tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91147717104030170652024-03-12T18:39:03.598-07:00Point Grey Inter-Mennonite FellowshipThe Point Grey Inter-Mennonite Fellowship (PGIMF) is an Anabaptist congregation in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. We are both associate members of the Conference of Mennonites of BC (part of the Mennonite Church of Canada), and members of the BC Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches. We worship together on Sunday mornings at 10:00 a.m. in the chapel of the Menno Simons Centre at 4000 West 11th Avenue.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger343125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114771710403017065.post-20452272343258230112015-01-26T11:30:00.000-08:002015-01-26T20:30:09.442-08:00Sun. Jan. 25, 2015 (Michelle Drewitz)Michelle Drewitz spoke about Jonah 3, that there is much more to the story of the prophet who ran away from God than being rescued by a whale with indigestion! On his 2nd mission, Jonah proclaimed the need for Nineveh's repentance, and that adversarial foreign city responded with sufficient humility to change Elohim's mind about overthrowing the great city after 40 days. May we too have compassion on our penitent enemies and extend them same grace that our merciful God has demonstrated. [KH]<br />
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Listen to the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org/audio/2015-01-25-michelledrewitz.mp3" target="_blank">audio MP3 recording from Sunday, Jan. 25th, 2014</a> using your browser's preferred media player.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit the official web site of the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org">Point Grey Inter-Mennonite Fellowship (PGIMF)</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114771710403017065.post-28611915851005121372015-01-18T11:30:00.000-08:002015-01-18T17:58:26.073-08:00Sun. Jan. 18, 2015 (Catherine Cooper)Catherine Cooper spoke on "Being Whole People". As part 1 of her 2-part series, she began by looking at the body as the flesh. Since the Enlightenment we've separated our mortal coil from the body-mind (brain) and the spirit-mind (soul), but Paul's advice in 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 reminds us that what we do physically can either glorify God or be a sin against the temple of the Holy Spirit. In part 2 on Feb. 1st, she will continue by examining the Body of Christ as a collection of individuals living in community. [KH]<br />
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Listen to the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org/audio/2015-01-18-catherinecooper.mp3" target="_blank">audio MP3 recording from Sunday, Jan. 18th, 2014</a> using your browser's preferred media player.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit the official web site of the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org">Point Grey Inter-Mennonite Fellowship (PGIMF)</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114771710403017065.post-50290408253086646472015-01-11T11:30:00.000-08:002015-01-11T22:33:53.165-08:00Sun. Jan. 11, 2015 (Winston Pratt)Winston Pratt spoke on "Measuring Our Lives with Moses" based on Psalm 90. Moses begins with praise for God as our dwelling place, makes the point in the middle that we need a healthy fear of God's anger at sin, and ends with a call for God to reveal his power and be merciful to us. Our lives are full of "toil and trouble, they are soon gone, and we fly away." What are we doing with the gift of time that God has given us? [KH]<br />
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Listen to the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org/audio/2015-01-11-winstonpratt.mp3" target="_blank">audio MP3 recording from Sunday, Jan. 11th, 2014</a> using your browser's preferred media player.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit the official web site of the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org">Point Grey Inter-Mennonite Fellowship (PGIMF)</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114771710403017065.post-71004365890628086692015-01-04T11:30:00.000-08:002015-01-04T22:32:59.671-08:00Sun. Jan. 4, 2015 (Henry Neufeld)Henry Neufeld spoke on "Raising Cain" based on Genesis 4:1-16. After the sacrifice but before the murder, God didn't explain why Cain's offering wasn't acceptable, but simply admonished him to do what is right. Are we too blinded by jealousy, envy or anger to do well in God's eyes? As a model for merciful justice rather than "eye-for-an-eye" punishment under the Law of Moses, Cain's banishment ended with his settlement East of Eden. If we truly live in a state of grace, can we do what the Lord requires of us: to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8)? [KH]<br />
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Listen to the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org/audio/2015-01-04-henryneufeld.mp3" target="_blank">audio MP3 recording from Sunday, Jan. 4th, 2014</a> using your browser's preferred media player.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit the official web site of the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org">Point Grey Inter-Mennonite Fellowship (PGIMF)</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114771710403017065.post-55432248935615021532014-12-28T12:00:00.000-08:002014-12-28T16:21:04.358-08:00Sun. Dec. 28, 2014 (Andre Pekovich)Andre Pekovich's 3-segment sermon on "Carpe Diem" (Latin for "Seize the Day") was based on Ecclesiastes 9:1-12. We must all face our fear of the grave, and life is not fair, yet we are free to enjoy the days that we have. The English physicist and novelist C.P. Snow made a comparable allegory on life from the 3 laws of thermodynamics: you can't win, you can't break even, and you can't quit the game. Andre concluded by quoting Eve Merriam's <a href="http://www.outstandingpoems.com/em2-eat.htm" target="_blank">How to Eat a Poem</a>. [KH]<br />
