Loved and Called January 13, 2008 Sue C. Steiner Text: Isaiah 42:1-9 Matthew 3:13-17 How easy it would be if the sky opened FOR US. How easy it would be if God’s Spirit conveyed with a fluttering of wings in audible voice: AYou are my beloved daughter. You are my beloved son. With you I am well pleased.” We long for signs of God=s love and acceptance – or at least I do. We long at the…
God’s Mystery Revealed January 6, 2008 David Brubacher Text: Isaiah 60:1-6 Matthew 2:1-12 Introduction: Much of what we know and experience of God is shrouded in mystery. Occasionally we catch a momentary glimpse that connects something of God with our external world. It is a profound moment when the deep longings of our being connect with the divine. We are transformed. We are empowered to journey into the deep recesses of our being – maybe even our darkness.…
Repenting in the Wilderness December 9, 2007 Jeremy Bergen Text: Isaiah 11:1-10 Matthew 3:1-12 John Chivington grew up on an Ohio farm in the early 19th century, and in his 20s heard a call to become a minister. He was ordained by the Methodist church, and sent west, to serve in the frontier towns of Missouri. This was prior to the American Civil War, and slavery was still a reality in many states. Chivington was opposed to slavery,…
Waiting for a Miracle December 2, 2007 Jonathan Slater Text: Isaiah 2:1-5 Matthew 24:36-44 Romans 13:11-14 I. Evan Baxter is an ambitious and successful man: A former TV news anchor, newly elected to the US congress, now settled with his wife and three sons in a huge home in a newly developed suburb of Washington. Immediately upon arriving in Washington, he is asked to co-sponsor an important piece of legislation – the Citizen Integration of Public Land act …
Good Grief November 25, 2007 (Eternity Sunday) Rev. Jan Kraus Text: Psalm 23 Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 John 14:1-7 Merciful God, listen to our hearts, Enter into our time and seasons of pain. Bless us and all who are in need of comfort and your gentle presence. Amen. We have just participated in a very moving ritual. Even if you did not bring a flower forward and name a particular person you too have been touched by grief because…
The Tale of Two Coins October 21, 2007 Rev. David Martin Text: Mark 12:41-44 Matthew 22:15-22 I was a young pastor at the time and was rather taken aback by the cold, abrupt response of Millie’s neighbour. Joe and Millie had just moved from their home at Hagerman Corners into the seniors’ apartment in the old town of Markham and as pastor of Hagerman Mennonite Church, I was checking in on them to see how they were adjusting their…
How Was Your Harvest This Year? October 7, 2007 Tobi Thiessen Text: 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 In the 1 Corinthians passage that was just read, Paul is severely chastising the people at Corinth for failing to be true to the spirit of the Lord’s Supper. Disunity, humiliation of those who have nothing, allegations that they despise the church of God… The rebuke is severe and makes us wonder what was going on. Thankfully, we have Bible commentaries to give…
Fish, Feast & Ferment September 30, 2007 Rennie Regehr It’s simply not possible to hear the stories this morning without an overwhelming sense of the extraordinary; something huge is going on here. Isn’t it almost too much? Ridiculous in fact? Almost to the point of being gross? Just close your eyes and imagine: 1) These fishermen watching their two boats struggling to stay afloat under the weight of this remarkable catch of fish. 2) And what…
Christ Our Host September 23, 2007 Jeff Taylor Text: II Corinthians 5:14-21 Revelation 21:1-5, 22-27 Isaiah 60:1-5 Visit with me, as I recall it, a small apartment in 1990s greater Los Angeles: too many pieces of furniture for its size, a small kitchenette, a dining area with one of those early 70s faux-wood extending tables with the super heavy metal frame; and everywhere you look: mail, piles and piles of mail, almost all of it unopened. Lorina…
Basins, Pitchers & Crosses September 9, 2007Michele Rizoli Text: Jeremiah 18:1-11 Luke 14:25-33 Pottery has been around one way or another for about 10,000 years, it’s one of the most ancient artifacts (as any archaeologist could probably tell you). I guess it was an easy concept to figure out that one minute the clay could be squishing through your toes when you walked by the lake and a few days later the same stuff could be dry…