A Whole and Holy Mind
Joanne Gallardo
I almost called this sermon “yet another mental health sermon” because I feel that either I preach on this subject often or I hear others doing so. And these sermons vary. I’ve heard sermons that would have people “delivered” from the “demon” of mental illness, I’ve heard sermons that promote the power of positive thinking. […]
An Inconvenient Woman
Joanne Gallardo
Women are terribly inconvenient. Whether you’re looking at an ancient text like the Bible, looking at more recent history, or trying to appoint a Supreme Court nominee, women seem to get in the way. Women bust up our image of heroes when they come forth with truth about their past actions. Women adjust our notions […]
Weight Lifting
Mag Richer Smith
We call it the Ketchup Revolution in our family. And it happened after my parents had been married for many years and patterns were well established. My dad fixed things and my mom served meals. So one night after we had all started eating dinner, my dad said, “Ketchup.” (There was no ketchup on the […]
Going Home by Another Route
Joanne Gallardo
Christmas is not over. Not yet, anyway. This Sunday is Ephiphany, the day we celebrate the 3 Magi, or wise men, or kings, who came to Bethlehem because they heard the king of the Jews had been born. The Magi are rather central to the story, because they’ve made such an impression on commercialized Christmas. […]
Loss
Dan Schrock
In February 2016, Laura Kelly Fanucci gave birth to identical twin daughters, named Margaret and Abigail. Both babies were premature, both had twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, and both died in their parents’ arms within two days. Laura, the mother, was well-acquainted with loss and grief long before the death of her twin daughters. When she was […]
Bearing One Another’s Burdens
Marilyn Rudy-Froese
(Skit, “To Tell The Truth”, done before sermon.) In a light-hearted way, this skit gives you a glimpse into Stephen Ministry, and the differences between Stephen Ministry and psychotherapy or theological education. The motivation for this ministry, as well as the training received in order to do it, grow out of love and the desire […]
We See
Marilyn Rudy-Froese
It’s bad enough being a kid and having your mother give you a spit bath, but to be an adult, and have some complete stranger wipe their spit on your face, well, that’s just going a bit too far! And it wasn’t just spit, but spit mixed with dirt to make mud! What was Jesus […]
Taking Jesus Seriously and Ourselves Less Seriously
Marilyn Rudy-Froese
One day, years ago, the phone rang, and the caller said, “Mrs. Froese?”, when I answered. Now, whenever I hear someone call me Mrs. Froese, or in some way mispronounce or stumble over my name, I assume that this is a marketing call, I don’t know them, more importantly, they don’t know me, and I […]
A New Mennonite Disaster Service
Dan Schrock
During the recent presidential race, a kind of disaster occurred in the American social fabric. It feels that this election cycle was one of the most angry elections in decades. From voters and candidates, we heard appeals to violence, stories of sexual assault and sexual harassment, animosity toward immigrants, hostility toward Muslims, charges of email […]
The Master’s Touch
Dan Schrock
On the corner of Neil and Forsythe Avenues in Columbus, Ohio, you will find a hair salon called The Master’s Touch. The proprietors are Christina and Ed Anderson, an inter-racial couple who’ve owned this hair salon for more than 20 years. When we lived in Columbus, I usually went there so Christina could cut my […]
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