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Listen to the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org/audio/2014-12-28-andrepekovich.mp3" target="_blank">audio MP3 recording from Sunday, Dec. 28th, 2014</a> using your browser's preferred media player.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit the official web site of the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org">Point Grey Inter-Mennonite Fellowship (PGIMF)</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114771710403017065.post-18471834216603832014-12-21T12:00:00.000-08:002014-12-21T22:43:37.202-08:00Sun. Dec. 21, 2014 (Jenna Veenbaas)Jenna Veenbaas delivered a dramatic monologue from the perspective of Mary, mother of Jesus. From hearing the prophecies of the Messiah by Micah to the annunciation by an angel as recorded in Luke, her first-person perspective really conveyed the miracle of Immanuel -- God With Us. [KH]<br />
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Listen to the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org/audio/2014-12-21-jennaveenbaas.mp3" target="_blank">audio MP3 recording from Sunday, Dec. 21st, 2014</a> using your browser's preferred media player.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit the official web site of the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org">Point Grey Inter-Mennonite Fellowship (PGIMF)</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114771710403017065.post-7185717565988832442014-12-14T12:00:00.000-08:002014-12-15T00:05:37.396-08:00Sun. Dec. 14, 2014 (Rosie Perera)Rosie Perera spoke on "Patient Endurance: Advent Reflections on Waiting from the Book of Revelation" based on Rev. 6:9-11 (souls of martyrs under the altar asking how long before Lord judges the inhabitants of the earth), Rev. 10:1-7 (there will be no more delay ... when the 7th angel is to blow his trumpet, the mystery of God will be fulfilled), and Rev. 12:1-6,13-17 (The Woman and the Dragon). Our anticipation of celebrating the birth of Jesus helps us to endure present trials while patiently waiting for the 2nd coming of Christ. [KH]<br />
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Listen to the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org/audio/2014-12-14-rosieperera.mp3" target="_blank">audio MP3 recording from Sunday, Dec. 14th, 2014</a> using your browser's preferred media player.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit the official web site of the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org">Point Grey Inter-Mennonite Fellowship (PGIMF)</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114771710403017065.post-19778571777919867272014-12-07T12:00:00.000-08:002014-12-14T00:25:36.323-08:00Sun. Dec. 7, 2014 (Sing-along Messiah)The second Sunday of Advent was our annual Sing-along Messiah to the accompaniment of Ruth Enns on piano, conducted by Andrea Siemens, with readings from Doug Medley, and solos from Ann Marie Mossman, Andrea Siemens, Rosemary Bell, and the assembled women’s voices on “He was Despised”. The audio recording features the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's <i>Messiah</i>. [KH]<br />
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Listen to the final aria and closing benediction of the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org/audio/2014-12-07-messiahsingalong.mp3" target="_blank">audio MP3 recording from Sunday, Dec. 7th, 2014</a> using your browser's preferred media player.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit the official web site of the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org">Point Grey Inter-Mennonite Fellowship (PGIMF)</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114771710403017065.post-23677460549570981882014-11-30T12:00:00.000-08:002014-11-30T16:53:57.954-08:00Sun. Nov. 30, 2014 (Tony Tremblett)Tony Tremblett spoke on "Ruin, Reformation, Redemption and Restoration" based on Micah 5:2-5 for the first Sunday of Advent. The prophet Micah was a "turbulent priest" with the courage to criticize those in authority for ignoring the down-trodden. He foretold the coming of Christ from the little town of Bethlehem (House of Bread) as one step in God's plan for the salvation of humanity. How can we "do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God" in our daily lives? [KH]<br />
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Listen to the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org/audio/2014-11-30-tonytremblett.mp3" target="_blank">sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, November 30th, 2014</a> using your browser's preferred media player.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit the official web site of the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org">Point Grey Inter-Mennonite Fellowship (PGIMF)</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114771710403017065.post-3734913628552589662014-11-23T12:00:00.000-08:002014-11-23T17:57:12.636-08:00Sun. Nov. 23, 2014 (Thomas Bergen)Thomas Bergen spoke on "Liturgies of the University" as part 3 in his sermon series. The cultural liturgies of the Mall (<a href="http://blog.pgimf.org/2014/09/sun-sept-28-2014-thomas-bergen.html" target="_blank">Sept. 28</a>) and the Stadium (<a href="http://blog.pgimf.org/2014/10/sun-oct-26-2014-thomas-bergen.html" target="_blank">Oct. 26</a>) demonstrate that religious and secular worship are nearly indistinguishable. The University isn't as secular as it claims; even professional programs presume an educational purpose of human development. Campus activities shape the character of students beyond the classroom, starting with orientation weeks that teach overindulgence and discrimination. The Menno Simons Centre offers counter-cultural liturgies, such as gratis duties, common meals, and bible study groups, which build a community of <u>UNI</u>ty in Christ and di<u>VERSITY</u> of backgrounds and studies. 1 John 5:21 reminds us to keep ourselves from idols. [KH]<br />
