Reflections

Perhaps prayer is simply surrendering to a deeper reality within. This week’s gospel reading is about prayer, something that contemporary Christians often struggle with. Is prayer begging? Is it an attempt to convince God to give us what we need? Do we have to be holy...

World of Wonders - In our culture we tend to think of the different realms of life - the ecological world, the economic world, the cultural world, the world of emotion in our hearts - as distinct and separated from each other. With some help from from a fierce, old...

Sermon by Russ Daye: In Matthew 15 there is a remarkable tale of Jesus meeting a Lebanese woman and receiving a major attitude adjustment. This is a story of how the grace, strength, and wit of a woman changed a powerful man. It has a lot to teach about connecting...

The United Church of Canada designates the first Sunday in June as Pride Sunday. Gender-queer ministry hopeful Tamsin Michael Robson preaches a powerful message that shows the radical, inherent Queerness of the Gospel of Christ, and what it would mean for the world if...

Saint Andrew’s is at a crossroads with enormous potential and a few dangers. We have grown to be one of the most impactful faith communities in Atlantic Canada, and, like all churches in this time, we have to build a new model for sustainability. In our best moments,...

This Sunday we move into the holiest week of the Christian year. Be moved by the power of the organ the voices of our youth leading scripture and prayer the reflections of Russ the prophecy of Cohen, channelled by Peter Baylis, the Choir, and The Mostly Righteous...

  Words to speak truth to your life. What are they for you? Could they be some of the same words that were spoken to Jesus in his life, as he studied and thought and walked his days until his death? The Old Testament prophets were poets, in their way, and this...

This week we celebrate baptism, and welcome special musical guests, The Message. Russ' sermon deals with the word ‘sin’ - what it really means, why we’re confused about it and how it was never meant for a guilt trip until religious authorities discovered how to turn...

Christchurch, Pittsburgh, Quebec City, Charleston … the list of cities in which worshippers have been attacked just continues to grow. How do we respond to this? How do we hold the heartbreak, and how do we support those who must go to worship carrying some fear....

This Sunday Epiphany Revelations continue as: Susan rips through the cliché “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”; Marion Brown shares revelation a year after a car accident ripped through her life; and The Mostly Righteous riff – not rip - through a Beatles...

This Sunday our Epiphany Revelations series continues, as Susan puts a theological spin on nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman’s bookThinking Fast and Slow. The sermon begins at 30:45. Ian Sutherland shares a revelation encounter with Autism, which begins at 13:45. The...

The full service from today, including drumming call to worship, an inspiring sermon on the Spirituality of the Drum from Dr. Henry Bishop and a special anthem for African Heritage Month, Yakanaka from EthnoMass for Peace by Lorenz Maierhofer. Dr. Bishop's sermon...

We all have demons. What do we do with them? Ignore? Suppress? Acknowledge? Feed? Cast out? There’s wisdom in Jesus teachings and Buddhist teachings, for us and our demons. Today's recording begins with a contemplative prayer based upon 1 Corinthians 13, by Susan...

Continuing with our Epiphany theme, Revelation Encounters, this week we reflect on the question: Beasts, Birds, and Bees: Is it Time to Extend Community Beyond Human Beings? According to the psalms, God saves humans and animals alike. How can we receive this message,...

This Sunday we continue with our Epiphany theme: Revelation Encounters. This week we explore encounters across the boundaries of sexual and gender identity and ask how do we live ethically and generously in this time of increasingly acute identity politics. The...

Human beings find meaning in so many different ways. The hidden world of light, love, and creative power reveals itself to different cultures, different religions, and different individuals in myriad manifestations....

Complete Family Christmas Eve Service. Sermon by Susan Chisholm begins at 27:30 Band: Chris Mitchell, alto sax; Jackson tenor sax; Paul St-Amand, trumpet; Brendan Melchin, drums; Steve Tugwell, bass; Kevin Parks, piano. Christmas Eve 4pm - Order of Service Gathering...

The full 10pm service.  Here is the bulletin so you may follow along with the order. Bulletin December 24, 2018, 10 pm The sermon, A New Incarnation, by Russ Daye begins at 26:20. https://soundcloud.com/saintandrewshfx/10pm-christmas-eve-2018

We continue with our Advent Series, Clarity in Confusing Times. This Sunday's theme will be: Becoming an Island of Sanity. With the world changing at such breathtaking speed, and so many seemingly crazy things happening, the need for places like St. Andrew’s to be...

Throughout December we continue with our Advent task of Finding Clarity in Confusing Times. This Sunday we work with the theme of peace, turning our hearts, minds, bodies and relationships into places of harmony - places for the very incarnation of Christ’s peace - in...

