Exploring The Word

How'd we get here: The Israelites had cried out to God for liberation from their enslavement in Egypt. God sent them Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, and even parted the Red Sea so they could escape across it on dry ground. Once in safety, they enjoyed an oasis where they could eat and drink and rest their nervous systems. Our scripture reading this morning comes right as they leave that place and head out into the wilderness. Very quickly it becomes apparent that liberation isn't necessarily... easy. They're hungry, tired, thirsty, and afraid. Had Moses brought them out to this wasteland to die? Nostalgia gets them in a chokehold: It would have been better to stay in Egypt... at least we had food. The Israelites would spend the next 4 decades wandering in the wilderness, but God was about to teach them a new way to be in the world: Free. Not enslaved to task masters, but faithfully trusting in God's provision and learning to share instead of hoard. It's a lesson we still need today. Freedom is trusting that God will provide us enough for today. This message was lead by The Reverend Jacquelyn Foxall at Knox Presbyterian Church in Oakville, Ontario, Canada on World Communion Sunday October 5th, 2025 LIVE Service Associated Scripture: Exodus 16:1-18

I can't say I've met anyone who particularly enjoys the feeling of vulnerability, weakness, shame, or imperfection. And few things shine a brighter light on our discomfort with those feelings than being asked to perform a task for which we feel inadequate. Enter: Moses. Moses, known to all of us who follow the faith as THE premier prophet of the People of God. But his story doesn't start that way. Nobody resisted their call from God nearly as much as he did. With a shady past, a criminal rap sheet, and a speech impediment that served his quiet shepherding lifestyle well, Moses did all but REFUSE God's commission to go to Pharaoh to demand the release of the Hebrew people who were being enslaved. For chapter after chapter, Moses argues with God: "Please send someone else, I can't do this." Which is when God ups the ante. Not only am I calling you to this, Moses, but I'm putting you in : "In the role of God". What does THAT mean? It's not what you might think. When we understand the character of God, and God's chosen method of relating to creation, this commissioning actually provides incredible comfort, assuages Moses' fears about his own inadequacy for the task at hand. What does that invitation mean for us today? In the church? In our families? Our workplaces? In the world? How can we lean into our calling as ambassadors for Christ not in spite of our inadequacies and vulnerability, but precisely BECAUSE of them? Let's jump inThis message was lead by The Reverend Jacquelyn Foxall at Knox Presbyterian Church in Oakville, Ontario, Canada, Sunday September 28th, 2025Associated Scripture: Exodus 3:1-15; 4:10-17

In this week's reading we are meeting up with Abraham's grandson, Jacob, while he is on the run. He has tricked his brother out of his birthright and he has tricked his father out of the blessing that was not intended for him. Jacob knows he's in hot water. Under threat of death from Esau, with nothing but the shirt on his back, Jacob lays down in the desert, head on a stone pillow, hoping he will see the morning. Instead what he sees in his dreams is a stairway between heaven and earth, heavily populated by angelic messengers, and lo and behold, the God of the Covenant standing right beside him. When he wakes up, Jacob's life is changed forever. - What does this interaction tell us about our belief about the struggles we face as human beings, and God's relationship to us in the midst of them? - How does this change how we might relate to one another when a person we care about appears to have hit "rock bottom"? What is faithful and true might not be the dominant narrative with which we are familiar. Maybe we're overdue to ditch the notion of letting people "hit rock bottom".Associated Scripture: Genesis 27:1-4,15-23; 28:10-17

What kind of God would ask you to sacrifice your kid? Moreover, what kind of parent would actually do it? And why is any of this tied to assumptions we have about faith? Tune in to hear Rev. Jacqui break open a "text of terror": the Binding, or the Sacrifice, of Isaac.This teaching was preached by the Reverend Jacquelyn Foxall at Knox Presbyterian Church in Oakville, Ontario, Canada on September 14th, 2025 LIVE Rally Service.Associated Scripture: Genesis 21:1-3; 22:1-14

First things matter, and first occurrences of words matter, too. Especially when it comes to the Biblical narrative. Join us as we jump back into the Narrative Lectionary, beginning as always with a creation account. This time from Genesis 1. This time around we're zeroing in on a very particular "first": the first usage of the word "HOLY" - and it just might not be what we think! How does this designation impact how we live and move and have our being in the world? Might it reshape how we think about how we spend our days? What does this tell us about God? About ourselves? About the world? Let's dive in!This teaching was preached by the Reverend Jacquelyn Foxall at Knox Presbyterian Church in Oakville, Ontario, Canada on Sunday September 7th, 2025.Associated Scripture: Genesis 1:1—2:4a

