Elevation Waterloo Sermons

What do we do with our deepest longings? What does Jesus do? Let’s explore through an underrated story as we continue our  Stories from Scripture: Flannelgraph Not Included  series.

Back in November we introduced the Elevation community to the Peace in Action Team (PiAT),  inviting our community to participate in building the branches of this team.  We are thrilled to further this important work of education, reflection, service, giving and advocacy, rooted in our faith and commitment to justice,  compassion and re-imagined church.  For this special Service & Learning Gat...

This week we will be continuing our  Stories from Scripture: Flannelgraph Not Included  series with a look at perhaps a lesser-known individual from scripture - Rhoda. We may not hear a lot about Rhoda, but her story is not unfamiliar. The mention of her name in scripture, and her experience within the early church community, invites us to reflect about the ways that voices from within our own com...

Learning from the Book of Esther: Laughing in the Face of Uncertainty and Times of Trouble. This week we will be taking a closer look at the book and person of Esther. There are lots of messy topics that this book touches on but like most great cultural events, it may actually be best read as a  comedy . Sometimes one of  the greatest gifts God gives us may actually be Their sense of humour. Humou...

Fierce, witty, and unapologetically bold—the Syrophoenician woman didn't submit or resign to passivity. She was persistent and courageous in challenging the status quo, refusing to take "no" as an answer, and in so doing she partnered with God in creating a more just world. Join us this Sunday as we explore her powerful story, and discover how her example (among others) invites us to...

This week we begin the year with a new series looking at different characters from scripture. To start us off Devon explores the story of Jesus healing a blind man, and how his personal connection to this story has changed and grown over the years. We attempt to journey through the many influences this story has on us today.

Advent hope is beautiful—but it’s also messy. It’s the radiant glow of light on the horizon, but it’s also the ache of waiting, the weight of “not yet.” It’s the tension between the promise of what could be and the pain of what isn’t. Advent doesn’t shy away from this tension. Instead, it calls us to hold on anyway. To risk hoping for a world transformed, for a love that doesn’t let go, for a God...

What does it mean to have joy? Is it possible to have joy even if you aren’t happy? Join us as we explore what it means to have joy during the Christmas season.

December 1st is the first day of  Advent, the season that we anticipate the coming of Jesus, our Saviour. In the teaching time this week, we will be looking into the Advent theme of "Peace".  Prophecies about Jesus call him the "Prince of Peace" and angels heralded his birth with the declaration of "Peace on Earth".  Clearly, the kingdom of God is a kingdom of peace.  But in 2024, our world is fil...

After the excitement of June’s Youth Takeover, our incredible youth stepped up again this past Sunday! The service kicked off with a fun and interactive game, followed by heartfelt worship. The podcast recorded here was a thoughtful panel discussion, hosted by Benji Spee and Jess Niemi, featuring Elevation members Shane Bauman, Tessa Martin, Caleb Conley, and Marian Wiens. A big thank-you to all t...

On November 17th, we took some time to hear from our Mission and Journey teams about the work they have been doing over the last few months to dream and strategize about next steps for continuing to align those ministry areas with our affirmed values, vision and mission. Then, during our discussion time, our Children’s Ministry Exploration Team invited our community into some discussion and sharin...

Join us this Sunday as we explore the final lines of the Apostles’ Creed: “the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.” How does God’s relational love transform these ancient words into a living invitation for us? What if forgiveness is more than wiping the slate clean—what if it’s an invitation to healing and liberation? How does affirming the resurrection of the...

I believe in the Holy Spirit . What does it mean to believe in the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit can be the most challenging part of the Trinity to wrap your head around and is often reduced to simply being a power source…like a spiritual battery. On the other hands some of the worst moments of Christian history have used the supposed inspiration of the Holy Spirit as cover and justification. Join...

This Sunday we continue our journey through the Apostle’s Creed. Devon explores the articles of “the holy worldwide church, and the communion of Christ followers,” centering on ideas around the family of God, and what it means to belong to something far from perfect.

Descending, Ascending, Returning: Christ’s Love in the Creeds In this message, we explore one of the most perplexing passages of the Apostles’ Creed, which includes:  He descended to the dead, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and will come again to judge the living and the dead. What if far from the fear-driven images of fire and brimstone, the judgment of Christ isn’t about exclusion or...

This Sunday, we're continuing our series Living the Creed: A Fresh Perspective . We’ll dive into the second line of the Creed: “I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord.” We will take some time to explore the significance of Jesus’ divinity. What does it mean for us today? Does it shape how we understand justice, and our calling to love? What does it look like to discover or redisco...

This Sunday we are beginning a new series titled “Living the Creed: A fresh perspective.” We will look at how the ancient creeds came to be and examine how the statement of beliefs that form the Apostles Creed can positively influence how we live out our faith. This week we begin with “I believe in God the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth”. 

We live in a culture obsessed with youth, yet aging is a universal reality. Ecclesiastes talks about youth as being "meaningless" but also implores us to remember God in the days of our youth. This week end our Summer series on Ecclesiastes while we explore the value of youth and aging and what it means to follow Jesus in every stage of our lives.

This Sunday, join us as we continue in our series on Ecclesiastes, exploring the theme of confronting death—not only physical death, but the death of ideas, relationships, organizations, and aspects of our lives that no longer serve us. We’ll reflect on what it means to be resurrection people, finding hope and renewal in the very act of letting go. Together, we’ll confront the struggle to release...

Relationships and community are important.  Much of our personal happiness (or unhappiness) arises from the health of our relationships with others and sense of belonging. This week, Mark Dettweiler will be examining  how the “cord of three strands” in Ecclesiastes can inform our understanding of healthy relationships and supportive communities.

We are in the sixth week of our Summer Series, digging into the book and themes of Ecclesiastes. This week we’ll be continuing to ask questions about what we do with the very real, seemingly pessimistic and hopeless nature of the words that the author presents. In light of the meaningless nature of everything around us, how do we go on? If life is a vapour, what do we hang on to? How does the life...

This week, join Devon as he explores the theme of work (toil and labour) in the book of Ecclesiastes. Together, we will discuss what work can and cannot contribute to our lives today. 

This Sunday, we continue our study of Ecclesiastes, exploring the raw honesty of its author. We'll reflect on how this ancient text invites us to confront the world's suffering with open eyes and compassionate hearts, and grants us liberating permission to be honest about our own struggles, suffering, doubts, despair and disillusionment as a path to healing and growth.  Together, we'll...

Summertime, and the living is … meaningless?!?  The Teacher of Ecclesiastes contends that everything in life is ultimately in vain and therefore meaningless. Is the Teacher completely correct or could there be something more?  What might Jesus have to say to the Teacher? Join Mark Dettweiler as he explores these questions.   Question 1:  What gives life meaning?  In the Teacher’s view, “meaning” o...

We are told that moderation is a virtue, but it is easy to call for moderation when you are in a place of comfort and privilege. This week we will look at a number of passages of scripture and consider how they could be used to both help and to harm and discern together what it means to listen to the Spirit as a community.  Please note that due to a technical glitch, the first portion of the sermo...