Sun. April 27, 2014 (Grant Hill)

Grant Hill (Menno Simons Centre alumni resident in 2003-2005) spoke on "Finding Rest for Your Soul" based on Matthew 11:25-30. If our burdens (worries and self-doubts) are like iron rocks, the human heart attracts rocks like a magnet ("zip, clang"). Our Saviour, Jesus Christ, invites us to look at Him, come to Him and take up his yoke. Jesus knew that his relationship with his Father meant that he had nothing to prove to the critics, even when John the Baptist openly questioned his identity as the Messiah. Like the wooden cross-bar of a yoke, Jesus offers to all that obedience to his teachings is a work instrument to help us bear our burdens more easily (at least until they are taken away at the End of the Age). The Sermon on the Mount may seem impossible to follow, but it makes sense as a tool to help us respond to the harsh realities of life. We can stop looking to worldly things for our rest and look to God as revealed by Jesus. Rather than escape through vacations or entertainment, Jesus offers us his words and the presence of the Holy Spirit as the equipment we need to find rest for our souls. Whose yoke is on your shoulders?

Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, April 27th, 2014 using your browser's preferred media player.

Sun. April 13, 2014 (John Klassen)

John Klassen spoke about the endings of two accounts of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Luke 19:43-44 ends with "your enemies will ... crush you to the ground ... because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God." How does one recognize the time of God's coming? John recounted 4 stories of people who left behind traces of their contact with God:

1. Clovis, King of the Franks (c. 466-511) was a warrior who converted to Christianity at the prompting of his wife, Clotilde of Burgundy. Despite his the death of his infant child shortly after baptism, Clovis shifted the source of his strength from his long hair & charisma to God's holiness.
   
2. An anonymous widower in Wittislingen, Germany left behind a silver broach in the grave of his departed wife, enscribed with "May Uffila, snatched blamelessly by Death, live happily in God."
   
3. An anonymous monk in the 9th century known as the "Saxon Saviour" paraphrased the Gospel of Mark into poetic local language (The Heliand) so that Germanic pagans could be converted without having to be defeated militarily by the campaigns of Charlemagne (Charles the Great).
   
4. A 16th century nun, Saint Teresa of Ávila, wrote in her autobiography that during a difficult journey she heard Jesus say to her, "this is how I treat ones who want to be my close friends." 

The closing words of Luke's account and John's form a conversation: your enemies may surround you, but the words of Jesus in John 12 were "Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion. Look, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!"

Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, April 13th, 2014 using your browser's preferred media player.

Sun. Apr. 6, 2014 (Brent Siemens)

Brent Siemens spoke on Psalm 130. He introduced us to the hymn book of Psalms as one that tells a story. It starts with chapters that prepare us to pray by centering us on the Word of God, while pointing out that our foes in the world aren't ultimate. The middle set of many laments carries us through the ups-and-downs of life. The final set at the end lead us to say "Halleluja" (Praise the Lord). The Psalmist of 130 is in deep water, in the depths of chaos and disorder. Brent drew a parallel to the pre-creation state of threatening darkness in Genesis 1:2. Eugene Peterson suggests that this Psalm teaches us how to talk to God (not just talk about God). On our own we can't stand before God because of sin. But the good news is that with God there is the forgiveness because of his steadfast love (the Hebrew word "chesed" meaning loving-kindness). What does it mean to wait for the Lord?

1. Wait for God to act. With sovereignty over all, the Lord promises deliverance.
2. Wait for God's presence. David seeks the Lord's face as should we all.
3. Wait for God to demonstrate your trust and faith. In a posture of quiet obedience, wait for Lord more patiently than a watchman for the morning.

Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, April 6th, 2014 using your browser's preferred media player.