Meditations, sermons and blessings.
When we look back at the glory of the past or forward to an impossible ideal, it's easy to feel like we've fallen short, much like the people rebuilding the Temple in Haggai's time. In this sermon, we reflect on this "small temple problem"—our collective failure to achieve lasting peace—as we observe Peace Sunday ahead of Remembrance Day.We explore atonement as not just saying "sorry," but as a commitment to live like we mean it, working for peace despite systemic violence. We find our strength in God's assurance: "Be strong... and work, for I am with you."Scripture Reading: Haggai 1:15b-2:9Watch the full worship service: https://youtu.be/Ij9Ejwc4xwQLearn more about us: www.youngunitedchurch.com
Gazing up at the night sky can make us feel small, but it also compels us to ask life's biggest questions. In this sermon, we join the prophet Habakkuk on his watchtower, grappling with the injustice, violence, and suffering he witnessed and asking, "Where is God?"This message suggests that true faith is not about rushing to easy promises, but about the stubborn, defiant choice to keep watch—to look out, ask big questions, and remain expectant even when the heavens seem silent. Keeping watch is the foundation of hope against despair.Scripture Reading: Habakkuk 2Watch the full worship service: https://youtu.be/q3uWd8DcBFULearn more about us: www.youngunitedchurch.com
This sermon for Anniversary Sunday challenges us to embrace the "gift of failure." We dive into the deep sea's bioluminescence and the Japanese art of Kintsugi (golden repair) to argue that true renewal and the outpouring of God's Spirit (promised in Joel 2) often come after we risk breaking. We must stop freezing in fear and take the necessary leaps, knowing that the greatest danger isn't failure itself, but refusing to admit and reflect on it. The world needs the church to risk failure for the sake of grace and compassion.Scripture Reading: Joel 2:21-32Watch the full worship service: https://youtu.be/fXI-_lDABnALearn more about us: www.youngunitedchurch.com
What do we do when our world is crumbling and false prophets (or even AI) only tell us what we want to hear?Drawing on Jeremiah 29, this sermon introduces the concept of "Marble Hope"—a tough, resilient hope that asks us to "seek the well-being of where you are," rather than waiting for a future rescue. This message is paired with Deuteronomy 26, which reminds us that true gratitude requires remembering our difficult past as the only journey that could have brought us to this one, precious, controllable moment.This reflection calls us to sow hope right here, right now, in the single moment where we have a say in what we do and who we are.Scripture Readings: Jeremiah 29:1, 4-14 and Deuteronomy 26:1-11Watch the full worship service: https://youtu.be/kLNu6JSkx9YLearn more about us: www.youngunitedchurch.com
Is Communion just a ritual, or is it the defining feature of discipleship?This sermon moves beyond the bread and cup to explore the radical heart of Jesus' ministry: a table of welcome and a call to communion with the wounded world. We dive into how Jesus' practice of eating with everyone defined his spiritual project. Salvation, we realize, comes not from checking off boxes, but from building real relationships—with the marginalized, the lonely, and even the earth itself.What does it look like to follow Christ by communing with the broken world?Watch the full worship video: https://youtu.be/7mexmDkzvY0Learn more about us: www.youngunitedchurch.com
Jeremiah's vision of a world "uncreated" and returning to "formless and empty" isn't just an ancient story—it's a reflection of our own anxieties about a world that feels like it's unraveling. In this sermon, we explore how Jeremiah found a way to find a firm footing when everything he knew was crumbling, and we consider how we can do the same. This isn't a sermon with easy answers, but a search for a story that helps us make sense of a world that doesn't make sense anymore.Scripture: Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28Learn more: www.youngunitedchurch.com
Have you ever felt like your life was getting a little too "set"? In this episode, we explore the ancient image of the potter's clay from Jeremiah 18 and 19. It's not about making mistakes, but about whether we allow ourselves to be molded and remade or if we become brittle and break. Using personal stories and powerful metaphors, this message is a reminder that we are invited to remain malleable and open to renewal through grace, rather than becoming a finished, easily shattered product.This sermon was preached at Young United Church on September 7, 2025. For more information on Young United Church, visit our website. For video of the full worship service click here.
This is the third reflection of three on the Lord's Prayer. It was recorded on June 23, 2024.
The second of three reflections on the Lord's Prayer. Recorded on June 16, 2024
The scripture reading for this reflection is Luke 11:1-4. It was preached on June 9, 2024.
The scripture reading for this reflection is 1 Corinthians 15:51-58.
