LIFE – A RATTLING

John 11:1-45, Ezekiel 37:1-14, Romans 8:6-11, Psalm 130 Nathan Hosler When I have read, or heard this passage from Ezekiel (the dry bones) I think I have typically envisioned of something like Halloween. It’s not that I have much experience in this subject—my family lived far from town with a driveway as long as two…

CIRCLES OF LIGHT

John 9:1-41, Ephesians 5:8-14 Jeff Davidson When I started working on this sermon I ran across this reflection from Dr. Rachael Keefe on her blog “Write Out of Left Field.” (https://rachaelkeefe.wordpress.com/) She’s writing in part about our gospel reading from John, and she says, “As for myself, I have been the recipient of social judgments….

GLORIFYING THE STRENGTHS GIVEN BY GOD, FOR GOD

Romans 5:1-11, John 4:5-42, Psalm 95 Emmy Goering I’ve just returned to D.C. after spending the last week in the Chicago area at the Brethren Volunteer Service retreat. There, I was able to get some much needed rest and was able to connect with the friends who I’d bonded with at our orientation. While we…

What is the Spirit of Life?

Romans 4:1-5, 13-17, John 3:1-17 Micah Bales Throughout his ministry, Jesus speaks of a mystery that can only be described in parables and metaphor. We heard a lot of these last month as we went through the Sermon on the Mount together. Jesus tells us that we are the salt of the earth. We’re the…

Fancy Food

Matthew 4:1-11, Genesis 2:15-17, Nate Hosler [Think of the style of the “Tall Man” and the “Middle Man” children’s books] There is a man named Bill Cox. Bill Cox—in addition to being well versed in the Brethren and assorted Anabaptist genealogies of Lancaster Pennsylvania and in addition to being quite conversant in the various styles…

What if Everything I Think I Know is Wrong?

Psalm 36, Matthew 6:19-34 Micah Bales  I’m going to start with the heresy and work back to the gospel this morning. Because reading on the sermon on the mount reminds me of what a tough time I have with the Bible. The Bible, for me, is pretty uneven in terms of how it impacts me….

WAIT! WHAT?!

Matthew 5:21-48 Jeff Davidson Last week Jenn introduced our six week series on the Sermon on the Mount. I thought it was an excellent sermon, and if you weren’t here I encourage you to go to the church website and give it a read. Jenn talked about the Beatitudes as nine values that define us…

THANKS, KING

Psalm 93, John 18:33 – 37, Revelation 1:4b – 8 Jeff Davidson As I’ve mentioned a few times over the years, I am an adopted child. When I was young, like kindergarten and first grade, I would wonder who my birth parents were. I would wonder to myself, “What if my birth mother is the Queen…