Sun. Nov. 15, 2009 (Jack Suderman)

Jack Suderman, Executive Secretary of the Mennonite Church Canada, spoke on Ephesians 3. Our commitment to peace and church are profoundly interwoven. As Mennonites envision transforming MCC world-wide, some have called for MCC undertaking mega-projects, such as building hydro dams to supply hydro power to an entire nation. Just as "Kleenex" is known for all facial tissues, some Mennonites wonder whether MCC could become known for peacemaking. Others of us feel more comfortable working on smaller, individual projects. Jack argued, however, that God has outlined a mega-project for the church. Part of God's plan that has been made known to us is that we are to gather "all things" (Eph. 1.10, all-encompassing) in heaven and on earth. This gathering agenda knows no bounds--ecology, finances, industry--a truly mega-concept, cutting edge beyond our imagination. The church is to become the fullness of everything (1.22-23) so that through the church the wisdom of God can be made known to all rulers (3.10). This is a project beyond belief. But all of this needs to be fleshed out with real people, real communities of faith, in which the Spirit has given each person special gifts. There are about 13,000 Mennonite communities of faith which can be involved in this project. If we aim to build a dam, our vision is too small. We need 13,000 communities involved in 13,000 projects for peace. In a sense, through MCC, we have done far more than any of us can imagine, yet there is so much more to do. [JEK] Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, Nov. 15th, 2009 using your browser's preferred media player.