This is World Communion Sunday and we will join the Christian community all across the world sitting together at Jesus’ table. In our society do we value the space and grace and community or the “table” or are we to busy climbing the ladder of self accomplishment and success to worry about others and whether…
The Absurdity of Forgiveness
In an article by David Brooks from the Atlantic Magazine – entitled “How America Got Mean” he says that the lack of moral formation over the last number of years in North American Society has meant that selfishness and cruelty to others have been given free rein and we live in a society in which…
The Paradox of Losing Life to Find it.
The disciple Peter whom Jesus says is the rock upon which his church will be founded understands clearly what others have not grasped — that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. Having given a right answer to the question he balks at Jesus’s teaching about what it will mean to follow Jesus to…
Who is Jesus for you?
Peter is asked by Jesus the question: “Who do you say I am?” It’s the central question of Christian faith through the centuries and still hotly debated. A internet search of the question that I did this week registered two billion hits along with 1.3 billion hits for images of Jesus. We will tackle the…
Faith into Action
On this summer Sunday, Craig Perry returned to Crossroads to share in worship leadership. He gave the congregation an introduction to his work in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver with the organization Mission Possible. Craig shared honestly and personally about his own learning and growth, and referred to the text for the day, Matthew 25:31-46, as…
Walking on the Water
On this summer Sunday, Pastor Carl Amouzou joined Crossroads to share in worship leadership. The text for the day is Matthew 14:22-33, and Pastor Carl introduces it – and himself – then invites the congregation to hear Jesus’ invitation to Peter to walk to him on the water with new ears.
Discernment, Struggle and Call
On this summer Sunday, the Rev. Cindy Terry joined the Crossroads congregation in worship leadership. Her text is the story of Jacob wrestling by the river Jabbok in Genesis 32:22-31, and she uses that story of struggle and discernment to invite the congregation to reflect on their own stories of discernment. She introduces the “backstory”…
The “Great” Commission
In this sermon for Trinity Sunday, Rev. Jim really digs into this famous text from the end of Matthew’s gospel, when Jesus sends the disciples out to “go make disciples of all nations.” Rev. Jim takes an honest look at what has come of that project, including a warning about the growing trend of Christian…
Trust God in Time of Confusion
For the fourth Sunday in the season of Lent, guest preacher the Rev. Jim Short opens up the story of the healing of the blind person in John 9. After introducing the idea of a “critical incident debrief,” Jim portrays all the characters in the story to invite the congregation to name 1) what is…
Blessed Community
This is the sermon from January 29, 2023, VST Sunday at Crossroads United Church. The Vancouver School of Theology provided our preacher for the day, the Rev. Dr. Steven Chambers, who preached on Micah 6:1-8 and Matthew 5:1-12. Steven’s sermon was an exploration of the “blessed” of the Beatitudes, and he offered hints to us…