Cross Purposes
Richard A. Kauffman
Where were you on the morning of 9/11—that is, if you were born and are old enough to remember? I was pastoring the Toledo Mennonite Church at the time. That morning I was in a pastors’ meeting at a restaurant on the edge of Pettisville, OH. One of the owners interrupted our meeting to tell […]
The Unfinished City
Mark Schloneger
It’s Pentecost. And here we are, all together in one place, praying and singing, and listening. But this, all of this, it didn’t happen by accident. Our worship today is not a spontaneous eruption, an extemporaneous production, an extraneous interruption. No, we have planned for this service, this particular service.
Best Practices
Richard A. Kauffman
Why do we go to church? Why did you come here this morning? You could have stayed at home to read a Sunday paper and have an extra cup of coffee, or ride bike on the Pumpkinvine. Instead, you came here. Why? I recently met with an old friend. Since we hadn’t been together in […]
In the Watershed
Mark Schloneger
In the beginning of the Bible, in Genesis, chapter 2 — we’re given the story of Creation, the beginning of time. We’re told that God created human beings, planted a garden, and then placed them in the garden. We’re told that the trees of Eden were beautiful, and that they produced fruit that was good […]
Let it Be With Me
Steph Wieand
During the time of discernment before deciding to go to begin seminary, I kept encountering passages and even whole sermons on ‘do not fear’. Now, this theme pops up quite a bit in the Bible. I’ve heard this phrase is present around 365 times, one for every day of the year. But encountering the command […]
Healing Faith
Mark Schloneger
Those widows, they’re not new to grief. No, they would tell you, they’ve been here before. They know the rituals, and so they simply did what needed to be done. They gathered together, they washed the body, and they placed it upstairs. But all of that, it doesn’t really help if you’re still in shock, […]
The Art of Resurrection: From Certainty to Openness
Mark Schloneger
On Friday, Good Friday, many of us gathered in this very space. Together, we said: Look and see the shadow of sin. Look and see the weight of the world. Look and see the suffering of our savior. Look and see the sorrow of Jesus Christ. We sang hymns. We prayed to our forgiving, reconciling, […]
From Scarcity to Abundance
Mark Schloneger
A number of years ago, I attended a church leadership retreat at Camp Amigo in Sturgis, Michigan. On our second day there, we were invited to an extended time of silence. There were different stations set up for us to pray and to reflect, but we were told to use that time as we wished. […]
From Exceptionalism to Inclusion or Will the Real Prodigal Please Stand Up?
Richard A. Kauffman
When I was 15 I started to rebel against my parents. I thought they were too strict, so I pushed against their boundaries. One hot, July night I went out with some friends. They didn’t want me to go, but I did anyway. We didn’t do anything really bad. We were just boys being boys, […]
From Earning to Receiving
Mark Schloneger
Luke, chapter 13, tells the story of when some people came up to Jesus and told him about a group of Galileans who were brutally murdered by Pilate, their blood spread on the offerings that they were bringing to God. Jesus had been teaching about God’s love and forgiveness. He also had been teaching about […]
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