Sun. May 25, 2014 (Gay Lynn Voth)

At our retreat, Gay Lynn Voth, in an impressive linking of the themes in the lectionary texts, spoke about the sources of spiritual renewal. Scripture confronts us with words we don’t hear often: sin, repent God, etc. “Novel” thinkers tend to see things in new and innovative ways. To see things rightly we need to train ourselves to resist the glamour of novelty; many things cannot and should not be made new. “There are experiences of evangelicals that are novel, rigid, idolatrous and deadly wrong,” she said. For instance, the claim that God hates certain people has not been filtered through the teachings of Jesus. We should not take one verse and build a whole theology around it; it needs to be tempered by Jesus teachings. Old Testament texts need to be looked at through Jesus teaching. Jesus said he would not leave us orphaned, he would send the Holy Spirit. Jesus gave us two commandments: love God and each other. “Try living only by the rule of love,” she said. [HN]

NOTE: No audio recording of the sermon is available.

Sun. May 18, 2014 (Henry Neufeld)

Henry Neufeld spoke on "Remembering Rightly" based on Deut. 6:20-22. Memories are prone to subjective embellishment, distortion and repression. Over time, the recall button gets harder to push. Miroslav Volf's The End of Memory: Remembering Rightly in a Violent World describes how he was subjected to repeated interrogation in Yugoslavia under Marshal Josip Tito, but has been able to push painful memories to the periphery of his life and not let them define him.

1. How should we remember unpleasant experiences? Self-righteous rage at having been hurt produces an appetite for revenge, leading victims to victimize.
2. How long should we remember them for? Vengeance and resentment, no matter how apparently justified, make forgiveness difficult.
3. Is there a Christian way of remembering? Ignoring our enemies isn't an option -- we are called to love them. In communion, we remember Christ's sacrifice and his promise of eternal life.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commissions of South Africa (Apartheid) and Canada (Aboriginal residential schools) have provided forums to help both victims and beneficiaries of unjust systems remember past wrongs in constructive ways. Redemption of the past is part of the Christian vision of salvation. May our God, as we remember, heal our memories. [KH]

Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, May 18th, 2014 using your browser's preferred media player.

Sun. May 11, 2014 (Dr. Colin Godwin)

Dr. Colin Godwin returned to expand on his message from Matthew 28 on the historic establishment of an Anabaptist kingdom witness in the world.  A current expression of such an alternative community ethic was explored through the example of Ambrosius Spittelmayr, university student and itinerant preacher whose life from new baptism in July 1527 to death by beheading in February 1528 was only too typical.  Yet his witness and confession was that of a mature Christian and serves as an example to us today.  In local taverns he’d encourage the discussion of the gospel and baptize willing converts. Spittelmayr’s gospel content was inseparable from his social content - did hearers share all they had willingly, walk the extra mile, and heed the word of the Lord?  Menno Simons too drew sharp distinctions between conforming to the world and conforming to the gospel.  This was the root of conflict resolution and peacemaking that became an Anabaptist distinctive right  along with economic sharing.  Out of Spittelmayr’s words, Colin asked “Each time you say our Father, what kind of personal commitment are you making to the exceptional radical generosity that characterizes the alternative missional community?”  This alternative missional community is our foretaste of the coming kingdom of God, where all things are made right.  Colin ended with his vision for Carey Institute, a radical coach in gospel living with with low-cost on-line courses, residence on-campus, service opportunities, and discipleship training   [AP]

Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, May 11th, 2014 using your browser's preferred media player.

Sun. May 4, 2014 (Dr. Colin Godwin)

Dr. Colin Godwin (President, Carey Theological College) spoke on "Becoming an Alternative Missional Community" (Part 1 of 2)" from Matt 28:16-20 and Psalm 24:1-10. As the author of Baptizing, Gathering, And Sending, Colin explored how community formation in the 16th Century Anabaptist movement started with inclusion in the church only upon baptism. Despite waves of persecution and martyrdom throughout Europe, a milkman delivering to an Anabaptist household might find himself being witnessed to. Even today, a Chinese academic hesitated to take the next step of Believer's Baptism since it could cause problems for him upon return to his home country.

Following Christ's commands in Matthew 28 in the right order was a central tenet of Anabaptism: first preaching & conversion, then baptism, then teaching. It all started with baptism as a public declaration that the new believer was joining a community that had a clear moral imperative to enter into a changed life. High ethical expectations attract seekers who are looking for an alternative to worldly tendencies towards violence and injustice.

We don't need to expand God's Kingdom, we need to invite people to enter the here-and-now Kingdom by taking opportunities to speak and live for Christ. Since the Earth is the Lord's (Psalm 24), no land should be without the Gospel. Colin challenged us to understand what our community is, what we are an alternative to, and where we are going, with these 3 questions:

1. What is your point of entry into PGIMF as a community?
2. How is your congregation alternative?
3. How is PGIMF missional?

Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, May 4th, 2014 using your browser's preferred media player.