Should The Knee Bend? A Homily for the Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost

Preached at All Saints, Collingwood, Anglican Diocese of Toronto, 27 September, 2026, the Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost.   Texts for this Sunday:  Exodus 17:1-7, Psalm 78:1-4,12-16; Philippians 2:1-13; Matthew 21:23-32.  

When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” (Mt 21.23)

 

I got a speeding ticket this summer and hoo boy did I deserve it.  Going up that hill in Grey County at top speed was fun until the flashing lights came on.  The cop had me dead to rights, and I basically said as Ias much when I gave him my documents: “no excuse, I was being an idiot”.  He didn’t disagree with me.  The worst part of it was when he came back and said “With your driving record, I’m disappointed in you”.  That stung, like being rebuked by a parent.

Ethicists tell us that there are different types of authority.  A police officer has the right to stop us when we break the law - in ethics that is known as compulsory authority.   Our behaviour is also shaped by something called moral authority, which is summed up by the slogan “Do the Right Thing”.  Moral authority arises from a desire to do right.  During Covid, the church I was looking after had a sign outside that said  “Love wears a mask”.  We got some flack from people who saw not wearing a mask as a rights issue, but our sign was talking about moral authority.

Often the two kinds of authority overlap.  For example, compulsory authority slows us down when driving through school zones because we fear heavy fines, though moral authority slows us down because we just naturally don’t want to hurt children.  Most of us I think have a somewhat grudging relationship with compulsory authority because we don’t like to be told what to do, even when we are rightly pulled over for speeding.      However, that cop’s words, “I’m disappointed in you”, cut through to my awareness of moral authority, and they stung because I knew I had been irresponsible.

How does religion and authority work?   The bible, particularly the Hebrew Scriptures, speaks a lot of compulsory authority – the Torah, the first five books of the bible, are full of laws, especially the Ten Commandments, which Christians still recognize.   The “chief priests and elders” (Mt 21.23) who come to challenge Jesus in today’s gospel were experts in religious law and they were in charge.   They were the aristocratic, hereditary descendants of a priestly ruling class that the Romans kept in power to administer Palestine for them, so in essence a puppet theocratic government.

Today we associate theocracies with countries like Iran, and because Canada guarantees freedom of religion, we see our faith as a voluntary practice, meaning that we don’t think much about religion AND authority.  Our approach to religion can have a comsumerist mindset.  We choose the churches we like, we follow the bible and preaching if we agree with them, and how we manage our relationship with God is pretty much up to us.  I think it fair to say that if Jesus has any authority over our lives, it is moral authority, so that we follow him because we agree with him, and not because he orders us around.   Is that the way it should be?

In actual fact, scripture talks a lot about Jesus’ authority.  The word itself, from the Greek word exousia, meaning power, occurs 88 times in the New Testament.  Usually exousia means power, as when Jesus has power to drive out demons and heal people, but usually it is power that is given to someone, like the power given to a policeman, or what I’ve called compulsory authority.  Today’s gospel reading comes after Jesus has driven out the moneylenders and claimed it as “My house” (Mt 21.13), so when the chief priests come to interrogate Jesus they are asking about his authority in a human sense of who made you the boss of this place?  

In answering the chief priests with another question, about John and whether his baptism came from heaven,   Jesus is claiming that his authority comes from God in heaven, setting up the final challenge between Jesus versus the priests, Herod, and Pilate that leads to the cross.   What Jesus is saying obliquely now in the temple, he says plainly in his final, post-resurrection words to his disciples: “All authority in heaven and on earth as been given to me” (Mt 28.18).  Here, at the end of Matthew’s gospel, Jesus merely confirms what others – crowds, demons, cured men and women, have known all along, that Jesus’ authority comes from God (Mt 7.29, 9.6).

If therefore we seriously wish to be followers and disciples of Jesus, we have to admit that as God’s son he has been given authority over us, that Jesus has a claim on how we lead out lives.  For the early Christians, Jesus was kyrios, lord, and no one on earth, not even Caesar, could rival him.  Considering that earthy rules were mostly cruel tyrants, the lordship of Jesus was welcome because if offered a freedom and a dignity that the bulk of society – the poor, women and children, slaves – were never granted by their rulers.  So how do we understand the authority of Jesus?  Do we welcome it?

