Most weeks, our worship leader offers a 15–20 minute sermon based on the Scripture texts for the day.
Our regular preacher is pretty versatile. She’ll tell stories, pull together different ideas, lead a meditation, give the congregation an “assignment” to talk about in twos or threes, show a slide show or video, or sometimes even sing to the congregation. The sermon functions to deepen our reflection on the Scripture themes of the day, and often leaves us with a challenge or a question.
Scripture texts are outlined in the Revised Common Lectionary.
Not ‘Our Faith’ but ‘God’s Faithfulness’
Good thing God has a sense of humour! For Trinity Sunday, Rev. Cari is preaching on Romans 5:1-5. As she invokes the presence and work of her first New Testament Professor, the late Dr. Lloyd H. Gaston, she puts her foot in her mouth with our beloved retired minister, the Rev. Edith Baird. However, since…
Pentecost: Stories of our Faith
We worshipped together as all ages for Pentecost Sunday, so there was no “sermon” today. But here is the storytelling moment when Rev. Cari shared the story of Pentecost day (loosely based on Acts 2:1-20 — with some help from the congregation), followed by an account of I Corinthians 12:4-11, about the gifts the Holy…
Holy Shift: “Why are you looking up?”
“So why are you standing there looking up at an empty sky?” In Acts 1:1-11, the disciples are asked that question after Jesus has left them. Rev. Edith notes that at the time of that question, Jesus had already shown the disciples how to live; what to do. Jesus had shown them close-up the power…
Holy Shift: Changing Plans
Yet another sermon in our “Holy Shift” series, this time focussing on Acts 16:6-15. There are a lot of hard to pronounce Biblical place names in this story about the travels of Paul, Silas and Timothy! They have a hard time with the Holy Spirit “preventing” them from travelling to certain places. Eventually, they land…
Holy Shift: Innovative Community
Another sermon in the “Holy Shift: God’s Unsettling Surprises” series: this time on the story from Acts 11:1-18. Peter is responding to believers in Jerusalem who have accused him of eating with the wrong kind of people. When the dividing lines are clear between “who is in” and “who is out” the holy shift that…
The Church Family
Listen as the children of Crossroads share their observations about the community of faith, and the gifts and practices that are a blessing to everyone. Today was Children’s Sabbath at Crossroads, which means that the youngest among us were our leaders in worship. The children recited two texts from Scripture before sharing this sermon. First,…
Holy Shift: Converting the Self
As will become apparent when you listen to the sermon, we do not change ourselves. God is at work, making invitations, nudging us and sometimes unmistakably moving us toward meaning, belonging and usefulness. This sermon is about the conversion of Saul, as found in Acts 9:1-20. Maybe you will hear something of your own experience…
Holy Shift: Recognizing the Stranger
Lydia’s last sermon as the Student Minister at Crossroads focussed on Luke 24:13-35, the story of the walk on the road to Emmaus. Lydia uses the story to identify how in the presence of Jesus (whether or not we recognize him right away) strangers become friends. She invites the congregation to celebrate their role in…
Holy Shift: Shifting Expectations
Rev. Cari preached on the resurrection story as found in Luke 24:1-12. Luke’s unique contribution to the proclamation of Easter is the question in the mouths of the angelic dazzlers: “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” Rev. Cari opens with references to both the fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral in…
Walk This Way: Worship (Extravagantly!)
For the 5th Sunday in Lent, Rev. Cari preaches on John 12:1-8, the story of Jesus being lavishly anointed by Mary of Bethany, and Judas’ shaming response. The puzzling words of Jesus, ‘The poor you will always have with you’ are part of what Cari is wrestling with in the sermon. She acknowledges in our…