Sermons

Advent II Peace – Sunday December 5th, 2021

December 5, 2021

Advent II Peace

Our weekly service will be shared as a livestream on YouTube and Zoom as well as in-person. Registration is no longer required for in-person worship, but proof of vaccination must be shown each time, masks must be worn at all times, and we encourage you to distance from anyone you do not consider part of your bubble.

This Sunday we move from hope to peace. We plan for our service to include the Junior Choir Anthem originally planned to be shared in November – “Child of God” by Mark Miller. We will also hear the leads sing the anthem “Jesus Christ the Apple Tree” by Poston.

Our scripture reading will be the first of two weeks when we hear about John the Baptist, and we will have the chance to sing “There’s a Voice in the Wilderness” as well. We will also continue praying with our bodies as well as our words, as we did last Sunday.

Watch the Stories and Makers Nest at 9:55am on Zoom, or any time on YouTube.

Please note that despite last week’s internet challenges, we were able to record the Nov. 28 service, and post it on YouTube later that afternoon. You are welcome to watch it any time here.

Then, this week we look forward to the Christmas Tea on December 8th, our Third Sunday of Advent Service (Joy) the morning of December 12th and our joint Carols by Candlelight service that evening!

Advent I – Hope, Sunday November 28th, 2021

November 29, 2021

May we approach Advent this season
as if it were our first-ever Advent.
May we come to God new and vulnerable,
with open and willing hearts, ready for fresh insights.
May we find Jesus wherever there is distress
and rely on the Holy Spirit to be with us
on every step of our Advent journey. Amen.

[Written by Joanne Stenerson. Gathering, Advent/Christmas/Epiphany 2019/2020, page 31. Used with permission.]


Our weekly service will be shared as a livestream on YouTube and Zoom as well as in-person. Registration is no longer required for in-person worship, but proof of vaccination must be shown each time, masks must be worn at all times, and we encourage you to distance from anyone you do not consider part of your bubble.

Last Sunday the A/V system decided to take a vacation, meaning we couldn’t livestream – or use the sound system in the sanctuary. This past week our A/V team have been busy making sure that the system is back and ready for Advent!

We start Advent by lighting the candle of hope. Where in the world do we find Hope these days?

Sunday Worship – Recorded

Stories and Makers Nest

Make an Advent Wreath today!

Watch the Stories and Makers Nest at 9:55am on Zoom, or any time on YouTube.

Please mark the following dates in your calendar as we prepare for our Advent and Christmas services.

Celebrate Christmas with Leaside United Church
inside, outside and online!

Advent Services
Nov 28, Dec 5, Dec 12, Dec 19 at 10:30 am
In-person, Zoom & YouTube

Carols by Candlelight
A joint musical celebration with Northlea United Church
& Leaside United Church, in support of Out-of-the-Cold
Dec 12 at 7 pm
Zoom & YouTube

Quiet Christmas
This reflective service offers space for all of the emotions we carry this Christmas season at the end of a challenging year
Dec 16 at 7 pm
In-person, Zoom & YouTube

In the Wild Carol Sing
Dec 19 from 3-3:30 pm
In-person on Church lawn

Carols and Choirs Christmas Eve Service
An opportunity for all ages to sing together
and celebrate Christmas!
Dec 24 from 5-5:30 pm on Church lawn

Christmas Eve Service
Dec 24 at 8 pm
In-person, Zoom & YouTube

The Song of Hannah – Sunday November 14th, 2021

November 14, 2021

Today’s service will be shared as a livestream on YouTube and Zoom as well as in-person, beginning with a prelude leading up to 10:30am. Registration is no longer required for in-person worship, but proof of vaccination must be shown each time.

Lectio Divina (“divine reading”) is a way of reading and reflecting on scripture slowly to pay attention to how it is speaking to our lives. Today we will practice Lectio Divina together, focusing on the story of Hannah, the mother of Samuel, and particularly of the song she sings when she learns she is expecting (parts of which are later echoed by Mary’s song, the Magnificat). Our lectio divina will be accompanied by short piano mediations and an anthem “Holy is the True Light” by Harris. Our final hymn will be “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.”

Stories and Makers Nest

Today we continue with part 3 of the story of Moses – the Exodus. For the craft today you will need construction paper, scissors, tape, and markers.

Watch the Stories and Makers Nest at 9:55am on Zoom, or any time on YouTube.

Next Sunday
November 21st we mark Children’s Sunday with a service that will include a Junior Virtual Choir Project.

Worship will begin with a baptism live in the sanctuary. Since the parents have decided not to have their child online, the baptism will not be livestreamed.
The livestream will begin immediately following the baptism, at approximately 10:40am. On Zoom, there will be an additional opportunity for conversation. If you are attending on YouTube, you are welcome to linger over brunch a little longer. If you are attending in-person, you are invited to arrive a couple of minutes earlier to be sure you are seated by the service start.

Then, on November 28 we begin the season of Advent. We will be sharing more about Advent and Christmas soon, as we look forward to ways to worship together inside, outside, and online!

Remembrance Sunday – November 7th, 2021

November 7, 2021

Today’s service will be shared as a livestream on YouTube and Zoom as well as in-person, beginning with a prelude leading up to 10:30am. Registration is no longer required for in-person worship, but proof of vaccination must be shown each time. Further details about in-person worship can be found here.

Today we mark Remembrance Sunday with two minutes of silence, as well as in music, readings and prayers.

Our music includes a virtual choir project with a beautiful arrangement of “Abide With Me” accompanied by piano and trumpet. Our hymns carry the theme of peace and we will close hearing Stephen Chatman’s “Remember.”

Our scripture includes a verses from Micah, sharing a vision from peace, and a gospel story. The readings will also include “In Flanders Fields.”

The Stories and Makers Nest

Today we continue hearing the story of Moses. For today’s craft we will need a plastic cup, an exacto knife or scissors (and a grown up nearby), construction paper, tape, and markers.

Watch the Stories and Makers Nest at 9:55am on Zoom, or any time on YouTube.

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Next Sunday

November 14th our focus is The Song of Hannah – another lesser heard passage of scripture (like Naomi and Ruth a few weeks ago and David and Jonathan in June). As we listen to Hannah’s song we might begin to anticipate how it will be echoed by Mary’s song (the Magnificat), beginning to point us toward Advent.

We will be sharing more about Advent and Christmas soon, as we look forward to ways to worship together inside, outside, and online!