English sermon

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you O God.

In his letter to the Galatians Paul writes: As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male or female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.

I’ve spent the last three months traveling in Europe. It has been an enriching and interesting time. Traveling with open eyes and an open mind, hoping that I might see and understand as Christ may have, I am finding that this difficult Bible passage is making more and more sense to me. Barriers, divisions have become less important.


I began on a choir trip through Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey. Turkey was a most fascinating place. It is the first time I have been to a country that is so exoticly different from the ones I have spent most of my life in. It was so interesting to experience the atmosphere, the air, the culture, the food and the religion. I appreciated our differences, reveled in the beauty of them, and was delighted to discover that we also share many similarities. We, both Christians and Muslims are called to faithfulness and prayer. The mosques in the towns and cities, call to prayers 5 times a day from their minarette towers. It is a beautiful, longing call in Arabic, a little different each time, blasting throughout the city. It was lovely to be on the roof top patio of our hotel in Istanbul and hear the mosques all around start their calls a little out of sync with each other yet creating a beautiful cacophony. It is not unlike the churches in Europe whose bells ring at significant points of the day. In fact, I enjoyed driving through the Turkish countryside and instead of the picturesque little European villages with their church spires rising out of the centre, we saw little Turkish villages in the hot, dry countryside each with little mosques peaking out of their centres. It was different yet the same.

We visited a number of mosques while we were in Istanbul. Some people in our group commented on how they were all the same. True they are, all set up in the same way, but then again so are our churches. Most churches have rows of pews facing the front, they all have a baptismal font reminding us of our baptism, a table inviting us to share a meal, a lectern, a pulpit, usually an organ either at the back or the front. The larger churches and cathedrals are often built in the shape of a cross. They have beautiful artwork depicting the stories and images of our faith. Mosques are no different really. They have a large carpeted room where, primarily their men, kneel and pray facing the front, always to the East. There is an altar-like area, there is a raised platform from which God’s message is proclaimed. And there is artwork expressing beauty and love for their faith. My favourite building was the Hagia Sophia. It was originally built during the Byzantine Empire as a Christian church, in the same time period and grandeur as St Paul’s Cathedral in London and St Peter’s at the Vatican. When the Ottoman Turks arrived it was converted into a mosque, covering or removing all of the Christian symbols. Today it is no longer used as a place of worship but rather as a museum. Renovations have revealed again much of the beautiful mosaics of the Christian Church. I loved seeing the combination of both Christian and Islamic art together in one place and think it would make a wonderful place to hold interfaith services. As I discovered and explored, the barriers that divide us, those that the world seems to focus on, fell apart as I began to understand our commonalities.

The next part of my journey took me to France and England where I traveled with a group of students, ministers and laypeople mostly affiliated with the Vancouver School of Theology. We went on pilgrimage together studying hymns and hymnwriters through the ages and singing their hymns in the churches and cathedrals that they were first sung in. It struck me again how music, how singing our faith transcends barriers. A most beautiful moment was when we met the English hymnwriter Fred Kaan. He has written countless number of hymns, a couple of them are in our Lutheran book, he is highly respected and loved. But in his old age now he has become ill, affected by Alzheimer’s he is no longer able to write music the way he used to, or take on speaking engagements, He doesn’t always remember the words that are important to him. It was an honour to have him come to our workshop in London. And when we spontaneously sang his hymn “For the healing of the nations” the barriers fell, the health difficulties that make him different were no longer an issue because we are all one in Christ.

I spent 3 beautiful weeks in Scotland, staying with friends near Glasgow, hiking a part of the West Highland Trail and living for a week at the abbey on the island of Iona. The scenery is stunning, the rocky shores, the heather covered moors, the sheep and cows grazing in the velvety fields, the ancient buildings. Being a part of the religious community that works and worships at the abbey was definitely a highlight. The worship services we began and ended our days with were full and meaningful, fun and reflective. They focused on themes that are important in our world; healing, peace, justice to name a few. Young and old and those inbetween were involved in putting together and leading the services. There was a group of people, mostly young people staying at one of the Abbey’s centres. They were of a variety of different faiths, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Bahai to name a few. They spent the week exploring their common threads to better understand each other. I spoke to a young woman near the beginning of the week who considers herself Agnostic. Though she believes that there is a God or higher power if you will, she did not feel comfortable with any one particular faith. She seemed to feel a little lost but looked forward to what she might learn. Near the end of the week when this inter-faith group lead a Service in which they encouraged all to make commitments to continue to understand and learn from each other, it was this young woman who lead a large portion of the service through prayer and reflection. In our services we sang music from different parts of the world. Singing these songs brought us closer together not only to the people in the room but also to people around the world. One, which I will teach you later, is in Arabic, incidentally also the language Jesus would have spoken, Asalaam aleikum, simply means Peace be with you. It was beautiful to share the peace in a new and different way, connecting with a larger group of people. Barriers were broken. Christ was present. We were one.


