A Noble and Generous Spirit
Dan Schrock
What is the nastiest thing that ever happened to you? What events in your life caused you the most suffering, the most pain, the most misery? What grand injustice came to you, stirring up enormous frustration and intense anger inside you?
Becoming Aware and Giving Our Consent
Dan Schrock
On a cold Sunday morning in February 1971, I was baptized at a small mission church. Since our church was so tiny, I was the only one baptized that day. When the time came, I knelt at the front of the sanctuary; the pastor poured water on my head; pronounced the words of baptism; then […]
Augustus vs. Jesus
Dan Schrock
As followers of Jesus, there is one great sociological fact that we must deal with. It’s this: we live in the world’s richest, most powerful country. It doesn’t matter whether we like it or not. It doesn’t matter whether we’re glad about it or sad about it. It’s a fact of life. The United States […]
Conformed Resistance
Dan Schrock
Many Christians would like to think that these United States of America are a Christian nation. If we vote Christians into the various offices of our local and state governments, if we choose Christians to sit in Congress, if we elect a Christian president, and if that president nominates Christian judges and justices to the […]
Using Leverage in Obedience to God
Dan Schrock
Our biblical text for today is an ancient story, crafted at least 2,500 years ago but set in a timeline at least 3,200 years ago. The main characters are an unnamed king at the top of the nation, two lowly Hebrew midwives named Shiphrah and Puah, and a God who works in hidden yet detectable […]
From Exclusion to Inclusion: Eunuchs in the Bible
Dan Schrock
Today we begin a series of three sermons on the biblical basis for including LGBTQ persons in congregational life. What biblical texts and themes offer us a rationale for welcoming LGBTQ persons into the full range of congregational life and ministry? This is a big topic and three sermons will not be enough to explore […]
Stages of Discipleship
Dan Schrock
We Mennonites are big on discipleship. It’s one of the main vocabulary words we use in our conversations with each other. As best as we can, we want to follow Jesus. Discipleship is one of our signature ideas, one of our special strengths. However, there’s one aspect of discipleship that we don’t talk about very […]
Meditation for Alex Miller’s Baptism
Dan Schrock
It’s hard to imagine being a prophet. Most of us don’t think of ourselves as prophets. Instead we think of ourselves as teachers, students, administrators, health care workers, social workers, or something else. Not prophets. In order to be a prophet, you have to be a special, extraordinary, even holy person, and most of us […]
What is Sin?
Dan Schrock
The Psalm in front of us is one of the main penitential psalms in the Bible. Jews and Christians throughout history have often turned to Psalm 51 whenever we want to express our own personal sinfulness to God. “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love. According to your abundant mercy, blot […]
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