"From the beginning, God has been calling people onto journeys of faith, trust, and discovery. In this reflection, Pilgrims on a Journey, Rev. Patrick Gushue shares stories of his ten years at Knox 16, weaving them with the Emmaus story and the truth that we never walk alone. May these words remind us that Christ is still on the road with us, guiding and sustaining us as we journey on."This message ''Pilgrims on a Journey" was led by the Reverend Patrick Gushue at Trafalgar Presbyterian Church in Oakville, Ontario, Canada on Sunday August 31, 2025.Associated Scripture: Luke 24:13-28

This week, as all the Presbyterians in Oakville continue gathering as one worshipping community, we reflect on the seasons of change that shape both our churches and our lives. In The Spirit of Our Faith, we remember that endings are not erasures, but thresholds through which God leads us into something new. Join us as we listen for the Spirit who guides us in the in-between times, calling us to trust, to hope, and to begin again.This message 'The Spirit of our Faith' was led by the Reverend Patrick Gushue at Trafalgar Presbyterian Church in Oakville, Ontario, Canada on Sunday August 24, 2025.Associated Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:1-14

When Jesus calls Nathanial, he prefaces his invitation by saying 'I saw you by that tree'. We consider what that sentence was all about, and how Jesus 'sees us' ...knows our life and its joys and struggles intimately and how this gives us such courage to live our days. Clips used (by permission) from The Chosen streaming series enhance our experience of the scripture during the sermon time.This message 'I saw you by that Tree' was led by the Reverend Carolyn McAvoy at Trafalgar Presbyterian Church in Oakville, Ontario, Canada on Sunday August 10, 2025.Associated Scripture: Psalm 102 (responsive); John 1:43-51

We consider Peter's calling by Jesus and his faith encounter on the stormy sea that fateful night. We are all reminded that Jesus invites us to follow ....to trust...and that he is always with us. Clips used (by permission) from The Chosen streaming series enhance our experience of the scripture during the sermon time.This message ' We are raised up in Jesus' was led by the Reverend Carolyn McAvoy at Trafalgar Presbyterian Church in Oakville, Ontario, Canada on Sunday August 10, 2025.Associated Scripture: Luke 5:1-11; Matthew 14:22-23

From Furnace to Fire: Rekindling Place, Purpose, and People is a reflection on loss, transformation, and the surprising ways the Spirit moves through disruption. Rooted in the lived story of Knox Presbyterian Church Sixteen and the emergence of The Crossing, this sermon explores how a literal furnace failure and the resulting damage became a metaphor for spiritual renewal. Through imagery of wildfire, Pentecost, and the lowly blueberry bush, it invites us to see fire not only as destruction, but as holy disruption — clearing space for reconciliation, radical hospitality, and a deeper call to become Church for this time and this place. This is a story of sparks already burning before the flames appeared, and of a community learning to listen, welcome, and be transformed.This message was led by the Reverend Patrick Gushue at Trafalgar Presbyterian Church in Oakville, Ontario, Canada on Sunday August 3, 2025.Associated Scripture: Isaiah 43:1-4; Leviticus 19:1-4;33-34

In the third installment of our "Ask Me Anything" series, Rev. Jacqui tackles a perennial question in most of our mainline churches: Why aren't we talking more about the end times?? Or more specifically, what's up with the Book of Revelation? And those horsemen of the apocalypse? As one congregant asked: "Have I just been sleeping through those sermons?"You're right, we don't talk about the Book of Revelation much - but not because of any inherent problem with it (though many theologians, philosophers, and clergy folk throughout history would argue otherwise). It's simply that it's a complicated book bursting with metaphor and symbolism. Without a grounded understanding of the social/political/religious/economic/cultural context in which Revelation was originally written, the contents of this controversial book can be misused and weaponized. Does that mean we should just rip it out of our Bibles? Absolutely not. Read through the lens of the historical critical method, the Book of Revelation contains warnings and invitations that still have meaning for us today. And even more importantly, John's vision of God's fulfilled plan for Creation is one that inspires us to keep on keeping on as the church in the 21st Century! This teaching was preached by the Reverend Jacquelyn Foxall at Knox Presbyterian Church in Oakville, Ontario, Canada on Sunday July 20, 2025 as week 3 of 4 2025 Summer Series “Ask Me Anything”Associated Scripture: Revelation 1:9-19, 21:1-5, 22:1-7

