The United Church of Canandaigua

In this sermon from 1 Peter 2:4-10, we explore how Christians are living stones being built into God's spiritual house with Christ as the cornerstone—rejected by the world but precious to believers. Just as ancient stone structures have stood for centuries, God is building an enduring spiritual kingdom through each of us. Christians apply this truth by becoming living stones through daily acts of...

In this sermon from 1 Peter 1:13-2:3, we explore how Christians can live holy lives while feeling like exiles in a changing culture. Peter calls believers to stay alert and sober-minded, setting their hope on God's grace while resisting conformity to the empty ways of the world. Through regular spiritual nourishment and a reorientation of our understanding, we can grow in holiness, love one anothe...

This sermon examines 1 Peter's paradoxical description of believers as both chosen by God yet exiles in the world, explaining how this ancient letter speaks directly to Christians experiencing cultural marginalization today. Peter's teaching reveals how trials can refine our faith like gold while God's promises offer an inheritance that never fades. For application, the congregation will be encour...

This Pentecost sermon explores Psalm 104:24-35, revealing how God's Spirit both creates and renews all life, drawing parallels between the breath that sustains creation and the Holy Spirit that empowered the early church. We will be invited to identify areas in our lives needing spiritual renewal - whether in relationships, work challenges, or personal faith journeys - and to depend on the same Sp...

This sermon explores Psalm 97's powerful vision of God's sovereign rule over creation, where even mountains melt like wax in His presence. The message challenges us to examine the modern idols competing for our trust, to release our anxiety about the future knowing God reigns, to stand in appropriate awe of His majesty, to rejoice that He brings justice to our broken world, and ultimately to becom...

This sermon explores Psalm 67’s call for God’s face to shine upon us so that all peoples may come to know and praise Him. It challenges the congregation to be reflections of God’s light and fairness in their daily lives, carrying His presence into our community.

Exploring Psalm 148's call for all creation—from the highest heavens to the deepest oceans—to praise God, this sermon examines how we find our unique voice in creation's symphony of praise as those who have not only been created but also redeemed by God's love.

This Sunday we explore Psalm 23’s journey from the Shepherd’s provision to God’s eternal dwelling, showing how God meets us in both green pastures and dark valleys. Our Easter psalm series reveals God’s constant presence through every season of life.

Using the Acronym ACT: Appreciate Psalm 30’s place in history as a song of temple dedication. Consider how it reflects David’s life, Israel’s relationship with God, and our redemption in Christ (as temples ourselves / the church). Thank God for hearing our cries, turning mourning into dancing, and giving us eternal life in Christ.

Drawing from Psalm 118, this Easter sermon explores how God turns rejection into redemption through Christ's resurrection, focusing on the powerful image of the rejected stone becoming the cornerstone of our faith. The sermon weaves together ancient temple worship and New Testament fulfillment to celebrate how Christ's resurrection opens the gates of righteousness for all believers.

Through an examination of Jesus' anguished prayer in Gethsemane (Luke 22:39-49), this sermon explores the tension between cultural messages of self-fulfillment and Jesus' example of submitting to the Father's will, challenging us to pray against temptation and align ourselves with God's purposes rather than our own desires.

In John 12, Mary's lavish gift of perfume to anoint Jesus demonstrates what extravagant worship looks like when we withhold nothing from Christ. Through her example, we explore how true devotion often defies conventional wisdom and involves sacrificial giving. This message challenges us to examine our own worship and asks whether we, like Mary, are willing to give our most precious offerings to Je...

Through three parables in Luke 15, Jesus reveals God's passionate pursuit of lost people, showing us a Father who eagerly runs to embrace those who have strayed, challenging us to join in His mission of seeking and celebrating the found.

Through Jesus's teaching on tragic events and the parable of the fig tree, this sermon explores how we often misunderstand God's judgment and calls us away from religious finger-pointing toward authentic repentance and a life-giving relationship with God. The message challenges us to examine our own hearts rather than judging others, while emphasizing God's desire for genuine spiritual fruit rathe...

In this sermon on Luke 13:31-35, we explore Jesus' lament over Jerusalem through the metaphor of a mother hen yearning to gather her chicks, revealing both God's protective love for His people and the tragedy of their rejection, while ultimately pointing to Christ's determined mission toward the cross. The themes of divine protection, sacrificial love, and the invitation to come under God's wings...

This sermon from Luke 4:1-13 explores Jesus's forty-day wilderness temptations and how he remained faithful through the power of the Spirit and Scripture. By examining the three specific temptations - using power for personal comfort, taking shortcuts to authority, and testing God's promises - we learn practical ways to face our own spiritual battles during this Lenten season. The message emphasiz...

After Peter declares Jesus is the Messiah, and after Jesus prophecies his death and resurrection, Jesus brings a few disciples onto a mountain and appears to them in glorious light, in a well-known scene often called The Transfiguration. In our sermon, we will consider the importance and the purpose of this revelation, and what it is that God invites us into through this story.

Jesus's radical command to love our enemies goes far beyond natural human inclinations, as demonstrated powerfully in his own love for Judas and his death on the cross for sinners. In Luke 6:27-38, Jesus calls his followers to respond to hatred with good deeds, to curses with blessings, and to mistreatment with prayer. It is a way of living that seems impossible by human standards but becomes poss...

Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, particularly as recorded in Luke 6, radically redefines what it means to be blessed by God, challenging both ancient and modern assumptions about spiritual success. Rather than providing a checklist of behaviors to follow, Jesus paints a picture of God's kingdom where those who are poor, hungry, and persecuted are blessed, while warning those who find comfort and accept...

This sermon explores Jesus' calling of his first disciples in Luke 5:1-11, focusing particularly on Simon Peter's journey from a fisherman to a follower of Christ after witnessing a miraculous catch of fish. The sermon emphasizes the distinction between wanting Jesus to join our plans versus truly following Him as Master, highlighting how Simon and his companions immediately left everything behind...

In this sermon about Jesus's return to Nazareth in Luke 4, we see how his hometown's initial warm reception quickly turned violent when he challenged their lack of faith by comparing them unfavorably to two Gentiles - the widow of Zarephath and Naaman the Syrian - who demonstrated true faith despite having less evidence than the townspeople had. The sermon concludes by asking listeners to examine...

This sermon reflects on Jesus’ bold proclamation in his hometown of Nazareth, declaring himself the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy in Luke 4:14-21. It challenges listeners to move beyond familiarity and embrace Jesus’ authority, recognizing his call to trust God’s work in their lives.

This sermon explores Jesus' first miracle at the Cana wedding feast, explaining how He transformed water into wine not merely to solve a practical problem, but to reveal His identity as the Messiah and point to God's greater work of redemption. Using Mary's response as a model, the sermon shows how believers can bring their immediate needs to Jesus while recognizing His larger purpose in bringing...

We are called to embrace humility and dependence on God as modeled by John the Baptist and Jesus during His baptism, recognizing our roles in God's greater plan and our need for the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. By following their example, we too are equipped to continue Jesus' mission in the world, relying on God’s guidance and strength to live out our faith actively and purposefully.

This sermon explores the celebration of Epiphany, emphasizing its roots in the early church as a continuation of the Christmas season, culminating on January 6. Drawing from the story of the Magi in Matthew 2, it highlights the significance of their journey, the symbolic meaning of their gifts, and their role in acknowledging Jesus as King, Priest, and Savior. The message also reflects on God's pr...