Sermon for the Third Sunday of Easter

By Reverend Shelley McVea

Peter has already preached his first sermon and converted 3,000 people. A beggar asks Peter for money. Peter says he does not have silver or gold, but Peter says he will give what he has to give, and he heals the man in Jesus’ name. A crowd gathers and thousands flock to Peter, and Peter preaches a second sermon. Sometimes a miraculous event is not enough, sometimes we need an explanation. If we want to be Easter People, we need to recognize that we are the beloved children of God. Even when we sin or mess things up, we are still the beloved children of God.

Reverend Shelley McVea was recorded at St. Saviour’s Church, 43 Kimberley Avenue, Toronto. M4E 2Z4.

416-699-6512

Email: [email protected]

www.stsaviours.ca

Services are held every Sunday morning at 10:30 am in the historic village church of St. Saviour’s. All are welcome to join us in worship and fellowship.

The Lessons Appointed for Use on Easter 3 Year B RCL

• Acts 3:12-19

• Psalm 4

• 1 John 3:16-24

• Luke 24:36b-48

Sermon for the Second Sunday of Easter

By Reverend Shelley McVea

In the season of Easter we celebrate the ways that Jesus continues to appear to his disciples after the crucifixion, and we are called to be a resurrection people. Today’s gospel reading provides us with a story of confrontation, and Jesus provides us with an important message. As the disciples hide in fear, behind locked and closed doors, Jesus waits at the door, wanting to be let in. Are there any locked doors in your life?

Reverend Shelley McVea was recorded at St. Saviour’s Church, 43 Kimberley Avenue, Toronto. M4E 2Z4.

416-699-6512

Email: [email protected]

www.stsaviours.ca

Services are held every Sunday morning at 10:30 am in the historic village church of St. Saviour’s. All are welcome to join us in worship and fellowship.

The Lessons Appointed for Use on Easter 2 Year B RCL

• Acts 4:32-35

• Psalm 133

• 1 John 1:1-2:2

• John 20: 19-31

Recorded on 2015-0412

Reverend Shelley McVea

What words would you use to describe Easter Sunday? Mark, the writer of the gospel, uses words like alarm, fear, bewilderment, and frightened out of their wits. Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, went to anoint Jesus. When they got to the tomb they found the stone had been rolled away and they saw a young man, who said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here.” How does Jesus show up in our lives?

Reverend Shelley McVea was recorded at St. Saviour’s Church, 43 Kimberley Avenue, Toronto. M4E 2Z4.

416-699-6512

Email: [email protected]

www.stsaviours.ca

Services are held every Sunday morning at 10:30 am in the historic village church of St. Saviour’s. All are welcome to join us in worship and fellowship.

The Lessons Appointed for Use on the Easter Day Year B RCL

Acts 10:34-43

Psalm 118: 12, 14-24

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Mark 16:1-8

By Reverend Shelley McVea

Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday

From the triumph of Palm Sunday to the passion of Jesus. How do we resolve the two extremes of our story? The joyful story of the celebration of the palms, during which Jesus entered in triumph, riding a lowly colt, a day of celebration, a protest movement in the spirit of peace, a kind of street theatre that declares that Jesus is the king of peace. This event starts holy week and leads to the passion and crucifixion.

Reverend Shelley McVea was recorded at St. Saviour’s Church, 43 Kimberley Avenue, Toronto. M4E 2Z4.

416-699-6512

Email: [email protected]

www.stsaviours.ca

Services are held every Sunday morning at 10:30 am in the historic village church of St. Saviour’s. All are welcome to join us in worship and fellowship.

The Lessons Appointed for Use on Palm and Passion Sunday

Year B

RCL

The Liturgy of the Palms

Mark 11:1-11

Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29

And,

The Liturgy of the Word

Isaiah 50:4-

Philippians 2:5-11

Mark 14:1-15:47

Psalm 31:9-16

First recorded on 2015-03-29

By Reverend Shelley McVea

Fifth Sunday in Lent

The people are in exile and are without hope. Jeremiah is given a hard task by God and yet also is given a glimmer of hope. God offers a new covenant with his people. Not an agreement that is easy to get out of, but an agreement of hope. An invitation to a permanent relationship with God.

