Exploring The Word

The prophet Amos isn't mincing words: Your faith and religious life better make a difference in the real world. Otherwise, God wants nothing to do with it. The Lord isn't interested in fancy conferences, religious events, or even fundraising in the name of a faith organization. God wants justice and righteousness and mercy... and not the kind you can just balance out on scales. God wants waterfalls of it, rushing rivers of it - flowing toward those who are oppressed, marginalized, and struggling in this world. More than anything else, economic justice is how we ought to be defining ourselves as followers of Christ. This message was lead by The Reverend Jacquelyn Foxall at Knox Presbyterian Church in Oakville, Ontario, November 16th, 2025 LIVE Service Associated Scripture: Amos 1:1-2; 5:14-15, 21-24

This message from November 9th, 1997 was lead by The LT. Col. Rev. Jock Anderson at Knox Presbyterian Church in Oakville, Ontario, 🌺 REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY November 9th, 2025 LIVE Service Associated Scripture: Joshua 4:1-7 and Joel 1:1-3

After orchestrating a show of power and strength against the prophets of Baal, the prophet Elijah finds himself on the run with a royal warrant out for his arrest and death. His response is to throw himself on the ground in the desert and sulk. If nothing else, Elijah personifies the highs and lows of the life of faith. When he arrives at Mount Horeb, God asks Elijah: "What are you doing here?". It's a question we might want to consider for ourselves. You could be in a thousand different places on Sunday morning, so why are you HERE, church? And what does it mean to actually serve the Kingdom of God? It's rarely big flashy demonstrations of power and strength. Usually it's just the mundane everyday choices to be a conduit of blessing in the world. What are you doing here? It's a question AND an invitation to live out your faith moment by moment. This message was lead by The Reverend Jacquelyn Foxall at Knox Presbyterian Church in Oakville, Ontario, ALL SAINTS Sunday November 2nd, 2025 LIVE Service Associated Scripture: 1 Kings 19:1-18

You know the saying: "Practice makes perfect?", well it turns out kids these days are learning a different version of the idiom that says: "Practice makes progress". Perfection isn't the goal, and in many cases isn't even attainable. But progress is certainly achievable. This is what is at the heart (no pun intended) of the call of David in 1 Samuel 16, and as King David would later pen in Psalm 51. "Create in me a clean heart" is not about having a perfect heart - one that is spotless and flawless, but rather having the self awareness that we aren't perfect and we are in need of God's help, time and time again, to be transformed into Christ-likeness. King David is a rock star of the faith, but he wasn't a perfect man, a perfect monarch, or a perfect follower of God. But he knew enough to turn to God in his awareness, his vulnerability, and his fallibility. He knew enough to turn to God to be made new, and to be given another chance.We, too, can come to God in humility asking to be made clean and new. God doesn't look at the outward appearance. God looks at the heart - and is looking within ours, too. Will God find a humble heart within us?This message was lead by The Reverend Jacquelyn Foxall at Knox Presbyterian Church in Oakville, Ontario, Thanksgiving Sunday October 19th, 2025 LIVE Service Associated Scripture: 1 Samuel 16:1-13; Psalm 51:10-14

Once again, God is stepping in and dispensing with convention, expectation, or tradition. The leadership of the People of God is about to change - again - and someone will be called to lead that transition. Nobody expected it to be a no-name kid serving in the temple. But Samuel, not even yet a teenager yet, is the one God calls, and his first order of business is to let his mentor, Eli the Priest, that the dynasty he and his family have inherited is coming to and end. Things are changing - so we can't keep perpetuating old structures and systems. Much like today: God is calling us to be and to lead the church we HAVE... not the one of the past. Speak Lord, your servants are listening.This message was lead by The Reverend Jacquelyn Foxall at Knox Presbyterian Church in Oakville, Ontario, Thanksgiving Sunday October 12th, 2025 LIVE Service Associated Scripture: 1 Samuel 3:1-21

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