Berlin was my next stop, visiting my brother who lives in the Neu-Koelln area of the city. Amazingly enough I experienced a bit of culture shock. The area is not exactly your stereotypical, prim and proper well kept German town. Immigrants and low income families or those on social assistance mainly live in Neu-Koelln. But once you look past the dirty courtyards and sidewalks, the walls splattered with graffiti, you find a vibrant community that talks to each other and enjoys each other each in their own way. My brother converted to Islam several years ago and many of his friends in Berlin are either Muslims from their upbringing or converts. That was most interesting; talking, debating, sharing our faiths. One evening 3 Muslims and a Christian met at Mark’s friend’s place for dinner. We spent the evening discovering more about each other, drinking a lot of tea, eating good food. Most fun was when 2 Muslims and the Christian were in agreement and the third Muslim not, the friend who was not as willing to open his mind to new possibilities. We shared high-fives, and laughter and discovered that we are much more alike than we thought. To be sure, it’s not easy. But interestingly, I found the differences that are most difficult to understand or accept are the cultural ones, not the religious ones. I think we were each strengthened in our own faith while becoming more aware and gaining a deeper respect of each other. Barriers were broken.

So I wonder and I question as I travel. I go to church services on Sundays in German churches around the country and I see that many of them are fairly empty. Who goes? What is there? Why are they not so interesting? A number of young people in Germany are converting to Islam, which I don’t have a problem with but it makes me ask Why? I believe young people are looking for something to hold on to, something that gives them stability and routine. But why aren’t they finding it in churches? Why aren’t churches reaching out to give them what they need? I visited Luther’s church in Wittenberg, the one where he nailed the 95 theses on the door. There were many people, most were tourists, there was a big bus tour from Poland, people coming on pilgrimage. But the service was uninteresting. There wasn’t much that captured attention. I came away thinking, “This church needs to be reformed.” The church in Eisenach has been covered in graffiti all around, sadly soon after it was newly renovated. What are these people trying to say? Frau Moeller, Katharina’s mother-in-law who I stayed with, an 81 year old woman, said that their services were mostly boring. She doesn’t really like to go anymore. Her daughter-in-law had been to a church’s anniversary service and there were only 8 people that had come! Why? What’s going on? I went to a worship service in Weimar, I was encouraged there. There were some interesting things that happened. We sang new songs, alongside the old favourites, language was used that fits more in tune with our society today. There were more people there that seemed to be a part of the congregation, people of all age groups. I felt more comfortable there.

I believe the key is to be in tune to the changes in society, in our world. I believe the key is to be willing to be open to new possibilities, to take what our world has to offer and use it in positive ways to enhance and strengthen our faith. I believe it is important to question and wonder and probe and discover. In doing so myself I have found that it has deepened my faith. Who are we to be? In the parable we read today from Luke’s gospel, are we the widow who asks and questions and persists until she gets an answer or are we like the unjust judge who has little respect and wishes she would go away? It makes me wonder, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?

I believe Paul’s message to the Galatians is important. Paul is challenging them to break down the barriers. If you are baptized, if you have decided to follow Jesus, then you are being challenged to break down the barriers. In our society today we have other divisions to break, no longer Jew nor Greek, slave or free. What divides us today? If Paul were writing to us in Toronto today, what would he say instead? What are the issues that divide us?

(In short discussion with congregation we talked about rich/poor, gay/straight and more generally relationship building with God. Perhaps people of faith struggling within their own faiths…)


I believe Paul’s message is one of hope and commitment. Perhaps it seems safer to build barriers so we can live nicely in our own little world, but it limits us. Questioning, communicating, understanding helps to break barriers. Jesus breaks the barriers. His ministry is filled with examples of how he accepts and treats with respect people who are different. He calls us to justice. So I say “As you were baptized into Christ you have promised to follow in his way. There is no longer rich or poor, there is no longer gay or straight, there is no longer _______ or _______; for all of us are one in Christ Jesus.

Amen.