The scripture reading for this passage was 1 Corinthians 13:1-14:1.
The scripture reading for this service is 1 Corinthians 1:10-18
The scripture reading for this reflection is Acts 3:1-10. It was preached on Sunday April 14, 2024.
The scripture passage for this week's sermon is Acts 1:1-14.
The scripture reading for this Easter reflection is John 20:1-18
The scripture readings for this sermon are Numbers 21:4-9 and John 3:14-21.
The scripture readings for this sermon are Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 and Romans 4:13-25.
The scripture reading for this Transfiguration Sunday is Mark 8:27-9:8.
This baptismal reflection is based on Mark 1:1-20.
This reflection was preached at Young United Church in Winnipeg on January 28, 2024. The scripture reading is Mark 5:21-43.
The scripture reading for this reflection was Mark 4:1-34. Due to technical issues, the recording was taken from a distance.
And we're back again. Sermons from now on will be live recordings from our worship. The scripture passage for this week is Mark 2:1-22. Here is the full video link: Sunday January 7, 2024.
This episode was recorded on May 29, 2022. The scripture reading was Philippians 2:1-13, Imitating Christ. What does solidarity look like? And how did we get to that from seeing Adam Scott on Severance?
This episode was recorded on May 22, 2022. The scripture reading was Philippians 1:1-18, Paul's greeting to the Philippians from prison. In this meditation we long for something that we can commit to with passion.
This episode was recorded on May 15, 2022. The scripture reading was Acts 17:16-31, Paul's sermon in Athens. In this meditation we talk about curiosity.
This episode was recorded on May 8, 2022. Our guest preacher was Irene Greenwood. The scripture reading was Acts 16:16-34, the story of the fortune teller, Paul and Silas. In this meditation we talk about whose voices we do not hear.
This episode was recorded on May 1, 2022. The scripture reading was Acts 9:1-19, the road to Damascus. In this meditation we talk about a story far bigger than any of our own, but how we are a part in it.
This episode was recorded on April 24, 2022. The scripture reading was John 20:19-31, Thomas' path to grace.
This episode was recorded on April 17, 2022 - Easter Sunday. The scripture reading was John 20:1-18. Easter as an invitation to imagination.
And we're back... Our first podcast in a number of months as we figured out what was going on - church-wise, tech-wise, pandemic-wise... and as we still try to figure out what is going on whole world-wise. This episode was recorded on April 10, 2022 - Palm Sunday. The scripture reading was John 12:12-27; 19:16b-22.
Today's podcast is a recording from our first service together at Young United Church since March 2020. The meditation is from the Binding of Isaac. Please feel free to light a candle and join us in reflecting on what you have lost over the past 18 months.
The scripture reading for this podcast is Jeremiah 33:14-18; 31:31-34. The Toronto Blue Jays are in a bit of a funk recently... and so is the whole world. How does Jeremiah cope with it?
The scripture reading for this podcast is Jeremiah 32:1-3, 6-15. With the world crashing around him, Jeremiah buys a farm - a longterm investment in hope.
The scripture reading for the podcast is Jeremiah 29:1, 4-14. Jeremiah doesn't back down from political controversy, and in doing so invites all of us to reflect on how we see the world.
The scripture reading for the podcast is Jeremiah 36:1-8, 21-21, 27-31. What does a UFO religion from the 1950s have to teach us about King Jehoiakim?
A Canada Day special meditation using Psalm 137 to reflect on.
The scripture reading for this podcast episode is Jeremiah 18:1-12. Judgment sucks. It is one of the worst parts of the history of religion. But are there times when it has value?
We're back. This week we're beginning a six part series on Jeremiah. The readings are Jeremiah 1:1-10; 7:1-11.
The scripture reading for Pentecost Sunday is Acts 2:1-4; Galatians 4:1-7; 5:16-26. Five points for whoever can rattle off the fruits of the Spirit without looking... 10 points if you sing a song in your head to do it.
The scripture reading for the Seventh Sunday of Easter is Galatians 3:1-9, 23-29. Paul is getting angry.
The scripture reading for the 5th Sunday of Easter is Acts 15:1-18. It is the story of the Council at Jerusalem.
The scripture reading for the 4th Sunday of Easter is Luke 8:26-40. It is the story of the Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch.
Our scripture reading for today is Luke 18:31-19:10.
Our scripture reading for today is Luke 13:1-9,31-35.
Our scripture reading for today is Luke 10:25-42.
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