Our second reading from Philippians tells us that we have no reason to fear Jesus’ authority.   Paul says that Jesus is “highly exalted” by God, that he is above anyone else, so that at his name “every knee should bend” (the Greek is simply kampto, will bend).   Does every knee have to bend?  Paul is saying that Jesus has the authority to compel our obedience, but he voluntarily sets it aside, so in the words of one of the first Christian hymns, “he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness” and further, “he humbled himself” and obeyed the father’s will.    The cross for Paul is where power and dignity as we understand them in earthly terms go to die.   The power of emperors and presidents is revealed as being petty and hollow and small.    True power, God’s power and authority, are revealed in love and service and sacrifice.

Philippians tells us that while God’s compulsory authority is absolute, God makes himself known to us in moral authority, in the Son who lives and dies to save us. To live the Christian life, we follow this moral authority – as Paul says, we imitate the humility of Jesus on the cross, we don’t think of our own needs before we first think of the way of others.   In the kingdom of heaven, there are no emperors or presidents, there are only servants, who serve one another.      We don’t follow Jesus because we must.  We follow because we are convinced that we should.

Living as a subject of the kingdom of God means that we learn to see authority differently.   There are lots of things that the world sees as authoritative – raw power, the will to win at all costs, wealth, privilege, institutionalized racism and inequality – that, if we see them through God’s eyes, look pitiful and empty.   In the kingdom of God, authority lies in surprising places. Authority is giving food and drink to the hungry and thirsty.  Authority is loving a neighbour who is not like us but still seeing God’s image in them.   Authority is the dignity of the worker.  Authority is care of the sick, authority is teaching, authority is patience, authority is love.    All authority in the kingdom of God is moral because it flows from the heart of God’s goodness and love.   We obey Jesus, not because we must, but because we find the freedom God intended for us in his service.

 

Joy In Faith: A Homily For Welcome Back Sunday

 A Homily for Welcome Back Sunday.  Preached at All Saints, Collingwood, Anglican Diocese of Toronto, 20 September, 2026, the Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost (A).

Readings for Today:  Ex 16:2-15; Ps 105:1-6, 37-45; Phil 1:21-30; Mt 20:1-16

We call this welcome back to church Sunday, and so if you are new here, or if you haven’t been here in a long while, welcome back!  It’s good to see you.   And of course for you, the faithful regulars, we welcome you and are happy to see you every Sunday.

So when we say welcome back, what are we welcoming you to?

To be sure, we’re welcoming you back to a place with a specific address, a building and its grounds on Elgin Street.

If you’ve been away for a while, you’ll notice that we’ve made some changes to the building.  Our tireless Building Manager, Robert, has been busy.  The half of our parking lot that used to be a lake when snow melted and when it rains has been levelled and gravel applied, so it’s drier.  And there’s more spaces to park in.

Robert is also installing new railings on ramp from the parking lot, which is now more attractive and safer!  We have a project ongoing to bring sound and video into the parish hall, which will be useful for rental purposes and for overflow from big church services.  

So we’re welcoming you to a physical space, and we are also welcoming you back to ministry, because this place exists to serve the community as part of our Christian witness  In a few minutes  Barry and the choir will speak musically to that ministry.  The offerings on our altar today speak to our food ministry, as we obey Christ’s command to feed and clothe those in need.  And of course our ministry serves the community in times of sorrow, as with the funeral we held here on Friday, and in times of joy, as with the wedding here yesterday.

And, as with our building, you will noticer some new things about our ministry.  We welcome Rev Amy Pauley to an expanded role as a full time Associate Priest serving the four churches of our region.   Amy brings prayerfulness and a deep faith, as well as humour and vitality, to our clergy team.  Taking her on full time is a significant financial commitment, shared by All Saints  and by our friends at Prince of Peace, and helped by a generous five year diocesan grant.  Another change is that our beloved Rev Sharon and her husband Bryce are now honourary members of our clergy team.  And of course all of our paid staff help make our ministries possible.

So we’re welcoming you back to a building and to the ministries that the building and its staff enable, but most importantly, I would say, we are welcoming you back to a community that is centred around Jesus.   We have our differences of course - age, wealth, education, place of birth, etc - but they shouldn’t be important.  Today’s gospel reminds us that, like the workers in the vineyard, we are equal in the sight of God, all loved equally, and asked in return only that we do our best to love God and love our neighbour.

In our second reading today, we heard Paul speaking to a Christian church and praising their “progress and joy in faith” (Phil 1.25).  I see this joy in faith when we gather, on Sundays, especially when we share the peace.   All Saints has a particular, joyful identity.   We enjoy one another’s company, our worship is reverential but also uplifting, and we are hopeful because the risen, loving Jesus is in our midst.   Each of our four regional churches has its own identity, but I think what characterizes All Saints is a sense of joyfulness.

