The Good Shepherd will wipe away every tear and bring peace to the sheep.

Sermon:           “The Good Shepherd”

Theme:            We listen to the voice of Jesus and make following faithfully our focus so that we may fully enjoy the love of God.

Purpose:          To encourage us to sacrifice ego and trust God’s guidance.

  Scriptures:       Psalm 23          The Lord is my shepherd.

John 10:22-30 Jesus says: “My sheep hear my voice and they follow.”

Questions:

What does it mean that Jesus is “The Good Shepherd?” In what ways are we called to be like sheep? What is comforting about knowing that Jesus will guide us? Are we prepared to submit ourselves and follow? Or are we wanting God to be our servant and to do our will?  What does it mean to “hear” the shepherd’s voice? Are we doing what we need to do in order to listen to Christ? Are we willing to let Jesus guide us through the valley of darkness? Or are we basing our faith on getting our own way?

Followed by Congregational Meeting to meet with Rev. Bill Blank of the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center

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Through the risen Christ the veil of our personal egos, our fears, and our sins are all stripped away. Through the risen Christ we are no longer blind. Christ sheds light on the truth of our lives and the source of our salvation.

Sermon:           Jesus Asks: “Do You Love Me?”

Theme:            As we allow our ego and control to be stripped away we are able to be fully part of the compassion and love of Christ.

Purpose:           The congregation will focus on releasing their sense of power and control in order to be a part of the flow of Christ’s love.

Scriptures:       Revelation 5:11-14      The worship of “The Lamb that was Slaughtered” in heaven.

John 21:1-19   Jesus commissions Peter and the disciples to “care for the lambs” of God.

Questions:

When we claim to love Jesus, what is expected of us? How is the love for God related to love for the people around us? If we love God, what is our behavior towards the people created in God’s image going to be? How is Jesus’ love demonstrated towards Peter and the rest of the disciples after they had failed and been unfaithful? Can we truly worship God and be judgmental towards other Christians? What does it mean to submit our attitudes and beliefs to Christ?

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Sermon:           “We Shall Believe”

Theme:            God invites us to explore and struggle with our doubts so that we can be in a fully joyful relationship with Christ that involves our emotions and our minds.

Purpose           The congregation will explore their faith and feel joyful about living in the midst of doubt.

Scriptures:       Acts 5:27-32    Peter and the Apostles give account of Jesus to the High Priest and Sanhedrin.

John 20:19-31 Jesus appears to Thomas and breaths upon them the Holy Spirit.

Questions:

How did you come to believe in Jesus as more than simply a “historical figure?” What does it take for Jesus to be someone who matters in our lives today? What steps do we have to go through in order to experience the resurrection? How do we move from “believing” to living our lives based on the knowledge of Jesus?  What is your testimony or story of what it means to have encountered the resurrection? What would you tell the officials has been changed as a result of God’s gift of Christ’s raising from the dead?  Are you like Thomas, who needed to have an encounter with Chris that opened his mind and heart to believing?

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Sermon:           “Open the Gates and Let Christ In”

Theme:            Christ comes into our lives to open a new opportunity for righteousness and peace, if we will let go of our “inner Pharisees” and welcome the cleansing which will lead to our healing.

Purpose:          The congregation will welcome Christ’s presence to renew and open new avenues for healing.

Scriptures:       Luke 19:28-40 Jesus enters Jerusalem Triumphantly on a colt.

Philippians 2:5-11       Have the same mind that was in Christ, that he emptied himself, taking the form of a servant.

Questions:

What does it mean to fully invite Jesus into our lives? What does submission to Jesus mean to us today? Do we really want to submit our grudges, our grievances, and our hurts to Jesus? How do we open ourselves to cleansing of the remainder from the anger and memories of the past? What does it mean to have the mind of Christ which is willing to suffer humility for the sake of peace? What difference is there between humility for Christ and making ourselves a target for further abuse?

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Sermon:           “Suffering: The Search for ‘Why?'”

Theme:            In the midst of our pain and discomfort we need a purpose and reason in order to work toward healing and peace.

Purpose:          The congregation will understand the need for disciplines that bringing meaning and purpose to their own and other’s suffering

Scriptures:       Philippians 1:21-30     Live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel, living and suffering have purpose of serving God.

Matthew 5:10-15        Blessed are you when you are persecuted, a light should be allowed to shine clearly for all to see.

Questions:

How do we deal with suffering that seems to have no meaning or purpose? What is it about the suffering of the young, or those who seem undeserving of pain that is so hard for us spiritually? What difference does it make that suffering have a meaning to it? In what ways can we participate in finding meaning in suffering? What is the difference between seeking meaning in the midst of pain or suffering and trying to justify bad things happening?

