Park View Mennonite Church sermons

From the time we are born, all of us are shaped to speak in a certain way. It is not just our family, but the community we grew up in that shaped our language and our speech patterns. If we want to learn another language or change our accent or pattern of speaking, that is hard work! In the Bible, the apostle Paul speaks of being formed in the image of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4, and Romans 12, Paul speaks of the grace of God which grants us a variety of gifts. These gifts are exercised in the context of the Body of Christ, the church. Ervin Stutzman, Executive Director of Mennonite Church USA and a member of Park View Mennonite Church, reflected on the seven gifts listed in Romans 12:1-8. All of these gifts have a function to strengthen the church and move it forward in ministry. We all have some gift that we naturally exercise, but Ervin suggested that not only are there times when we may need all of them, but the church runs risks if it does not value and exercise all of the gifts. Ervin asks us, "How then are we to live in our congregation?" He highlighted the risk  of imbalance. We need all of these gifts and suffer as a body if we neglect some.

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"This church would not exist if it were not for the Bible." Pastor Phil Kniss made this statement to the children of Park View Mennonite Church this morning, and then he reiterated it at the beginning of his sermon. The Bible forms and shapes the living community of Christ. Nehemiah 8 recounts a ceremonial reading of the law of Moses. As the text was read out loud, a group of 26 teachers helped the people delve into what they heard. In Luke 4:14-21 Jesus read from Isaiah in the temple. He followed this by sitting and expanding on the meaning of the text he had read. Pastor Phil pointed out the communal nature of reaching scripture contained in both the Nehemiah and Luke passages. He also pointed out the physical nature of the reading. People stood, they bowed, they raised hands, they sat, they fell on their faces. It was truly a whole body experience. The Bible is a precious gift for our life. Thanks be to God!

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This past Friday we celebrated Epiphany, the end of the 12 days of Christmas. Christmas was a welcomed distraction from the ugliness of current public discourse. Pastor Phil Kniss suggested that in our society now, our politicians act like they have the one right answer for this country. They downplay any sense of mystery; the answer is clear and nothing is hidden. Matthew 2:1-12 and Isaiah 60:1-6, and Ephesians 3:1-12 seem to support this idea that things have had light shed on them, and we can see the plan of God clearly. Jesus has been revealed! But Pastor Phil said that mystery remains. The apostle Paul makes numerous references to his fear in preaching the mystery of God. So what do we do with this mystery? Push it away? Walk toward it to embrace it? Paul, in Ephesians 3, says that he is a servant of the mystery that is the gospel of Jesus Christ. What would it mean if we understood ourselves to be servants to the mystery? Can we embrace the mystery without becoming cynical of our our inability to master the Gospel? Can we give all that we know of ourselves to all that we know of the gospel of Jesus Christ?

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Pastor Barbara Moyer Lehman began her sermon on New Years Day by telling the story of Sojourner Truth and how this African American woman gained her name. This woman chose her name, and her name gave her her identity. In Luke 2 we hear of Jesus being named when he was 8 days old. Mary and Joseph had no idea at the time how Jesus would live into his name. Here in North America we do not necessarily attach great importance to the naming of children, in that we don't look closely at the meaning of a name. Sojourner Truth did. She chose a name and then lived out the meaning of that name. But names do carry weight and meaning in our culture. In the New Testament people acted in the name of Jesus. Today, we pray in the name of Jesus. Our prayers are grounded in our faith in Jesus. In Philippians 2:5-11, we hear that God exalted his son, and gave him a name above every other name. Blessed be the name of the Lord!

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On the fourth Sunday of Advent, Pastor Phil Kniss began his sermon with a litany of generally accepted "facts" about Christmas that are nowhere to be found in the Bible. He then proceeded to lay out a picture of some of the realities of that first Christmas when Joseph and a very pregnant Mary came to Bethlehem. The Christmas story as outlined in Luke is a story of God asking the powerless to do amazing things. Luke 1:25-55 recounts the story of Mary being told by Gabriel that she will change the world. Mary's response? She said "Yes!" Pastor Phil invited us to come and occupy Bethlehem again this Christmas, and invited us to say "Yes" to God, just as Mary did.

