Sun. May 31, 2009 (Charles Paris)

Charles Paris opened his Pentecost message by thanking us for singing “Come, O Creator Spirit Come” (#27); a hymn he recalled from his time as a youth in the Benedictine monastery many years ago. An ancient hymn, it reminds of of the importance of continuity in Christianity. Charles described Elijah’s experience of a wind that tore up mountains, an earthquake and a fire; pointing out that God was not in any of these elements. God came in a gentle breeze: God is found in symbols, poetry and sound of a gentle breeze. The early church was promised an advocate; a comforter who will teach you everything. Pentecost is feast inseparable from Easter; it offers us the fruits of Easter. The Catholic confirmation prayer is for the Spirit to be our helper and guide - a spirit of reverence, knowledge, wonder and awe – a Spirit we should continue to pray for. (HN) Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday May 31st, 2009 using your browser's preferred media player.

Sun. May 17, 2009 (John Friesen)

John Friesen spoke on the topic of "Imagined Conflicts: Religious Aspects of Scientism". He recapped the history of Mennonite student ministries in British Columbia and the challenge of helping young people to reconcile faith and learning. Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, May 17th, 2009 using your browser's preferred media player.

Sun. May 10, 2009 (Bruce Hiebert)

As a young man Bruce Hiebert was exasperated with the disciples on the Emmaus Road who failed to recognize Jesus who walked with them. Jesus interpreted scripture to them, beginning with Moses and the prophets. Understanding Scripture is important because the Bible is one of the keys to understanding the Christian faith; it is the word of God. Bruce noted that there are complex rules guiding correct interpretation and the key to this is honesty. We live by stories, he said, and reading Scripture will change us. When we read the Bible as the word of God we enter a universe that is not our own. Bible stories teach us how to live; doctrine without stories is meaningless. Reading scripture creates the need for personal honesty. "I read my Bible waiting for the feeling that Jesus was with me," he said. The discussion focussed on the need for tolerance, some preferred "compassion" to tolerance. (HN) Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday May 10th, 2009 using your browser's preferred media player.

Sun. May 3, 2009 (Jeanette Hanson)

Jeanette Hanson, along with her husband (and two children), lived in China's Sichuan province since 1991 where they worked for MC Canada, spoke about the global church. Between teaching English and working with local community and church groups, the Hansons were also able to assist in distributing MCC aid following the devastating earthquake in Sichuan. While China has an official policy of religious freedom, there is concern that foreigners could also bring foreign ideas into the country. When asked 'why can't you just stay home?' Jeanette said we are our brother's keeper. At a farewell banquet before the family returned to Canada in 2008, a local pastor said "we're sending you back to Canada to be our representative, we need each other, we are not complete without each other." Jeanette pointed out that we need to hear God's voice from a variety of cultures. Why not stay home? So the love of God might be made known. The Hansons plan to return to Sichuan in June 2010. (HN) Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday May 3rd, 2009 using your browser's preferred media player.