Weekly Sermons, Announcements and Events
First Mennonite Church March 17, 2019 A Cross-bearing People Text: Matthew 16:21-28 From Matthew’s perspective, Jesus came to a point in his life where he openly began telling his disciples what awaited him. The future that awaited Jesus was a scary one and one which the disciples were not expecting. The disciples were expecting either … [Read more…]
First Mennonite Church March 10, 2018 Subversive Grace and Unwanted Truth Texts: Luke 22:47-53; John 1:14 As we begin to focus our attention on Easter Sunday, let us remember, once again, that the resurrection of Jesus is a fundamental part of our Christian confession. Much of the Christian faith is grounded on the fact that … [Read more…]
First Mennonite Church March 3, 2019 Let us Never Go Hungry! Text: John 6:25-35 Chapter six begins with the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand people by the mountainside, across the lake from his base town–Capernaum. As Jesus arrives at the site, he notices a large crowd coming to hear him teach and to … [Read more…]
First Mennonite Church February 24, 2019 Stagnant or Flowing Stream? Text: John 7:37-39 7:37 On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, 7:38 and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, … [Read more…]
First Mennonite Church February 17, 2019 Jesus and the Samaritan Woman: A Model of Honest Conversation Text: John 4: 1-42 Who is this woman? Her name is not given, but there is a lot of clues that can give us a good portrait of who she is. Her going to the well at noontime suggests … [Read more…]
First Mennonite Church February 10, 2019 “Nicodemus and His Quest for Faith” Text: John 3:1-21 Today and next Sunday, we will be looking at two characters in the gospel of John. Today we will be looking at Nicodemus, whose name literally means the “Conqueror of people or for the people” and next Sunday we will … [Read more…]
First Mennonite Church February 3, 2019 The Bible and I Texts: Nehemiah 8:1-12 ; Luke 4:16-30 The Scripture readings for today represent two different responses from worshipers upon hearing Scripture being read to them. The Nehemiah passage has a larger background story. It began when Nehemiah was in Babylon as the result of the Jews … [Read more…]
First Mennonite Church January 27, 2019 The Temptation of Securing Self and Accomplishment Matthew 4:1-11; Deuteronomy 30:11-20 There is a high cost in choosing life, freedom, and prosperity according to God’s definition in Deuteronomy 28, 29, and 30. In Deuteronomy, Moses urged the Israelites to choose life, to choose blessings, yet the way they were … [Read more…]
First Mennonite Church January 20, 2019 Baptism: Our Granting of Identity and Mission Matthew 3:13-17 Names. Names confer identity, but names also have meaning. Do you know what either your first or your last name means? Some names, especially last names, originated based on the geographical location a family have lived; thus, we have such … [Read more…]
First Mennonite Church January 13, 2019 Repentance: A Way of Living Matthew 3:1-12 John the Baptist is often called the “harbinger” or “forerunner” of Jesus. These titles simply mean: the one who signals the coming of something or someone, which, in this case, was Jesus’ entry into his public ministry. John came forewarning the people … [Read more…]