Sermons ::

The Church and the Economics of Happiness

Posted on April 21, 2013 by Allan Buckingham

Earlier, in the passage from John, we heard Jesus talking about giving eternal life to those who listen to his voice and follow him. A more popular passage that conveys the same message may be John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth and the life.” In his book “The Jesus Way”, Eugene Peterson talks about how “Jesus as the…

Wedding at Cana Countdown: Seven signs (of miracles) in the gospel of John

Posted on January 13, 2013 by Rundle Memorial United Church

January 13, 2013 John 2: 1-11 Our gospel reading this morning is about a party. Joy is in the air, the wine has been flowing freely. And then we have this curious, surprising action by Jesus; some truly funny dialogue between him and his Mom; and the day ends with a whole new source of the best wine ever. It…

The importance of belief Advent 4

Posted on December 22, 2012 by Rev Doug Powell

Can You Believe? Mary Did. I am not sure how many of you are familiar with the Alberta writer Will Ferguson, but my wife came home with a book from the library of Will’s called, Coal Dust Kisses. In it, Will recalls a time when he spent Christmas is Japan. He discovered that the people had taken some of our…

Some things you might like to know about the Music of Christmas: Advent 3

Posted on December 16, 2012 by Rev Doug Powell

Music has long been a part of worship and there is no more obvious time than at Christmas. The stores start to play Christmas songs soon after Halloween, if not even before. For some the music is a joy and comfort and for others it is an annoyance. Such too has been the history of carols and songs through the…

Wilderness can be lonely: Find Hope Advent 2

Posted on December 9, 2012 by Rev Doug Powell

So…I want you to think for a moment of a desert experience…a wilderness experience perhaps. It might have been for a short time or it might have been for a longer time. It might have been of the mind or it might have been an actual time of being lost. Having been in the desert of Arizona in later October…

Are you concerned about Last Days? Advent 1

Posted on December 2, 2012 by Rev Doug Powell

The Last Days Today, is the First Sunday of Advent, the period of preparation for Christmas and the coming of the Christ child. But the dominant idea in today’s readings is the second coming of Christ and the end of the world. Does it not seem a bit strange that the church puts a gloomy prospect before our eyes as…

Where in the Bible are You Camping Out?

Posted on November 18, 2012 by Rev Doug Powell

We are in in between times as far as the religious season is concerned so thought that I would use this time before Advent to think on those things that seem to come to me. It was a phrase in a someone else’s sermon that has stuck with me and seems appropriate for a place like Banff where you ought…

Not just for the Kids

Posted on December 4, 2011 by Rundle Memorial United Church

Not just for the Kids A sermon preached by Rev. David M. Crawford at Rundle Memorial United Church, Banff, on December 4, 2011(Advent 2). Based on Isaiah 40:1-11. I was watching CNN the other night, watching a new host of a new “news” program. It was near the end of her hour, (Anderson Cooper waiting in the wings), and she…

To Dismantle the Present Order?

Posted on November 27, 2011 by Rundle Memorial United Church

“To Dismantle the Present Order?” A sermon preached by Rev. David M. Crawford at Rundle Memorial United Church, November 27, 2011 (Advent 1). Based on Mark 13:24-37. Barbara Brown Taylor has been one of the most respected teachers and preachers in the area of hermenuetics or sermon-making over the last 20 years or so. In commenting on today’s rather alarming…

What about His Friends?

Posted on November 20, 2011 by Rundle Memorial United Church

What About His Friends? A sermon preached by Rev. David M. Crawford at Rundle Memorial United Church, Banff, Nov. 20/11 (Christ the King). Based on Matthew 25:31-46. P.T. Forsyth claimed that “the ﬁrst duty of the soul is not to ﬁnd its freedom, but rather to ﬁnd its master.” Bob Dylan made the astute observation that “everybody serves somebody.” Jesus…