The United Church of Canandaigua

Paul has the most impressive religious resume imaginable, and he calls it garbage. This sermon follows Paul’s journey from confidence in his own achievements to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ, and challenges the congregation to honestly examine what they are trusting for their standing before God.

As Paul sends Timothy and Epaphroditus back to Philippi, he offers the church two real-life examples of what it looks like to put others first and keep the gospel at the center. The sermon challenges the congregation to honor those who have poured into them and to consider how God is calling them to pour into others.

Paul's call to work out our salvation with fear and trembling raises a question at the heart of the Christian life: how much is our effort and how much is God's? This sermon holds that tension and invites the congregation to faithful, joyful cooperation with God.

Paul completes the Christ Hymn by announcing that because Jesus humbled himself to death on a cross, God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name. Rooted in Isaiah 45, the confession that Jesus Christ is Lord is both a cosmic declaration and a daily posture, one that calls the congregation to seek neither power nor prestige but to humble themselves as Christ humbled himself.

As citizens of heaven, we are to live our lives in a way that is characteristic of those of the kingdom. Our humility as Christians should cause the world to pay attention to the humility of Christ. Let us strive for an honor, not understood from the world, that embodies love and service toward others.

In his first command to the Philippians, Paul calls the church to conduct themselves as worthy citizens of the gospel: united, unafraid, and expecting that suffering is part of the journey. Grounded in all they have already received in Christ, the congregation is challenged to live counter-culturally, putting others first in humility rather than seeking status or self-promotion.

Facing an uncertain future in prison, Paul models what it looks like to trust God when you don't know how things will turn out. This sermon explores the tension Paul holds between his own desires and God's purposes, calling the congregation to place Christ at the center of life and hold everything else with open hands.

Paul writes from prison not with bitterness but with joy, because his chains have only served to advance the gospel. This sermon explores how God uses our most difficult circumstances as conductors of his power, and calls us to the same gospel-centered freedom Paul modeled.

Paul's opening to the Philippians is a letter of deep affection and confidence, not in circumstances, but in the God who finishes what he begins. This sermon launches our summer series through Philippians by grounding us in partnership, joy, and Paul's prayer that our love would abound more and more in wisdom and bear fruit through Jesus Christ.

On Pentecost Sunday we conclude our journey through the Gospel of John. Jesus appears to his frightened disciples on Easter evening, breathing on them and commissioning them as a sent people empowered by the Holy Spirit. John's Pentecost story connects the breath of new creation in Genesis and Ezekiel to the mission Jesus gives his followers. As we close this series, the congregation will be invited to consider whether they are living as sent and equipped people, carrying the message of forgiveness to a world that needs to hear it.

On the night before his crucifixion, Jesus prays an intimate prayer that pulls together everything John has been showing us since chapter 1. We will explore how Jesus defines eternal life not as a destination but as a relationship with God that begins right now. Come ready to hear the invitation that is on every page of John's Gospel and discover that his prayer on the night before the cross was prayed for you.

In this sermon from John 14:15-21, Jesus promises his disciples on the night of his arrest that he would not leave them alone, but would send the Holy Spirit to be their permanent advocate, guide, and presence. The sermon traces the inseparable connection between love and obedience, showing how loving Jesus expresses itself in keeping his commands, and how that obedience opens the door to the indwelling life of the Spirit. Worshippers will be challenged to stop living the Christian life in their own strength and to lean into the presence and power of the Holy Spirit who lives in them.

This memorable passage shows the relationship between Jesus (the Son) and The Father. We also learn about who Jesus is in relation to us (The Way, The Truth, The Life). Just like how Jesus is IN The Father, and The Father is IN the Son, we are also IN them, and them also IN us. What does this mean? It means we are not alone, we are empowered, and we become a distinct people that look like Jesus in a world that so badly needs it.

In John 10:1-18 Jesus identifies himself as both the gate and the good shepherd who knows his sheep by name and lays down his life for them. He draws a sharp contrast between himself and the thieves and hired hands who exploit or abandon the flock. As we hear this passage we are invited to recognize the voice of the one who calls us by name and to trust that his sacrificial love is the foundation of our relationship with him.

After Jesus' changed world history and resurrected from the dead, many of Jesus’ followers returned to everyday life. For some of his disciples, the resurrected Christ re-encountered them right where he first met them - fishing! At first they didn’t recognize him. Still, Jesus tended to their needs, and gave them instruction. May we be ready to recognize Jesus during our everyday lives, and follow his instructions, for he is our resurrected king.

