Red Deer Lake United Church

all summer we're looking at the obscure stories in the bible asking what they tell us about what it means to be human. this week we look at that time God made the earth eat people who complained.

This week we explore two conversations an old Bible story invites us into: How can arguing be holy, and what to do when we see God's butt. 

This week we talk about gratitude by talking about the thing David Brooks said, the proverb that makes Rev Nick roll his eyes, and the answer to the question we're all asking: how do I survive the pandemic?

In this sermon podcast, we talk about that time Jesus said he brings a sword and that people will hate us.

Why that story about Jesus telling us to give away our wealth matters.

This week we remember that to follow Jesus is to be anti-racist and ask: What do we do with our anger?

As we head into the season of Pentecost, we explore one big truth and ask two life- and world-changing questions.

In this sermon podcast, Rev. Nick talks about Victorian fax machines, imagination, being ridiculous, sweat, and playing the right game.

Rev. Nick asks the question we all need to answer to get us through this pandemic: Am I my brother or sister's keeper?

Politics is thought of as a bad word but what if it's actually a good word? This week we explore the notion that to be political is to be spiritual, and talk about poets, prophets, and pirates.

With all the bad things we hear in the news, it makes sense to just turn it off and disengage, detach, and get some distance from it all. But is that what our faith calls us to do? What if the news is a tool that can help us decide where our love, justice, and compassion need to go?

This week we explore some lies we all tell ourselves and some truths we can replace them with.

How is food spiritual? This week we explore why food is something we need to think about spiritually by talking about Abbot and Costello, delight, and three things to think about at the grocery store.

The word of the decade is "they." Rev Nick explores why it's a great choice and talks about what it can teach us as we head into 2020.

Did you hear about the Christmas pageant that was perfect until a tiny sheep piped up, “Mom, this makes no sense!” In his sermon from our 2019 Christmas Eve service, Rev. Nick contemplates the questions that can arise with Christmas and offers us a new and liberating way to celebrate what Christmas is all about.

In this season that calls us to be the Light, Jackie reminds us that we are all have a light within us and invites us to take the risk of letting it out, even when it's uncomfortable.

We hear about joy, we sing about joy, but what are we talking about when we talk about joy? This week we explore the thing Rev. Nick keeps in his basement, two questions, and the thing we should never do. Through it all, we wonder if joy isn't pure bliss, but feeling the bad and still knowing it is good to be alive.

As we move one week closer to Christmas, we explore how Advent is all about getting ready for peace and we ask: what does that mean for us living in a world of predatory violence?

What does that story about Jesus healing the person born blind say to us today? It tells us something pretty tough that we all need to hear: we are all blind and all in need of healing.

In this sermon podcast, we explore what we see through the miracle of Lazarus and talk about the sacrament of absence, the power of ugly crying, and our role in helping resurrection happen.

As people who believe faith and spirituality are an everyday thing, we asked this week: how does our faith and spirituality show up at our work? Rev. Nick interviewed his friend Chris for his thoughts on three ways we can integrate our faith at our work.

We begin our fall series on miracles by looking at the story of Jesus keeping the party going by changing water into wine. But what if the miracle isn't the actual transformation? What if it's deeper than that? What if it has to do with liberating us into a life that begins and ends with joy?

One of our community members shares her experiences and thoughts after attending Calgary’s Pride Parade for the first time.

We start the fall season off with a story about why God is like Patrick Swayze, the difference between being willing and willful, and the most liberating truth you'll ever hear.

This week Rev. Nick talks about tomato sauce, the most important person you've never heard of, and 3 reasons why Jesus matters.

We pray the Lord's Prayer every week but what are we actually saying? If we look closely enough, we see this isn't just any other prayer but one of the most important, revolutionary, and even challenging, things we can do.

The parable of the rich fool just may be one of the most challenging teachings Jesus ever gave because it reminds us of a really tough truth: you can’t buy or have your way into a meaningful existence. This week we explore how not to find the life we're looking for and hear some mantras to point us in the right direction.

Many of us learned it as children. We memorized and routinely recite it. Yet our familiarity with the prayer Jesus taught us to pray might blind us to its underlying and revolutionary message. If we really listen to what we are saying in the Lord's Prayer, we will no longer be able to merely "recite" it.

We all like the parable of the Good Samaritan, but what if we shouldn't? Turns out, the parable offers us some really really tough truths and wisdom. This week we rehear the parable and discover three scandalous things it offers us: the importance of drawing near, repaving roads, and finding God in things we don't like.

What does that ancient story about a guy named Naaman say to us today? A lot. It offers us wisdom on the importance of humility, on letting compassion guide us, and on why God is sometimes silent.(You can read the sermon on Rev. Nick’s blog post: https://www.nickacoates.com/blog/3-things-about-naaman)

Ever wonder why spirituality is important? One reason is because it reveals how so many of the truths we tell ourselves about what we're worth & what we're capable of are just straight up lies. This week we hear 3 common lies we've all been told and 3 truths to counter them.

As we head into the season of Pentecost, we explore how being spiritual means being a seeker of wisdom.

What do we do with those painful parts of our stories we don't want to be reminded of? As much as we want to find healing by leaving them behind, Jesus offers another way forward: we have to take it with us.

This week Rev Nick unpacks a super rad Jesus story and talks about crossing lakes, naming our demons, and being who we are where we are.

Rev Nick's family lost their dog leroy this week. On Sunday he shared about telling God off and how Leroy taught him about joy, the greatest commandment, and unconditional love.

What does it mean to live life in Jesus’ name?

We mustn’t hold on to the pre-resurrection Jesus.

Palm Sunday is more than the account of a parade of well-intentioned people.

Living love is difficult. What happens if we get it wrong?

How do we see the world from God’s point of view?

Why do we spend so much time, effort and resources to reach goals that do not satisfy us?

What does it mean to stand firmly in this moment, now, as followers of Jesus?

What can we hold on to in our lives?

Jesus of mountaintop glory, I long to ascend with you, to behold your heavenly splendour. Yet my life seems locked in a deep valley shrouded by shadows and endless neediness. And so I pray that even here, especially here, you will make my life a window for your glory to shine through And a mirror reflecting your great love to all I meet.

In an age of social and often spiritual ‘rootlessness’, we, as the people of God, are called to live as ‘radical’ followers. We are to root our lives in the One who is the ‘ground of our being’, and to be more deeply and intimately rooted together in vibrant community in order to discover, live, grow, and bear fruitful lives in the way of Jesus.

How do we “proclaim” the Gospel in a “non-religious” age?

Not a good homecoming.

How do we show respect to others?

There is a need for celebration in life to help define who we are and where we are going.

What does it mean for us in our day to receive the Holy Spirit?