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Listen to the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org/audio/2014-11-23-thomasbergen.mp3" target="_blank">sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, November 23rd, 2014</a> using your browser's preferred media player.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit the official web site of the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org">Point Grey Inter-Mennonite Fellowship (PGIMF)</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114771710403017065.post-80297322116221971832014-11-16T12:00:00.000-08:002014-11-16T16:49:38.920-08:00Sun. Nov. 16, 2014 (Henry Krause)Henry Krause, pastor of <a href="http://www.langleymennonitefellowship.org/" target="_blank">Langley Mennonite Fellowship</a>, spoke "On Being Good Entrepreneurs for Jesus" based on Matthew 25:14-30. Are we 'reluctant capitalists' if we try to reconcile the Sermon on the Mount with the Parable of the Talents? In <a href="http://books.google.ca/books?id=71unRvDgxAMC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false" target="_blank"><i>What Would Jesus Deconstruct?</i></a>, John D. Caputo encourages us to break down our judgmental predispositions and take risks for the Kingdom of God. Beyond money, God has invested the Gospel and the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us; are we being faithful servants with those talents? [KH]<br />
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Listen to the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org/audio/2014-11-16-henrykrause.mp3" target="_blank">sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, November 16th, 2014</a> using your browser's preferred media player.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit the official web site of the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org">Point Grey Inter-Mennonite Fellowship (PGIMF)</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114771710403017065.post-57206288066516350782014-11-02T12:00:00.000-08:002014-11-08T10:31:07.517-08:00Sun. Nov. 2, 2014 (Brent Siemens)Brent Siemens spoke on "Sealed for Kingdom Living" from Revelations 7. John's hears and sees different aspects of the realities of the present and the future. This was a true "apocalypse" (an unveiling, not necessarily a disaster). Between the six and the seventh seals, the 144,000 (12 x 12 x 1,000) symbolically represent the entire people of God. John <i>hears</i> of Jesus as the Lion of Judah but <i>sees</i> the Messiah as the Lamb whose sacrificial death has redeemed the multitudes from all nations. The sealed servants of God can withstand the "great pressure" of tribulation. [KH]<br />
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Listen to the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org/audio/2014-11-02-brentsiemens.mp3" target="_blank">sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, November 2nd, 2014</a> using your browser's preferred media player.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit the official web site of the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org">Point Grey Inter-Mennonite Fellowship (PGIMF)</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114771710403017065.post-74719739614731684492014-10-26T12:00:00.000-07:002014-10-27T00:34:25.315-07:00Sun. Oct. 26, 2014 (Thomas Bergen)Thomas Bergen spoke on "Liturgies of the Stadium" as part 2 of 3 in his sermon series. Cultural institutions like the Mall (<a href="http://blog.pgimf.org/2014/09/sun-sept-28-2014-thomas-bergen.html" target="_blank">Sept. 28</a>), the Stadium (today) and the University (Nov. 23) have intercepted humanity's spiritual longings and use rituals that promote idolatrous versions of religious worship. A religion is more than a set of beliefs, it is more about what it makes people do, and what does for them. As we saw during the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Futbol in Brasil is not just a national pastime, it looks more like a religion in that society! Liturgies capture our imagination and direct our hearts towards an object of love and worship: idolatry is about the things we love. Beyond the superficial resemblances like saints & shrines (Hall of Fame) and houses of worship (arenas and fields), sporting events reveal their religiosity in three ways:<br />
<ol>
<li><b>Intensity of devotion.</b> Our culture glorifies professional spectator sports, with fans (short for fanatics) showering top talented athletes with attention and compensation. Athletes too have bought into a whatever-it-takes attitude, sacrificing their health for the game.</li>
<li><b>Social cohesion. </b>Like praise choruses in church, a chant of "GOAL" celebrates a collective triumph, and wearers of team jerseys feel an instant affinity for each other. Football sanctifies specialization and pushing over (or running past) your opponents to gain territory. As a substitute for ancient war-preparation exercises, sports are now associated with patriotism, starting with the singing of national anthems.</li>
<li><b>Suspension of the normal rules of morality. </b>Sports builds character, but what kind -- only the characteristics that fit with the competitive imperative to win the game? The "killer instinct" must be nurtured to arguably psychopathic levels in order to win by ruthlessly out-competing your opponent without guilt. </li>
</ol>
Can we imitate the playfulness that God demonstrated in creation? Like sports, the rules of the game of life (love God and love your neighbour) give us the sacred bounds within which to play in our lives. How can we as Christians redeem sports and resist the idolatrous liturgies of the stadium? Play sports with joy, in the image of God. Unlike a sports celebrity, Jesus will never let us down. [KH]<br />
