Douglas Mennonite Church

Douglas Mennonite Church

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A weekly Mennonite Church sermon from Douglas Mennonite Church

FEB 3

Pearls to Swine

Pearls Before SwineSpeaker: Lorelle PerryScripture: Matthew 7:6, 1 Corinthians 5:12We tend to think that if we have life changing information, it should be shouted from therooftops or be trending on Twitter. This is especially the case when have formed a judgementabout an issue or topic. But curiously, Jesus says “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do notthrow your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tearyou to pieces.”(7:6) What does he mean by this? Firstly, Jesus assumes that there are thingsthat are “sacred” or holy. “Do not give dogs what is sacred” had an original connection tosacrificial meat or to leaven. Thus, Leviticus 22:10 reads: “No one outside a priest’s family mayeat the sacred offering.” The later rabbis said something quite like this statement by Jesus:“For they do not redeem Holy Things to feed them to the dogs” (m. Temurah 6:5). Jesus hasobviously adapted a typical expression and applied it to his own sense of the sacred. Secondly,the animals chosen by Jesus were among the most despised, and historically connected withthe Gentile world. Dogs and pigs have no sense of value, so dogs will rip apart a precious itemand pigs will trample on items of immense worth. So what is Jesus teaching us in this passage?Firstly, in connection the previous section on judgement (7:1-5), we understand Jesus teachingus to not engage in a plank eye process of moral discernment with those who are not ready tohear. We should refrain from forcing sacred Kingdom treasure onto the wider culture. (1 Cor5:12) Secondly, we need practice discernment about whether people are ready to hear to theGospel. We should not assume that everyone is listening with ears to hear. Finally, we need tohold sacred things with care. In the same way that we value a fine wine, or fine china, we needto hold a reverence about the things of God. We seek to hold the Kingdom message withhonour so that our witness brings glory to Jesus. Ultimately, we need to remember that howthe Kingdom comes is what the Kingdom is.Desired Outcome: To challenge our people to value the sacred treasure of the Gospel, bybeing discerning about the how, when, where, and to whom we share this Good News — sothat our witness is effective and honouring to Jesus.

28 min
FEB 3

Episode 233: Sermon on the Mount-Quitting the Judgement Game

January 25— Quitting the Judgement GameSpeaker: Pastor Paul WalkerScripture: Matthew 7:1-5; James 4:11-12If there is one thing we do as humans, it is judge others. Research tells us that it takes just one-tenth of a second for people to judge someone and make a first impression.3 We then use our judgements to form how we engage a person. We live in a system in which everyone judges themselves and each other and creates a hierarchy of those above and below them. To judge another person is to ascribe worth to yourself at the expense of others. This minimizes your sins and faults, while maximizing the sins and faults of others. If you’ve ever said to yourself, “At least, I’m not as bad as that person (or group)” then you were likely playing the judgement game. Jesus says to us, “ ‘Do not judge, so that you may not be judged.”(7:1) Jesus is not talking about moral discernment of behaviours, but about how we view other people.4 As John Wesley said of this text, “The judging that Jesus condemns here is thinking about another person in a way that is contrary to love.” Ultimately, Jesus is inviting us to see people the way God’s sees people: with infinite love. This doesn’t mean we don’t discern behaviours as good or bad. It means we learn to go through the “plank-eye process” in which we view our own sin and failings as worse than others, which creates a humility that treats other sinners with mercy (cf. Gal. 6:1; Jas 2:13). Jesus is inviting his followers to quit the judgement game and live into a Kingdom society shaped not by condemnation buthumility, love, and forgiveness.Desired Outcome: To explore our addiction to the judgment game — and challengefolks to view all people the way God sees them: with infinite love.

33 min
JAN 19

Sermon on the Mount – O Worrier, Consider the Lillies

Sermon: O Worrier, Consider The Lillies Date: January 18, 2026 Scripture: Matthew 6:25-34 Speaker: George Veith We live in an age of worry. Studies from Statistics Canada tell us that 1 in 4 Canadians report to have moderate to severe anxiety. Gen Z and Millennial Canadians between 18 and 39 years old reported the highest levels of anxiety, loneliness, depression and stress of any age group (33.5 per cent for anxiety, 43.2 per cent for stress, 29.1 per cent for loneliness and 27.7 per cent for feelings of depression). We are in an epidemic of worry, anxiety, and stress. We face so many issues in day-to-day life that worry and anxiety are par for the course. To not worry seems to be something that only those who do not live in reality can do. What does it mean then to follow Christ’s teaching in this passage regarding worry? Jesus seems to think that we need to change our mindset about the value of worry (v27), change our relationship to possessions (v28), and to trust in the abundance of our Heavenly Father who “knows that you need all these things”(v32). We can abandon our scarcity mindsets because of the one who announces the abundance of God. Abundance, not scarcity, is the mark of God’s Kingdom. But that abundance must be made real through the lives of a people who have discovered that they can trust God and one another. Such trust is not an irrational gesture against the chaos of life, but rather a witness to the very character of God’s care of creation. So it is no wonder that Jesus directs our attention to the lilies to help us see how it is possible to live in joyful recognition that God has given us more than we need.Desired Outcome: To name the reality of our age of worry — and receive the invitation of Jesus to an alternative way of living that trusts in the care of our Heavenly Father.