In Jeremiah (31: 31-34) God says the days are surely coming, when the commandments that are written on stone, are substituted by a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. God will put his law within them and write it on their hearts.

Today’s sermon is based on the lessons for the Fifth Sunday in Lent Year B (RCL)

Jeremiah 31:31-34

Hebrews 5:5-10

John 12:20-33

Psalm 51:1-13

Reverend Shelley McVea was recorded at St. Saviour’s Church, 43 Kimberley Avenue, Toronto. M4E 2Z4.

416-699-6512

Email: [email protected]

www.stsaviours.ca

Services are held every Sunday morning at 10:30 am in the historic village church of St. Saviour’s. All are welcome to join us in worship and fellowship.

First recorded on 20120325

By Reverend Shelley McVea

Fourth Sunday of Lent

Shelley begins today’s sermon by sharing a few embarrassing events and asks, how much harder it is to acknowledge our sins. It would be so much nicer if we could live without sin, but we are just like everybody else. But the Bible speaks a truth that talks about the children of Israel being saved from slavery. Although they sang when they first came out of Egypt, they have been wandering in the wilderness, and now they are starting to feel disgruntled and impatient. They were tired of the food and started to imagine that they would be better off back in Egypt.

Then serpents, snakes, came among the people and some were bitten and some died. The people ask Moses to ask God to save them.

Today’s sermon is based on the lessons for the Fourth Sunday in Lent Year B (RCL)

Numbers 21:4-9

Ephesians 2:1-10

John 3:14-21

Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22

Reverend Shelley McVea was recorded at St. Saviour’s Church, 43 Kimberley Avenue, Toronto. M4E 2Z4.

416-699-6512

Email: [email protected]

www.stsaviours.ca

Services are held every Sunday morning at 10:30 am in the historic village church of St. Saviour’s. All are welcome to join us in worship and fellowship.

First recorded 2015-03-15

By Reverend Shelley McVea

There are probably three passages from the Bible that we can all recite. Psalm 23, the Lord's Prayer, and the ten commandments. Almost 4000 years old. Almost all groups have similar principles to guide us and cause society to run well.

Shelley looks at the origin of the commandments, issued by the Lord our God who has brought us out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

These commandments were made by a God in relationship with us, by a God who wants to take us away from the things that enslave us.

First God freed the Israelites from slavery. Then he brought them into the wilderness. And there he teaches them how to stay free, through the commandments.

Reverend Shelley McVea was recorded at St. Saviour’s Church, 43 Kimberley Avenue, Toronto, M4E 2Z4.

416 699 6512

Email: [email protected]

www.stsaviours.ca

Services are held every Sunday morning at 10:30 am in the historic village church of St. Saviour’s.

All are welcome to join us in worship and fellowship.

Today's sermon was based on the lessons of the

Third Sunday in Lent

Year B (RCL)

Exodus 20:1-17

1 Corinthians 1:18-25

John 2:13-22

Psalm 19

Reverend Shelley McVea

Today’s sermon takes us to the next level of difficulty in our lenten spirituality.

Our passage from the book of Mark (8: 31-38) explores the question, “Who is Jesus?”

What did his disciples know about Jesus? They knew he was a healer, a teacher, a man of compassion.

And Jesus asks them, “Who do you think I am?”

Peter answers, “You are the messiah.”

Peter and the disciples hoped for a messiah who would bring peace to Israel and who would expel the Romans and bring back a state like the garden of Eden.

But Jesus invites them to go deeper. He says the son of man will be rejected, will suffer and be killed. And three days later, he will rise again.

Peter hears about the great suffering, rejection, and death that will come to them and although he wants a messiah, he wants a messiah who does not have to undergo hardships.

