Sermons on Monty Newton:

"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

Faithful Series

Contributed by John Newton on Feb 13, 2022

Jesus is faithful to us—and calls us to be faithful to him

For six weeks we have been looking at the Letter to the Hebrews. If you hadn’t noticed before, you are probably aware by now that it is far from the easiest book of the New Testament to understand, with its frequent quotations from what often seem obscure passages from the Old Testament, and with ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 3:1-6

Denomination: Episcopal

Consider Jesus

Contributed by John Newton on Feb 13, 2022

A look at Jesus, as High Priest, Son Of God and “Sent One”

As he drew to the conclusion of his gospel the aged apostle John reflected, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” It was a common characteristic of those early ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 3:1-6

Denomination: Episcopal

There’s More To The Story

Contributed by John Newton on Nov 19, 2023

It seems that John has finished writing his gospel. But no! He adds another chapter.

For the last couple of Sundays we’ve been reading from John 20—the beloved disciple’s dramatic account of Jesus’ resurrection. We’ve stood with Mary Magdalene weeping outside the empty tomb as she mistook the risen Jesus for the gardener. And we’ve been with the disciples in the upper room as they ...read more

Scripture: John 21:1-25

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

Let Your Face Shine Series

Contributed by John Newton on Aug 14, 2022

This sermon focuses on a psalm of lament and offers it as a pattern for prayer

One of the great strengths of our Anglican worship is the continuous repetition of the psalms. If you turn to the Daily Office Lectionary in the Book of Alternative Services, you will see that there is a provision there to recite at least one psalm every morning and every evening of the year. That ...read more

Denomination: Episcopal

He Will Speak Peace

Contributed by John Newton on Dec 10, 2024

We focus on peace in the Second Sunday of Advent, in Psalm 85.

I wonder how many of you, when you’re reading a book, take time to examine the copyright page or read through the backflap or the author’s bio. I have to admit that as often as not I am one of those people. When I’m reading a book I can often find it helpful to know a little bit about who wrote it ...read more

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

"Before Abraham Was” Series

Contributed by John Newton on Jun 4, 2023

Jesus’ controversy with the Pharisees concludes with the most amazing claim.

For those of you who are old enough to have watched the Seinfeld show on TV, you may recall an episode from twenty-five years ago entitled “The Comeback”. It all revolved around a conversation in the opening scene between George Costanza and a co-worker named Reilly. The two are taking a snack ...read more

Scripture: John 8:48-59

Denomination: Episcopal

It Didn’t Just Happen

Contributed by John Newton on Jun 4, 2023

The crucifixion of Jesus was not a random incident: it was part of God’s plan from eternity

It was a journey of some two thousand kilometers—from Jerusalem all the way back to what is modern-day Sudan. The lone traveler had come to worship at the Temple. And I can only imagine that it was for him a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. As his horse plodded along, he occupied his time by ...read more

Scripture: Acts 8:26-40

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

It’s A Battleground Out There

Contributed by John Newton on Nov 13, 2025

Paul lists the armour that God has given us to fight our spiritual battles

We preachers are always looking for good illustrations for our sermons. I went online recently and it took me hardly a second before I was confronted by a whole boatload of collections of sermon illustrations. They came with titles like The Preacher’s Sourcebook of Creative Sermon Illustrations, ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-18

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

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