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Listen to the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org/audio/2014-10-26-thomasbergen.mp3" target="_blank">sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, October 26th, 2014</a> using your browser's preferred media player.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit the official web site of the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org">Point Grey Inter-Mennonite Fellowship (PGIMF)</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114771710403017065.post-49926023698612174742014-10-19T12:00:00.000-07:002014-10-27T23:31:28.824-07:00Sun. Oct. 19, 2014 (Heather Pauls Murray)Heather Pauls Murray, in her first time public speaking at a church, told stories of the heart. When first at the Menno Simons Centre twelve years ago, she, in the insignificance of her life, was confronted by an important figure who noted that ‘this is one of many important times in your life’ and is to be lived fully. Life at the residence reinforced that view in discussions with fellow residents on the meaning of life, consideration of agonizing questions, all of which strengthened her spirituality. The searching for knowledge typified by university was set in its proper place by her reading of Ecclesiastes 8:16, noting the search after knowledge was fruitless. The living of life instead - dinners, talks and hikes with friends - instead determined the growth of her spiritual life. Once married and with family (a new stage with equal value), Heather noted her spiritual life remains heavy with feeling and emotion, immune to the searching for knowledge, until suddenly the lived life illuminates Scripture. 1 Corinthians 13's passage on Love conflicted with Heather’s understanding of knowledge as eternal. But as she lived her married life, she came to realize how much more eternal and transforming was love, compared to knowledge, which seems to change with every stage and generation. So too did her understanding of John 15:12-37 on sacrificial love also transform her once she had a family. Stories of neighbours caring for parents and friends sacrificing their schooling for others reinforced this view for Heather. ‘Why should we sacrifice? is the answer of the head full of knowledge. ‘Why should I not sacrifice?’ is the answer of the heart, informed by Scripture. God as father now also stands out for Heather in a different way from her early life. The un-understandable fears of her parents on a long trip to the Yukon now find meaning for Heather as she watches her own children meet life’s challenges. Heather is always reminded that there is a time for everything - a time for study, travel and adventuring; a time for pouring everything into her marriage; and now is a time for sacrifice for her family. At every stage, there will be a passage of scripture to illuminate itself for her that was previously hidden. So too is it for each of us - young, old, working, retired, in school, at home, out in the world - and every stage is to be lived fully. [AP]<br />
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Listen to the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org/audio/2014-10-19-heatherpaulsmurray.mp3" target="_blank">sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, October 19th, 2014</a> using your browser's preferred media player.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit the official web site of the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org">Point Grey Inter-Mennonite Fellowship (PGIMF)</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114771710403017065.post-26204640325028224832014-10-05T12:00:00.000-07:002014-10-26T23:47:50.095-07:00Sun. Oct. 5, 2014 (Veronica Dyck)Dr. Veronica Dyck took us from a harvest of luscious wine and sweet grapes on an Okanagan winery tour to "A Harvest of Sour Grapes" in a series of lectionary texts. In 8th-century BCE Judah, King Ahaz and his yeoman’s army faced the professional army of King Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria. Isaiah used this invasion to deliver oracle after oracle, using images of food security (a bounty of grain, olives and grapes) to recall the people of Judah to justice under God’s hand. In Isaiah 5:1-7, the image of a vineyard, carefully planted and lovingly tended, yields a harvest of rotten fruit. In the last verses of the passage, the camera pulls back to reveal God the gardener, the people of Judah the bitter harvest, and the oracle of destruction was pronounced upon the vineyard for the sins of greed, seizure of land, and refusal to honour God’s covenant law. This juridical parable, like the one Nathan spoke to King David of the poor man’s lamb, condemned the rich and powerful in strong language. Veronica then turned to Matthew 21:33-46 in the passage of the owner of a vineyard and his tenants, to illustrate Jesus’ commitment to God’s justice was no less than Isaiah’s, and his language no less effective. In evading Pharisaical traps, Jesus used images of vineyards and harvests to turn the Torah’s old stories against them, reminding them that Judah’s fate under Assyria was also to be theirs under the Romans for their failure to honour the covenant of mercy and justice. Veronica then reminded us, with Psalm 80, that these intentionally-sung responses to the OT readings were meant to honour God with a changed heart, a transformed life, and that Bruggeman reminds us that though life is not pleasant even under God’s law, it is meant to be lived as it is, not as the pleasant lie we would wish it to be. Our proper response is to allow God to transform our lives through his word, so that our fruit is not sour and true evangelical faith may be lived out in our lives. [AP]<br />
