A 6-part sermon Series
In-person or on YouTube
Sundays 10am - 590 University Cres. Winnipeg.
So much is overwhelming right now.
Finances, family and relationship problems, wars, physical health, mental health, feeling unsafe, the climate crisis, polarized politics and elections, escalation of racist rhetoric, worries about the health care system, and then there’s just the regular day-to-day keeping up with everything.
Why is it this way? Shouldn’t it be better?
So often spiritual guidance is too trite, too simplistic, and not lasting.
Yet, there is such depth to the wisdom of the ancient Judeo-Christian writings. Even just a glance at the poetry in the Psalms is enough to know that from the beginning humans have felt just as we feel.
And yes - there is a response to it all… One that connects us to something, someone, far greater than ourselves. And yes… there are postures we can adopt in the midst of the struggle.
This six-week series aims to face our collective overwhelm knowing that God is with us, that God understands brokenness and pain, that God overcomes, and that in the end the overwhelm will not win.
October 20 Why Are We So Overwhelmed?
Psalm 77 & 1 Kings 19:1-15a
Feeling overwhelmed can be brought on by things far beyond our influence or control and also by the everyday. Perhaps it is the sheer pace of life that has spun out of control. For Elijah, it was a whole combination of things, and it got to the point of depression. God is gentle with Elijah and then is present in a still small voice rather than in the torrents of fire, wind, and earthquake. How might we be gentle with ourselves and receive God’s grace and peace while acknowledging being overwhelmed?
October 27 God-sized Problems
Mark 4:35-41 & Romans 8:18-39
Following up on the previous week, we consider how we respond when we can’t control the situation that is overwhelming.
November 3, 2024 You're Not Alone
Psalm 46 & John 1:1-18
The bold statement of John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and lived among us” reminds us that God became a human being. Not only is it the promise that we have God with us, but it is an incredible affirmation of being human in the flesh, in a body, and being part of a body, a community. We will celebrate communion this day and also have our after-service Big Deal Sunday, where we’re reminded that relationships with each other are a BIG DEAL.
November 10 Hoping When It Seems Hopeless
Psalm 88 & Matthew 27:27-50
What about when everything is lost? What about when the bottom has fallen out? We’ve been conditioned to avoid loss, to not talk about failure, to deny death. But the wisdom of our faith found in places like Psalms of lament, and particularly in the crucifixion of Jesus which is the centre point of the Christian faith, teaches us not to avoid or deny, but instead to cry out. And perhaps somehow hope doesn’t fail even in hopelessness.
November 17 Overcoming Overwhelm
Psalm 13 & Romans 6:3-11
The promise of new life is always on offer. Psalm 13 has it’s cry “how long?” and we might feel that way, but we always look for resurrection, both after death and also here and now. What better way to celebrate the sign of new life than with two Baptisms that we will have this Sunday!
November 24 The Overwhelm Doesn't Win
Psalm 93 & Revelation 1:4b-8
In the end all will be put right. Yes, we do believe that, and we celebrate it even now before it happens in full. It is actually easier to be cynical than it is to hope. But we aren’t a cynical people. We believe in the reconciliation of all things: humans, and everything bit of God’s good creation, restored to a place where everyone and everything flourishes. Whatever overwhelms us now will one day be no more.