Kortright Church

On the week that leads into Advent, Grant and Justin discuss and explore some of the practices that can make this season truly meaningful. What would it look like if our Advent and Christmas season was truly slowed down to the point we could sit back and take note of what God is saying and doing in your life and the life of the church? If you'd like to share some of the ways these practices are he...

Welcome to another episode of The Sunday Sitdown where pastors Justin and Grant try to wrestle out further who Jesus is referring to as having "authority to throw you into hell" in Luke 12, as well as how we truly live the integrated life. As always, please send your questions as they arise to questions@kortirghtchurch.org.

Series: The Gospel of Luke Message:   Reintegration Speaker:  Justin Sytsma Passage: Luke 11:37 -12:12 There is a tendency to think of Jesus only as “gentle Jesus, meek and mild”, but Justin points out in this passage that, like all of us, Jesus was a full, multi-dimensional human being. Though welcoming and inclusive, he also doesn’t pull his punches when necessary. But that doesn’t mean those he...

In today's passage, Jesus alludes to the "Queen of Sheba" seeking wisdom from Solomon, and so today we're taking an opportunity to share the process of reading the Bible and seeking wisdom as a meta-discussion on this week's relatively difficult-to-understand passage. If you have questions, please feel free to send them to questions@kortrightchurch.org.

Series: The Gospel of Luke Message:   Asking for a Sign Speaker:  Grant Vissers Passage: Luke 11:29-36 It can often be difficult for us to discern where God is leading as we face the many decisions we make in life. Sometimes anxiety mounts as we wait for God to send a clear and obvious sign. But, as Jesus points out to his followers, sometimes the sign we are looking for is right there in front of...

Welcome to another episode of The Sunday Sitdown, where this week pastor Grant and Justin explore a challenging passage where Jesus seems to contradict himself from chapter 9, and we get into the heads of the cynical crowds who seemed to oppose Jesus healing the demon-possessed man. As always, if you have questions, reach out to us - questions@kortrightchurch.org

Series: The Gospel of Luke Message:   Overcoming the Strong Man Speaker:  Grant Vissers Passage: Luke 11:14-28 It can be discouraging when we see the battle between good and evil playing out in the real world. But we don’t have to lay awake at night wondering who is going to win. We know who the stronger man is. Episode 25-0043: © 2025 Kortright Presbyterian Church

**Audio issue resolves after about 20 seconds**Welcome to another episode of The Sunday Sitdown where this week Pastor Grant and Justin explore why Jesus calls us "evil", what makes Jesus' prayer unique to other Jewish prayers, and how we understand what precisely we receive in prayer, if it's not "just" the Holy Spirit. Here's a few resource links to check out:How to Pray - A Simple Guide for Nor...

Series: The Gospel of Luke Message:   Lord, teach us to pray Speaker:  Grant Vissers Passage: Luke 11:1-13 We call it “The Lord’s Prayer.” It is, arguably, the single most well known prayer in all the world. And yet, how many of us truly understand what it is we are praying. This morning Grant leads us to a deeper understanding of Jesus’ answer to the disciples request, “Lord, teach us to pray”. E...

Welcome to another episode of our podcast! In this episode pastor Justin chats with Annabelle Edward about Jesus, Mary, and Martha from Luke 10:38-42, exploring ideas such as ways that we can 'sit at the feet of Jesus' both as individuals and as a community, as well as the tension between being in the presence of God vs. doing the work of the Kingdom. As always, we welcome your questions based on...

Series: The Gospel of Luke Message:   Do Not Wait to Be Invited Speaker:  Annabelle Edward Passage: Luke 10:38-42 Our series on the Gospel of Luke continues with Annabelle Edward guiding us through the story about Mary & Martha. Meditation vs. Service, which is the better way? How do we achieve balance? Annabelle presents some great perspective on this. Episode 25-0041: © 2025 Kortright Presby...

Welcome to this week's episode of The Sunday Sitdown where pastor Grant and Justin go deeper into the story of the good Samaritan and the expert of the law. In this episode we'll explore more about what it is to be a neighbour and how we find the Gospel in a message that could easily be misconstrued as Jesus saying "to be saved, go and do _______" rather than finding ourselves in the unmerited fav...

