All posts in From the Moderator

In a wonderful little book called The Return of the Prodigal Son, the spiritual writer Henri Nouwen reminds us that the world often seduces us to claim a

Theologian Karl Barth once preached a sermon in which he described the resurrection of Jesus as a threat. I like that. We tend to think about the Easter

In November the Assembly Council adopted a motion that asked the church to examine whether it is wise stewardship to support three colleges financially. I spoke in favour

On August 27, I left for a three-week trip to Africa accompanied by my wife Lynn and Rev. Dr. Rick Fee of the Life and Mission Agency.

As Moderator I have been emphasizing the centrality of Jesus Christ in the life and mission of our church. I have been trying to talk about what it

Over the years, I have had the privilege of serving as a pastor in three congregations within the Presbyterian Church in Canada. The first was a new church

I met Jesus in Saskatoon. I was there in June as part of our church's delegation to a national gathering of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. I've been following

I am a follower of Jesus for many reasons. One of them is that I was raised in a congregation that cared deeply about young people. The minister,

A few months ago a friend described Jesus Christ with these words, "His centre is everywhere, his circumference nowhere." It wasn't an entirely original thought, and she probably

The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the

The scripture says, "No one who believes in him will be put to shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord

He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in

"Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were waiting for him. Just then there came a man named Jairus, a leader of the synagogue. He

"Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for something that does not profit. Be appalled, O

"Rick Horst emerges from a shepherd’s cave in Beit Sahour, near Bethlehem." General Assembly doesn't usually choose the destination for its Moderator's international visit. But when the church's response

"Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another,

"When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a lonely place, and the day is now over; send them away to go into

"When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a lonely place, and the day is now over; send them away to go into

"…and Peter said to them, ‘You yourselves know that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile; but God has shown me that