Weekly Sermons, Announcements and Events
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…]
First Mennonite Church May 14, 2017 You Are A Shining Star! Text: Philippians 2:14-18 14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky 16 as you hold firmly to … [Read more…]
First Mennonite Church May 7, 2017 The Emptying Attitude of Christ Jesus Philippians 2:5-17 Don’t you know the TV show “Super Nanny”? It’s a show about a British nanny who goes around helping parents who are dealing with extreme behavioral problems of their children. One of the common complaints these parents have is that they … [Read more…]
First Mennonite Church April 30, 2017 “Imitating the Attitude of Jesus Christ” Despite my reading the whole of chapter two of Philippians, today I will only use the first five verses for my reflection. I will continue with this passage next Sunday, when I will be closing this series. Philippians 2:1-18 1 If then there is … [Read more…]
First Mennonite Church Sunday, April 23 We had as guest speaker Kurt Hildebrand. Kurt was accompanied by his wife, Wilda, young daughter, Akila, and Wilda’s sister. Kurt was Mennonite Central Committee representative in Haiti overseeing the work of reforestation MCC helps support. He shared with us about the positive difference the reforestation project has brought … [Read more…]