Scripture: Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 & John 1:6-8, 19-28 – On the Road to Restoration During Advent the sermon again began with a monologue. This Sunday Hans told the story of a person at the temple who witnessed the questioning of John the Baptist by the Sadducees and Pharisees. Melissa gave witness to activities taking place […]
Prophets Among Us – Dec. 6, 2020
Scripture: Isaiah 40:1-11, Mark 1:1-8 – On the Road to Repentance On this second Sunday of Advent Steve Derthick opened the sermon time with a monologue as John the Baptist. Melissa continued the invitation for all of us to participate in the sermon by asking us to share a time there was a person who […]
Preparing for the Journey – Nov. 29, 2020
After the scripture was read from Isaiah 64:1-9 and Mark 13:24-37, Janet Fields provided a monologue for the first Sunday of Advent. Melissa followed that with a short homily and then invited congregants to participate in the sermon by sharing a story of a journey they prepared for. How do we get ready during this […]
The Anti-Kingdom – Nov. 22, 2020
Scripture: Matthew 25:31-46, 26:6-13 Jesus comes to bring a new rein, a new order of creation, and to invite us into it. It is a new world, an inversion. It’s built not on scarcity or fear, not bound to the way things are, but this rein that has already come into being in the life, […]
A Life With Love In A World With Pain – Nov 15, 2020
Scripture I Thessalonians 5:1-15 Christianity is a strange religion. It won’t make you rich and it won’t give you any power. It promises to separate you from your family, from your job and it might get you killed. But it promises a life of love that turns again and again towards Jesus.
Stay Awake – Nov. 8, 2020
Melissa speaks from Matthew 25:1-13, the parable of the bridesmaids. While one would think the moral is about not letting your lamps run out of oil, rather it’s about staying awake. We are all facing the problem of coming unprepared and then falling asleep. It’s a warning to each of us about the lives we […]
We are not alone – Nov. 1, 2020
Revelation 7:9-17 This Sunday is both All Saints Day, when we remember those who have gone on before us, and just days away from a presidential election that is a source of anxiety and fear for many. All of this and so much more centered in the midst of the storm of a virus that […]
Being in the Way of Jesus – Oct. 25, 2020
Raleigh Mennonite and Chapel Hill Mennonite Fellowship held a joint service online with Glen Guyton, executive director of Mennonite Church USA, who brought the message from John 15. As followers of Jesus, there are expectations for us. There are things we are called to do. There needs to be fruit, something tangible that comes from […]
Turning the World Upside Down – Oct. 18, 2020
A commitment to live without harming others, a commitment to shared life and eating around a common table regardless of class status. These are the ways the Thessalonians receive and live out God’s life in Jesus. With practices that sound harmless but change everything, threaten people in power and turn the world upside down. Despite […]
Joy: God’s Continual Nevertheless – Oct. 11, 2020
Melissa continued our look at the book of Philippians, this week focusing on Phil. 4:1-9. Karl Barth called the joy Paul writes about in this book a “continual defiant ‘Nevertheless!’” In spite of everything, Paul’s joy is a protest against defeat. Where there is joy, death has not yet won. Melissa closed her message with […]
Running the race – Oct. 4, 2020
Our scripture this week is Philippians 3:4-14. Paul writes from jail counseling the church he founded in Philippi. In the last verse Paul compares faith to a running race, working hard to reach the finish line to receive the prize, the prize God has for us in heaven. Shannon does exactly this with her running, […]
Re-membering through song – Sept. 27, 2020
Philippians 2:1-13 Melissa began her sermon with a song dedicated to Breonna Taylor (https://youtu.be/M88jVX47BTc) from Porter’s Gate, a multi-racial song writing collective. Using songs and hymns through the ages helps us stay centered and find hope in the midst of all that is going on in our world. The passage in Philippians may well have […]
Bee’s Knees – Sept. 20, 2020
Rachel shares her joys, pains and insights of keeping Bees. Bees only survive by working together in community. In Philippians 1:21-30 Paul doesn’t offer Jesus as a path to prosperity nor does he advocate seeking suffering. Instead he is honest that following Jesus is filled with beauty, joy and community but comes at a cost.
Retributive Justice or Forgiveness? – Sept. 13, 2020
Matthew 18:21-35 Melissa tackles this difficult passage that juxtaposes this new way of doing life–this kingdom of God way of forgiveness, grace and hope–and points out how it doesn’t mix with the old order of carrying out justice. But if that new way of doing things is one-sided, the whole thing falls apart. When the […]
Just As I Am – Aug. 30, 2020
John 6:35-40 Pam Bruns shared with us during this last Sunday in our summer series of sharing favorite songs or scriptures. The song “Just As I Am” has held special meaning for Pam throughout her life and she shared about how its meaning has changed for her through three different phases of life. It was […]
The Love of God – Aug. 23, 2020
Karin shared she feels the love of God when singing hymns with a choir. She noted that currently in the US we live with a mentality of scarcity. A sense that providing even basic needs like heath care to others will limit our own access. We even extend this to God’s love for us, forgetting […]
Walking Humbly – Aug. 16, 2020
Micah 6:8 Craig Hargett continues our summer series of selecting meaningful songs or scripture passages and speaking on them. This passage from Micah is a well-known and oft-quoted verse, especially within Mennonite circles. How do we act with justice, kindness and humility in our daily lives? It is a continuing challenge, but God has taken […]
Jesus Calls Us Friends – Aug. 9, 2020
John 15:14-15 & Acts 8:26-38 Ann Roberston shared two of the favorite songs of her father as our summer series continued. She spoke of learning from him how he loved the songs “In the Garden,” which many of us know better as “He Walks with Me and He Talks with Me,” and “What a Friends […]
God of the Bible – Aug. 2, 2020
John 1:1-5 Leah Weaver continued our summer series of sharing a song or scripture that has been particularly meaningful. Like for many of us, she notes that for her congregational singing at RMC is a particularly important aspect of our life together. The song “God of the Bible” is one of many favorite songs and […]
A Desire for Justice – July 26, 2020
Psalm 37 Rachel shared from this passage and her memories of hearing about it in the context of a seminary class on the role of the environment and land portrayed in the Old Testament, then juxtaposed immediately after through a campus rally about the suffering encountered by many in eastern North Carolina as a result […]
The Black National Anthem – July 19, 2020
Psalm 88 Al Reberg shared how the song Lift Every Voice and Sing often referred to as The Black National Anthem has moved him over the years. In the 80s, Kirsten (his daughter) had learned Lift Every Voice and Sing while part of the Saint Cecilia Youth Chorale. She sang it for him and it […]
Reflections on 45 years of ministry – July 12, 2020
John 15:1-17 [Note: there were a few technical glitches during Duane and Lois’s sharing via Zoom. These were edited out and as a result there are a couple of places that don’t completely flow together.] Duane uses the passage from John to reflect on the way Jesus was pruned for ministry. He shares about the […]
This Little Light of Mine – July 5, 2020
Matthew 5:14-16 Kathy Boos continued our summer series of sharing about a song or scripture passage that has been impactful. Melissa provided the scripture background from these verses from the Sermon on the Mount before Kathy shared her thoughts on the song. Kathy reflected on the importance of all kinds of music in her life, […]
Great is thy faithfulness – June 28, 2020
Lamentations 3:19-33 Debbie Bledsoe continues our summer series of sharing beloved songs and bible passages. Melissa introduces the passage from Lamentations, then Debbie shares from her experiences of God’s faithfulness in her life whether in the midst of hardships and change or joy and beauty. Morning by morning we can see new ways God loves […]