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Listen to the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org/audio/2014-10-05-veronicadyck.mp3" target="_blank">sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, October 5th, 2014</a> using your browser's preferred media player.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit the official web site of the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org">Point Grey Inter-Mennonite Fellowship (PGIMF)</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114771710403017065.post-30880613402825568932014-09-28T12:00:00.000-07:002014-09-28T18:09:45.164-07:00Sun. Sept. 28, 2014 (Thomas Bergen)Thomas Bergen spoke on "Liturgies of the Mall" based on Matthew 6:19-21, 24; Deuteronomy 12:28-32, and Psalm 115:1-8.<br />
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Listen to the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org/audio/2014-09-28-thomasbergen.mp3" target="_blank">sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, September 28th, 2014</a> using your browser's preferred media player.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit the official web site of the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org">Point Grey Inter-Mennonite Fellowship (PGIMF)</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114771710403017065.post-74300765913832235722014-09-21T12:00:00.000-07:002014-09-25T13:50:12.909-07:00Sun. Sept. 21, 2014 (Jim Neudorf)Jim Neudorf invited us to respond interactively throughout his sermon, and since no personally identifiable information was revealed, the recording is posted online in its entirety. The pessimistic passage in Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 described a bleak reality, prompting comments about its sense of fatalism, resignation, despair, and hopelessness. Like the Greek myth of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisyphus" target="_blank">Sisyphus</a>, our past employment or business efforts may feel futile: an echo of the curse of Eden -- sweat and toil, dust to dust (Genesis 3:19). However, Psalm 90 starts out with a sense of hope by recognizing that God is our dwelling place throughout all generations. Walter Brueggemann's <a href="http://books.google.ca/books/about/The_Message_of_the_Psalms.html?id=BwEWFT_cCI8C" target="_blank">The Message of the Psalms</a> categories them into 3 types: orientation, disorientation and new orientation. Psalm 8 is an example of an orientation psalm (Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth). In a disorientation psalm, an uncensored complaint shows how honest our discourse can be with God in prayer. In the classic book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Managing-Transitions-Making-Most-Change/dp/0738213802/ref=la_B000AQ4MUS_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411363574&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Managing Transitions</a>, William Bridges describes how there is no shortcut from recognizing the ending, working through the neutral zone, and re-orienting to the new beginning. In <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/The-Gifts-Imperfection-Supposed-Embrace/dp/159285849X" target="_blank">The Gifts of Imperfection</a>, Brené Brown's says, "<i>We cannot selectively numb emotions; when we numb the painful emotions, we also numb the positive emotions."</i><br />
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Psalm 90 is a prayer to bring the spiritual into our everyday activities and give them meaning. Whether we are spinning clay pots, writing scholarly papers, or constructing buildings, we can find joy in ordinary work. Even painful experiences can be made meaningful by sharing them for others to learn from. If we reflect, and focus on our relationships, we may recognize the enduring legacies that others have left to us, whether they intended to or not. The congregation responsively read aloud the concluding verse 17, praying collectively to establish the work of our hands. [KH]<br />
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Listen to the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org/audio/2014-09-21-jimneudorf.mp3" target="_blank">sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, September 21st, 2014</a> using your browser's preferred media player.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit the official web site of the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org">Point Grey Inter-Mennonite Fellowship (PGIMF)</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114771710403017065.post-960855380197720832014-09-14T12:00:00.000-07:002014-09-17T08:52:18.829-07:00Sun. Sept. 14, 2014 (Brent Siemens)Brent Siemens recounted for us the story of Joseph from Genesis 44, but from the perspective of one of Joseph’s brothers - Judah, the fourth-born - as a testament to God’s working in the lives of scandalously-imperfect people. The story began in Genesis 37 with Joseph acknowledged as favourite of his father Jacob by his favourite wife Rachel. Judah, however, led his nine other brothers in mischief as they acted on their dislike of Joseph and sold him into slavery. Brent followed Judah through Genesis 38 as he lived a life of avarice, marrying outside clan to a Canaanite woman, who bore him two sons who soon died, and generally lived apart from God. Though the main narrative followed Joseph’s blessing at the hands of God, Brent continued with Judah through Genesis 42 and 43 when the family’s time of need brought them back together. Even when Joseph restrained Simeon in Egypt the first time the family came begging for food, one senses this is no act of revenge, but a test. So when the family returned to Joseph in Egypt once again to beg for more food, Joseph’s trump card was played - he seized Benjamin through trickery, and put the family to the test of loyalty once again. Judah, however, rose to the challenge, offering to trade places with Benjamin and remain in Egypt so as to allow Benjamin to go home to his father Jacob. Joseph had recreated the original test that led to his slavery, with Benjamin, in order to find out “Does hatred, jealousy and favouritism still rule the family? Can I trust them?” Joseph found out that the brothers have indeed changed, and that Judah has assumed the mantle of leadership with responsibility. Even the language of the passage changes from “the sons of Jacob” to “Judah and his brothers” reflecting the bond that overcame the failings of their father’s favouritism. Brent ascribed four lessons to this story, noting that:<br />