Jesus has stern words for Peter. “Get behind me,” Jesus says.

Using the theme of learning to dance, Shelley explores the deep challenge of Lenten spirituality inside today’s gospel reading.

Reverend Shelley McVea was recorded at St. Saviour’s Church, 43 Kimberley Avenue, Toronto, M4E 2Z4.

416 699 6512

Email: [email protected]

www.stsaviours.ca

Services are held every Sunday morning at 10:30 am in the historic village church of St. Saviour’s.

All are welcome to join us in worship and fellowship.

Today's sermon was based on the lessons of the

Second Sunday in Lent

Year B RCL

• Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16

• Romans 4:13-25

• Mark 8:31-38

• Psalm 22:22-30

By Reverend Shelley McVea

First Sunday in Lent

We usually learn something about ourselves when we give up something for Lent, especially if we are giving up something in the spirit of the Gospel.

Jesus stayed in the desert for 40 days, tempted by Satan, with wild beasts, and attended by angels.

Looking at the Genesis passage [Genesis 9:8-17] that we read today, we can see how Noah is a precursor for Jesus. Noah lived at a time when things were so bad that God decided to start over again. Not from scratch. God started over using what he had already created, saving Noah’s family and the pairs of animals from the floods, which lasted 40 days. God’s redemptive hand saved his people. Afterwards God established his covenant with Noah and his descendants and the animals, saying that he will never again bring judgment on the earth.

Now God will no longer destroy his sinners and had to think of a different way to bring salvation. He brings Jesus, the new Noah, the new Adam. Jesus experiences his own 40 days – flooded by suffering -- in the wilderness.

Reverend Shelley McVea was recorded at St. Saviour’s Church, 43 Kimberley Avenue, Toronto, M4E 2Z4.

416 699 6512

Email: [email protected]

www.stsaviours.ca

Services are held every Sunday morning at 10:30 am in the historic village church of St. Saviour’s.

All are welcome to join us in worship and fellowship.

First Sunday in Lent

Year B

RCL

Genesis 9:8-17

1 Peter 3:18-22

Mark 1:9-15

Psalm 25:1-9

The Last Sunday After Epiphany

By Reverend Shelley McVea

Through the telling of the Transfiguration of Jesus, the gospel of Mark shows one of three examples of the shining state of God breaking through normal life.

In today’s reading, Jesus takes the disciples Peter and James and John with him up the mountain. There they witness Jesus, with Moses and with Elijah, in a state of transfiguration. The heavenly one was shown in all his glory. Peter offers to make up tents, so that they could all stay up there, on the mountain, in glory, and hold onto that moment. But Jesus does not stay on the mountain. Instead he goes down in to the desert, where he is tempted.

Mark’s gospel shows three times the direct, shining, experience of God. First, during the baptism of Jesus, when the voice of God comes from heaven and says this is my beloved son.

The third time is after the crucifixion of Jesus, when the women come the tomb, they meet a shining person a messenger who tells them that Jesus is not there and that if they want to meet him, they need to go out into the world.

And the second example is found in today’s scripture, up on the mountain, where heaven and earth come together. But that is not where we can stay. We have to go out into our own personal Galilee’s, and it is there that we will meet Jesus.

In the words of Sister Sue Mosteller, who describes how much we are loved by God. And where are the blessings for us found? They are found with the poor, they are found with those who mourn.

Reverend Shelley McVea was recorded at St. Saviour’s Church, 43 Kimberley Avenue, Toronto, M4E 2Z4.

416 699 6512

Email: [email protected]

www.stsaviours.ca

Services are held every Sunday morning at 10:30 am in the historic village church of St. Saviour’s.

All are welcome to join us in worship and fellowship.

The Last Sunday after the Epiphany

Year B (RCL)

2 Kings 2:1-12

2 Corinthians 4:3-6

Mark 9:2-9

Psalm 50:1-6