I grew up in an era when corporal punishment was still an accepted part of society. It was still used at school, and at home, as a behaviour management technique. At my high school we would revel in the Schadenfreude of walking past the line of students sitting on the bench outside the principal’s office waiting to receive the cane. Thankfully I was never on the receiving end of the principal’s switch, but I did get a few spankings from my father in my childhood years. I like to think that the time-limited physical pain I experienced did not result in longer term psychological or emotional pain, but who knows? What I do know is that out of all the spankings I received I cannot remember a single incident, or the reason behind any of them. What had I done to deserve that punishment? Even at the time, I’d probably forgotten what I’d done by the time dad got home from work and had to deliver the punishment threatened by my mother with “Wait till your father gets home!” The only incident I do remember is the time my father came home after a long day at work, took my brother and I to our bedroom to deliver the socially accepted and expected punishment for some long-forgotten misdemeanor, took off his belt and said, “When I hit the pillow, you yell, ‘Ow’!”

That’s what I remember all these years later. I remember the grace. That’s what has stayed with me. I still remember the grace.

~ Pastor John Strelan

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*with acknowledgment and apologies to Michael Lunig.

~ Pastor John Strelan

Click here for a link to our new spotify podcast containing the latest sermon recordings.

If you are unable to access spotify, 2026 sermon recordings can be found here

On April 8, 1521 (it was a Monday), a German monk by the name of Martin Luther stood before the most powerful man in the world, the Holy Roman Emperor, and played a game of theological chess. It was possibly not the wisest thing to do since he was putting his life on the line. It was like a pawn, all on its own, trying to beat the king!

“Here I stand, I can do no other”, he said.

On that day Luther stood against the wisdom of the world (which was basically the same as the wisdom of the church at that time), a wisdom that said eternal salvation came from God’s grace plus just a little bit of human effort (like choosing Jesus, or being kind, or showing love). Luther’s stand sounds brave, but I think he literally meant what he said: he could do no other. It wasn’t a choice. He was held captive by another kind of wisdom: God’s wisdom. God’s wisdom that told Luther salvation came from God’s grace alone. Nothing else added. God’s grace alone. This was a wisdom that didn’t make sense to human wisdom (surely we can do something?) But, Luther knew there was no other way.

O, that we might be held captive by that same wisdom.

~ Pastor John Strelan

 Click here for a link to our new spotify podcast containing the latest sermon recordings.

If you are unable to access spotify, 2026 sermon recordings can be found here