Sermons
St. Patrick’s Breastplate
Loraine MacKenzie Shepherd June 11, 2017 Eph 6:10-17; II Cor 13:11-13 May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, our God. St. Patrick is a well-loved Irish saint, perhaps best known for chasing the snakes out of Ireland. The only problem is—St. Patrick was not Irish—he was …Read more
Living Our Faith
Loraine MacKenzie Shepherd June 25, 2017 Romans 6:1b-11 May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, our God. The early church lived out a powerful witness of Christ’s love. They were a small minority in a Roman culture that was largely hostile to them. In spite …Read more
Twilight Laughter
Loraine MacKenzie Shepherd (Rev. Dr.) June 18, 2017 Genesis 18:1-15 May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, our God. One of my nervous reactions is laughter. When I’m uncomfortable or put on the spot, I usually find a nervous laugh working its way out. It’s …Read more
Greening of the Soul
Loraine MacKenzie Shepherd (Rev. Dr.) May 21, 2017 John 14:15-21; Acts 17:22-31 May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, our God. You might call this my gardening sermon. This is planting weekend when we say enough already to the cold and plant our fragile little flowers …Read more
A Little Taste of Heaven
Loraine MacKenzie Shepherd (Rev. Dr.) May 14, 2017 John 14:1-4; I Peter 2:2-3 Today, we remember mothers and how they have brought all of us not only into this world, but helped us negotiate our way through it. Mothers are not perfect, but most have helped to mend bodies and ease troubled hearts. Our world …Read more
Leaning Towards Grace
Rev. Dr. Loraine MacKenzie Shepherd John 10:1-16 May 7, 2017 I was tiring of removing from our yard the lovely remnants of dog and cat visitations and so I decided to build a hedge fence. It worked to keep out the dogs, but the cats …Read more
Mending the World
Rev. Dr. Loraine MacKenzie Shepherd, Westworth United Church, Easter, April 16, 2017 John 20:1-18 May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, our God.It was dark, according to John’s gospel, when Mary arose, unable to sleep in her deep grief over the torturous death of her Rabbi …Read more
Legacy of Bone and Breath
Rev. Dr. Loraine MacKenzie Shepherd, Westworth United Church, April 2, 2017 Ezekiel 37:1-14 May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, our God.I still remember being stunned when we came across human arm and leg bones and skulls strewn across a hill in Peru, which was being …Read more
Grumbling to Gratitude
Rev. Dr. Loraine MacKenzie Shepherd, Westworth United Church, March 19, 2017 Exodus 17:1-7 May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, our God. What kind of a traveller are you? Are you rattled when plans change? Do you look forward to the unknowns that lie before you? …Read more
Living in Grace
Rev. Dr. Loraine MacKenzie Shepherd, Westworth United Church, March 5, 2017 Romans 5:18-21; Matthew 4:1-11 May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, our God. I become nervous, and even a bit reticent, whenever I have to attend a funeral service led by an evangelical preacher. It …Read more