Over the next few months, our Stewardship Group will lead us through a campaign that we call Joyful Giving.  Giving can be time and talent as a volunteer, but it is also treasure, giving back from the resources we are given    All of the things I’ve mentioned - our building and grounds, our clergy and staff, our ministries and services - come with a cost and need to be paid for.   Yes, we have the cemetery land, but it isn’t sold yet. When we do sell it, the proceeds will help us with our needs, but our needs won’t go way.

So today, my friends, I’m inviting you to think what coming back to church means to you.   What do you find here at All Saints that gives you joy?   What is it about your faith that makes you grateful?    What would make you glad that you’ve helped All Saints and its ministry continue well into the future?

Guest Homily: Grassy Narrows, A Case Study In Creation And Reconciliation

A Sermon Preached by Our Deacon, The Rev. Lorna May, at Prince of Peace, Wasaga Beach, abd St Luke's, Creemore, on Sunday, Sept 13th, the Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost.

The world we know it is  changing irreversibly with unbearable heat, flash floods and forest fires.   For many this has developed into deep grief and  anxiety as we are concerned for our future. Our Diocese is acknowledging the season of creation, where we are  asked to consider the the Living Water.  We are reminded that water binds all things. 

I am going to share with you what I have learned,  through reading,  and speaking with  Elders about  their home in Grassy Narrows. 

First the mink and the otters started to disappear.  Then the local people began noticing the odd way the vultures and eagles were flying.  One man watched his kitten salivating and walking in circles and convulsing.  These were early warning signs around 1970 that something  sinister was happening in Grassy Narrows along side the English-Wabagoon rivers in norther western Ontario.  

Grassy Narrows is  a small Anishanaabe  First Nation band 80 km north of Kenora with traditional roots in Northwestern Ontario who continue celebrating  and preserving traditions in Indigenous culture and  living.   Their land is part of the boreal forest  where the land sustains them both physically and spiritually and they  are committed to protecting it  guided by the wisdom of their elders, the strength of their youth, and  the teaching of their culture as  they work together to build  a healthier , stronger future for all.  They continue to support  each other in healing,  growth and cultural pride.  Situated on the English-Wabagoon River system, there are over 1600 registered  members, with about 1000  living on the reserve.   

For decades the people of Grassy Narrows have lived with mercury  contamination  in their river system.  Between 1962 and 1970 The Dryden paper mill released 9 thousand kilograms of mercury used in the bleaching process  into their river system.  Through the 70’s,  they  continued generating airborne mercury  emissions until  late into the 80’s.   In 1986 the Ontario Ministry of the Environment  released an assessment that advised against dredging the water system thus relying on the natural  process of the  river cleaning itself over the next decades.

This community  depended on the fish for food and their thriving commercial fishing industry.  The people of Grassy Narrows relied on that river for generations, consumed the fish and suffered the consequences.   So what  happened?  Not surprising  livelihoods disappeared, and the community entered a cycle of  harm that has never been resolved. 

I was recently part of a webinar that heard from Sandra, a young woman from Grassy.    She spoke about the ongoing efforts to seek accountability and justice.  She described the familiar pattern:   land contamination, poisoned water and the slow generational harm that follows.   Growing up Sandra recalls her mother going to the river to haul water, and melting snow in the water because clean drinking  water was not always  available.  At the time she did not fully understand.  Today some can afford bottled or filtration systems but many cannot.  Later, she learned that mercury  had entered her own body through the land and food systems.   Moose, fish and other animals were all affected by the industrial contamination .  She says “ no one ever talks about disabilities  being connected to the land”.  Environmental harm is often described  vaguely, as if it is only in the air, disconnected from peoples bodies.   But for Indigenous communities, the land, water  and body are inseparable.   When the land is poisoned, people are poisoned.   Elders in the community remember  when the water was safe, when people could fish and swim and live according to the teachings passed down from generations.   They have also witnessed what happens when those ways of life are  disrupted.  Loss of livelihood , declining health, increased mental health issues  are not isolated circumstances, but have rippled through the community.  It  has been confirmed that 90 per cent of the people in Grassy have mental health, addictions, or physical limitations such as tremors,  numbness, impaired vision, neurological  damage and chronic pain, ADHD, anxiety, and shorter life spans all  due to the  mercury in their systems.  The entire community is sick.   Can we even imagine what that would be like to live in day in and day out?  