Susan Chisholm preaching:  Advent, we are told, is a time of waiting; an invitation to a different order of being, involving patience, anticipation, and expectation. It is a lovely thought, but our experience in the world - as parents, city dwellers, workers,...

The recent end to a long process of inquiry into the fitness for ministry of self-declared atheist, Rev. Gretta Vosper, which she and her supporters wrote about with the hashtag #heresytrial, brings to the fore questions like these: *What is faith? *What is belief?...

For generations, most liberal Christians accepted the notion of inevitable progress. With technological, economic, and social scientific advances, life would get better for every generation, perhaps with some bumps along the way. Today, it often seems that the bumps...

Youth Service focused on Peace...just take one step, that's all! This is the entire service; the sermon begins after the 13 minute mark (13:18) https://soundcloud.com/saintandrewshfx/pray-for-peace-youth-service

The entire service, including a remembrance observance on the 100th Anniversary of the signing of the WWI Armistice. We laid the wreath, witnessed the marriage of Margaret MacKay and Bob Sheperd, and it was all wrapped in spirit and community. Music includes the...

As we do every year at the time of All Saint Day and All Souls Day, we remember the loved ones we’ve lost in the past year. In the sermon, Russ explores the place of death in life and life in death, using a rarely explored story at the end of the gospel of Matthew--...

Water is such a powerful metaphor for life - and for God. It has so much to teach us. We grow in water in our mothers’ wombs. Water flows through our veins and keeps all living things alive. It provides inspiration and beauty in oceans, lakes, and rivers and is used...

A great day of celebration as we re-open our sanctuary with a new floor and seating, and we were blessed to celebrate a baptism in this service.  Using Mark 9:38-50 as his text, Russ speaks to the statement "Whoever is not against us is for us", and explores what...

There are questions. They come to us in the quiet, as if there all along, patiently waiting to be heard. Using the story of Jesus asking the disciples, "Who do you say that I am?", Susan Chisholm preaches on Questions that can make or unmake a life … your life. The...

Disruption as a Spiritual Practice: From Donald Trump to global warming to myriad revelations of sexual misconduct - it seems that every day brings us news that disturbs our sense of security and harmony. There are ways to live into this disruption that foster both...

Susan Chisholm preaches...Hannah Gadsby in her acclaimed special 'Nanette' speaks her truth, which like Paul in his message to the Ephesians calls us to sing to the Evil of our days.   https://soundcloud.com/saintandrewshfx/a-turn-in-the-time-of-a-heartbeat...

The Christian faith has had remarkable resilience and renewability for 2000 years. When society changes, the church changes its form and renews its rituals to match. As western society changes rapidly, it looks like the traditional, neighbourhood church will largely...

In the wake of new allegations of sexual misconduct among those leading in spiritual communities, Russ asks why is sexual misconduct so prevalent in organized religion? Why do organizations and traditions that are all about love and justice produce leaders that...

Russ Daye preaches; The cycle of our Spirituality...what do we have to release on the way... The recording concludes with "True Colours" sung by Ameilia Parks, with Kevin Parks on piano and Chris Churchill on bass.  ...

When Summer’s here and you NEED to enjoy, but the world’s a mess an NEEDS you to care.  What’re you gonna do?   https://soundcloud.com/saintandrewshfx/mind-the-gap

The Gospel points us to a deep reality of Divine Spirit, love, and creativity. At St. Andrew’s we honour other traditions that also point to this deep reality. Recently, Russ was very surprised to discover a MIT management professor who’s writings may also be pointing...

This Sunday we really celebrated Confirmation - 9 Confirmands! Artist in Residence - covenanting Penny Bedal! New Members - right hand of fellowship! and...Communion - Rev. Chisholm flies solo! Susan reflects in her sermon on the experience of preparing for...

Having returned from a South American sojourn, Russ Daye preaches on Creation and Christian intersections with the Tao of Suffering. We also welcomed Fountain School of Music graduating student, soprano Rachel Taylor, accompanied by harpist Ellen Gibling. Rachel and...

Celebrating birth, considering our own close relations and their implications for our lives here on God's creation, Susan Chisholm asks, "Is blood really thicker than water?" The opening section of the recording is the 'Learning with Children' time. Susan shares the...

In the week following the the Humboldt Bronchos bus crash, and gas attacks on innocent people in Syria, many are asking "Where is God" in the midst of tragedy. Susan Chisholm offers a hopeful perspective. We were joined by the Saint John High School Choir, directed by...