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<ol>
<li>God doesn’t give up on people, even when people fail him;</li>
<li>that God brings about transformation in his own time - actively with Joseph, more passively with Judah; </li>
<li>God desires us to be our brothers’ keeper, to actively interfere in each others’ lives to good intent; and</li>
<li>God asks us to look to each other sacrificial love, as Judah did for Benjamin, and Jesus (himself a direct descendant of Judah) did for us. </li>
</ol>
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Greater love has no-one than this, that he lays down his life for his friends. [AP]<br />
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Listen to the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org/audio/2014-09-14-brentsiemens.mp3" target="_blank">sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, September 14th, 2014</a> using your browser's preferred media player.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit the official web site of the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org">Point Grey Inter-Mennonite Fellowship (PGIMF)</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114771710403017065.post-70570673333818303062014-09-07T12:00:00.000-07:002014-09-08T07:18:41.418-07:00Sun. Sept. 7, 2014 (Janice Kreider)Janice Kreider (retired UBC librarian, charter member of the church, and an avid volunteer gardener at the MSC) traced Mennonite history from the Reformation to Menno Simons, and told a colourful story from her own genealogy. Conrad Grebel and Felix Manz were young people in Zürich who concluded that the Protestant churches hadn't gone far enough by retaining infant baptism, swearing oaths, and not separating Church from State. The radical movement of Anabaptists (re-baptizers) started in Switzerland and spread throughout Europe, eventually attracting Menno Simons, a disaffected Catholic priest in Friesland (Netherlands) by 1536.<br />
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When the movement was persecuted in Switzerland, some migrated to France, where Janice's ancestors settled in Franche-Comté. Andreas, a German-speaking Catholic a stone-mason, came to their village to work on the Lutheran church. Two unmarried daughters of the Guemann family became pregnant by Andreas: Catherine (age 29, widow & mother of 3), and Francois (age 21, single). Catherine wanted to remain an Anabaptist even though marrying a Catholic would normally cause her to be kicked out. But in the church register, an exception was made to accept her civil marriage to Andreas. If church leaders had held strictly to their doctrines, the Anabaptist lineage back to Janice's great-great-grandparents would have been lost. Francois got married later, but died soon after immigrating to Ohio and was buried next to her sister. Real people make compromises, forgiving and accepting forgiveness. Recall the imperfect examples of how God still uses people who sin: Moses (murder), Saul (jealousy), and David (adultery).<br />
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We were inspired by these stories of Mercy (on the part of the church leaders), Faithfulness (by Catherine in her loyalty to her sister and her church), and Courage (in the young Anabaptist activists who stuck by their beliefs despite persecution). As we remember our own stories, do we see the hand of God at work? What stories will your children or friends tell about you? [KH]<br />
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Listen to the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org/audio/2014-09-07-janicekreider.mp3" target="_blank">sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, September 7th, 2014</a> using your browser's preferred media player.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit the official web site of the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org">Point Grey Inter-Mennonite Fellowship (PGIMF)</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114771710403017065.post-71948792543933491412014-08-31T11:30:00.000-07:002014-08-31T17:25:28.103-07:00Sun. Aug. 31, 2014 (J. Evan Kreider)Dr. J. Evan Kreider spoke on "Forty Years" based on Exodus 3:1-15. As a fitting sequel to the story of Elijah, of whom Evan spoke two Sundays ago, Moses also had to flee to the wilderness and encountered God in a life-changing way on Mount Horeb. A blazing bush that wasn't consumed by the fire certainly caught Moses' attention while tending livestock! When God called Moses to bring the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses questioned his own credibility to lead the people. But God answered those doubts by identifying himself in a way that the people would recognize as prophetic. The Chapel of the Burning Bush inside <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Catherine's_Monastery" target="_blank">St. Catherine's Monastery</a> in Egypt continues to protect the presumed site of that encounter.<br />
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Like Moses, we may feel unqualified or an outsider, but has there been a "burning bush" moment in your life? Has an unexpected opportunity or crisis allowed you to see how things can work out for the better, spiritually? When Evan heard his cousin preach at the Mennonite centre in London, those sermons showed Evan how to reconcile an academic perspective on history and his Mennonite beliefs. Moses encountered God during his daily routine at work, and the story of him changing careers at the age of 80 proves that God can provide "burning bush" moments for any of us, including our octogenarians! <a href="http://books.google.ca/books?id=2PtVmFf4pskC&pg=PA252&lpg=PA252&dq=%22the+vessel+of+my+life+towards%22&source=bl&ots=1TL7dc-rPu&sig=ks-W3BtTFtjTE-ZZu5YrQRpa1PE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=K68DVKDlOcSEjALV2oHYBg&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false" target="_blank">Basil of Caesarea</a> (c.330-379) wrote (abridged), "… teach me … to ask … for the right things. Steer … the vessel of my life towards Thyself … to rejoice in thy glorious and gladdening presence." [KH]<br />
