Being Compassionate . . . to Ourselves
Dan Schrock
When it comes to acting with compassion, we Mennonites are outstanding. Imitating the example of Jesus’ own compassion, we founded Mennonite Central Committee in the 1920s in order to alleviate the suffering of others. It was compassion that motivated us to go overseas in the PAX program of the mid-20th century, that caused us to […]
The Source of Joy
Dan Schrock
This morning I want to speak with you about the source of our joy. To do that, allow me to introduce Harry, who is almost never joyful. Harry is slightly imaginary, a figure pulled together with bits and pieces from the lives of many people, woven into one slightly fictional person. Harry is one of […]
It’s All God’s
Dan Schrock
Back in the spring, the Stewardship and Finance Commission asked me to prepare a sermon on stewardship. Many stewardship sermons I’ve heard are boring, and after hearing this one you might think it’s also boring. Sermons about stewardship generally try to construct biblical and theological arguments for practicing responsible, faithful stewardship. Those can be very […]
Building Our Capacity for Trust
Dan Schrock
I am not speaking anything new when I say that our level of collective anxiety may be higher than at any point in the last 50 years. The sources of our collective anxiety are many. Example: 4 million acres have burned on the west coast, with a gigafire called the “August Complex” raging in northern […]
Reconciling in a Pandemic
Dan Schrock
Today is the third in a series of four Sundays on being the church during a pandemic. The people who planned this series observed that, “our congregation’s routines, structures, and gatherings have been disrupted.” They asked the pastors to craft sermons about “the practices, rituals, and structures that will serve us well into the future.” […]
The Joseph Project and Jesus
Dan Schrock
I A while back I had a Christian friend in another state who was an avid supporter of one of the two major political parties in the United States. He gave large donations to candidates of his political party and to political action committees that supported his party. Since he was a moderately wealthy person, […]
The Difference of Little Things
Dan Schrock
The problems we face today are large and many. Item #1: In healthcare, the number of Covid cases has been surging in many places across the globe, including the United States. The surge of cases is so strong that some people are no longer talking about a first wave and a second wave, but are […]
Within
Dan Schrock
One day a long time ago, my phone rang. The man on the other end of the call fumbled around for a bit and then finally said, “I want to talk to you sometime soon. Would you be willing to meet me?” I knew this young man fairly well, but I had no idea what […]
Looking for the Spirit of Life
Dan Schrock
A common phrase lots of people have been using the last few months is “go back to normal.” You’ll hear it in sentences like, “When we go back to normal, I want to take a cruise in the Caribbean,” or “I’m so ready for everything to go back to normal, like it was before the […]
Practicing Resurrection
Dan Schrock
I In the last four weeks, I’ve been talking with Christians across the United States, from Virginia in the east, to California in the west; and from Minnesota in the north, to Florida in the south. I’ve listened to pastors, conference ministers, therapists, and spiritual directors. All of them are asking the same underlying question: […]
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