In Sermons:

Palm Sunday Hides The Coming Glory

Contributed by Rev. Matthew Parker on Apr 12, 2025

A message about Palm Sunday and how it pre-enacts Christ coming in glory.

Palm Sunday Sermon - April 13, 2025 It is Palm Sunday! Palm Sunday is always a pretty upbeat and engaging time, as we enter into the joy of the crowd that welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem on a donkey. In fact, Palm Sunday is an essential part of the Easter experience, of the Resurrection Sunday ...read more

Scripture: Luke 19:28-40, Zechariah 9:9, Luke 1:32-33

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Letting Go To Move Forward: Trusting God's Way

Contributed by Rev. Matthew Parker on Apr 6, 2025

This is a message about overcoming the suffering and hardships of life by following God's path as we see in today's passage.

April 6, 2025 Sermon - “Letting Go to Move Forward: Trusting God's Way" - Isaiah 43:16-21 Today, we’re diving into this powerful passage from Isaiah 43:16-21 because, let’s face it, life can be challenging. The journey from captivity to freedom is never easy. We all experience seasons ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 43:16-21, Psalm 77:11, 2 Corinthians 5:17

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Faithful, Flawed And After God’s Heart - King David

Contributed by Rev. Matthew Parker on Mar 9, 2025

This message is about King David and how the low points in his life didn't define him, how through his faith in God, David was not encumbered by his past or his mistakes and rather could live his life for the glory of the God! His love for God despite his flaws, was beautiful.

Message – “Faithful, Flawed and After God’s Heart” Does anyone hear enjoy doing puzzles? What do you enjoy the most about doing puzzles? Here’s another question: Do you ever feel like figuring out your life is like trying to solve a large, thousand-piece puzzle that doesn’t have a picture on the ...read more

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Transformed To Be Like Jesus

Contributed by Rev. Matthew Parker on Mar 2, 2025

God's Spirit is at work in us, refining us, growing the fruit of the Spirit in us. He is transforming us to be like Jesus. How do we sometimes resist this? What does it mean to see each other as ones who are being transformed by the goodness and grace of God?

March 2, 2025 Sermon - “Transformed to Be Like Jesus” Nature is an incredible thing. Most of us have likely had our breath taken away at the site of something in creation. Barbara and I spent our 35th anniversary in Jasper, Alberta and I’m frankly still in awe of the extraordinary beauty of that ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 2:13-15, Exodus 34:29-35

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Glory Of God In Nature And Scripture

Contributed by Rev. Matthew Parker on Jan 25, 2025

This interactive message explores Psalm 19 as a brilliant model for reflection and prayer.

Sermon for January 26, 2026 - Psalm 19 This past Wednesday at the men’s Bible study we were looking at the song of Miriam and Moses from Exodus chapter 15 after they crossed through the Red sea. It’s a song, though the melody is lost to us because they had no way to write melodies 3000 years ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 60:19-20, Romans 8:3, Galatians 3:23, Galatians 2:15-16

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Cosmic Nativity: The Word Became Flesh

Contributed by Rev. Matthew Parker on Jan 5, 2025

This sermon expounds on the Apostle John's version of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ

January 5, 2025 Sermon - “The Cosmic Nativity: The Word Became Flesh” This sermon expands on an earlier devotional teaching give to staff at the Yonge Street Mission in Toronto. It is adapted for the congregation of Church at the Mission, Yonge Street Mission This is the first Sunday of the New ...read more

Scripture: John 1:1-18, Matthew 5:14-16

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

You Are Fully Seen & Fully Loved

Contributed by Rev. Matthew Parker on Dec 29, 2024

God knows you for more than you know yourself, far deeper than you can imagine. this sermon unpacks Psalm 139

Sermon for December 29, 2024 It is the last Sunday of 2024. We are at the dusk of this year and nearly at the dawn of 2025. Let me ask you… How has 2024 been for you? What’s one word that you might use to describe how you are doing and where you are at the end of 2024. In a moment we are going ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 29:11-14

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Jesus Christ: The Alpha & Omega - The Same Yesterday, Today & Forever

Contributed by Rev. Matthew Parker on Nov 18, 2024

Jesus The Christ is the ground of our being, our hope, our Anchor.