This sermon follows Thomas's journey from doubt to worship as Jesus appears a second time to the disciples specifically for Thomas's sake. The passage culminates in John's purpose statement (20:30-31), which has been the theme verse for our entire series through John's Gospel. The application invites the congregation to see themselves in the story and to receive the same invitation that John extends, to believe that Jesus is the Messiah and find life in his name.

On Easter Sunday we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus as told through John's account of the empty tomb, Mary's encounter with the risen Lord, and Jesus appearing to his disciples. The sermon walks verse by verse through John 20:1-20, highlighting the eyewitness testimonies of those who saw the empty tomb and the risen Christ. We are invited to believe this testimony and receive the eternal life Jesus offers through his death and resurrection.

Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday to crowds waving palm branches and shouting Hosanna, but they completely misunderstood what kind of king he came to be. They wanted a warrior on a war horse who would overthrow Rome, but Jesus rode a donkey as the prince of peace who would defeat death through the cross and resurrection. We are challenged to receive Jesus as the king he actually is rather than trying to make him fit our expectations, trusting his way of salvation even when it doesn't match what we think we need.

Jesus delays two days before going to Lazarus, teaching us that God's timing is perfect even when it feels painfully slow. When Jesus arrives and sees the devastation of death in this fallen world, he weeps with outrage and love before raising Lazarus to life. We are called to trust God's timing in our suffering, knowing that his purposes are bigger than our immediate circumstances and that he is working to restore all that sin has broken.

In John 9, Jesus heals a man born blind, revealing himself as the light of the world through both physical and spiritual sight. As the man's understanding grows from calling Jesus a prophet to worshiping him as Lord, the Pharisees who claim to see remain spiritually blind. This sermon challenges us to examine whether we truly see Jesus for who he is and calls us to move from spiritual blindness to worship.

Jesus heals a man paralyzed for 38 years at the Pool of Bethesda, asking him the penetrating question: Do you want to get well? The healing on the Sabbath sparks controversy and leads Jesus to claim equality with God the Father, revealing his true identity. This sermon challenges us to examine where we might be stuck in our own lives and invites us to respond to Jesus' power to heal and transform us.

The Gospel of John records fascinating miracles that point us to who Jesus is. This sermon explores Jesus’ miraculous healing of an official’s son, with all of its rich implications. Many today respond to these miracle accounts like they did back then: some with no response, others in misunderstanding the miracles and who Jesus was, and yet others who respond in faithful obedience to Jesus our Lord. Some even believe in Jesus without seeing miracles at all! For us at The United Church, we are called to faith in Jesus, the one who performed and performs miracles. May we respond in wonder, and worship!

Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at a well and offers her living water that satisfies forever. He crosses every social and religious boundary to reach someone the world had written off, revealing himself as the Messiah and Savior of the world. The sermon invites people who feel unworthy or beyond God’s reach to receive the living water Jesus offers, reminding us that no one is outside the reach of his grace.

On Transfiguration Sunday, this sermon explores John 12:20-36, contrasting mountaintop glory with the true glory revealed through Jesus death on a cross. Using the image of a grain of wheat that must die to produce a harvest, Jesus shows that true glory comes through sacrifice and that he will be lifted up to draw all people to himself. The application calls the congregation to look to Jesus on the cross and trust that they simply need to believe in him for salvation.

This Sunday we explore Jesus' nighttime conversation with Nicodemus about being born again. Jesus teaches that entering God's kingdom requires a spiritual birth that only God can give, worked by the Spirit like wind and water that cleanses. The passage culminates in John 3:16-17, reminding us that God sent his Son not to condemn but to save through the cross. Our worship should reflect themes of transformation, new life, the Spirit's work, and God's saving love.

Jesus cleanses the temple with zeal, demonstrating that worship is not a transaction but an encounter with the living God. He declares that his body is the new temple where heaven and earth meet, pointing forward to his death and resurrection. This sermon challenges us to examine whether our faith is based on what Jesus can do for us or on who he truly is. He is the Messiah who died to save us and rose to give us life.

At the wedding in Cana, Jesus performs his first miracle by turning water into wine. This sign reveals his glory to the disciples and points beyond their immediate needs to his greater mission as the Messiah. We are invited to bring our concerns to Jesus while recognizing that he offers us something far greater than solutions to our problems. He offers us himself and true life in his name.

This sermon explores Jesus' invitation to come and see as he calls his first disciples in John 1:35-51. We'll watch as different people respond to this invitation. Some come curious, others skeptical, but when they encounter Jesus, he reveals himself as the Son of God. The message calls skeptics to come experience Jesus for themselves and longtime believers to see him afresh with wonder.

John the Baptist models humility as he points away from himself to Jesus. This sermon explores John's testimony about Jesus' identity as the Messiah, the sacrifice for sin, and the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. We are challenged to follow John's example by deflecting attention from ourselves and pointing others to Jesus, recognizing that our role is to be witnesses, not the main attraction.

In a world drowning in words we can't trust, John's Gospel introduces us to the one Word that changes everything: Jesus, the eternal Word who became flesh and dwelt among us. This sermon traces John 1:1-14, showing how the Creator entered his creation full of grace and truth. The call is simple but profound: will we receive this Word and become children of God?

This sermon explores Psalm 146:5-10 and the Advent theme of longing for God to make all things right in our broken world. The message contrasts temporary human solutions with God's eternal faithfulness and his work of caring for the vulnerable like the oppressed, hungry, and marginalized. The application calls listeners to place their hope in God rather than human leaders while actively joining his work of caring for those in need, requiring faith to trust God's timeline even when circumstances suggest delay.

This sermon examines Psalm 72's prayer for a ruler who embodies God's righteousness and wisdom, pointing beyond Solomon to Christ's eternal kingdom. The message challenges congregants to care for the afflicted and needy while anticipating Jesus' return as the King who will establish perfect peace and wholeness.

This sermon explores Psalm 122, a Song of Ascent that captures the joy of pilgrimage to Jerusalem and connects with our Advent longing for Christ's coming. The congregation will be challenged to find joy in worship, build unified community, pray for God's peace, and make personal commitments to work for the good of God's people during this season of anticipation.

In his final words before execution, Peter challenges believers to guard their spiritual inheritance against subtle deception and to actively grow in grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. This sermon concludes our 12-week journey through 2 Peter by bringing us full circle to the central question of what we do with everything God has given us. Pastor Wade will provide practical steps for both guarding against false teaching and growing deeper in relationship with Jesus, challenging the congregation to live like the spiritual millionaires they truly are.

Peter's final letter challenges believers to live with eternal perspective, recognizing that this world is temporary while God's new creation will last forever. The passage emphasizes that Christians can actively participate in hastening Christ's return through evangelism, holy living, prayer, and obedience rather than passively waiting. Practically, this means making decisions based on what honors God, using our resources for His kingdom, and preparing our hearts to be found spotless, blameless and at peace when Jesus returns.

This sermon explores 2 Peter 3:8-10, where Peter addresses complaints about the apparent delay in Jesus’ return. The message shows how God’s eternal perspective on time differs from our human impatience, and how His delay is actually motivated by patient love for people who need time to come to faith. The application challenges listeners to trust God’s timing in their own lives, show patience with difficult people as God shows patience with them, and live ready for Christ’s unexpected return.

In 2 Peter 3:1-7, Peter addresses scoffers who mock the delay of Christ's return by reminding believers that God has always kept His promises throughout history. Just as God judged the world through Noah's flood, He will return to judge again, this time by fire. Believers should live with urgency and readiness, trusting God's perfect timing rather than being swayed by skeptics who deliberately forget God's faithfulness.

In a world full of confusion and false promises, Peter warns against voices that seem refreshing but leave us empty. True freedom isn’t found in self-serving desires but in knowing Christ and living as his people. Rooted in Scripture and guided by the Spirit, we’re called to live holy, hope-filled lives that reflect the grace and truth of Jesus.

This sermon examines 2 Peter 2:10b-16, where Peter describes false teachers as blots and blemishes who are arrogant, greedy, and motivated by selfish gain. Using the example of Balaam, Peter shows how these teachers abandon the right path to pursue personal profit, becoming so spiritually blind that they have less discernment than Balaam’s talking donkey. The application challenges believers to recognize the warning signs of false teaching, guard their own hearts against pride and greed, and stay grounded in God’s Word.

