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.
Deep Purpose
Carrying on from where we left off last week, after the “call” of the disciples, in today’s text (Luke 9:1-6) Jesus “sends” them into ministry. Rev. Cari unpacks Jesus’ very countercultural packing list and instructions to them, and tries to glean some ways this text can speak to our purpose now, in a very different…
Deep Call
Preaching on Luke 5:1-11, the story of Jesus’ call to Simon and his fisher-peasant friends, Rev. Cari explores the grace that is in this exchange. Despite Simon’s very natural first response to the abundant catch which accompanies Jesus’ word to him, Jesus issues the life-changing call, and Simon’s life is never the same. With this…
What in the World Does Happy Look Like?
Relying on Dr. Gabor Mate, Dr. Mary Jo Leddy (author of Radical Gratitude) and the Apostle Paul from the letter to the Philippians 4:10-14, Rev. Cari wrapped up the “Happy” series today. If our world (culturally and economically) is structured toward dissatisfaction, rather than contentment, what should we do? And what is the “secret” of happiness that…
Will SomeONE Make Me Happy?
The question comes from that “sticky” place in us… the place that is longing for connection and grasping a bit at relationship. In the sermon today, Rev. Cari explores that graspy reaching in us, and compares it to two images. First, the painting of Leonardo da Vinci’s on the Sistine Chapel ceiling with God &…
Will SomeTHING Make Me Happy?
Rev. Cari dives into the deep end with Luke’s version of the Beatitudes this week (Luke 6:20-26). Luke serves up a meal of blessings and woes, helping – through our discomfort – to reveal that happy is not a state of privilege. She also reads the opening of this article in the Globe & Mail,…
Happy Comes from Being Loved
The first of the “Happy?” sermons centres on the story of Jesus’ baptism in the gospel of Luke (3:15-17 and 21-22). The recording is a little longer than usual because the reading of the sermon text and the anthem are included. Then, before Cari could begin preaching, Bruce launched into a small moment of “Don’t…
The Epiphany Story
We worshipped with all ages together today, and so no sermon was preached. However, we did hear the story of Epiphany, from Matthew 2:1-12, complete with actions (which don’t come through too well in the recording) and sound effects (which kind of do). Enjoy this story of the wise strangers who seek the infant Christ……
The Heavenly Host
For this Christmas Eve sermon, Rev. Cari unpacks a few different Greek words from Luke 2:1-20: kataluma (the word most English versions translate as “inn”), stratias (the host of the sermon title), and angelos (which means messenger). Then she plays a few short clips from Greta Thunberg’s 2018 TED talk. Greta is a young Swedish angelos whose message about climate change…
Gathering Us Home
Zephaniah 3:14-20 is known as “A Song of Joy,” a drastic difference from the earlier chapters of Zephaniah that are full of violence, disaster, and destruction. The Song of Joy is an unexpected promise by the Holy that God’s people will be “gathered and brought home.” What does it mean for us to be “gathered…
Blue Christmas Reflection
Our afternoon worship, the Blue Christmas service, is an annual service offered for those who may be grieving, struggling or sad as Christmas approaches. This short reflection offers the wisdom of our Christian tradition, and acknowledges that our feelings are not “out of synch” with those of Mary, Joseph, and the others in the stories.