It’s been over 12 years now since Barbara and I travelled to the UK in August of 2012 for our 25th anniversary. We did something that I will never do again: we decided to travel to 10 different cities in Ireland, Scotland, England and finally Wales, in 21 days. I still can’t quite believe we did ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 1:17-18, Hebrews 13:1-8

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Live What You Believe!

Contributed by Rev. Matthew Parker on Nov 3, 2024

We're called to live our faith genuinely and not hiddenly. To do that we need to know what our identity is as redeemed children of God.

Sermon for September 15, 2024: “Live What You Believe!” Do you struggle to live what you believe? If you are human, you do. What we believe in is...must be distinct, higher and greater than how we live in the day to day. If I ask you what you believe, and you say: “I believe I’ll have another ...read more

Scripture: Mark 8:27-38

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Justly, Mercifully, Humbly

Contributed by Rev. Matthew Parker on Oct 29, 2024

A reflection on Micah 6:8 in its Scriptural context

This passage, verse 8, without its context, is deeply inspiring all by its lonesome. We used to have a staff member, Maryellen Parker Boyes, who had this passage tattooed on her wrists. My brother's tombstone has this passage on it. This passage, verse 8, without its context, is deeply ...read more

Scripture: Micah 6:1-8

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Armour (Armor) Of God: The Battle Belong To The Lord

Contributed by Rev. Matthew Parker on Aug 25, 2024

Ephesians 6 encourages us to take ourselves seriously, to acknowledge that we're in a spiritual battle, and to use the weapons of our warfare provided by God to ensure that we stand, all for the glory of God.

The Armour of God - Message for August 25, 2024 At the beginning of world war II, France believed they had a solution to a potential German invasion. They had built what was called the Maginot line. The Maginot line was a defensive line built in the 1930’s that stretched for over 200 miles on the ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-18

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Lavish Grace Of God

Contributed by Rev. Matthew Parker on Jul 13, 2024

This is message for an outdoor, outreach service in downtown Toronto. It's a message about the amazing and lavish love of God that will change our lives now and for eternity, if we say yes to God's offer of salvation in Christ.

July 14, 2024 Message for Outdoor Service - The Lavish Grace of God There are a lot of really stunning passages of scripture in the Bible. There are so many, that I probably could not choose if I had to which is my favorite. But today’s passage does come very close. There are many ways to read ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:3-12

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Prodigal Father And The Lost Son

Contributed by Rev. Matthew Parker on Jun 9, 2024

A message about the story of The Lost Son, and the problem shared by every human - sin...and the solution available to every person - Jesus the Christ.

June 9, 2024 Sermon I don’t want to alarm you, but we have a problem. It’s not just our church. It’s not just the Yonge Street Mission. But we have a problem. The problem we have is actually universal. The apostle Paul summarized the problem in this way: We know that the law is spiritual; but I ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:11-32, Romans 7:14-20

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Seeking Jesus Away From The Glare Of Others: Nicodemus And Jesus

Contributed by Rev. Matthew Parker on May 25, 2024

Nicodemus comes to Jesus under the cloak of evening to ask some very important questions that lead to life. His questions mirror many of our own .

Today’s passage is a remarkable dialogue between our Lord Jesus and a key leader among the religious higher-ups, who, generally speaking, were very hostile to Jesus. Nicodemus had a different response though to Jesus, he had a different spirit about him. He took his role of spiritual leadership ...read more

Scripture: John 3:1-17, 1 John 1:9

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Meaning Of Pentecost

Contributed by Rev. Matthew Parker on May 21, 2024

This is a message for Pentecost Sunday that teaches about the person of the Holy Spirit, the liturgical calendar and year, the fruit and gifts of the third Person of the Trinity.

Sermon for Pentecost Sunday - May 19, 2024 Today is Pentecost Sunday. That might mean a lot to you, or not much at all. If you come from a mainline church background, Anglican or Catholic for example, there was more than likely some celebration of Pentecost Sunday as an important part of the ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:1-21, Colossians 1:19-20

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational