Wilderness roads Acts 8:26-40, 1 Jn 4:7-21, Jn 15:1-8 by Isaac S. Villegas May 6, 2012 “I am the vine, you are the branches,” Jesus says to the disciples, “Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit” (Jn 15:5). There are some grapevines that grow in a little plot of land […]
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Cornerstone
Cornerstone Acts 4:5-12, 1 John 3:16-24 by Martha King April 29, 2012 It just so happens that I preached the on Good Shepherd Sunday last year; so I’ll admit that instead of writing another sermon on the 23rd Psalm, I decided to look elsewhere in our passages for the week and pick up with Isaac’s […]
Resentment
Without resentment Acts 3:12-19, Luke 24:36b-48 by Isaac S. Villegas April 22, 2012 When I was a teenager, I’d say that my grudges, my resentments, were based solely on soccer rivalries. I would look, at disgust, at the players from Cyrus, a team from Phoenix, with their choreographed warm up routine, and every player wearing […]
Alive for one another
Alive for One Another Acts 4:32-35, John 20:18-31 by Meghan Florian April 15, 2012 I had trouble getting into lent this year. I tried picking up a lenten discipline, but couldn’t find motivation to carry it through; I didn’t even care enough to feel guilty about that. And, during holy week I didn’t set foot […]
In seach of a body
“In search of a body” Isaiah 25:6-9, John 20:1-18 by Isaac S. Villegas Easter 2012 Let’s be honest with ourselves. We are a good at making meals. There’s nothing like a Chapel Hill Mennonite potluck, and our Easter potluck is just the culmination of all that is good from our various meals throughout the year. […]
Crucified hope
Crucified hope Mark 11:1-11 by Isaac S. Villegas April 1, 2012 Palm Sunday After 40 days of Lent, days of contemplation, of wandering into our interior life, we find ourselves here, on Palm Sunday, standing at the edge of Lent, leaning toward Easter. Lent has been a time of wandering, a circling deeper and […]
Ever before me
“Ever before me” Jer 31:31-34, Ps 51:1-12 by Isaac S. Villegas March 25, 2012 “To the leader: a psalm of David, when the prophet Nathan came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.” That’s the introduction to Psalm 51. There’s a story here, behind the prayer, a familiar story. David, the king […]
Love and light
“Love and Light” John 3:14-21 by Matt Morin March 18, 2012 It can be seen scrawled on subway doors, or spelled out in smoke by sky-writing airplanes. It has been plastered below the eyes of professional quarterbacks[1] and adapted for use by NASCAR[2]. It is printed at the bottom of paper cups at In-N-Out […]
interview in The Christian Century
Isaac was interviewed in The Christian Century magazine. Here’s an excerpt: What does your denominational affiliation mean to your parishioners? It means a lot. Many of us have joined the Mennonite Church because we wanted to be part of a community of faith that rejects violence outright, a congregation that supports us as we try […]
Cleansing of the Temple
Title: Cleansing of the Temple Date: March 11, 2012 Text: John 2:13-22 Author: Dave Swanson Preaching is not abstract. Preaching in Lent is certainly not so. A few weeks ago, on Ash Wednesday, Isaac introduced Lent as something positive. I heard him saying it is an invitation to deeper life to which we, as church, […]
Following the plain-spoken Jesus
Following the plain-spoken Jesus Mark 8: 31-38 by Catherine Thiel Lee March 4, 2012 Apparently, there is a logic to the lectionary. The bits of Scripture we read to each other each week in Lent do two things. It’s all about anticipation. First, we get to go back over the stories of Israel and remember […]
Baptized with a flood
Tile: Baptized with a flood Text: Genesis 9:8-17, Mark 1:9-15, 1 Peter 3:18-22 Date: Feb 26, 2012, First Sunday of Lent Author: Isaac S. Villegas “[A] Christian life is nothing else than a daily Baptism, once begun and ever continued.” ~ Martin Luther, 16th century[1] My garden is coming back to life — crocuses, daffodils, […]
Our God comes
Title: Our God comes Text: Mk 9:2-9 Date: Feb 19, 2012 Author: Matt Elia Our God comes, the Psalmist says, and does not keep silence. This is my beloved son, shouts a darkness in the clouds, listen to him. Our God comes—and does not keep silence. This is my son—listen to him. Several Saturdays ago, […]
Healing
Tile: Healing Text: 2 Kings 5:1-14, Mark 1:40-45, Ps 30 Date: Feb 12, 2012 Author: Isaac S. Villegas I was in New York City last week, which turned out to be the right place for the Superbowl, although I didn’t have the endurance to stay up late and watch the Giants win. While in […]
What does it mean to be healed?
