Aug. 31, 2008 (Kevin Hiebert)

Kevin Hiebert concluded our fellowship's summer's series of talks on the parables by speaking on illustrations drawn from farming. In Mark 4:26, the seeds were simply scattered on the field by the farmer who is otherwise essentially absent. This presents an image in which ideas of hope are 'sown' and God then nurtures the seeds and gives the growth, suggesting that we can be wary of working too hard on our own in order to ensure that religion is spread and accepted, for God is ultimately in charge after we do the seeding. Matthew 13 gives a more expanded version of this illustration: the seed is scattered on four types of ground, some hopeless and others better suited to growth (the Gospel of Thomas also includes this parable but without explanation). Kevin shared with us a number of helpful ideas gleaned from a published sermon on this passage by England's most famous 19th-century preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon (his 2,040th sermon). First, the seed was the same in every case (and was not changed for differing audiences). Thorns are natural to the soil and will be present throughout life, stealing nutrients from the soil (time from our lives or resources from better projects). God gives us a chance to receive the Good News and be fruitful, but the choice is ours. Eventually the weeds in society and in our lives will become conspicuous, just as the heads of grain on true wheat drooped under their weight but the false wheat's heads stand erect from having virtually no nutrition. "May God give us the grace to recognize the thorns in our lives and the wherewithal to nurture that which is good." [JEK] Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday August 31st, 2008 using your browser's preferred media player.

Aug. 17, 2008 (Allan McGee)

Allan spoke on "Being shocked by Christ." When we catch even a glimpse of the fullness and completeness of God and/or Christ's Kingdom, we are (should be) truly shocked. The story in Acts 2 tells of people repenting and believing in ways that were so profound that they and others were shocked, even receiving the Holy Spirit (an experience previously reserved for prophets). This experience is not something that is merely 'nice' like the weather, but instead shocks and transforms us. To help us understand this better, Jesus told a story about a man who unexpectedly discovered buried treasure in a field and risked everything to obtain it. That experience changed his life and way of living forever, as did the finding and obtaining the 'pearl of great value' for the unnamed merchant. These life-changing experiences contrast with some modern ways of thinking about religion which suggest that we only need to act responsibly in society, believe correctly, and we are considered active members of the Kingdom. Allan concluded by advocating that we submit to the hard work and discipline of meditation and devotions several times daily, until we too are shocked/astonished repeatedly by experiencing the fullness of God's Kingdom in our lives. [JEK] Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday August 17th, 2008 using your browser's preferred media player.

Aug. 3 (Janice Kreider)

Janice spoke about the parable of the foolish bridesmaids who ran out of oil for their lamps before the wedding feast. She looked into why the wise girls wouldn't share their oil with the foolish girls who didn't bring enough oil. Also, the bridegroom seems harsh in denying entrance to the foolish girls after they return from buying oil. But the wedding customs of those days likely involved a procession of dancing by lamp-light, so the role of the maidens included providing enough light for the celebration. The foolish ones assumed that they could rely on others and assumed that they would be accepted even if they failed in their task. The foolish ones were caught off guard; like the people at the Judgement Day who are surprised to learn that they didn't do what was expected of them. The parable of the talents (5-2-1) includes a warning to use the period of waiting responsibly. One may enjoy the gift of the present if you are prepared for the demands of the future. Some of our failures are irreversible and injustice may result; there is no UNDO button in real life. Janice challenged us to watch out for instances where doing the reasonable or pragmatic thing results in the exclusion of others from the Kingdom of Heaven. We shouldn't forget to follow Christ's command to take care of the least of those among us. [KJH] Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday August 3rd, 2008 using your browser's preferred media player.