Peter uses three powerful Old Testament examples of fallen angels, Noah's flood, and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah to demonstrate that God's perfect justice and perfect mercy work together throughout history. Through these stories of both judgment and rescue, we see that God has never failed to deal with rebellion while also protecting those who trust Him. We are challenged to stand faithfully for God's truth even when the world mocks it, while offering hope that God's mercy is still available to those who turn to Him in repentance and faith.

This sermon explores 2 Peter 2:1-3 and Peter's warning about false teachers who work from within the church, using the Trojan horse as an illustration of how enemies can appear as gifts while bringing destruction. The message calls believers to know God's Word deeply, test all teaching against Scripture, and live authentically Christian lives that protect the church's witness.

In this sermon from 2 Peter 1:16-21, Peter defends the reliability of apostolic testimony and Scripture against false teachers who claimed the stories about Jesus were fabricated myths. Peter provides three powerful reasons we can trust what we've been told about Jesus: eyewitness testimony from the apostles, historical evidence like the Transfiguration, and the divine origin of Scripture itself. The message challenges us to take God's Word seriously in our daily lives, trusting it as our reliable guide through life's confusion until Jesus returns.

Peter's final letter emphasizes the importance of constant reminding in the Christian life, as he reflects on his coming death and his urgent desire to stir up believers' faith while he still can. Using the metaphor of living in tents, Peter shows that our earthly life is brief, which should create urgency in how we strengthen one another and pass on God's truth to future generations. The sermon challenges us to embrace our need for spiritual reminders, live with eternal perspective, and actively invest in leaving lasting reminders of faith for those who come after us.

Based on 2 Peter 1:5-11, this sermon explores how Christians often possess incredible spiritual resources from God but fail to utilize them for growth and maturity. The message teaches through Peter's ladder of spiritual growth - eight qualities that build from faith to love - showing how we're called to make every effort in developing our spiritual lives as a response to God's grace. The sermon challenges listeners to prioritize spiritual growth through practical steps like scheduled prayer and Bible study, regular spiritual self-examination, and living with an eternal perspective.

In this opening message from 2 Peter, we explore the apostle's final words to the church as he faces execution, emphasizing that God's divine power has already given us everything we need for godly living through His great and precious promises. Peter contrasts true knowledge of God that transforms our lives with the false knowledge claimed by corrupt teachers who treat God's costly grace as cheap. The application challenges us to listen deeply to Peter's final words and actively engage with God's promises for transformation, remembering that just as God transformed the failing fisherman Peter into a rock-solid apostle, He can transform us too.

This sermon on 1 Peter 5:12-14 explores how Christians are called to stand firm in God's grace while living as exiles in a culture that no longer centers faith. The message challenges congregants to examine whether they will maintain their commitments to church and faith or allow cultural pressures around time, money, and competing priorities to draw them away from being the church God has called them to be.

This sermon from 1 Peter 5:1-11 explores how God calls all believers to live with humility and servant hearts, whether in church leadership or daily Christian living. Peter encourages Christians facing persecution and difficulty to cast their anxieties on God rather than trying to maintain control, while staying alert to spiritual opposition. The message challenges listeners to examine where anxiety may be ruling their lives and calls them to actively trust God by releasing their worries to Him, knowing that He cares for them and has ultimate power over every situation.

This sermon explores 1 Peter 4:12-19, where Peter teaches that suffering for our faith should not surprise us but be seen as a blessing that connects us to Christ's suffering and glory. Peter challenges believers to reject prosperity gospel thinking and understand that genuine discipleship often comes with a cost. The application calls Christians to commit themselves faithfully to God during difficult times, trusting His Spirit rather than abandoning their faith when following Jesus becomes costly.

This sermon examines how early Christians chose faithful living over cultural expectations, refusing to participate in pagan festivals despite social pressure from family and friends. Just as those believers faced ridicule for their convictions, modern Christians must discern which cultural practices align with God's design and which compromise our faith. The message challenges listeners to examine areas where social pressure may be pulling them away from God's calling and to recommit to living with eternal perspective.

This sermon explores the challenging passage of 1 Peter 3:18-22, focusing on how Christ's death and resurrection demonstrate His complete victory over all spiritual powers, including the mysterious proclamation to imprisoned spirits from Noah's time. Peter uses this profound spiritual reality to encourage suffering first-century Christians that there is more happening than what they can see on the surface. We are called to recognize that in our current broken world, Christ's resurrection power gives us hope and assurance that God remains in control, even when we feel like a minority surrounded by opposition.