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"Joy can never do an end run around the darkness." We cannot avoid darkness, and God does not. On this third Sunday of Advent, Joy Sunday, we sit in the midst of darkness and await God's in-breaking light. Like the line from the hymn "Lo how a rose ere blooming", our joy shines forth even when the night is half-spent, when the darkness seems it will never end. We remember God's goodness and wait, longing for light. Isaiah 61:1-4,8:11 and John 1:6-8, 19-28 all point us to this idea of God coming in the midst of deep darkness. Pastor Phil Kniss encouraged us to wait in hope, as Paul encouraged the church in Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 5:16-24) to rejoice always and to give thanks in all circumstances. We can discover the light among us in the middle of our night.

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For many of us, as we prepare for Christmas we put our physical world through a transformation to make room for our Christmas decorations. Pastor Barbara Moyer Lehman described how she got her home ready for Christmas and then commented on her realization that her interior landscape also needs to be prepared for the coming of Jesus. In Mark 1:1-18, John the Baptist calls all of us to prepare a place for Jesus, to make a way for Jesus to enter into our lives. Pastor Barbara said that this "preparation" is about cleaning in our inner house. We need to examine our hearts and make things right with God and with others. It is hard and humbling work. It is also about making space for Jesus. What must we let go of to make room in our lives for God? Isaiah 40:1-11 describes God as a tender and loving shepherd. God desires to put us on God's lap, to rock us and sing to us, to give us strength for the tasks ahead, to give us strength to prepare ourselves to receive Jesus.

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To live following the Way of Jesus is almost laughable today. Our culture celebrates violence, greed, and sexuality. We distrust strangers and impose our will on others. As a result, living like Jesus makes us appear ridiculous and we are dismissed. And so we begin to think evil has the upper hand and God is standing aside. This is similar to what Isaiah is writing about in Isaiah 64:1-9. Cries to God seem to be met with silence and people ask, "Why?" But simply asking the question is an act of faith. It says that we still believe God is there and CAN answer! Questioning is a profound response to the silence of God in the face of evil. Perhaps the church can be most helpful, not be offering platitudes, but by modeling how to address God in the midst of evil.

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Our congregation frequently sings about Jesus as Lord, but we seldom talk about it. Perhaps we are uncomfortable with this image of king or ruler, but it is a primary theme in scripture. On this "Reign of Christ" Sunday, we come to the end of the church year and prepare for the new year that begins with Advent. Ezekial 34:11-16, 20-24, Matthew 25:31-46, and Psalm 95:1-7 all point to God and Jesus as King over all creation. But the image is a King who is a sheep-herder! This is a radical, astonishing image; an oxymoron. What does this tell us about Christ, and about the Kingdom of God? The picture of God and God's kingdom is complex and multi-layered. Let us embrace the full image of Christ as king and Christ as shepherd.

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Pastor Barbara Moyer Lehman reflected on the damage inflicted upon trees by the early snowfall our community experienced a couple of weeks ago. Some trees were destroyed, others needed to be radically pruned and took on new shape. She reflected that humans are often like trees, subject to harm by events that occur. Adversity happens and we may face the dark night of the soul. Often what shapes our faith are positive joyous experiences, but painful, over-whelming situations also form us. How do we learn through illness, failure, or rejection? What do we learn? The list might include patience, compassion surrender, how to listen, who our friends are, how to ask for help, how hard it is to receive help. In the story told in Mark 5:21-43, the woman suffering from the flow of blood found not just health but the restoration of her self through Jesus. And Jairus found healing and restoration of his daughter through Jesus. In both situations, faith propelled the characters forward through adversity. This does not mean that God causes suffering. But God does allow it to be present. Suffering in and of itself has no value, but how we respond to it gives it significance.

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