Elevation Waterloo Sermons

We’re coming to the end of our journey through Romans, and we’re not offering easy answers or skipping ahead to a happy ending. In a world of political polarization, climate anxiety, and systemic injustice, we often feel a sigh too deep for words—a feeling the first followers of Jesus in the Roman Empire knew all too well. This week, we courageously sit in the sacred space of Lament. We’ll discove...

The book of Romans is a letter given to a community searching for peace in the midst of a world caught in the grip of violence, hatred and division. This week we will be asking questions about how this first century church in Rome wrestled with their identity in their social and political environment , perhaps in similar ways that we do today. Together we can will explore how Romans emphasizes the...

What if the point isn’t to endure pain, but to dismantle the things that cause it? This week, we’re revisiting Romans 5-8 through the lens of Subversive Love. This is an invitation to resist the world’s broken logic by embracing the counter-cultural way of Christ that leads to mutual liberation and collective care. Discover a hope and purpose beyond the empire’s grip, in the now and not yet kin-do...

This week we continue our exploration through the book of Romans. Continuing out of order, we will explore the first two chapters of Romans. We will ask how the ideas we have talked about so far in this series can inform these earlier chapters. We hope to look at this passage with compassion towards those it has been used to harm over the years, as we search for the message given to this small com...

The reason Romans was written was to address the conflict within the church of two factions, both of whom had complicated relationships with the Roman Empire. Join us this week as we gain a deeper understanding of this conflict and ponder how we handle church conflict and our relationship to power today.

In our introduction to Romans on September 7th, we saw that this letter was delivered in person through Phoebe to a multi- ethnic group of believers that included Jews and Gentiles, women and men, slaves and free. This week we will study Romans 12 and see that this eclectic group of individuals are called to be transformed into a unified yet diverse body that fully reflects the character of Jesus...

The book of Romans has had an incredible impact on the history and theology of the church over the centuries. This week we will begin our series on the book of Romans by looking to the end of the letter. Here we find one of the longest lists of names in the New Testament. What can be learned from this seemingly innocuous list of people whose experiences have been mostly lost to history? How does t...

This week we conclude our series  Parables: Then and Now  with Jesus' stories about two people who go all-in on discovered treasure. We'll explore our objections to such foolhardy behaviour and invite Jesus to guide us toward unrestrained love.

This week we continue our series Parables: Then and Now with a look at the parables of watching and waiting. What does it mean to watch and wait for Jesus? What questions sparked these parables? Together we will delve into how Jesus runs against the grain of the very question he’s asked, redirecting us towards something new.

We are in the third week of our summer series on Parables, and this week we will spend some time with a familiar parable found in Luke 15 describing a lost sheep and a shepherd who notices, cares and takes action for the sake of the sheep. As we consider the values that Jesus is inviting us to ponder within this story, in what ways might this communal listening and conversation inspire us towards...

Drawing from Indigenous teachings, and Jesus’ words in this parable and Matthew 17:20, we’ll explore how the tiny mustard seed mirrors the sacred interdependence of the Three Sisters (corn, beans, and squash) — plants that thrive only when woven together in reciprocity. Just as they depend on one another for strength, nourishment, and growth, so too are we invited to root our faith in shared flour...

Does Jesus endorse Workplace Embezzlement? A quick read of The Parable of the Dishonest Manager sure makes it seem like it does! Join us as we kick off this summer series Parables: Then and Now as we sit with one of the most challenging parables and discuss how we read difficult passages of scripture as a community and what this passage might have to teach us today. Discussion Questions What parts...

For our teaching time this week, we will be studying a part of  Paul's letter to the Colossians. Interestingly, Paul wrote this letter to a group of people he had never met, but he invited them to embrace their identity and live fully as dearly loved followers of Jesus.  We are hoping that this week's teaching time will be a time of encouragement for everyone.

We're excited to welcome TK and Nikki from  Future of Africa  to come and share with us this Sunday! Future of Africa has been one of our partners for many years, and are continuing as our Global Partner as part of our  Peace in Action Team . TK, Nikki and their family live and work in Ghana, but are here in Waterloo visiting during the month of June. We hope you enjoy watching and hearing mor...

This Sunday we will wrap up our atonement series as we explore one more theory together: Christus Victor. Although this is one of the oldest recorded theories around the atonement, it may offer us new or fresh ways to approach this mystery of at-one-ment. We’ll also spend some time thinking about the impact of these atonement theories on the evolution of the Church over time, as well as our own fa...

This Sunday we continue our exploration of the different atonement theories that have been presented through history. This week we look at Penal Substitutionary, Satisfaction, and Last Scapegoat atonement theories. Devon asks us to explore the themes of violence inherent to these theories, and asks us to consider atonement not simply as something Jesus did on the cross, but something consistent wi...

Atonement, Part II:  Moral Influence & Ransom Theories This Sunday, we’re diving into two theories of the cross: the Moral Influence Theory and the Ransom Theory. Does Jesus’ life and death primarily inspire us to live compassionately, as a divine model of love? Or did Christ’s sacrifice act as a cosmic transaction, “paying a debt” to liberate humanity from Satan’s grip? We’ll unpack the histo...

This week we begin our new series on theories of Atonement. Our first week we will be looking at an overview of this important and controversial topic. Most importantly we will be talking about how we as a community deal learn and live together when wrestling with different beliefs and understanding, and how we live out our vision and values together.

This week, we’re taking some time to explore some of the contemplative prayer practices that we have talked about during our recent series around prayer. We’ll be walking through practices together as a community, as well as providing a space to explore some prayer practices on our own. Additional resources can be found on out website at https://elevationwaterloo.org/contemplative-prayer-practices...

Holy Week began this past Sunday with our Palm Sunday celebration—a time that marks Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Today, as we continue this sacred journey together, we invite you to join us in reflecting on Christ’s path to the cross and rejoicing in the hope of the resurrection.

We’re wrapping up our Reimagining Prayer series this week by taking some time to consider the beauty of reflecting on the words of prayers that have been written by others, and the gift of borrowing language to express words that may resonate with our own hearts and minds. From contemplative prayer practices to sharing in  Prayers of the People , from more ancient liturgy to modern litanies – we’l...

This week we continue our series “What If: Reimagining Prayer.” This Sunday Devon will share several forms of prayer that he has found meaningful over the years. Together we will explore the connection between prayer and the physical world around us, including ourselves.

Prayers that Hurt, Prayers that Heal: Building Consent into Interpersonal Prayer. Praying for each other is one of the powerful and intimate parts of Christian community. This week Brian and Grace will lead a discussion on how to be mindful of how we use the power of prayer in ways that make everyone feel safe and included.

Whether prayer feels like a sanctuary or a struggle, a familiar rhythm or a distant mystery—whether you approach it with confidence, doubt, or not at all—you’re not alone. This Sunday, we’re stepping into an honest, open-handed exploration of prayer—one that welcomes our doubts, questions and curiosity. Together, we’ll consider prayer through the lenses of theology, science, personal experience, a...

A powerless and desperate widow reaches out to connect with the prophet Elisha.  Together, they offer what they have and do what they can,  and with God’s blessing there is a miraculous outcome.  Their story provides a compelling lesson as to how God participates with His people to provide justice and restore dignity to the most marginalized. Discussion Questions Sunday, December March 2nd, 2025 C...