Ralph Connor Memorial United Church

The Little White Church on Main Street, Canmore, Alberta

transformation

Sermon: May 1, 2022 – Acts 9: 1-19

There are few things more inspiring to me, than stories of radical transformation.  You know, the stories of a person whose prior choices were destructive to themselves and those around them, whose life turned around into one that was life-giving and admirable.   Or, on a group level, stories of feisty resilience and grass-roots changes that have transformed the life of a troubled neighbourhood, institution, or nation.  Perhaps it’s just because I enjoy “underdog” stories, but I think it’s more than …

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Sermon: January 23, 2022 – John 2: 1-11

Pretty much everyone in Ministry has some good stories about weddings, and wedding receptions.  Other than a few brides being prodigiously late, there haven’t been many silly things happen at weddings, but wedding receptions, welllll, that’s another story. Watch at https://youtu.be/FUgxe_bsumA   Download PDF: Sermon_23January2022 There have been heartfelt, touching, entertaining receptions, there have been top-notch plated meals, and there have been DJs or bands who did an excellent job of inviting and encouraging all ages and abilities to enjoy a …

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Sermon: Ascension Sunday May 24, 2020 – Acts 1: 1-11

One of the ways to tease out a Christian denomination’s priorities and theology, is to look at how they name their Churches.   If a denomination tends to use phrases like “Crown of Glory Christian Fellowship” that suggests a very different approach than “Historic Holy Trinity Parish” and that suggests a very different approach than “your subdivision named here, Church”. Video link: https://youtu.be/ysU15cRvzrU PDF link: Sermon_24May2020 So on this Sunday when we mark the going up, or “Ascension” of Christ into …

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Sermon: December 1, 2019 – Advent 1 – Isaiah 11: 1-10

A shoot, growing from the stump of Jesse. How appropriate, in this year when we’ve chosen to build our Advent themes around the classical elements of wind-fire-water-and-earth, to begin with a vivid visual metaphor from nature, of the kind of tenacious, powerful leadership that we see in Jesus Christ. click here for PDF Rather than going immediately to words, let’s spend time “seeing” this stump and wondering about it, because the varied ways we visualize this stump of Jesse and …

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