2018
When I think of my experience when it comes to generational wisdom, I feel slightly at a crossroad. In one sense, I can see that I have many people in my life who are mentors, whose wisdom I am still learning to recognize and appreciate. I…
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Spirited Reflection: Bearing witness to the light
January 30, 2018
I returned to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the spring of 2013, 17 years after my arrival in Canada as a refugee. The goal of my trip was to see my mother, whom I hadn’t seen in 21 years. I also wanted to…
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Spirited Reflection: Knowledge and love
January 25, 2018
God does not care what we eat! This seems to be Paul’s message to the Corinthian church; a shocking statement from an ex-Pharisee! Paul begins his discussion of the food laws, an incredibly sensitive topic at the time, by contrasting knowledge and love. “Knowledge puffs up, but…
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Spirited Reflection: Embracing Change
January 19, 2018
One of the gifts that the Magi present to us, which unfolds in the stories of Epiphany, is the willingness to embrace change. Their journey to the Christ Child explores the significance of a mysterious new birth, a change sure…
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Spirited Reflection: Speaking up and listening
January 14, 2018
As a young Indigenous male, who does not at all look the part, I have heard the words, “What good can come from there?” many times in my life. In our reading from John, Nathanael speaks of Nazareth as a…
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Spirited Reflection: Witnesses and water
January 11, 2018
The Biblical event when Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist in the Jordan River was witnessed by a lot of people including God, his Father. Someone remembered the event and eventually wrote this down on paper so that we could read about what had taken place…
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Spirited Reflection: Becoming Displaced for Christ
January 9, 2018
The term ‘epiphany’ comes from the Greek word έπιφάνεια [epiphainein] meaning ‘appearing’, ‘manifestation’ or ‘glorious display.’ In the New Testament, we find that the term appears six times, all having to do with Christ’s coming. In part it encapsulates the…
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Spirited Reflection: KAIROS in 2018
January 2, 2018
As we live into the early days of 2018, we know that these are perilous times that challenge us to risk speaking truth to power. They call us to be more determined than ever to be alert to opportunities for…
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KAIROS Christmas video for sharing
December 15, 2017
“Solidarity seeks partnership and mutuality…giving and receiving.” Dear Friends, Below is the KAIROS Christmas video. I invite you to take a moment to watch it, share it with your family and friends, post it on Facebook and tweet it. Share…
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Reflection on pilgrimage of justice and peace: We are not alone
December 13, 2017
Sometimes the advice I give my children is the same advice I most need to remember – and the hardest to follow. I have a toddler and a teenager, and at times of frustration and challenge I feel compelled to…
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Spirited Reflection: The Solstice Gifts
December 13, 2017
When my father was five years of age near the time of the winter solstice, his grandfather awoke one night in the cabin that he had built. At the time, it was considered an honour to bequeath the education of…
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Spirited Reflection: Liberation that disturbs-December 2 is International Day for the Abolition of Slavery
December 1, 2017
I met Ada in the sanctuary of the small chapel on Geneva Street in St Catharines, Ontario. I was the only white person, and I’ve already learned so much from this group comprised mostly of people of African descent living…
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NEW RESOURCE for Epiphany 2018: Gifts for Another Way
November 24, 2017
Looking for a new perspective? Wanting Christian reflections to inspire your own justice work, the discussion in your small group or the worship in your congregation? Gifts for Another Way is a worship and devotional resource for the Season of…
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Spirited Reflection on Social Justice
November 13, 2017
Social justice and the protection of the weak and the powerless are central in Jesus’ identity and mission. Luke 4:16ff tells us that Jesus chose the text from Isaiah to reveal both his identity and his mission (to proclaim good…
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Spirited Reflection: What Would Jesus Forward?
November 7, 2017
In politically charged times it may be tempting to forward email containing nostalgic, sentimental or violent content. For guidance, Christians have asked, “What would Jesus do?” (WWJD). This is a simpler question than others we could ask, such as: What…
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Living Justice: Reformation 500 in Toronto
October 31, 2017
Sermon: In Truth, With Love, For Justice St James Cathedral, October 29, 2017, by Jennifer Henry Creation, Human Beings, Salvation–Not for Sale Texts: Isaiah 42: 5-9, Psalm 36: 5-10, James 2: 14-18, John 13: 33-35 I am so grateful to be…
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New Epiphany worship resource coming soon
October 25, 2017
Today we are announcing a coming Epiphany worship resource that includes reflections from newcomers and Indigenous peoples in our midst. It is called Gifts for Another Way, remembering the gifts of the Magi and the many other gifts offered in…
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Reflection on pilgrimage of justice and peace: Welcoming Refugees
October 18, 2017
This article is a contribution from Canadian Quakers to the WCC call to journey in justice and peace. Friends in Canada have been welcoming refugees since the 19th C., when work was done to bring Doukhobors living under persecution…
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Spirited Reflection: The values of food
October 10, 2017
The month of October brings many opportunities to reflect on the place of food in our lives. For those of us in the Christian tradition, it opens with Worldwide Communion Sunday — a day when our sisters and brothers in…
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KAIROS UN Declaration Video: Please Share
October 5, 2017
Dear Friends, This Thanksgiving I want to share with you a short video about persistent advocacy and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. I invite you to take a moment to watch it, share it with your…
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Spirited Reflection: Walking with our Sisters
October 3, 2017
On October 4 vigils across the country remember and honour missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, and in Toronto, October 15-29, the Walking With Our Sisters commemoration will be held at the Aboriginal Education Centre. Here are two prayers…
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Spirited Reflection: Everyone Belongs
September 19, 2017
“Everyone Belongs in the Kitchen” is a theme that raises a few questions. What kitchen? And, who is ‘everyone’? The phrase comes from a joke that exists in multiple memes online, which takes the tired sexist dismissal ‘Women belong in…
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Spirited Reflection: Peacebuilding, an ever present opportunity
September 15, 2017
Peace is often misunderstood as an absence, a state of tranquil stillness where nothing is happening, there’s no conflict or change. The world we live in isn’t like that, and seeking to enforce an ideal onto the world can itself…
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Walking right off the map: from Old Montreal to Kahnawà:ke Mohawk Territory
September 14, 2017
Maps of Montreal, Canada, usually show the neighbouring Mohawk Nation as an empty space. It appears as a grey block, sectioned off from everything around it. Nothing could be more symbolic of the relationship between the Montreal urban community, which…
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