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Sermon:           “Who Am I Supposed to Become?”     4th Sunday of Lent

Theme:            In seeking healing we seek God’s work to give more than freedom from illness, but a gift of wholeness, meaning, and fulfillment of God’s purpose as Christ’s people.

Purpose:          The congregation will examine themselves and seek to know their gifts and abilities for serving Christ as a way of moving beyond focus on illness.

Scriptures:       Psalm 130       I wait for the Lord, through whom comes hope for healing and wholeness.

Mark 2:1-12    Jesus heals the paralytic by forgiving his sins; so that God may be glorified.

Questions:

What gives our lives real meaning? What does it mean to us that our purpose is to “Glorify God and to enjoy relationship with Him?”  How do we work towards our healing and wholeness? In what ways is the process of being healed a spiritual journey? How do we handle times when illness causes us to feel “at war” with our bodies? How do we understand the relationship between our spiritual needs and our physical needs? What does sin have to do with illness?

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Sermon:           “Do You Want to Be Healed?”

Theme:            We need to seek to be as God created us to be, and to live in the fullness of God’s purpose rather than to seek to be what others may want to expect.

Purpose:          The people will understand the importance of opening themselves to God’s direction as they seek healing for themselves and others.

Scriptures:       2 Corinthians 12:7b-10           Paul’s thorn in the flesh, when I am weak, then I am strong.

John 5:2-9a      Jesus heals the man by the pool of Bethesda.

Questions:

Are we open to being healed? Are there reasons that we hold onto the patterns and ways of living that keep us from growing or being transformed in our lives? What role that forgiveness, acceptance, and submission to the will of God play in the healing process? What does unforgiveness, bitterness, hostility, and stubbornness do to our minds, bodies, and spirits?  How do we learn to chose healing over our own sense of control or comfort? What role does the process of healing play in growth to becoming people who are able to serve God? In what ways do our scars become a source of wisdom and strength?

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Sermon:           “A Prayer To Be Made Whole!”

Theme:            Healing is to be given wholeness and balance that enables us to live in the fullness of what God intends.

Purpose:          The congregation will recognize that healing is about fulfillment and being made complete as God created us to be.

Scriptures:       James 5:13-16 The prayers of the elders heal the sick, confession is a part of healing.

Matthew 9:18-26        The woman touched his garment, and Jesus said: Your faith has made you whole.

Questions:

What does it mean to be “whole?” How does this correspond to “Holiness” as understood in the scriptures? How do we feel about ourselves? Do we have areas of our lives and relationships that are not right? Are there things that we would like to submit to God’s care and allow them to be changed? What is our level of faith for God to do a transforming work? What practices and changes do we need to consider in order to be open to healing? Are we healed because of our own capabilities in praying or is healing something that God gives us freely through faith?  How do we begin to open ourselves to experiencing healing?

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Sermon:           “By Scripture Alone”

Theme:            We are nurtured, instructed, and inspired by God’s Word, especially as we preserve the diversity of our fellowship and understanding of the text.

Purpose :          The congregation will understand that various understandings of scripture enable us to know God more fully together.

Scriptures:       2 Timothy 3:10-17       All Scripture is able to instruct and guide.

John 14:25-31  The advocate will instruct and will guide you.

Who is a part of the church?

Questions:

How do we affirm the authority of scripture in our lives? Do we tend to read the bible? What difference does it make to us when people quote scripture? How do we relate to a time when many have ceased to see scripture as having authority? How do we deal with differences of opinion about what scripture means? What can we do to create a strong and healthy understanding of scripture for us today? How do we affirm what unites us while maintaining our own unique perspectives and beliefs?

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Sermon:           The Priesthood of All Believers

Theme:            We are all called to share of what God has given us of the knowledge of God, and we are all called to serve God using our gifts and abilities.

Purpose:          The congregation will understand that we are all ministers in the service of Jesus Christ.

Scriptures:       1 Peter 2:1-10 You are a royal priesthood – built of the same stones and temple.

John 15:1-17    I am the true vine, you are the branches; you must love one another.

Questions:

What do we mean by a “Priesthood of all believers?” What difference does that make in terms of how we accomplish Christ’s ministry in the church? How do we fulfill our priesthood?  What role does maturity and growth in the knowledge of Christ play in our ability to fulfill our purpose as those who serve Christ? What does it mean for us when we take our membership vow to “Promise to give of ourselves in every way?” What happens our faith and ability be in healthy relationships if we cease to see ourselves as one among many doing Christ ministry? In what ways do we see ourselves as privileged with the ability to serve rather than obligated?

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