Lake Country United Church

Sermon: “Who’s on First?” Traci Hubbard Luke 22:1-38 November 1st, 2026 We are the first generation that has dismantled all the major pillars, morals, ethics, and religious tenets that have held collective allegiance and societies together for thousands of years. Simultaneously we are the first generation since the nuclear energy age to have our senso

Sermon: “What is More Important, Questions or Answers?” Traci Hubbard Genesis 19:1-26 The story in the text is a myth. A myth written by patriarchal generations in bondage and dreaming that their nation will be the one chosen to outnumber their enemies and become the government ruler. In Genesis Chapter 18 we read that the Holy shows up at Abrahams and Sarah’s tent and has brought two angels, two messengers along. For countless generations many of us have been taught that t

“What’s love got to do with it?” It sounds like a question from a pop song, but Paul answers it very differently. We tend to think of love as a feeling. Paul talks about love as a decision, a discipline, and a way of life. And let's be honest, loving people is easy…until we actually have to be around people, or live with them. It's easy to love humanity. Humanity is wonderful. People, however? We can be challenging. We can love our neighbor in theory. Then our neighbor parks

Reflection – "With Gratitude" Jim Hannah May these words that I speak and these songs I sing be grounded in my soul encouraged by the spirit presence in me; and may these words and songs you hear be captured by your soul, enlivened by the spirit presence in you. Amen. There is a true story of a female humpback whale that had become entangled in a spider web of crab traps and lines. She was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that cause her to struggle to stay afloat

Reflection: The Lens of Love Traci Hubbard October 4, 2026 My thought as I drove to church this morning - How many of us played the game Operation as a kid or with our children or grandchildren? Okay...how many of us considered we were operating on a man who had zero anesthesia? I heard a story about an older man who had spent much of his life saying, “I don't need anyone.” He was proud of his independence. He fixed things himself. He rarely asked for help. When h

Sermon Dolly Would Traci Hubbard September 20th, 2026 Two thoughts as I drove to church today: If humans evolved from monkeys, did the monkeys who just stayed monkeys watch the humans and decide they were not interested in the evolutionary update? Is it just me or do you also think the seashore was the worst place for Suzie to sell seashells? How many of us remember when people asked, “What would Jesus do?” It’s a good question. Today I want

Sermon: Inherited Hunger Traci Hubbard September 13th, 2026 Judges 2:1-11 When my great granddad went bald, he built a machine to weave himself a wig out of yarn. He then gave it to my granddad, who then gave it to my dad, and one day, it will be mine. It's our family hair loom. There is something every parent discovers sooner or later: children are watching us. They watch what we do, listen to what we say, notice what we get excited about, and they notice the things

Reflection - What is Our Intention?

The Woman in the Ashes: Who Came to Listen to Job’s Wife? Our Scripture today introduces us to a woman who has become famous for saying one sentence. The woman, Job’s wife, was never given a name for the reader of the story. And what she said is not a card we would purchase for someone who has suffered a trauma and is grieving. She says to Job, “Do you still persist in your integrity? Curse God and die.” And for generations, the church has looked at her and essentially said,

Sermon: “How Is Our Flow?” Traci Hubbard Isaiah 58:6–12 (Key Verses *11) August 23rd, 2026 It has been said that beavers do not give a damn. We laugh…but the truth is, beavers create the dam. There is something beautiful about water. You can put it in a glass, and it looks peaceful. Put it in a river, and it moves. Put it over a waterfall, and it makes a tremendous noise. And put it in my kitchen sink when the drain is plugged and suddenly it becomes an icky

CHANGE COMES WITH FIRE August 16th, 2026 Traci Hubbard There is something different about talking about fire when you can smell the smoke. For us, this isn't theoretical. We are living in a season of wildfire. We know what it feels like to look toward the lakes and the mountains and wonder what is happening. We know what it means to watch the sky change, to check alerts, to wonder whether someone we love is safe. And when the world around us changes that quickly

Sermon: “You are Mine” Okanagan Fires/BC State of Emergency August 9, 2026 Traci Hubbard There are some words that mean something different after you have lived through them. “Fire” is one of those words. For some people, fire is something you see on the news. For most of us in Lake Country, fire means smoke in the distance. It means checking the wind. It means looking at our phones. It means wondering which way the smoke is moving. And for some peop

Reflection - August 2, 2026 Sermon: We Cannot Script the Spirit Traci Hubbard August 2, 2026 My doctor said I needed to make some serious lifestyle changes. So, I changed my doctor. Think about this… How many United Church’s of Canada does it take to change a light bulb? "Change it? My grandfather donated that light bulb! "We do not think ourselves into a new way of living; we live ourselves into a new way of thinking." Have you ever noticed ho

Reflection – Find The Love May these words that I speak and these songs I sing be grounded in my soul encouraged by the spirit presence in me; and may these words and songs you hear be captured by your soul, enlivened by the spirit presence in you. Amen. Song – The Glory of Love (Billy Hill, 1963) You’ve got to give a little, take a little And let you poor heart break a little; That’s the story of, that’s the glory of love. Billy Hill wrote this song in 1936 dur

Traci Hubbard June 28th, 2026 My thoughts on the way to church this morning. The fact that someone saw a purple onion and named it a “red onion” irritates me. And just in case someone forgets to tell you, the compass was invented before the clock because direction was more important than how long it took to get there. Have you ever watched an airplane prepare for takeoff? Before that massive plane can soar above the clouds, it must first be firmly con

Traci Hubbard June 14th, 2026 A little boy was overheard talking to himself as he strutted through the backyard, wearing his baseball cap, and carrying a ball and bat. "I’m the greatest hitter in the world," he announced. Then, he tossed the ball into the air, swung at it, and missed. "Strike One!" he yelled. Undaunted, he picked up the ball and said again, "I’m the greatest hitter in the world!" He tossed the ball into the air. When it came dow

Traci Hubbard June 21st, 2026 Happy Father’s Day! Alligators can live up to one hundred years which is why there is a high chance they will see you later. This morning, I need a father who can help me understand how “Rub a dub dub three men in a tub became a nursery rhyme. And how a Pocket Full of Posies” which is the ashes rising from the gas trains in concentration camps, became a children’s game. And after we leave the Old Testament, the Hebrew Scriptures, whe

Traci Hubbard May 31st, 2026 One Ash Wednesday, the pastor finished his sermon with these words, “Oh Lord, without you we are but dust.” As she paused for a dramatic effect, a small child’s voice was heard to say, “Mommy, what is butt dust?” Let’s say there are 250 people in a church service. One of the first things ministers learn is what they intended to say with every word in their sermon will be heard 250 different ways, and that’s not unfair. The minis

by Traci Hubbard Where do bad rainbows go? To prism. It's a light sentence but it gives them time to reflect. Yesterday I popped into the grocery store to get peanut butter, and I noticed part of the label said, “May contain peanuts.” I thought, “Yep. This is why aliens are not visiting our planet.” Life can feel like rowing a boat upstream with a spoon. Many of us are exhausted because we are trying to be LOVE entirely in our own strength. We’re sweating, straining, frustrat

Traci Hubbard May 17, 2026 There are moments in life when the veil between now and eternity is thin. We experience moments when something greater than us enters in. A hospital room where a final breath somehow feels holy. A mountain sunrise that silences every anxious thought. A dream that lingers because it feels more true than ordinary waking life. These are rendezvous moments. These moments are appointments with the Holy. They are encounters with