When children started having difficulties as infants they were taken to the hospital where doctors told them it could not possibly be mercury poisoning.  They blamed it on   it was their life choices,  intergenerational marriages,  neurologists told parents that there children simply had birth defects.  It wasn’t until  1975 when a Dr. From Japan  diagnosed  Minamata disease which is severe methyl mercury poisoning.  Scientists have continued their research with follow up visits.  What is shocking is the fact that Canadian scientists have not investigated the human health effects of the poisoning.   There has not been any long term tracking  are what now understood to be life long effects of ingested mercury. In 2010 Canadian science did disclose  that “ there should have been extensive examinations and followups”.  Should have.  ..   Of course  if we think about it , nursing students  were taught never to touch a thermometer if it had been dropped and broken during to contact with mercury due to the serious health risks.     Doctors now understand that methyl mercury passes through the placenta to the fetus, causing irreversible central nervous system damage, and severe cognitive defects, even if the mother showed now symptoms herself. 

It’s important to understand that the impacts of the poisoning go far beyond the physical illness.  When land and water are no longer safe entire social systems unravel.  Families struggle to care for their children.  Substance use, violence and  suicide increase.  Child welfare systems intervenes. Employment opportunities  disappear,, and all of this from environmental  harm.  

When I was speaking with Judy this week she told me that  in the early 80’s  some  youth from Grassy Narrows  moved to Kenora  to try and find work.  They were not welcomed.   The word on the street was “ let those Indians stay numb, we don’t want immigrants here”.  Shameful.   For some families whose youth ventured away this brought  up the pain and horror of residential schools which then ,  increased the use of drugs and alcohol for the families trying to cope.   Judy herself went to a residential school, and it was very difficult for  her to speak to me about this last week. 

Through all this the Elders  see hope in how people have refused to remain silent  about Grassy Narrows.   The community has spent years challenging  governments and industries , asserting treaty rights and demanding accountability .  They are passionate about forcing  systems to recognize  and admit formally,  that economic gain cannot come and the cost of human life.   Every human has the right to  dignified living conditions.   It means acknowledging wrong doing, compensating communities that  have been harmed, and ensuring that future generations are protected.   

 Water is sacred, and it is what keeps our planet sustainable.   The people of Grassy Narrows challenge faith groups to see environmental justice as a responsibility and to listen  to Indigenous voices , especially Elders  and people living with disabilities  caused by environmental disruption. 

What kind of world will be left four or five generations from now if these harms continue unchecked?   Justice continues  with listening and acting before it is too late. 

 So how are things today in Grassy NarrowS?  Well, the heavy metal continues to contaminate the water. Every day mining, logging  and the combustion of fossil fuels release more waste into the river  to continue the dangerous  ascent into the food chain.  The interest for scientists has faded.  Government monitoring has tapered off and  the hand bound research reports now gather dust in libraries.  

Have you noticed that there are certain natural  disasters, situations that headline the news each day.  There are positive things happening all around us for  sure.  As Christians we gather week by week  to give thanks for this land we call home,  to encourage either other,  and to continue our calling to go into the world that God loves.  We do it in small ways, any way we can to make our part of the world  a better place.   It may not make the news but its often what matters the most.  

On Wednesday September 23rd I will be  participating in the River Run: Walk with Grassy Narrows for Justice.  The people of Grassy have the longest running blockade in Canadian history which has helped foster Indigenous  resistance across Turtle Island  and has saved 15 million trees from being cut.  They will speak out and ask why the Care Home originally promised by the Government for 2017 is being completed by 2027.   They will ask that community members be compensated fairly for the mercury crisis.  They will ask that the Dryden mill be stopped to end the nuclear waste that threatens Grassy.  They will ask for support  to restore their community  and way of life from the damage that mercury has done while proposals for new mines and  a nuclear waste disposal  site threaten to make things worse. 

My hope is that we can all in our own lives be aware of how we can respect the clean water that we have.  Research if you don’t know how to properly dispose of hazardous materials, reduce chemical use, minimize the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides  and clean up pet waste so that bacteria does not wash into lakes and streams during storms. Learn more about the   Government of Canada Clean Water Plan.  Because we are privileged. 

The people of Grassy Narrow have for over 50 years struggled with basic human rights over the poisoning of the English-Wabagoon rivers. 

I pray that as members of this Diocese that we  will stand  with Grassy Narrows until the water runs clean and the people are heard. I speak in the name of the living and loving God. 

Amen .