Weekly Sermons, Announcements and Events
First Mennonite Church July 24, 2022 A New Covenant Jeremiah 31:27-34 These days, the expression, “The days are surely coming . . .” has not been used to predict a better world. You hear the following expressions, “The days are surely coming when you cannot use certain words without being labeled ‘so and so.’” Or, … [Read more…]
First Mennonite Church July 17, 2022 Still Praying While in Exile Text: Jeremiah 29:1-14 We should remember that in the ancient world, every people group or nation had its own god, and in many cases, a pantheon. Therefore, when these nations went to war, they considered it a war between their gods. The victors claimed … [Read more…]
First Mennonite Church July 10, 2022 As Clay in the Potter’s Hands Jeremiah 18:1-12 The little song, “He’s got the whole world in His hands” captures the essence of this passage. Like clay in the hands of the potter, so was Israel and the whole world in the hands of the Great Creator God. The … [Read more…]
First Mennonite Church July 3, 2022 Speaking Worthy Word Text: Jeremiah 15:15-21 Words, words, words. Words convey ideas. Words reveal what is in the heart and mind of people. Words have power, both to build and to destroy. Words spoken cannot be retrieved. Words are everywhere. We hear them from those who live in the … [Read more…]
First Mennonite Church June 26, 2022 Text: Jeremiah 7:1-15 What Is at Stake in Worship? The situation in the tiny nation of Judah was not anywhere good at the time God sent Jeremiah to speak these words. Judah was at the brink of being completely overtaken by the invading Babylonian army, as would be a … [Read more…]
First Mennonite Church June 16, 2022 Fountain of Living Water Vs. Cracked Cisterns Text: Jeremiah 2:4-13 Israel’s Iron Age (ca. 1200-539 BCE) was a time of technological innovation. New technologies such as terracing and iron plow-points facilitated agricultural intensification and geographical expansion. Another technology whose use made it possible for Israelites to settle and thrive … [Read more…]
We met at the park in San Miguel, CA. and did not have a regular service as we usually do. The informal gathering at the park was the first of a series of activities in commemoration of the 125th anniversary of the founding of First Mennonite Church in Paso Robles.
First Mennonite Church June 5, 2022 Responding to God’s Call Text: Jeremiah 1:4-10 When we read what God tells Jeremiah about the time he was still in gestation, we wonder if Jeremiah’s mom had any inkling of what God was doing with her unborn child. As for you, what do you know about your birth, … [Read more…]
First Mennonite Church May 29, 2022 Imitating the Cloud of Faithful Witnesses Text: Hebrews 11:1-7 Today, I want to conclude this series in the Letter to the Hebrews. As I have said time and time again, the author of this letter compares the Christian faith journey to Israel’s wilderness journey to the Promised Land. This … [Read more…]
First Mennonite Church May 22, 2022 Greater Promises Come with Greater Cost In the last two Sundays, I have been saying that the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews compares the Christian life to Israel’s wilderness journey. Two main points in this comparison are the difficulty there was in the wilderness journey and the … [Read more…]