Series: The Gospel of Luke Message:   Knowing vs. Doing Speaker:  Grant Vissers Passage: Luke 19:25-37 On this Thanksgiving weekend (in Canada) Grant takes us through what is very likely the most widely known of all Jesus’ parables - the parable of the Good Samaritan. It’s widely known, but how widely is it followed? Episode 25-0040: © 2025 Kortright Presbyterian Church

Welcome to another week of our series through Luke as Justin and Grant nerd out on the "Jesus as a new Moses" theme that quietly undergirds this passage. Practically, we explore what it means to be both a people of peace AND urgency. As always, feel free to send your questions to questions@kortrightchuch.org

Series: The Gospel of Luke Message:   The Kingdom of God has Come Near You Speaker:  Justin Sytsma Passage: Luke 19:1-25 It can be very easy to focus on the power that is displayed in the gospels, but Jesus makes it clear that power over demons and scorpions is not the most important aspect of God’s kingdom. There is something greater in the believer’s experience. Episode 25-0039: © 2025 Kortright...

Welcome back to this week's Sunday Sitdown where we unpack the challenges of following Jesus - comfort, priority, and history, and get specific on the ways we can push back against these tendencies. NOTE: There was an intermittent issue on Grant's microphone so there are couple minutes of audio that are lower quality, but hopefully it's all intelligible!

Series: The Gospel of Luke Message:  The Cost of Following Jesus Speaker:  Grant Vissers Passage: Luke 9:57-62 Living the Christian life in the modern world can be a challenge. Wrestling with these challenges is the most important thing we can do; but how? This week Grant lays out three challenges we will face and three practices that will aid in facing those challenges. Episode 25-0038: © 2025 Ko...

Welcome back to another episode on our series working through the Gospel of Luke, where this week Grant and Justin explore rejection, revenge, and retribution. As always, if you have questions you'd like to have considered, please send to questions@kortrightchurch.org.

Series: The Gospel of Luke Message:  Responding to Rejection Speaker:  Grant Vissers Passage: Luke 9:51-56 How do you handle rejection? It’s hard sometimes. The tendency to lash out is strong for many of us depending on the situation. It was no less so for the disciples; yet Jesus wants us to understand that’s not what he came here to do. Episode 25-0038: © 2025 Kortright Presbyterian Church

Series: The Gospel of Luke Message:  Scrambling for Greatness Speaker:  Grant Vissers Passage: Luke 9:45-52 How competitive are you? It seems we all have a little bit of a desire to be proven better than some others. Or we get a boost to our self-worth when we can show we’re right and they’re wrong. The disciples were no different, but as Grant shows us, Jesus challenges us to pursue a better way....

In this week's episode, Justin Sytsma and Grant Vissers lean into the weirdness of the transfiguration and our very human tendency to try to contain God as individuals or a church. Be sure to bring us your questions following Sunday's service - questions@kortrightchurch.org

Series: The Gospel of Luke Message:  Remembering God Speaker:  Grant Vissers Passage: Luke 9:37-44 In many ways, in North American culture, September is the Monday of the year. The weekend (summer) is over and it’s time to get back to work. But that isn’t always easy; it can take a while to get back into the flow of “real life.” Grant shows us how the same holds true for us spiritually as well. Ep...

In this week's episode, Justin Sytsma and Grant Vissers lean into the weirdness of the transfiguration and our very human tendency to try to contain God as individuals or a church. Be sure to bring us your questions following Sunday's service - questions@kortrightchurch.org

Series: The Gospel of Luke Message:  Interrupted by God Speaker:  Grant Vissers Passage: Luke 9:28-36 Sometimes we can get so excited by what’s happening we just need to be a part of it. And so we act first and think later…maybe. This week Grant shows us that Peter was a lot like us in this way and points out just what it took for him to stand down and pay attention. Episode 25-0035: © 2025 Kortri...

In this week's episode, Justin Sytsma sits down with Allison Pinches to go a little more in depth into Luke 9:18-27, a pivotal moment where Jesus reveals himself to his disciples and asks this crucial question "who do you say I am?" and what it looks like to "take up our cross daily".Be sure to bring us your questions following Sunday's service - questions@kortrightchurch.org!