This Sunday we continue to celebrate the resurrection, looking at the story of Doubting Thomas, and the simple spiritual practice taught by Jesus that helps us to recognize resurrection happening all around us. Fourth Year Dal French Horn major, Mimisu Lee, performs...

Ecumenical community Good Friday Service at St. Andrew's United, with St. John's United, Presbyterian Church of St. David and First Baptist Churches. Sermon by Rev. Dr. Rusty Edwards from First Baptist, preaching on the living waters of the crucifixion that flowed...

This Sunday, Passion Sunday, we continue to look at other spiritual pathways, this time turning to the dark side of spirituality and remembering how Jesus’ confrontation with the ‘spirituality of empire’ took him to the cross.  The worship of imperial power continue...

This Sunday we welcome Judy Johnson, spiritual coordinator of the Halifax Brahma Kumaris Meditation Centre. Brahma Kumaris supports the dignity of each one's soul, and the transformative power of the collective consciousness....

We continue our Lenten series called Other Pathways, exploring the nexus and interaction of Christian faith with other spiritual practices and traditions. This Sunday we will engage in Muslim-Christian dialogue with Dr. Syed Adnan Hussain. Dr. Hussain is Associate...

This Sunday we launch our Lenten theme: Honouring Other Pathways. We are exploring how our faith meshes with a global fabric of faith and spirituality. The choir sings Stephen Paulus Kyrie to conclude the recording....

Continuing our Epiphany series, "The Inextinguishable Light In Being" Susan Chisholm preaches on demons and burdens, and the power of letting go. The sermon is followed by Russ Daye's invitation to communion, and music during communion: Silence, Frenzied Unclean...

…we continue with our Epiphany Theme, The Inextinguishable Light in Being. Russ’ sermon, Try as They Might, They Can’t Put Out the Light, will respond to all the ugliness in the news these days with a message of hope. We welcomed back Campbell Woods who performed...

Susan Chisholm preaches on the Inextinguishable light that is often right before us but we nearly do not notice, using the Hebrew Testament story of Samuel and Eli. The recording concludes with a performance of Jason Isbell's song 'Fire In My Daughter's Eyes'. (Steve...

A prophetic sermon to start this year. Russ Daye speaks to two great darknesses in our time, and the close parallels to be found in the condition of the time the prophet Isaiah and the Gospels were written. The sermon concludes with a challenge to set aside reticence,...

Christmas Eve 2017, 10pm. The congregational carol "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" precedes the message, and following Russ' sermon the choir sings the first movement of Vivaldi's Gloria https://soundcloud.com/user-979953003/christmas-eve-2017-10pm

Sunday December 17, 2017 - Advent 3 - Russ Daye, preacher. This Sunday we continue our Advent Waiting for a Miracle series. We will be exploring the stories of Jesus' conception and Mary's pregnancy and reflecting on how the over spiritualization of these stories had...

We continue with our Advent theme, this week we are Waiting... For The World to Change. Expect great music along with words and reflection time as we consider what difference this Advent could make in our lives. Too many of us end up cynical by the time Christmas...

Advent 2017, we're waiting for a miracle. There is a miracle coming, and it is coming though us! Through Advent, Sunday mornings at 10:30 am, we seek hints of light...sparks of divine potentiality...in these dark days. Ian Fraser presents the first sermon in the...

Anniversary Sunday, guest preacher Peter Short, former Moderator of the United Church. The sermon is followed by the choir anthem, Hymn to Freedom by Oscar Peterson https://soundcloud.com/user-979953003/this-small-prayer

Ian Fraser preaches on Remembrance Sunday. The sermon was preceded by a video "Some Kind of Blue" by Sam Baker. You'll see the sermon recording below the youtube video. The recording concludes with the choir's anthem, "Lord, Keep Us Steadfast In Your Word". Text:...

https://soundcloud.com/user-979953003/crossing-the-river-again Why are you here What are you passionate about? What is St. Andrew's uniquely placed to be? * * * OUR VALUES, OUR MISSION, OUR FUTURE* * * You can follow the slide presentation for this sermon by clicking...

Ester Epp-Tiessen speaks about "bearing witness" to what the Palestinian Christian church and Palestinian and Israeli partners have called us to -- solidarity with them in their suffering, advocacy with them for a just peace, following the scripture text from Micah...

Ian Fraser preaches on Thanksgiving Sunday. The recording concludes with a performance of Natalie Merchant's 'Kind and Generous' by Dana-Lynn Farrell. https://soundcloud.com/user-979953003/gratitude-in-a-time-of-entitlement

Ian Fraser reflects on the holy gift of water and our uses and misuses of it. This recording begins with an a cappella renditions of Leadbelly's 'Bring Me a Little Water, Sylvie' sung by Dana-Lynn Farrell. Our apologies for a high pitched hum in the sound for the...

