Raleigh Mennonite Church Raleigh Mennonite Church

Jeremiah 29: 1-9



Isaac Villegas guest preaches in our ongoing sermon series "I'm not so sure about that" on the topic of pacifism. Isaac explores the concept of peace through the lens of prisons. Using the above passage in Jeremiah, Isaac compares the exile of jews in Babylon to the exile that takes place within modern prisons as well as the awkward position that pacifists are confronted with regarding the part of current society that we do not have the power to change: We depend on prisons to protect society from violence even as prisons themselves commit violence on their occupants and even preserves the institution of slavery. Isaac Villegas tells us stories of his and others' experiences working in prisons to help us understand the intractable complexity of living out pacifism in such an environment, searching for the acceptance of things we cannot control while seeking out opportunities to change whatever we can to bring the kingdom of God here on earth.

Acts 2: 1-21
This Pentecost Sunday Melissa Florer-Bixler preached on the connection between the enormous changes that have recently taken place in our church life and membership, and the changes that took place with the fledgling Church on the day of Pentecost. The crowd didn't just hear a translation of God's message, they heard it in the language of their home (and heart), and thus the Holy Spirit knitted together of new community of believers that shared a new common identity while still retaining their own unique selves. In much the same spirit, Melissa reflected on how we have added new people, languages, generations, activities that advocate justice and build community, and much more besides as well as the conflicts, losses, illnesses, and deaths that we have had to processes and work through together in the "stickiness" that inevitably occurs in a family of faith struggling to walk through this difficult life together. We invite you to listen to our reflection on how the Holy Spirit has transformed and knitted together Raleigh Mennonite Church and share in our joy and awe at God's marvelous works.

2 Timothy 3: 14-17



In the RMC sermon series "I'm Not So Sure About That," which addresses questions offered from the congregation, Melissa Florer-Bixler helps us to understand why there are so many disturbing stories, deeply flawed servants of God, and appalling deeds that appear in the Bible. Melissa shares with us that as Christians, we are a people of the Book and as Anabaptists, we share with each other on a regular basis where we hear from the Holy Spirit. The Bible is critical to our faith but does not achieve its function in isolation from shared context and interpretation. The stories from the Bible are our stories and spiritual history, yet we cannot learn from our mistakes or about God's deep love and commitment to us (despite our failures to reciprocate) if we exclude or downplay these difficult passages. If we listen and speak the Word together, embracing this complexity as the breath of God standing ready to enter our lives, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can find the person of Jesus waiting there to love, guide, and redeem us.

Genesis 1: 26-31



Our recent societal and political experiences with the concept of gender are highly charged, to say the least, and often the insistence of a black and white interpretation of God's word is used as a club to injure others who do not share our viewpoint. Sarah Neff, a student at Duke's Divinity School, guest preaches today at Raleigh Mennonite on the topic of God's gender in our ongoing sermon series, "I'm not so sure about that." Sarah asks us to give the book of Genesis room to breathe and some well needed pauses to separate verses we have unwittingly entangled when we speak of God's image and the creation of genders in humans. We may be created in God's image as male and female but the triune God in their wholeness has no gender as we know it and is not made in our image. Moreover, even the seemingly binary creations of male and female, day and night, and water and land in Genesis, which seem clear and proscriptive for use in developing theology, upon further examination appear less an exhaustive instruction manual for world-building and more a poetic reflection on the good gifts of God's creation, with humans as the capstone. Twilight, dawn, estuaries, and marshes, not included in Genesis, are all less than binary expressions of day and night or water and land, yet we know God made and loves these creations as well. Ultimately, Sarah reminds us that our ultimate example of understanding gender and yet breaking gender binaries resides in the life of Jesus. Although born a male, Jesus used his privileged position to dignify and uplift women and the "other" as equal in society. Amongst other males, he eschewed violence, patriarchal displays of dominance and self-aggrandizement, and taught mercy, love, and sacrifice. If we can find it within ourselves to give room for the scripture to breathe, perhaps we can then follow Jesus's example and give room for a theology beyond a rigid binary.

Matthew 6:24-34



The third topic Melissa takes on in the series exploring questions, wonderings, and themes that come from our congregation, focuses on our relationship as Christians to other faith communities and religious groups.



Serious sports fans may be the most ardent religious fanatics, forming around a common belief in something bigger than themselves, sharing a devotion that changes how people spend their money, time and energy.



The Christian life will demand a particular allegiance, a form of life that requires setting aside other allegiances, including our allegiance to money.



Melissa offers a caution about the kind of belief that all religious paths lead to one god. This glosses over some very serious disagreements in our communities and defaces the self-identity of those distinct religious commitments. But an even more important reason is that it gets us out of the hard work of the Christian life.

Luke 24:36-48



In this second in a series exploring questions, wonderings, and themes that come from our congregation, Juliet joins Melissa to bring today's message.



After Jesus' resurrection, he keeps showing up. Jesus meets their doubt with what they need and gives it to them.



Jesus helps us know that we all are special. What do you need for God to be in your life?