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Listen to the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org/audio/2014-08-31-jevankreider.mp3" target="_blank">sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, August 31st, 2014</a> using your browser's preferred media player.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit the official web site of the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org">Point Grey Inter-Mennonite Fellowship (PGIMF)</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114771710403017065.post-82633314317162471162014-08-24T11:30:00.000-07:002014-08-24T21:06:29.227-07:00Sun. Aug. 24, 2014 (Gerald Neufeld)Gerald Neufeld, pastor of the Mennonite Japanese Christian Fellowship (<a href="http://gameo.org/index.php?title=Mennonite_Japanese_Christian_Fellowship_(Surrey,_British_Columbia,_Canada)" target="_blank">MJCF</a>) in Surrey, who last spoke to us in April 2009, returned to speak on "Self-Improvement or God-Improved" based on Jeremiah 9:23-24 and 1 Corinthians 1:18-31. He challenged us to think about how we invest our God-given time and energy. If we focus on perfection, what else could we be doing with the extra time, beyond what's required? There may be virtue in pursuing excellence in what one believes is God's calling, but if we're always busy with worries and nit-picking, how can we build relationships and care for each other? To deny oneself and take up your cross <i>daily</i> means a life of sacrifice and service, even if it's thankless. To the early Anabaptists, the Baptism of Blood represented the daily struggle against temptation. God gave us our talents to be spent blessing others, like grapes squeezed to make wine. No one can boast about their own wisdom (intelligence, education), might (physical strength, power) or wealth. Rather, God calls us to demonstrate steadfast love, justice and righteousness -- love in action. Do we worry too much about how we look or how things will go? John the Baptist didn't get caught up competing with Jesus' ministry. As we focus on following Jesus, we'll be improved by God. Let us live lives of joyful service, using our gifts according to God's leading. Gerald closed with the prayer, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Make_Me_an_Instrument_of_Your_Peace#Prayer" target="_blank">Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace</a>.<br />
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Listen to the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org/audio/2014-08-24-geraldneufeld.mp3" target="_blank">sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, August 24th, 2014</a> using your browser's preferred media player.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit the official web site of the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org">Point Grey Inter-Mennonite Fellowship (PGIMF)</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114771710403017065.post-31942119828224810472014-08-17T11:30:00.000-07:002014-09-01T09:46:35.073-07:00Sun. Aug. 17, 2014 (J. Evan Kreider)Dr. Evan Kreider spoke on "God of Storms, God of Silences" based on the scriptures in 1 Kings 19:9-18 and Psalm 85:8-13. He addressed three of the most fabulous stories about Elijah found in scripture, to show the guidance God offers for direction in our own lives. In 1 Kings 18 and 19, Elijah defeats the prophets of Baal, but also offends Queen Jezebel and flees, hiding for a symbolic 40 days on Mt. Horeb, the sister mountain to the one where Israel received the law. In answer to the Lord's question, "What are you doing here?" Elijah answers that his faithfulness has left him alone. This, of course, is not correct - the Lord mentions another 7,000 faithful "who did not bow down to Baal" but even through windstorms, earthquakes and fire, Elijah has failed to keep faith and is to be replaced, along with Israel's leadership. Are there times today when we are incapable of keeping up with our changing world? Do we defend institutions that refuse to change? How do we know when we should change, and when it is time to be silent, or to annoint the next generation, no matter how wrong we may think they are? How does God come to us today - is His voice in disasters? Doe we hear God's voice in nature or in the impulses of our creative muses? Must we be in the wilderness for 40 days? When we are so distracted by our modern conveniences, how is God supposed to get through? Silence is when we set our agendas aside, still our minds and just listen. And if we are met with only more silence, let us rely on Psalm 46 and "Be still and know that I am God." [AP]
