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.
The Secret
For the first Sunday in our four week series for Stewardship, Rev. Cari preached on Philippians 4:10-18, a text that reveals the antidote to the discontentment that plagues North American society. Today was also the UN International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, a day on which the United Church of Canada is encouraging folks…
Do Not Worry
For Thanksgiving Sunday, Crossroads worshipped as an all ages community, which means that there wasn’t a “sermon” as usual. Instead, Rev. Cari introduced the text for the day and then invited the congregation into prayers of thanks and intercession. The recording this week is her exploration with the congregation of the day’s Scripture text, which…
Mega Thlipsis
For World Wide Communion Sunday, Rev. Cari preached on Revelation 7:9-17, a text she says is “comforting” in hard times. She spends much of the sermon unpacking one verse… the one that refers to the “mega thlipsis” or literally “immense crushing pressure” – the word that is typically translated “persecution.” What causes us to feel…
Who Do We Think We Are?
In this week’s reflection, Gabrielle invites us, as a people of faith, to take a look at who we understand ourselves to be. Following along in the series of “Identity Questions” sermons, Gabrielle’s text this morning is Mark 9:38-50. As beloved children of God we are invited to grow in mind, heart and spirit. In this time…
Who Do You Think You Are?
For the second Sunday in our “Identity Questions” series, Rev. Cari preached on Mark 8:30-37. This text follows that from last week, in which Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” Though the question from Jesus is a bit different this week, “What were you talking about on the way?” Cari’s…
The Reality of Return
Today, Rev. Cari preached the third and final sermon in the series on themes of Exile and Return. The text was Ezra 3:10-13, a narrative, a story from the moment of exiled Israel’s return to the land, when they lay the foundation for a new temple in Jerusalem. The story is complex and nuanced. There…
Restoration is Different from “Going Back”
In the second sermon of the series on Exile and Return, Rev. Cari hosts another complex text: Isaiah 43:1-7. Both a word of assurance from a God of mercy and compassion, and (apparently) a promise of favour to a nation prized above all others, the text raises mixed feelings in us. Rev. Cari wonders if…
Lament is Not “Nice”
Rev. Cari returned to worship leadership today, launching a three-week series called ‘Exile and Return.’ Today’s topic is “lament” – which is both a Biblical genre, and also an emotional function which is feeling more and more relevant. Her text this morning is the entirety of Psalm 137… yes, even including those brutal final verses…
Living Bread, but it’s messy!
In this week’s reflecting on the scripture from John 6:51-58, we explore how being followers of Jesus can fill us up while also perhaps getting us messy.
Christian Living 101
Ephesians 4:25-5:2, our lectionary epistle lesson for the day, outlines the basics for how we are to live in community with each other. Four seemingly simple elements: being truthful with ourselves and others, learning not to hold onto anger unnecessarily, practising forgiveness, and living with compassion and kindness. It sounds so simple, doesn’t it? Not!