Weekly Sermons, Announcements and Events
First Mennonite Church July 30, 2017 Jesus Meets Simon Text: Luke 7:36-50 The minute we read this story, we readily realize there is something about two of its characters we do not like. We do not like the self-righteous attitude of the Pharisee. And, we do not like the adjective used to describe the woman … [Read more…]
First Mennonite Church July 23, 2017 Jesus Meets With Zacchaeus Luke 19:1-10 Last week’s story took place as Jesus approached Jericho. Today’s story took place while Jesus was passing through Jericho. Zacchaeus is better-known as the rich, short man. At least those are the most obvious characteristics about Zacchaeus. He is a very rich and … [Read more…]
First Mennonite Church July 16, 2017 Jesus Meets the Leper and the Blind Texts: Matthew 8:1-4; 20:29-34 Today I would like for us to see Jesus performing his first and last acts of healing during his public ministry according to the Gospel of Matthew. I must say that the very last healing act Jesus … [Read more…]
First Mennonite Church June 18, 2017 Abiding In the True Vine Text: John 15:1-12 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. 2 He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. 3 You have already been cleansed by the … [Read more…]
First Mennonite Church July 9, 2017 Nicodemus and the Heart of the Gospel Text: John 3:1-21 In the days of slavery here in the U.S., slaves were allowed to participate in formal Christian services only at the discretion of their masters, but were not allowed to celebrate services of their own. The slaves saw Nicodemus … [Read more…]
First Mennonite Church July 2, 2017 Seeing Jesus Meet People: With the Paralytic Man Text: Luke 5:17-26 Today I want to start a new series of sermons on Gospel stories of Jesus’s meeting people. Throughout the gospels we find Jesus meeting with people of different backgrounds. He met the sick and the demon-possessed, people of … [Read more…]
First Mennonite Church June 11, 2017 When Storms Come By Text: John 6:16-21 16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, 17 where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. 18 A strong wind was blowing and … [Read more…]
First Mennonite Church June 4, 2017 Witnesses of God’s Abundant Life and Joy Texts John 7:37-39; 8:12 In order to understand the meaning of these words of Jesus, it would be helpful for us to know the context in which he said them. In chapter seven, Jesus goes in secret to the Festival of Tabernacles … [Read more…]
First Mennonite Church May 28, 2017 Jesus, the I AM Text: John 4:1-26 Every year, either around Easter or Christmas time, discussions about the identity or nature of Jesus Christ pop up in the news. The most recent discussion was in late October in 2016: Christ’s Tomb Uncovered was the news headline. Nowadays, with all … [Read more…]
First Mennonite Church May 21, 2017 Doing Good, for God Was with Him Text: Acts 10:34-43 The background story of this passage is that of Peter’s visit to Cornelius, the Roman centurion. Peter was praying when God gave him a vision of a large sheet of cloth coming down from heaven having in it every … [Read more…]