Sermons & Worship Audio

View Archived Sermons    Listen to this Sermon  Genesis 28:10-19a This week as I prepared my sermon I had the opportunity to “hang out” with or spend time with the biblical characters Isaac, and Rebecca, Jacob and Esau, Leah, Rachel, Bilhah, Zilpah, and Laban.  If there is ever any comfort to be had in contemplating one’s own family dysfunctions, just spend some time with these characters in Genesis. Our text for today does not give you the big picture of…

  View Archived Sermons       Listen to this Sermon    Matt. 13: 9-17 This morning I come to you both full and tired.   Full of ideas, discussions, words, opinions expressed and stories shared – both public stories from the podium at the Assembly and private stories from new and renewed friends and acquaintances.  I’m also full of the joy of worship at Assembly as well as full of the tensions and laments expressed over some of the decisions…

  View Archived Sermons     Listen to this Sermon    Two week’s ago we celebrated Pentecost, remembering how the Spirit of God came like a rushing wind, equipping and empowering the frightened disciples to become instruments of God.  In her Pentecost sermon, Marilyn invited us to consider where we have seen the wind, where we have seen the work of the Spirit.  And she invited us to prepare for Pentecost moments of the Spirit by opening ourselves to receive the…

  View Archived Sermons    Listen to this Sermon    Pentecost Acts 2: 1-21 Marilyn Zehr It is another good morning to be gathered together as the people of God on this Pentecost Sunday. The wind is blowing – have you seen it? Our summer theme, which we begin today, invites us to recall times when we have seen the wind.  In biblical and doctrinal terms we are being invited to notice when and where we have seen evidence of…

View Archived Sermons      Listen to this Sermon       Lectionary Texts: John 14:1-14; Acts 7:55-60; 1 Peter 2:2-10          When I was in high school, a classmate of mine had a lot of trouble paying attention. At the end of most classes, after the teacher had explained a concept at length, he would invariably ask a question that had already been thoroughly answered, often just before he asked it. Sometimes the exact same question had…

View Archived Sermons      Listen to this Sermon       On the Road to Emmaus Luke 24:13-35     On the road to…. This past week has seen two momentous “end of the road” events, end of the road meaning both reaching one’s goal and “the end” of your road. Prime Minister Harper had been on the road toward his coveted majority for five years, and he reached his goal Monday night. Many Canadians responded in disbelief while…

  View Archived Sermons      NEW!!! Listen to this Sermon    Global Positioning Systems Psalm 16:11 John 20:30,31 Today is a Good day. It’s the second Sunday of Easter and so we continue the celebration that began last Sunday. Also this is a Sunday where we welcome new members into our congregation.  For this reason I have prepared a brief sermon so that we will have time to hear and savour the stories that Billy and Alicia Good will…

  View Archived Sermons    New!! Listen to this Sermon   TUMC Easter Sermon 2011  The surprising importance of Negative Space John 20:1-18 I begin with the line of a hymn –  Christ the Lord is Risen Today – Alleluia Our Easter hymns record the witness of the first apostles as well as the witness of many others who have encountered the Risen Christ in one way or another throughout the ages. In keeping with our recent practice of sharing…

View Archived Sermons   (Sorry, this sermon is not available in audio)   Becoming Human: Shaped by Jesus Lent V: Shaped by new life  John 11 and Ezekiel 37:1-14 Issues of Life and Death You know, every time I read Ezekiel 37: 1-14, the passage that Clay and Andrew shared with us this morning, its graphic depiction of bones lying in a valley reminds me of the kind of movie or program or news segment which needs to be preceded by…

View Archived Sermons   NEW! Listen to this Sermon  Cleansing Mud: Jesus’ teachings on purity and defilement Scripture Readings: John 9:1-41; Mark 7:1-8; 14-23         There was a bizarre 12th century Belgian saint named St. Christina the Astonishing. Already at 15 she was said to lose herself to contemplation of God, to the detriment of her body. Some accounts of her life say that she eventually starved to death. Her body was brought to the church for a…