Sunday Sept 24, 2017: Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King Jr., Gisitanimuk, the Delai Lama: How do we claim their example of Spiritual practice forming and informing our outlook for Justice? This recording begins with a cover of Mary Chapin Carpenter's song 'Stones in...

As children return to school for another year, our September theme is "Children and Justice". This week we will look at the inherent sense of fairness that children understand and how it relates to the larger issue of justice. This sermon concludes with a hymn from...

Sunday June 25, 2017. Ian Fraser is a poetry buff. More than that, he believes that poetry can save the world. This recording begins with a cover of Leonard Cohen's 'Villanelle For Our Time', performed by Russ Daye, with Kevin Parks, piano and Chris Churchill, bass....

Sunday June 18, 2017 Ian Fraser brings a message reflecting on the imperative of hospitality as we come to the close of this part of our year of invitation. The recording concludes with a presentation of Tom Waits' song 'Come on Up to the House'. Vocal and piano,...

June 11, 2017, We welcome guests from our partner church in Minyara, Lebanon today. Rev. Dr. Hadi Ghantous from Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Minyara speaks about the importance of the Christian presence in the middle east. The recording concludes with an Arabic...

Sunday June 4: This Sunday is both Pentecost Sunday and the final service Sunday in our Season of Creation. We are looking at communication regarding environmental issues and how important it is to listen carefully to a wide range of voices and views. The sermon title...

Sunday May 14, Mother's Day. On this Sunday we transition from our post-Easter series on the Feminine Divine to a coming season of creation for the rest of May. Today's sermon offers a chance to engage in spiritual practice and contemplation of our relationships with...

As we continue our post-Easter series on the theology, wisdom and power of the feminine divine, Ian Fraser asks "What if Jesus was born a girl? https://soundcloud.com/user-979953003/she-is-risen

Susan Chisholm offers a perspective on the intersection of Feminism and Faith. https://soundcloud.com/user-979953003/feminist-and-faithful-why-we-stay

This Sunday was Earth Sunday. The sermon is the first in a series on the theology, wisdom and power of the feminine divine. The recording concludes with a performance by the Celtic Harp and Flute duo, Ragged Robin, featuring Ellen Gibling and Erin Dempsey Our...

Easter Day reflection taking a look at Mary Magdelene and the risen Jesus' interaction at the tomb... Resurrection in recognition..."Mary? Mary!"; "Teacher? Teacher!" https://soundcloud.com/user-979953003/shocked-into-new-life

April 9, 2017 - Palm Sunday Reflection, Ian Fraser. This Sunday we move from the parade of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem to the parade that led him to the cross. For many, this is among the most important services of the year as we are led into the heart of darkness (to...

Sunday April 2, 2017, Lent 5 - Reflection, Russ Daye. As we continue our walk through Lent, and our focus on letting things go, this week we will look at two Bible stories about death being replaced by life. Sometimes it’s hard to let go of the parts of our lives that...

Sunday March 26, Lent 4 Reflection, Russ Daye. We continue our walk through Lent, and our focus on letting things go. This week we examine the ways we see the world and our blind spots. How does our history, our social location, and our privilege (or lack of...

Sunday March 19 Reflection, Lent 3, Ian Fraser. This is the third sermon in a series on "Leaving it Behind". As we continue our walk through Lent, we will focus this week on secrets - those parts of our story that we hide and don’t want others to know. Are secrets...

Sunday March 12 Reflection, Lent 2, Ian Fraser. This is the second sermon in a series on "Leaving it Behind". This is the question that we will continue to explore through Lent. It is especially important in our era of planned obsolescence when we are overwhelmed...

Sunday March 5, first Sunday in Lent and the first reflection in a Lenten series on 'Leaving it Behind." Today's reflection by Russ Daye examines 'broken scripts'. https://soundcloud.com/user-979953003/170219rd

https://soundcloud.com/user-979953003/dr-strangelove-or-how-to-love-in-this-polyamorous-post-gendered-world

https://soundcloud.com/user-979953003/night-ian-fraser Worship on this day was formed as a vigil in solidarity with our Muslim neighbours and friends in the wake of shootings at the Islamic Cultural Centre in Quebec City on Jan 29, 2017. The first part of the...

This video was taken for distribution via www.preacherportal.ca. From their website: Preacher Portal is a site that makes engaging and powerful preachers available to all congregations- live or on demand. The mainline church is going through a time of change and...

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