March 12, 2023
Guest Speaker Melanie Springer Mock, is an author, professor and mother. Learn more at https://www.melaniespringermock.com.
March 5, 2023
I think Jesus told this parable to get under his disciples’ skin a bit. I think he told it not only to teach us about what the kingdom of heaven is like but about what this world is like and what we are like. The world sees strength, power, intelligence and wealth and rewards it. […]
February 26, 2023
We encounter in the Matthew text a Jesus that calls us to go beyond what is expected of us, beyond the revenge-thinking of the world or quick dismissal of others, and calls us to a life of lived forgiveness, even if we have to do so at a distance. In the Parable we get the sense […]
February 19, 2023
Faithfulness, at its essence, is not the quest for a mystical experience, an experience that takes us out of the here and now. Faith does not equal a feeling of transcendence. Faith means following Jesus, trusting that what lies ahead is even greater than what has already been experienced. You see, you can spend your […]
February 12, 2023
Many of us have known and recited the Lord’s Prayer for much of our lives. It’s one of the most well-known passages from the New Testament. And it has been prayed by Christians around the world for generations and generations. Last semester I had the opportunity to encounter this text in a new way. First, I […]
February 5, 2023
Beggars in the Hands of a Generous God. When we see ourselves in this way, when we see others in this way, and, when we see God in this way, then treating others as we would want to be treated becomes a natural extension of our life in prayer. In the end, as Martin Luther […]
January 22, 2023
When we hear the Sermon on the Mount found in the book of Matthew, we often hear very hard teaching but miss the blessing, gift and help. As we take a look at Beatitudes, let us recognize that Jesus blesses be for he orders, helps before he challenges. It is only after we recognize our […]
January 8, 2023
I never much liked John the Baptist. He’s all repent, and you brood of vipers, and Jesus is coming with a winnowing fork. Barbara Brown Taylor likens him to a Doberman pinscher and I can see her point. He’s just kind of up in your face, and that’s not really my style. I have a […]
September 11, 2022
It is good to be here with you all this morning. As I look around the room, I see many familiar faces and feel a sense of kinship here at Berkey Avenue Mennonite Fellowship. It is an honor to be here with you today on this day in which you mark the installation of Billy […]