Sermons
Operating from a Place of Grief
Operating from a Place of Grief The gospel lesson from Matthew is a well known piece of scritpure. It recounts the feeding of the 5000, the only miracle of Jesus to be featured in all four gospels. We know the highlights of the story well. The people came to hear...
The Hiddenness of the Kingdom
The Hiddenness of the Kingdom Today we have a flurry of small parables from Jesus, all of which speak about the Kingdom of Heaven. Over the past few weeks Jesus has been feeding us images and ideas about what God's kingdom will look and feel like. As we conclude this...
Wheat and Weeds
Wheat and Weeds I titled this sermon in a rush and with an utter lack of creativity borrowed from the parable that is the subject matter. Given more time, which I seemingly have gained, I would title this sermon 'What to do with the Dandelions?' It's a good question...
Good Soil
Good Soil In the Parable of the Sower Jesus talks about seeds and how they are scattered on the soil. The question that presents itself from us is where do we put our focus? On the seeds or the soil? Scripture: Psalm 65: 9-13 and Matthew 13: 1-9, 18-23I am not a...
Rest
Rest When we are tired and weary from our work, Jesus invites us to rest. During this time of heightened anxiety due to Covid-19, the invitation to rest is a welcome one. Scripture: Psalm 145: 8-14 and Matthew 11: 16-19, 25-30We are on the doorstep of summer, it’s a...
Rewards
Rewards What does it mean for us to be sent out by God? How do we serve the community we are called out into? What are the risks? What are the rewards? Scripture: Psalm 89: 1-4, 15-18 and Matthew 10: 40-42 I collect reward points when I shop. I do it when I shop...
Surrender to God
Surrender to God Our passage today is a difficult one. We don't encounter a Jesus we recognize, perhaps this is a Jesus we don't want to follow. When we brush up against hard truths we need to examine what about them makes us uncomfortable. Scripture: Psalm 69: 7-10,...
Freely Given
Freely Given Today we consider the grace that we have freely recieved from God and consider the question of what we should do with it. Scripture: Psalm 100 and Matthew 9:35-10:8.When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and...
Created in the Image of God
Created in the Image of God God works and moves in ways that I will never understand. Over the past week we have held in tension our ongoing anxiety of a global pandemic and have confronted questions and issues of race that have long been in front of us. The...
Rebuilding Community in Partnership with the Holy Spirit
Rebuilding Community in Partnership with the Holy Spirit It is Pentecost Sunday, a day when the church celebrates, the renewsing, sustaining and transformative power of the Holy Spirit, the third figure of the Trinity. We don't talk about the Holy Spirit much and when...
Can I Get a Witness?
Can I Get a Witness? It is Ascension Sunday. The day we celebrate when Jesus left the diciples and ascended to sit at the right hand of God. Though it is only afforded a few verses in Luke's gospel, the ascension provides a powerful image. We celebrate the ascension...
We Are Not Alone
We Are Not Alone We are coming to the end of the Easter season and Jesus is preparing us, as he did with the disciples, for what comes next. In our passage from John, Jesus speaks of the Advocate who will come and be with us. We know the Advocate as the Holy Spirit,...
St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church
St. Andrew’s Cobourg is part of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Our congregation was first established in 1833, and continues to serve the community in Cobourg and beyond.