Acts 2:1-21 Pentecost is the day when the unthinkable happens. On Pentecost, 120 people sit in an upper room, waiting to be baptized with the Holy Spirit, because Jesus told them this was going to happen. I doubt any of them could have imagined what this meant. And so they wait, in a room that…
Galatians 1:13-17; 2:11-14 Who gets to belong — in any given group of people? Is it everyone? Or only certain people “our kind”? And what do people have to do to belong? What behaviors are expected of them? These kinds of questions are perennial. Anytime a group of humans comes together — even if it’s…
In this First Mennonite’s 50th Anniversary year, we’re presenting several short “History Moments.” This is the fifth in the series by Karen Kreider Yoder. By 2010, we had settled into our new, light-filled worship space at Congregation Sha’ar Zahav. Our congregation was growing! Guests visited and stayed. Young families arrived. Our Mennonite Voluntary Service workers (MVSers)…
“Mourning Light,” by Lisle Gwynn Garrity © A Sanctified Art. Used with permission John 20:1-18 I’m going to be weaving the sermon with the poem (in italics) on this passage that I wrote for the book Drawing Near: A Devotional Journey with Art, Poetry and Reflection. In the beginning, on the first day, Jesus, rising,…
On Sunday, we began to grieve and remember our beloved Katelin Williams, who died suddenly on Wednesday night, March 26. In place of a sermon, we had an open time of sharing and reflecting on Katelin’s life. Some of the elements from that service are below, and a recording of it can be found here.
Return of the Prodigal Son” by Marc Chagall A reflection by Sharon Heath on Luke 15: 1-10 We start chapter 15 with Jesus hanging out with tax collectors and sinners. The Pharisees are apparently nearby, sneering that Jesus “welcomes and eats with sinners.” Jesus then tells three stories to those around him—the story of the…
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