In the second installment of our "Ask Me Anything" series, Rev. Jacqui pulls together all the questions you've asked about the Bible: What IS it? Where did it COME from? How was it ASSEMBLED? What about those other gospels we hear about? Who got to decide what was in and what was out? Why is my bible different from a Catholic Bible? Is it infallible? Is it inspired? Is it nonsense? And what’s with all the different translations: King James Version, NRSV, NIV, the Message, the Gen Z Bible?Turns out - it would take more than a single Sunday (or a whole year of Sundays!) to answer all your great questions. But we got a few answers sorted, and some recommendations for where to go to learn more (Hint: The Bible Project has a whole series of short videos called "How to Read the Bible" - check them out!!! https://bibleproject.com/videos/what-is-bible). This teaching was preached by the Reverend Jacquelyn Foxall at Knox Presbyterian Church in Oakville, Ontario, Canada on Sunday July 13, 2025 as week 2 of 4 2025 Summer Series “Ask Me Anything”Associated Scripture: Isaiah 55:8-11 & John 1:1-5, 14

In the first installment of our "Ask Me Anything" series, Rev. Jacqui pulls together all the questions you've asked about Jesus: What do we know for certain about him? Did he have siblings? Was he born in Bethlehem in a barn? Was he ever married? Who was his dad - Joseph or God? Unafraid to say the quiet part out loud, Rev. Jacqui tells us everything that we know for certain about Jesus from an archeological historical perspective. But then she turns the conversation on its head because faith isn't built on certainty. The lifelong practice of discipleship, of having the same mind that was in Christ, is one of faith seeking understanding. It's not about verifiable facts. It's about learning, growing, messing up, trying again, and being transformed by the Holy Spirit as we embody the good news Jesus commanded us to share with the world God so loves. This teaching was preached by the Reverend Jacquelyn Foxall at Knox Presbyterian Church in Oakville, Ontario, Canada on Sunday June 29, 2025 as week 1 of 4 2025 Summer Series “Ask Me Anything”Associated Scripture: Matthew 28:16-20 & Philippians 2:5-12

As each year passes, it seems as though our calendars get busier, longer, and more stressful. We have been sold a lie that we must earn the ability to lay down at the end of the day, work enough hours so that we’re able to take a lunch break, or be better, faster, stronger, smarter in order to earn the right to slow down once a year. That is a lie. Rest is not earned by our merit throughout the week; rest is actually our God-given right. It's not a suggestion from our Creator but a command. Without rest we will begin to unravel spiritually, physically, emotionally, and mentally. As we look at Exodus 33:7-17, we see that God doesn't just sense that Moses needs rest while he is leading the Israelites in the wilderness, but also God's presence. And the invitation still stands for us today. The Lord says, "my presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." Let us be brave enough to live into the command of rest, and trust that God will be with us in it.This teaching was preached by Rachel Proctor-Kennedy at Knox Presbyterian Church in Oakville, Ontario, Canada on Sunday June 29, 2025.Associated Scripture: Exodus 33:7-17

Live in the truth! In Luke 4:18 a significant verse where Jesus quotes from the book of Isaiah to describe his mission. It states, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free". This verse highlights Jesus's purpose to bring hope, healing, and liberation to those who are marginalized and suffering. Luke 4:21; “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”This teaching was preached by the Rev. Susie Choi at Knox Presbyterian Church in Oakville, Ontario, Canada on Trinity Sunday June 22, 2025.Associated Scripture: Luke 5:1-11

This teaching was preached by by Rachel Proctor-Kennedy at Knox Presbyterian Church in Oakville, Ontario, Canada on Trinity Sunday June 15th, 2025.Associated Scripture: Genesis 1:26-2:1-9, 15-25

