Sun. July 25, 2010 (Erna Friesen)

Erna spoke on a difficult series of texts from the lectionary, including the outrageous charge by the Lord to Hosea to take a prostitute as a wife. Erna used that story as a launching point for a discussion on both the faithfulness of Israel and of our society today. Hosea, despite being from the southern kingdom of Judah, was called to preach to the northern kingdom and against the followers of Baal. He excorated Israel for its unfaithfulness to God, so much so taht his own children were named after God’s punishments to the people (Lo-Anni - “not my people” etc.), and made no other comment about justice issues that were the staple of earlier books. He further preached on marriage and unfaithfulness in a world where temple prostitution was culturally accepted. Erna noted unfaithfulness to God has similar consequence to unfaithfulness in a marriage - betrayal and anger, as opposed to romance and lifelong commitment in sickness and health. Hosea’s and Gomer’s children were victims in the choices made, where a wife with no conception of faithfulness was asked for same. Though it is understandable in a “logical” sense - worship of a pantheistic Baal invoked fertility itself - of land, of females - as a supreme deity. Yet we, (and perhaps they too) knew no assurances could be given, and Hosea merely hammered the lesson home. In spiritualizing such sensations as hunger and sex and aggression, Satan-worship enters easily as a hedonistic and orgiastic tendency. Violent religious intoxication became the norm, and child sacrifice was only one depraved way in which this worship led to abuses of the human condition. Yet God offers redemption, even has he holds the plumb-line up against us. God will have compassion, if only Israel will turn from Baal, as Hosea offers to Gomer a change from her life of prostitution. Today, too, we are offered an escape from scientism and humanism, which has caused great suffering. The consequences of this sin cannot be evaded - the inner soul knows the brokenness that results. And so does God. [AP] Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, July 25th, 2010 using your browser's preferred media player.

Sun. July 18, 2010 (J. Evan Kreider)

Evan Kreider spoke about Amos, a poor farmer who was called by God to be a prophet. After two years in the northern kingdom of Israel, he returned to his farm in the southern kingdom. The northern kingdom, under king Jeroboam, had become wealthy and was at a political and economic high point. King Jeroboam believed that worshiping God was all that God required. Using the image of a plumb line, Amos pointed out that things were out of kilter, that people trusted the king rather than God. Amos pointed out that true faith involves right living and creating a just society. Amos wanted economic justice. Amos saw morals becoming lax and money reaching only those who already had money. Amos did not like what he saw when church and state were closely aligned – this would cause trouble for the church. Amos’s words were not welcome and he was told to go home, but he said he was driven by God to do this prophetic thing. The response time discussion included comments about problems of prosperity, tithing was partially intended to support the poor, gambling expansion in BC, charitable giving, and the benefits of our government’s “social safety net.” [HN] Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, July 18th, 2010 using your browser's preferred media player.

Sun. July 11, 2010 (Joseph Dutko)

Joseph Dutko returned to speak to the church on Pentecostalism - from the Ghetto to the World. Despite various fanciful representations of Pentecostals as “holy rollers” or people who handle snakes, this tradition goes back to the turn of the twentieth century with an emphasis on 1st century living. This is no fringe group - one respected authority notes that Pentecostalism has had a greater impact on Christianity than the Reformation. Globally, about ½ billion people are Pentecostal or Charismatic, and Philip Jenkins notes much of its growth since the Second World War trends away from Euro-American Christianity and toward a Southern hemisphere expression. All branches originate with the theology of Charles Parham who, in a Topeka, KS, bible school in 1901 taught that glossalalia evidenced presence of the Holy Spirit, and his student, freed slave William Seymour founded the Azusa St revival in 1906 in LA. The movement gained strength as others flocked to the church of “heavenly tongues”. Various schisms have divided the church along theological lines, including a Canadian branch, the 1919 Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada with Mennonite George A. Chambers as the first leader of the church. Pentecostal theology stands primarily on baptising in the holy spirit, gifts bestowed include tongues, bodily healing, and eschatology - belief in the return of Christ as the end of time. Joseph insists many ties bind Mennonites and Pentecostals - both saw themselves as standing outside ordinary society, pressures to conform are common to both, and the blood of Christ has washed away not only the colour barrier, but also the gender barrier. Though the pacifist stance has become a matter of personal choice in Pentecostalism, its underpinning and rejection of nationalism still echo for Mennonites. A lively response time indicated a desire for open dialogue between the two traditions. [AP] Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, July 11th, 2010 using your browser's preferred media player.

Sun. Jul. 4, 2010 (J. Evan Kreider)

Evan Kreider, speaking on the lectionary passage 2 Ki 5:1-19, began with the history of the state of war that existed between Aram and Judah. These long-standing and devastating wars, made the arrival of Naaman at Ahab’s (?) court for healing a suspected ruse for another war. However, Elisha, reassures the king that God is still in charge, and Naaman is sent to him. Seemingly snubbing him, Elisha’s servant is sent with directions for healing. As a skeptical and angry Naaman is healed by God (and not Elisha), Naaman is converted to Jahweh’s rule; and asks two interesting gifts of God - soil to worship God on, and permission to continue a pagan practice. Elisha blesses both requests with “Go in peace.” Evan notes several things; that Elisha saw Naaman as a human being with leprosy, not a general to be feared; that God continues His work not through the kings, but through small people - the Jewish slave girl who advises Naaman to go to Elisha, the servant who encourages obedience. Third - God’s healing was a gift, without conditions, not even to give up warring against the Jewish people. Jews, hearing this story, might well wonder why this gift was bestowed without circumcision or dietary requirements, not to mention acceptance of Naaman’s duty in bowing to a foreign idol. Evan commemorated J. Lawrence Burkholder’s recent passing a few days ago, a former colleague of Evan’s father’s in Goshen. Burkholder noted that radical Anabaptist dissent doesn’t always work in the secular world as people are forced to make what he called “tragic decisions”. As with Naaman’s duty, the ambiguous nature of the secular world requires compromise. Are there two standards - one for Jews, the other for converts? St. Paul seemed to think so, in that his new Greek converts were not required to observe Jewish practice gain faith in the risen Christ. Evan’s Amish forebears’ desire to obey God was compromised by the demands of society and interpretation. Evan suggests, in our struggle to remain relevant in the modern world, we keep in mind the tension between the fresh, new faith of Naaman and wisdom of Elisha, and hope for God’s blessing on us all. [AP] Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, July 4th, 2010 using your browser's preferred media player.