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Mark Schloneger
Then God spoke all of these words: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, […]
the Church, formed
Mark Schloneger
Before I begin, I want you to know that I prepared this sermon in Berkey’s first and second grade Sunday school classroom. When I opened the door, chimes hanging on the door welcomed me inside. You know what? I’d like chimes to ring whenever I enter a room. I felt good in that space. I […]
the Church, gathered
Mark Schloneger
In the verses just preceding our passage from Matthew, Jesus told his disciples to watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees. The disciples were confused by that, at first, they thought Jesus was talking about bread. But they soon figured it out. Those Pharisees and Sadducees were the religious leaders of that […]
Reconciling Christ
Mark Schloneger
Before we feast on the scripture before us this morning, let me set the table for you. After his brothers sold him into slavery Joseph – in an incredible turn of events – winds up in Egypt and becomes Pharaoh’s right hand man, the second in command, the overseer of the land. Now, there’s a […]
Wet Feet First
Mark Schloneger
Many people didn’t know it was possible, but, against all odds, I’ve done it: I have crossed another threshold of pandemic fatigue. And, you know, based on several conversations that I have had, I’d guess the same is true for many of you. Last week felt like a very long month. I’m going to do […]
Leave the weeds
Mark Schloneger
Every morning, I get out of bed. I brush my teeth. I shave. I adorn myself with clothes. After eating some breakfast, I pour myself a good cup of coffee in a good mug and sit down to read the news, the news that was posted while I was sleeping. In my original plans for […]
Yield
Mark Schloneger
You know what I love about Berkey’s community garden project? It’s simplicity. Think about it: All we’re doing is making space out back, offering our soil, giving our dirt, for people to grow some vegetables. That’s it. And the thing is, we can’t really pat ourselves on the back about that, at least not too […]
The God Who Sees
Mark Schloneger
“The man we think of, the man we admire, the man we talk about, the man whose wonderful story we read and re-read, is Christopher Columbus, the greatest human benefactor of the human race.” Those are the words of Rossiter Johnson. He published a book in 1897 about the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893. That […]
Chasing the Harvest
Mark Schloneger
Marisol is a farm worker and single mother from Mexico. She came to the United States to work in the seasonal fruit harvests She is vice-president of the local chapter of Lideres Campesinas, a farmworker women’s leadership and outreach group. In her own words: Working in the fields I earn $300 weekly before taxes. […]
Up . . . and away
Mark Schloneger
The very first verses of Acts tell us that after Jesus was crucified and died, he appeared to the disciples over a period of forty days. He spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, the writer of Acts tells us, disciples not to leave Jerusalem until they were baptized with the Holy Spirit.
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