Joy before the World
Mark Schloneger
On the road to restoration. That’s the theme for this third Sunday of Advent. Almost three years ago, I was driving east on Wilden Avenue. My car: A 2000 Honda Civic LX. It’s color: Vintage Plum. According to the owner’s manual, the 2000 Honda Civic LX belonged to the sixth-generation of Civics. It included a […]
The Christ to Remember
Mark Schloneger
There is a forty-one-year-old woman in California who remembers every day of her life since she was eleven years old. She remembers that on Sunday, August 3, 1986, a friend called her on the telephone. She remembers what happened on a television show that she was watching on Monday, December 12, 1988. She remembers everything […]
The Bread and the Circus
Mark Schloneger
A man came from Baal-shalishah, bringing food from the first fruits to the man of God: twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack. Elisha said, “Give it to the people and let them eat.” But his servant said, “How can I set this before a hundred people?” So [Elisha] repeated, […]
The Things of God: Presidents, Protests, and the Church
Mark Schloneger
I don’t know how I came into possession of this book, this particular copy of The Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective. I know it was before I became a member of Berkey, but, beyond that, I know nothing of how this book wound up on my bookshelf, who gave it or returned it […]
-ish
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 […]
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