Sun. Feb. 16, 2014 (Dr. Cheryl Pauls)

Dr. Cheryl Pauls (President of Canadian Mennonite University) spoke on "Reaching for What's Been Lost and Found and Lost Again and Again" from Isa 58:9b-14 and Mk 5:24-34. Is there hope of recovering a theological influence on higher education? CMU is a “church-related” university that partners with secular universities on academic content and voluntary community. CMU’s Menno Simons College funds the departments of Conflict Resolution and International Development studies at the University of Winnipeg. Peace and Social Justice are both religious virtues and increasingly shared societal values. Bringing out the best of two supporting Mennonite denominations helps CMU builds trust with other ecumenically-minded Christian churches. Likewise, ongoing interfaith dialog with Shia Muslims in Iran and efforts to reduce inequality in staff remuneration all demonstrate the engagement of Anabaptist ideals. She called us to help repair the breakdown of public dialog between the theological voice and the liberal arts by taking inspiration from the Book of Nehemiah’s long list of workers who repaired Jerusalem’s walls.

Dr. Pauls then gave a dramatic monologue from the dual perspective of a timeless woman she named Johanna – the one who encompassed the experience of the woman in Mark 5 who was healed by touching Jesus’ hem, and a characterization of her own internal experiences of reaching out to Jesus during two different worship services. Her “Narnia moment” was a twist of imagination that invited her to suspend judgment and drink deeply from the wellspring of grace and truth. She was transformed by a sense of courage, patience and a desire to imagine new openings to conversations that had seemed closed.

Is theological truth better than secular nihilism because it’s musical? Is liturgical practice a preparation for the performance of life, and at the same time, are the practices of life a preparation for the performance of worship? Have courage, trust, and patience in the multiple spheres of influence that span across the institutions of church and state. Hope can come from the words of Isaiah (58:9-11), who said, “If you do away with the yoke of oppression ... you will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” [KH]

Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, February 16th, 2014 using your browser's preferred media player.

Sun. Feb. 9, 2014 (Janice Kreider)

Janice Kreider spoke on "A Temporary Peace" from Micah 6:1-8. She explored verse 5 (which referenced the narrative of Balak and Balaam) by leading a dramatic reading of Numbers 21:31-24:25 with help from Laura, Steve, Ann Marie, Doug, Andre and Tim. When the Israelites occupied the land of the Amorites and defeated King Og of Bashan, the nearby King Balak of Moab was afraid of the "numerous horde" and sought a curse on them from Balaam -- a holy man with a reputation for successful magic. Balak wouldn't risk attacking the Israelite encampments without the advantage of a curse on them. A chuckle ensued when Andre portrayed Balaam's donkey by holding a carrot dangling from a stick; the donkey saw the angel blocking Balaam's path to helping Balak. After 3 rounds of sacrifices, although Balaam wasn't an Israelite, the Holy Spirit directed him to bless the LORD's people rather than curse them. In his 4th oracle, Balaam announced that Israel would crush a long list of surrounding lands & peoples. After that time, Israel experienced famine, leading to Ruth, a native of Moab, becoming the great-grandmother of King David and an ancestor of Jesus. Unjust levels of inequality, rampant corruption and unrestrained violence are still gravely concerning in many parts of world. We can be thankful that we have religious freedom in Canada, but it can't be taken for granted. We appreciate times of health, but illness can strike at any time. We are thankful for a relatively clean environment, but know that there are threats to our air and water. Janice concluded by reminding us of Jesus' words in Matthew 6:34, "So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today" and from Proverbs 3:5-8, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." [KH]

Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, February 9th, 2014 using your browser's preferred media player.

Sun. Feb. 2, 2014 (J. Evan Kreider)

Salt is essential for life and important for enhancing food flavours. In Old Testament times the Israelites were told "…your grain offering you shall season with salt.” (Lev. 2:13) Jesus was a travelling preacher and teacher who told stories and developed short, pithy sayings that were easily remembered: “You are the salt of the earth, you are the light of the world,” Evan Krieder pointed out on Sunday that some of Jesus followers would have heard these sayings many times and eventually they were written down. Jesus was critical of scribes and Pharisees who were obsessed with correct doctrine keeping rules to satisfy the Mosaic law. Jesus told people their behaviour needed to exceed the behaviour of these two groups. Salt does not create flavours; it enhances them. We need to find ways to enhance life for each other and our communities. Jesus told his followers: if you’re a disciple but don’t live like one, you’re useless.

You are the salt of the earth O people,
Salt for the Kingdom of God,
Share the flavour of life O people,
 Life in the kingdom of God. (Hymn #226) (HN) 

Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, February 2nd, 2014 using your browser's preferred media player.