31 min
JAN 14

Sermon on the Mount – Two Masters

Sermon: Two Masters Date: January 11 Scripture: Matthew 6:19-24 Speaker: Paul Walker We who live in consumeristic cultures must remain aware that we live in a context that is perpetually trying to get us to be discontent with what we have. We are conditioned to chase after more. We are trained to get our value from money, possessions, and material gains. Jesus tells us that “You cannot serve both God and money (Mammon).”(v24) Historically, “mammon” is the name of a powerful deity who uses wealth to destroy people. It has the power to create hunger and discontentment in us, to get us to perpetually want more. Ultimately mammon competes with God for our heart’s devotion. So what does it mean for us to serve only one master? What are we giving ultimate allegiance to in our lives? Can we trust that Jesus is a better Lord than Mammon? Desired Outcome: To explore the false messages of our consumeristic culture — and to challenge people to trust that Jesus offers us so much more.

42 min
JAN 8

Do You See What I See? – Prepare the Way

Sermon: Prepare the Way Date: January 4, 2026 Scripture: Matthew 3 Speaker: George Veith In Matthew 3 we meet Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist. John the Baptist’s role was to prepare the way for Jesus. He was the embodiment of Isaiah’s vision of a “voice calling in the desert to prepare the way of the Lord”. (Is 40:3) John called the people of Israel to repentance and enacted this through baptism. The Church has a role that is similar to John’s. Just as he prepared the way for Christ 2000 years ago, we too are to prepare our lives to encounter Jesus, both now, and in expectation of his second coming. We are to live today as though Jesus is coming back at any time. We don’t live the way the world lives. We are a part of a revolution. We invest in the Kingdom. We revolt against the status quo. We work to bring about the Kingdom on Earth as it is in heaven. And as we do this, we hasten the Lord’s return. On this first Sunday of 2026, what might it mean to prepare the way of the Lord in our own lives? Desired Outcome: To encourage folks to examine their lives as we head into 2026—and ask how they might prepare the way to encounter Jesus this year.

20 min
12/30/2025

Do You See What I See? - Sing In Exaltation

Sermon: Sing In Exaltation Date: December 28 Scripture: Luke 2:8-20 Speaker: Paul Walker Worship is not just something that happens at church. Worship is a state of your heart— which is expressed in our thoughts, words, and deeds. Look at the Christmas narrative and see how the central characters expressed their worship in a variety of ways: Mary was moved to sing a song of gratitude to God. Joseph obeyed and followed God’s plan. The shepherds stopped their work to go find and worship the Christ-child. Magi confronted anything that stood in the way of worshiping the one true God. Elizabeth opened her home in an act of hospitality. If we don’t begin the Advent season with a heart of worship, everything else will fall apart. The way we spend, give, and love will radically change when it comes from a place of true worship. This is not something you should do out of obligation. It is the opportunity to get back to the heart of the Christmas narrative. So what might it look like for us to fully enter into worship this advent season? Desired Outcome: To encourage our people to worship fully this advent season in our thoughts, words, and deeds.

24 min
12/30/2025

Do You See What I See? - Joy Of Every Longing Heart

Christmas Eve Candle-light service Sermon: Joy Of Every Longing Heart Date: December 24 Scripture: Selected Scripture Passages from Luke 1-2 Speaker: Paul Walker At the heart of the Christmas story is longing. Elizabeth and Zechariah long for a child in their old age (Lk 1:5-25). Mary longs to be the servant of the Lord (Lk 1:38) as she sings about her God and Saviour whose mercy extends “from generation to generation”(Lk 1:50). This God is present to the longings of the world. God has “helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful”(Lk 1:54), “because he has come to his people and redeemed them”(Lk 1:68). The shepherds long to “see the thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” (Lk 2:15) We too have longings. In a world filled with conflict, anxiety, loneliness, and suffering, so many of us long for peace—to be complete and whole. Jesus offers us personal wholeness and peace with God and his people through his first coming, and we now long for the ultimate eternal wholeness he will bring when he returns. Christmas reminds us that all our longings, hopes, and dreams are encountered in the God who came as a baby to be with us. Desired Outcome: To preach the Good News that all our longings are met in Jesus — who invites us to receive his joy, peace, and love to replace our conflict, anxiety, loneliness, and suffering.

1h 1m
12/30/2025

Do You See What I See? - Far As The Curse Is Found

Blue Christmas Evening Service Sermon: Far As The Curse Is Found Date: December 21 Scripture: Matthew 2:13-23Speaker: Paul Walker The Magi do not return to Herod. The response from Herod is to eliminate any possible challenge to his power-hold over Israel. Herod commands that all male baby boys under two years old be put to death. It is a tragedy. Perhaps no event in the gospels challenges our sentimental depiction of Christmas than the slaughter of these innocents. Most North American Christians don’t like to sully their sentimental version of Christmas with the account of King Herod’s collateral damage. But Matthew gives a prophetic witness to truth that becomes good news for all those on the underside of empire and evil. God is not distant to the suffering of our world. God is like Jesus — born into a dark world of trouble, trial, violence, and fear. Jesus comes to shine his light far as the curse is found. Jesus comes to heal us of the curse and darkness that sin has wrought upon us. Desired Outcome: To announce the good news that Jesus joins us in our world of pain and suffering.

43 min

A weekly Mennonite Church sermon from Douglas Mennonite Church

Creator

Douglas Mennonite Church
Years Active

2021 - 2026
Episodes

69
Rating

Clean
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Douglas Mennonite Church