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Listen to the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org/audio/2014-08-17-jevankreider.mp3" target="_blank">sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, August 17th, 2014</a> using your browser's preferred media player.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit the official web site of the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org">Point Grey Inter-Mennonite Fellowship (PGIMF)</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114771710403017065.post-59559404048863448002014-08-10T11:30:00.000-07:002014-08-18T07:52:36.234-07:00Sun. Aug. 10, 2014 (John Longhurst)John Longhurst spoke about the creative relief work being done by the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. Farming has changed during the past century, moving from some 80 acres being tilled and harvested with horses providing power, to massive cooperatives of thousands of acres of monocrops drilled (no-til) and then harvested by machines costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. Although the times and methods have changed, the old problems remain, like those which prompted various ancient biblical mandates to stipulate that farmers (in an agrarian society) should (1) donate 1/10th of their crops so that the priests and the poor had provisions, (2) when harvesting, the reapers were to leave stalks and grain which could be gleaned by the poor, and (3) the Year of Jubilee sought to ensure the return of the use ofancestral land as a way to redistribute wealth. The first public talk by Jesus focused on feeding the poor. In the 1970s, Canadian farmers had bumper crops while parts of Asia and African faced starvation. Through MCC, some Mennonites creatively established a way to ship their surplus grain to needy people. Eventually the project matured. Instead of shipping Canadian grain abroad for free (thereby undercutting local foreign farmers), the Canadian grain is sold locally at market value and the proceeds are deposited with the Canadian Foodgrains Bank (now independent of MCC). By now, the bank's millions of donors include Christians from all walks of life and many countries, as well as the Canadian federal government which provides substantial aid. Although this work is no longer under MCC, it remains one of the most tremendous gifts Mennonite believers have given to the cause of world relief, one of the guiding principles taught in the Hebrew and Christian scriptures. [JEK]<br />
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Listen to the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org/audio/2014-08-10-johnlonghurst.mp3" target="_blank">sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, August 10th, 2014</a> using your browser's preferred media player.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit the official web site of the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org">Point Grey Inter-Mennonite Fellowship (PGIMF)</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114771710403017065.post-31870042338998492672014-08-03T11:30:00.000-07:002014-08-10T19:05:22.285-07:00Sun. Aug. 3, 2014 (Heinrich Walde)Heinrich Walde, Principal of Forum Brussels International, a chaplaincy service to the elected representatives and bureaucrats of the European Union in Brussels, spoke to the group from Psalm 46. Here, Heinrich gave us the inspiration that Martin Luther also found, and asked is God the same for us as it was for Martin Luther who also found solace in this Psalm? Heinrich asked if God’s credentials are visible to us in the words of the Psalm. Heinrich encouraged us to believe that this was so, and that God is the same in every generation. Persecuted Christians are our instruction today - they cry out, the Lord hears and saves. “The Lord will fight for you - you have only to be still.” (Ex. 14). Like the belltower of ancient Bruges, God remains the direction-finder for us today. [AP]<br />
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<i>NOTE: The audio recording of this sermon is not available online.</i><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit the official web site of the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org">Point Grey Inter-Mennonite Fellowship (PGIMF)</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114771710403017065.post-58675644538473540692014-07-27T11:30:00.000-07:002014-08-02T23:09:49.490-07:00Sun. July 27, 2014 (Derek Carr)Derek Carr (Reader at our neighbouring church, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, and Professor Emeritus at UBC), spoke on "The
Holy Hermits" by Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (baptized June 6, 1599 – August 6, 1660), a leading painter from
the Spanish Golden Age. Although most of his works were secular, "The Holy Hermits" stood for centuries as a powerful
portrait of prayer and meditation in a rural setting which was far removed from the hustle of Spanish commerce and shipping to and from the New World. The painting shows St. Anthony visiting St. Paul in the desert. This St. Paul (229-342) was an Egyptian who fled to the desert to escape persecution. He reportedly lived alone for some 90 years. St. Anthony, often considered the father of the anchorites (hermits), was led to visit this Paul, partly to learn that others were expressing their faith as he had been doing, but without his knowledge--although physically alone, he was
not alone in the ideal of meditating. The painting leads one to contemplate contemplation itself, extended meditation, the role of prayer, the tension that arises from wanting to be separate from the world and yet helpful to it. Derek later commented that Catholicism generally does not teach silence and meditation unless one joins specific groups devoted to those disciplines; in fact, there is virtually no silence in a Mass, in saying the rosary, or in following the Offices. [JEK]<br />
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Listen to the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org/audio/2014-07-27-derekcarr.mp3" target="_blank">sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, July 27th, 2014</a> using your browser's preferred media player.<br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Diego_Vel%C3%A1zquez_010.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="aint Anthony the Great and Saint Paul the Anchorite - circa1635-38" border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1f/Diego_Vel%C3%A1zquez_010.jpg/340px-Diego_Vel%C3%A1zquez_010.jpg" height="320" width="227" /></a></div>
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit the official web site of the <a href="http://www.pgimf.org">Point Grey Inter-Mennonite Fellowship (PGIMF)</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0