Sermons on Monty Newton:

A Sermon I’ve Never Wanted To Preach

Contributed by John Newton on Aug 8, 2022

There are few (if any!) passages in the Bible more challenging than Hebrews 10:26-31...

Aside from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, I wonder if anyone here this morning can tell me what may have been the most famous sermon ever preached… I don’t have any statistics to back me up, but I am certain that one of the top contenders has to be a sermon delivered to a congregation in Enfield, ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 10:26-31

Denomination: Episcopal

Good News For All

Contributed by John Newton on Feb 3, 2025

The Galatians wanted to put restrictions on the new Gentile converts in their church. But Paul put his foot down...

The little churches in Galatia were facing a serious issue—and they didn’t know what to do about it. It may seem surprising, but their problem revolved around the fact that they were growing. And the new people (there seemed to be more and more of them all the time!) just weren’t fitting in. It ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 2:1-10

Denomination: Episcopal

Law And Grace

Contributed by John Newton on Mar 2, 2025

Paul is calling the church members in Galatia to genuine spiritual maturity

One of the great things about being a follower of Jesus is that you quickly discover that you are a member of a vast international family that encircles the entire world. I am not a huge traveller, but it has been my privilege to worship with other believers in such faraway places as Australia, ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 3:23-29

Denomination: Episcopal

Paul’s Vision For The Church

Contributed by John Newton on Sep 1, 2025

Paul shares his vision for the church with the believers in Ephesus

Many years ago (I’m embarrassed to admit how many!) a wise friend passed on to me a little book entitled The Gospel Blimp. Maybe some of you are old enough to have heard of it. Perhaps some have even read it! The story opens with a group of friends from church gathered for a barbecue in the back ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 3:8-21

Denomination: Episcopal

A Field, A Faith, And A Future

Contributed by John Newton on Sep 29, 2025

What was Jeremiah thinking when he purchased that field?

I wonder if any of you have ever spent money on something and later regretted doing it. I know I have on more than one occasion. And I suspect I’m not the only one here this morning who’s guilty of it. We call them impulse purchases. And just for fun, I thought I’d share a few examples that I came ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 32:1-15

Denomination: Episcopal

The Assurance Of Better Things Series

Contributed by John Newton on Apr 4, 2022

Some encouragement for believers who are finding discipleship challenging

Last Sunday those of you who were here or were watching on YouTube will recall that Pastor Doug Mott led us through the first eight verses of Hebrews 6. Early on in his sermon he quoted one biblical scholar who described those verses as “perhaps the most severe warning that occurs anywhere in the ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 6:9-12

Denomination: Episcopal

The Journey Of Joy

Contributed by John Newton on Dec 17, 2023

Three perspectives on joy from Isaiah

As I was preparing to preach this week, I considered giving my sermon the title “Getting Serious About Joy”. Then I thought better of it and came up with “Joy Is No Laughing Matter”. All joking aside, were you aware that joy is currently the subject of a high-level academic examination? Nine years ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 35:1-10

Denomination: Episcopal

What’s In A Name?

Contributed by John Newton on Dec 28, 2023

The angel told Joseph to name Mary’s baby “Jesus” for a reason...

If you were expecting a baby—and you knew it was going to be a boy—what do you think you would name him? Well, in Canada apparently the most popular name for boys right now is Noah, followed closely by Liam and William. (And for the record, the top three girls’ names are Olivia, Emma and ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25

Denomination: Episcopal

"Some Things Bear Repeating”

Contributed by John Newton on Aug 14, 2024

John has words to share with the older and younger members of the church

Last month Karen and I went on a road trip. It took us a little over 4400 kilometers in all, and along the way we enjoyed some wonderful scenery: the picturesque former mill town of Almonte just outside Ottawa, the quiet lakeside village of Haliburton, the thundering roar of Niagara Falls, the ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 2:7-14

Denomination: Episcopal

"A Well, A Woman And Living Water” Series

Contributed by John Newton on Mar 5, 2023

There is a lot to learn from Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman by the well

Just outside the city of Nablus on the Palestinian West Bank is the village of Balata. In the late 1980s and early 1990s it was the site of the major rioting that is now infamously known as the First Intifada. All told, that violence led to the deaths of more than a thousand people. Perhaps less ...read more

Scripture: John 4:1-42

Denomination: Episcopal

If Stones Could Shout

Contributed by John Newton on Apr 10, 2022

As Jesus entered Jerusalem he told the Pharisees, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

For the next few moments I want you to try to imagine what it must have been like to be among those who stood on the streets of Jerusalem on the first Palm Sunday. (I’ll even let you close your eyes if you like, as long as you promise not to go to sleep!) The city would have been bustling with ...read more

Scripture: Luke 19:28-40

Denomination: Episcopal

The Original International Man Of Mystery Series

Contributed by John Newton on May 1, 2022

Who was Melchizedek? And how does he relate to Jesus?

I wonder if anyone can tell me what is the Old Testament passage most frequently quoted in the New Testament… You might think it’s something like Leviticus 19:18, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” If you’re really into the writings of the minor prophets, you might come up with an ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 7:1-3

Denomination: Episcopal

Living In A Far From Perfect World

Contributed by John Newton on Mar 18, 2024

Peter’s words to slaves in the first century are relevant to our world in the twenty-first.

I suspect that a number of you have heard the old story of the young man who was desperately seeking God’s guidance for some crucial issue in his life. For some reason he decided that the best way forward might be simply to allow his Bible to fall open randomly and then follow the wisdom of ...read more

Scripture: Luke 4:18, Luke 6:27-28, John 18:10-11, Acts 2:36-38, 1 Peter 2:18-25  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Episcopal

"Open Your Mouth Wide” Series

Contributed by John Newton on Nov 16, 2022

One of the joys that my wife and I share is that our house backs onto miles of forest. The result is that our back yard is almost constantly being visited by wildlife—even including a bear! But our most frequent visitors are the birds...

One of the joys that my wife and I share is not only that we live within a few minutes’ drive from three of our grandchildren, but that our house backs onto miles of forest. The result is that our back yard is almost constantly being visited by wildlife—even including a bear! But our most frequent ...read more

Denomination: Episcopal

Remember Your Leaders Series

Contributed by John Newton on Nov 16, 2022

It seems to me that this concluding chapter is something of a catch-all. I can imagine that the author’s hand might be aching after all this writing. So now he is packing as much as he can into his concluding words.

Wow! We’ve been reading and making our way through Hebrews for a long time. It was way back in January that we started. Now it seems almost as though that is shrouded in the mists of history. And I want to express my gratitude to Pastor Marvin, who has steadfastly and faithfully been leading us ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 13:7-16

Denomination: Episcopal