As a Christian community, called to peacemaking and reconciliation, we affirm that people of any race, ethnic identity, gender, who are gay or straight, of any ability, age, or economic status, are welcome to full participation in our congregation.
There are many examples of God’s plenty but where is God when there is nothing and there appears to be no hope? In this week’s sermon, Ryan Paige looks at the book of Joel. Joel writes as wave after wave of Locusts devastate everything. Crops are wiped out, even the seeds are eaten, with no […]
Deuteronomy 26:1-15 History isn’t recorded, it’s interpreted. Melissa begins her sermon this Sunday by telling about the Bible study she is co-leading on the grounds of the state capitol that compares the Confederate monuments with idolatry. Rather than statues, we need to tell stories to one another. Stories of how God’s love extends to all […]
Leviticus 11:1-22 This Sunday Melissa wove together an explanation for the Levitical rules for what meat was clean and unclean with both the current climate change crisis and our focus with A Year at the Table. Human lust for domination over creation is the root cause of climate change. God loves the whole world and […]
This was the official kick-off retreat for our year’s study of table fellowship and communion practices at RMC. We looked at some ways God called God’s people to table fellowship and reflected on the ways we’ve experienced table fellowship and communion in the past and the present.
Exodus 13:3-10 Isaac Villegas, pastor of Chapel Hill Mennonite Fellowship, brought the sermon this Sunday. The Exodus passage recalls the first Jewish Passover. The meal was a ritual, reminding them of the liberation from the house of slavery. “Love is contraband in Hell, Cause love is an acidthat eats away bars.”~Assata Shakur
Genesis 18:1-15 Melissa began her sermon talking about her many visits to A Place at the Table. Unfortunately, the first two minutes were not recorded, so we pick up from her comparison of A Place at the Table with the story of the three strangers who visit Abraham and Sarah at the oaks at Mamre. […]
August 24, 2019Folks brought side dishes to share and we enjoyed locally-sourced, sustainably-raised pork. It was cooked in a smoker all day long with the help of one of our member’s dads who came in from western NC to help out. The weather was a bit wet, so we ate inside.
Genesis 1 Melissa’s sermon was preceded by viewing a video featuring James Weldon Johnson reciting the poem The Creation. The poetry of Genesis is where we’re starting our “Year at the Table.” Our lives are dependent upon creation, just as they’re dependent upon a loving, creative God. Every time we eat, we are reminded that […]
by David RohrerA blog entry in response to our “A Year at the Table” series.August 24, 2019 Rosene and I joined our Maronite friends today for a Taste of Lebanon, the first community festival given by Saint Sharbel Maronite Catholic Church. After purchasing our za’atar pie, hummus, kibbeh, kofta, grape leaves, etc., we spoke to […]
by David RohrerA blog entry in response to our “A Year at the Table” series.August 18, 2019 Also see related: El Salvador Impressions – a photo blog of the team’s trip Today, following our time of worship at Raleigh Mennonite Church (RMC), Laurel Marshall shared from her experience with Salvadoran Christian base communities, abbreviated CEBs (communidades […]
by David RohrerA blog entry in response to our “A Year at the Table” series. This summer’s RMC worship retreat began with the hymn “What is this place where we are meeting,” reminding us that “we are each other’s bread and wine.” Melissa then read all three Gospel accounts* of the last supper, interspersed with art […]
Hebrews 11:1-16 Melissa continued the series focused on Hebrews in this morning’s message. What is faith in the midst of political distress, in a government hellbent on terrorizing the vulnerable? It’s the failures of the people talked about in this Hebrews passage that animates our faith to continue on. They provide hope because of their […]
Matthew 12:1-6Hebrews 9:1-14 Rachel brought the message this morning and began by telling us about recently being locked in the walk-in refrigerator at Anathoth Community Garden. She weaved this story and several readings into the teachings from the Hebrews passage about Christ as our high priest. Jesus, as our priest, makes us whole, by reminding […]
by Melissa Florer-BixlerA blog entry in response to our “A Year at the Table” series. It seemed fitting to me that we began our year of exploration and reflection on Communion practice in grace. Babette’s Feast, the first in our film series featuring movies about food and faith, is a story about grace received in […]
Join Raleigh Mennonite for a year-long exploration, celebration, and discernment of our practice of Lord’s Supper, our relationship to food systems, and our community formed around meals. Blog posts related to “A Year at the Table” Communion during the COVID-19 Pandemic Fasting from Food Waste – Article in Sojourners Communion “Pop-up Seminary” Weekend Communion and […]
Hebrews 4:14 – 5:10 & Matthew 26:36-40 Melissa works at clearing up misconceptions we often have and reconciling some of our notions of the sacrificial system of the Old Testament and Jesus’ life and crucifixion. We were forgiven long before we knew we needed forgiving.
Matthew 12:46-50, Hebrews 2:10-18 Zinith Barbee provided the sermon this morning, intertwining stories of Wyatt Earp and cowboys, with Jesus, his family, and Pharisees. At the end of the four gospels, we don’t get the OK Corral, we get Golgotha. Jesus is not the new Sheriff in town, he’s the new light and life.
John 1:1-5, Hebrews 1:1-4 Hans brought the message to us this morning with his typical good humor. We don’t always hear God speaking to us. The Bible shows many different ways God is revealed to and works through God’s people. Sometimes God speaks immediately upon request, but not often. We need to be mindful, paying […]
Romans 8:18-30 Hope seen through Arethra Franklin, the Holy Spirit, and our own congregation.
Isaiah 65:17-25 Our guest speaker this Sunday was Meghan Florian. Her message of hope shared of the power of planting and seeing gardens come to fruition, even in times of difficulty and depression. Sometimes what we sow, only with time will others harvest. What seeds of joy and hope are we planting today, as we […]
Psalm 9, Isaiah 53:4-9 This Sunday the service used the music of Patty Griffin to tell stories of a God who is present in the messiness of life. What does the Gospel of Jesus Christ have to say to those with their backs against the wall? The scriptures tell us the answer: God is there […]
Acts 2:1-4, Romans 8:14-39 Rachel draws from Trevor Noah’s memoir Born a Crime to recount the power of understanding many languages. Pentecost calls us to welcome others, to be changed, to be vulnerable, to learn new languages. “The promise of Pentecost is that we are being made into a people, speaking many languages, to praise […]
