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 .
light - jackie walters
In this season that calls us to be the Light, Jackie reminds us that we all have a light within us and invites us to take the risk of letting it out, even when it's uncomfortable.
the thing about joy - rev. nick coates
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.
lions, lambs & advent - rev. nick coates
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?
it's a miracle! - blindness, jerry lee lewis, and sight
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.
it's a miracle! - the raising of lazarus - rev. nick coates
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.
bloom where you are planted - rev. nick coates
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.
it's a miracle! - water to wine - rev. nick coates
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?
reflections on the 2019 pride parade
One of our community members shares her experiences and thoughts after attending Calgary’s Pride Parade for the first time.
3 things about God the Potter
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.
"and the people cheered" - rev. nick coates
This week Rev. Nick talks about tomato sauce, the most important person you've never heard of, and 3 reasons why Jesus matters.
a few things about that prayer we always say - rev. nick coates
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.
you won't find life that way - rev. nick coates
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.
the 'not-for-prime-time' prayer - rev. michael ward
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.
3 scandalous things about the Good Samaritan - rev. nick coates
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. In this podcast, 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.
3 things about Naaman - rev. nick coates
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)
3 lies & 3 truths - rev. nick coates
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.
what are you breathing in? - rev. nick coates
As we head into the season of Pentecost, we explore how being spiritual means being a seeker of wisdom.
you have to take it with you - rev. nick coates
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.
the one thing God needs from us - rev. nick coates
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.