Title: What does it mean to be healed? Text: Mark 1:29-39 Date: Feb 5, 1012 Author: Scott Schomburg Mark’s gospel begins in the middle. His first written lines form our imaginations for the rest of the story. He writes, “This is the beginning of the good news about Jesus.” What follows is the narrative of […]
The Church of the Exorcism
Tile: The Church of the Exorcism. Text: Mark 1:21-28, 1 Cor 8:1-13 Date: Jan 29, 2012 Author: Isaac S. Villegas It is the Sabbath and Jesus is worshiping in the local synagogue. He preaches the good news and the people are impressed. All of a sudden an unclean spirit reveals itself, having taken possession […]
Nurseries and pulpits
Meghan Florian, a member of our congregation, offers a wonderful reflection on gender roles at church. The point of affirming women as preachers ought never be to belittle the vital work women have been doing in the church all along. Instead, while we need to see women encouraged to raise their voices, to interpret and […]
This world is passing away
Tile: This world is passing away Text: 1 Cor 7:29-31, Mark 1:14-20 Date: Jan 22, 2012 Author: Isaac S. Villegas Let’s start with talking about what Paul doesn’t mean, what 1 Corinthians doesn’t mean when we hear a line like, “from now on, let those who have wives be as though they had none” […]
In the beginning
Title: In the beginning Texts: Gen 1:1-5, Ps 29 Date: Jan 8, 2012 Author: Tom Lehman The book of Genesis probably reached its present text about six centuries before the birth of Christ. Prior to that it existed, at least in part, as oral tradition–stories told by one generation to the next. The first book […]
The Lord is with you
Tile: The Lord is with you Text: Luke 1:26-38 Date: Dec 18, 2011 Author: Isaac S. Villegas Prayer: May the Holy Spirit come upon us, and the power of the Most High overshadow us. May it be done to us according to your word. During Christmas, we remember that God has come close, that […]
Mary, Advent, and OWS: Rejoice with the lowly
In this season of Advent, as we dwell with Mary, the one who is filled with Jesus, we let her words draw us into resonances of the gospel we may not have heard before. Mary’s words are living and active. They resound from places we may not have thought of as hospitable for God—like the […]
Occupying the wilderness of God
Title: Occupying the Wilderness of God Text: Mark 1:1-8 Date: Dec 4, 2011 Author: Martha King I was going to start with: It was a dark and stormy night… only it wasn’t stormy at all—the night was actually quite clear. I do remember the wild darkness, however, and the crisp cool of summer nights up […]
An apocalyptic advent
Tile: An apocalyptic advent Texts: Isa 64:1-9; Ps 80:1-7, 17-19; Mk 13:24-37 Date: Nov 27, 2011 Author: Isaac S. Villegas “See the sunlight, we ain’t stoppin’ / Keep on dancing till the world ends / If you feel it, let it happen / Keep on dancing till the world ends / Keep on dancing till […]
Led into ministry
Long before that moment, long before I discerned God’s call, the Spirit was working through the hands of the community, molding me into a pastor. With their hands, the people led me into ministry. I still remember Fred’s prayer on behalf of the community as they laid their hands upon me and impressed God’s calling […]