(Inspired by Luke 24:13–35 – The Road to Emmaus)On this day when we celebrate Pentecost - the mysterious breath of the Spirit that fills hearts,stirs questions, and kindles courage - we remember that the Spirit doesn’t arrive where everything is tidy and resolved.We remember that the Spirit moves into the unresolved places, the closed rooms of fear, thewandering paths, and the long journeys of wondering.Today’s reflection is inspired by the story of the Road to Emmaus in Luke’s Gospel that weheard this morning, where two confused and grieving disciples tried to make sense of the worldin which they lived. They had been inspired by Jesus’ teaching that it was possible to livedifferently than the world around them. This reflection was lead with Rev. Patrick Gushue and the Knox Youth Isla, Matthew & Acadia at Knox Presbyterian Church in Oakville, Ontario, Canada, on 🥖🍷 Communion + 🔥 Pentecost Sunday June 8th, 2025Associated Scripture: Luke 24:13-35 (On the Road to Emmaus)

This message, shared by alumni of Cairn, The CNOB Synod's Summer Camp in Baysville, ON, is a story-based reflection on the theme of light. The author begins with a personal anecdote about a nighttime walk at camp, where a failed flashlight highlights the difficulty of navigating in darkness. This personal experience sets the stage for a spiritual analogy.The message then transitions to the biblical narrative, portraying God sending Jesus as "the light of the world" to guide humanity out of spiritual darkness. It emphasizes how Jesus's ministry and the subsequent spread of his teachings by his followers brought forth a pervasive light.The core of the message invites several camp alumni to share stories of their own experiences at Cairn, focusing on how camp fostered "light" through transformation, guidance, community, and sharing faith. The message then concludes by reiterating the biblical teaching that we are all called to be "the light of the world," reflecting God's brilliance and continuing Jesus's ministry.This teaching was preached by the Camp alumni at Knox Presbyterian Church in Oakville, Ontario, Canada, on the Seventh Sunday of Easter June 1st, 2025.Associated Scripture: Matthew 5:14-16 (NIRV)

This week's sermon focuses on justification by faith alone. It's a sermon maybe you've heard before; we are justified by grace through faith--a tale as old as time. But WHOSE faith are we saved by grace? Is it our personal faith or the faith OF Jesus Christ? What might seem like silly semantics actually proves to be quite big in terms of our understanding of the gospel. For if we begin to think that our faith is what justifies us, then we risk turning faith into work itself. The great news of the Gospel is that grace is a free gift given, not one that waits to see if you can muster up enough faith in order to bestow grace. Grace with strings attached is no grace at all. Our faith is the response of our justification through the faith OF Christ. OUR faith is not what justifies, it is all about Christ's. Our faith was never intended to act as a membership card or a birth certificate that displayed certain status. Christ's faith is the guarantor and fulfillment of God's promise and we are invited into that gift freely. Thanks be to God for a love like that. This teaching was preached by Rachel Kennedy-Proctor at Knox Presbyterian Church in Oakville, Ontario, Canada, on the Sixth Sunday of Easter May 25th, 2025.Associated Scripture: Galatians 1:13-17; 2:11-21

This week's sermon focuses on the accounts of the Council at Jerusalem, where Paul Barnabas, Peter and other companions share their  witness  to the gentile community. They were in deep conflict around Torah observance; Do gentiles need to become Jewish before they can enter the early church or can they continue to be gentile Christ followers? Rachel challenges us to think about how the Pharisees who were part of the early church were not arguing that gentiles did not have a place in their newfound community, but that the very fabric of their identity was rooted in Torah Law. They could not imagine the possibility of gentiles, Jewish followers, and proselytes all worshipping in the same community, without some distinction about who sits where. Their only concept of an expression of faith was through Torah, so how could there possibly be any other way to honour God? Well as Peter stood up in the silent court and started to testify to the conversion of the Roman Centurion and his whole household, he challenged the other apostles to think critically about their own Torah observance. For if it was becoming a tool in their faith that excluded others to join the early church community, then it was no longer honouring God. Peter, like Paul and Barnabas and their companions, challenged the other apostles to think critically about just how this good news of the Gospel would reach the ends of the earth, like Jesus said. The same is true for us! How can we challenge our own ideas of "Church" in order to make tables longer and wider?This teaching was preached by Rachel Kennedy-Proctor at Knox Presbyterian Church in Oakville, Ontario, Canada, on the Fifth Sunday of Easter May 18th, 2025.Associated Scripture: Acts 15:1-18 (The Council at Jerusalem)