Ruth leaves what she knows and follows Naomi back to Bethlehem. Ruth arrives in Bethlehem, a land she doesn’t know where they worship a God she doesn’t know. Ruth 1 Transcript
Ruth – July 29, 2018
Reflections on Cross Cultural Encounters with Social Justice – July 22, 2018
Anali provided the message this morning, reflecting on her spring semester spent along the Mexico/US border, in Guatemala and in Cuba as part of her cross cultural experience studying at Eastern Mennonite University. Her talk included sharing a number of pictures from her experiences (PDF). During sharing time this Sunday, Leah shared live from Alamosa, […]
Loving by Overcoming Our Fear – July 15, 2018
Rachel preached from I John 4:7-21. We’re not alone on our journeys. Together, we encourage each other, share resources, catch each other when we fall, and simply enjoy each other. As our journeys become real and we’re brought to the edge of ourselves, we’ll encounter God’s love there too. Through loving each other and through […]
Factions in the Church – July 8. 2018
Using I John 2:7-15 Melissa shows that factions in the Church are nothing new. As the Church was starting, there were different understandings of the Gospel message. How do we handle this?
What do retired apostles do? – June 24, 2018
Zinith talks about his own experience as a retired person, comparing that with the Apostle John, being banned to the Island of Patmos.
The 10th Commandment-Power, Coveting, Property – June 17, 2018
In the last sermon in her series on the 10 commandments, Melissa focuses on the tenth from Exodus 20:17. To help us understand the concept of “to covet” Melissa has the congregation participate in a little biblical exegesis. She uses 2 Samuel 11:1-13, the story of David and Bathsheba, to explain that coveting has to do […]
Freed to Follow Jesus – June 10, 2018
Melissa continues her series on what we generally call the ten commandments, found in Exodus 20:1-16. But she intertwines this Old Testament passage with the Gospel reading from Mark 10:17-31, what we typically refer to as the story of the rich young ruler. Jesus tells this man and the disciples–and us–that the commandments all along have been […]
The Ten Commandments as an Invitation to Freedom – May 27, 2018
Melissa kicked off a two-part series on the Ten Commandments, providing a fresh perspective on how to view them. Exodus 19:1-6 and Exodus 20:1-11.
RMC – Melissa – May 20, 2018
Kaitlin Heatwole and Nathan Hershberger – May 13, 2018
Jeremiah 31:1-17 Kaitlin Heatwole and Nathan Hershberger spent three years with Mennonite Central Committee in Northern Iraq. They share stories of Iraqis displaced by ISSIL.
Living a life to the glory and praise of God – May 6, 2018
Philippians 1:1-18a Paul’s letter from jail declaring his thanksgiving for Christ and prayers for discerning how to live a life to the glory and praise of God.
Tabitha’s Story – April 29, 2018
This Sunday Rachel told the story of Tabitha, in Acts 9:36-43, but from the perspective of one of Tabitha’s widowed friends in Joppa. Tabitha shows how our whole life can be defined by little resurrections, little renewals of life, little affirmations that death, sin, division and brokenness do not have the last word. Her story serves […]
Facing Imprisonment for our Beliefs – April 22, 2018
Claire Unruh provided the sermon this Sunday based on the story of Paul and Silas’s imprisonment recounted in Acts 16:16-34. They were jailed after casting out a demon in a slave girl. Claire used the story as a springboard to recount other stories of people who have been imprisoned because of their beliefs as conscientious […]
Two Conversions – April 15, 2018
Melissa preached from Acts 9:1-19 about Saul’s conversion on the road to Damascus. However, it wasn’t only Saul who had an unexpected experience with Jesus. God involves Ananias in Saul’s conversion, even though he really wasn’t needed. Ananias also needs to be able to see. Saul is turned from a predator to a liberator, but […]
The Foolishness of God’s Senseless Love – April 8, 2018
This was “holy humor” Sunday and Melissa started out her message with a joke before getting into the story told in John 20:19-31. Just as Jesus met Thomas, Jesus meets us where we’re at. Faith is not something you come to on your own. It takes many different forms and in every single one of […]
Making Contact – April 1, 2018
John 20:1-18 Prior to Melissa’s sermon on this Easter Sunday, Pam read the poem, “Christ as a Gardener” by Andrew Hudgins. Mary returns to the tomb Jesus had been laid in after she and the two disciples found it empty. She’s weeping. Then she sees these angels. Then there’s this gardener. He had to have […]
The Whole World Has Gone After Him – March 25, 2018
John 12:9-19 and Zechariah 9:9-13 On this Palm Sunday Melissa told us about the Alexamenos graffito. Due to some technical issues, the beginning of her sermon is cut off. Jesus isn’t interested in re-imagining the structures or reinforcing nationalism. Instead, the whole world has gone after him, as it says in the Gospel of John. Jesus […]
A Conversation about Jesus’ Death – March 18, 2018
Melissa changed up the format a little this Sunday for her sermon. Speaking from John 19:1-16a about Jesus’ trial and condemnation to death, she provided an introduction then invited the congregation to help answer the age-old question, “Why did Jesus die?” There have been multiple perspectives or understandings of why Jesus was crucified. We interpret scripture together […]
The Banality of Evil – March 11, 2018
Before Melissa’s sermon, we listened to Billie Holiday’s rendition of the haunting song “Strange Fruit.” The sermon was based on John 18:28-40, about Jesus’ trial before Pontius Pilate. Crucifixions were a common thing during Roman rule. They served not so much as death penalties as they were a form of social control. Bodies on crosses […]
The Fire of God’s Love – March 4, 2018
Rachel brought the sermon based on John 18:17-27, reflecting on the oft-told story of Peter denying he knew Jesus, his teacher. Peter was later able to take the experience of his failure, look at it with God’s eyes, and use it to imagine something new. She links the charcoal fire they were gathered around in […]
Making the Ordinary Extraordinary – Feb. 25, 2018
John 13:1-17 – Jesus Washes the Disciples’ Feet The rituals of the Christian life are ordinary things made extraordinary for a moment. Jesus has a knack for this, taking what is ordinary and turning it back for us to look at it again: song, bread, water, wine. As we anticipate the coming of Holy Week […]
“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” – Feb. 18, 2018
John 11:1-44 – The Death of Lazarus Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent, a time for prayer as we anticipate with sorrow Jesus’ death. This year Ash Wednesday was marked by the death of 17 students and teachers at the High School in Parkland, Fl. The Ash Wednesday cross contains ashes representing death. Melissa reminds […]
The Well Woman & Nicodemus – Feb. 4, 2018
Melissa contrasted last Sunday’s Gospel of John passage with this week’s from John 4:1-42. Last week Nicodemus came and left in the cover of darkness. It takes him time to process his experiences with Jesus. The Samaritan woman at the well encounters Jesus and soon after boldly proclaims to the people around her, “Come and see […]
Born of Water & Spirit – Jan. 28, 2018
Today’s message came out of John 3:1-21. Nicodemus wasn’t quite ready to trust Jesus yet, approaching him at night. He asks what he must do to enter the kingdom. Jesus’ initial responses are rather nebulous. Then we hear what is maybe the best known verse in the Bible. Melissa helps unpack it all. In John’s gospel, […]
