Messages
“Through Stained Glass” is the regular email sent to congregants by our minister, the Reverend John C. Perkin.
June 11, 2025
We remember this season that the fulness of time has come, and always comes, in God’s great purposes in Christ. So the summer in the church is still a time of proclamation, but can also be a time of reflection, even of conversion. This is about living the life of Christ . . .
June 4, 2025
As I look out over the church pews, I see them empty early on Sunday morning as I prepare the sanctuary place for worship, and then I watch them come to life as Sunday worship begins, I am always mindful of those who come and occupy the pews. I know that everyone who comes into a church and who sits in a pew has a story . . .
May 28, 2025
Pilgrimage is known in many world religions. In the Christian tradition, it follows the model of the Hebrew people who would go to Jerusalem for major festivals, such as Passover.
May 21, 2025
Even as we see cultural and religious polarities in Canada, I am grateful . . . . that, even in our increasingly secular times, there is still an implicit acceptance of the fundamental biblical principles enunciated by Jesus, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another” and “love your neighbour as yourself”.
May 14, 2025
We all face storms, and the church, often portrayed as a ship, faces storms and challenges. But even in existential crisis, in the face of spiritual or practical threats and difficulties, in the face of the storms of uncertainty or doubt or challenge, we can still affirm that there is no such thing as bad weather, only poor clothing choices. Just as tradition has suggested that the church is like a ship on a spiritual journey, so it also suggests that we need the right clothing for our spiritual lives.
May 7, 2025
In many ways Paul established the faith, Christian theology and the shape of the church for generations to follow him. Although not one of the original disciples, he claimed apostolic status for himself.
April 23, 2025
I think we can all realize that, in our own way, we can also be heroes of the faith. We may not slay dragons, but the good news of the gospel means we are empowered to take on the task of confronting the dragons of the world when we encounter them.
April 16, 2025
In some ways, the gospel by its very nature is a call to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives, to ensure that all people know the love of God, and have a sense of belonging in the community that celebrates that love.
April 9, 2025
In [Springsteen’s] music that spark of hope and faith is fanned to fuller flame by those who believe, who yearn for the Promised Land – which is not just America made great again, but truly the Kingdom of God, a land where all people live in harmony and equality, where justice reigns and grace abounds.
April 2, 2025
In the context of Lord’s Supper or communion, breaking bread symbolizes more than just a shared meal: it is a shared experience of the divine presence, it is community and connection, it is remembering Jesus and it is a rededication to following his way.
March 26, 2025
As the world seems to slip deeper into darkness, or madness that leaves us feeling we are in darkness, let us continue to look to the light of God’s presence, so marvellously revealed in Jesus Christ.
March 19, 2025
We are the inheritors of that movement, called to be followers of Jesus, disciples who learn and listen and understand; more than that, we are called to be those who, like those who followed Jesus in person, took on the task of continuing his ministry in word and deed.
March 12, 2025
In our current age of digital communication, where tweets and social media posts are not only ways of messaging friends but also communicating shifts in international relations, we seem to be losing the art not only of conversation, but of small talk.
March 5, 2025
Today is Ash Wednesday, and in the lectionary-appointed readings one text is constant and appears every year: Joel 2:1-2, 12-17. It is an appropriate text for today in Canada.
February 5, 2025
There is so much I want to say this week, and a single pastoral e-pistle does not seem sufficient for me to respond to the disorder and anxiety of the world.
January 29, 2025
When I first arrived in Ottawa to take on the work of ministry at First Baptist, the nation was just emerging from the first wave of the COVID pandemic.