Douglas Mennonite Church

Douglas Mennonite Church

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A weekly Mennonite Church sermon from Douglas Mennonite Church

Sep 2

THIS IS MY STORY: Hagar

August 30 - Hagar Jason Dyck Scripture: Genesis 16 & 21 Their story: Abram was promised by God that he would be create a great nation. The only problem is that Abram’s wife Sarai was barren and unable to conceive. Enter plan b: Abram would try to secure the promise of God by laying with his handmaiden Hagar. Who was Hagar? Hagar was an Egyptian slave who is treated harshly by her Hebrew mistress. When she was no longer needed, she would be sent away. But God saw her. The children of Abraham and Sarah will share in their treatment of Hagar by being enslaved and treated harshly by their Egyptians masters. But God saw them. God doesn't see ethnicity or nationality as barriers. God sees suffering. God doesn't care about ethnicity or nationality. God cares about suffering. And so, Hagar the African, Hagar the slave, Hagar the Egyptian foreigner in the household of Abraham, received her own vision of God, apart from her mistress and her husband. She beheld God, and she dared to give God a name. Our story: In a world of suffering and unjust treatment of the lowly, God is not absent. God sees us. We like Hagar, can to call out to the God who sees us. And we like God must learn to see those whom the world has forgotten. God’s Story: The God who sees the forsaken Hagar, has sent his son Jesus to seek out all who feel forsaken and forgotten and bring them home.
Aug 25

THIS IS MY STORY: ABRAHAM

August 23- Abraham Don Rempel Boschman Scripture: Genesis 11:27-12:9; Hebrews 11:8-10 Their Story: Prior to Abraham what do we find in the story? Adam and Eve expelled from Paradise, Cain killing Abel and founding human civilization with bloody hands, a violent world under a flood of judgment, and finally Babylon rising in rebellion to God. It’s a world moving away from God. Enter Abraham: A man of faith. A friend of God. A patriarch of a new humanity. Abraham is called to follow God into an unknown country with the blessing to bless the peoples of the earth. Abraham leaves behind his former world to follow God into the unknown.This is what makes Abraham both great and the pattern for every believer thereafter. Our story: In a world moving away from God, we like Abraham, must in faith leave behind ‘the old country’ and move into the unknown future —- a future that is the promise of blessing and healing of this broken world. God’s story: God is seeking to reconcile humanity through the faithfulness of the person of Abraham and the promise he will give him. God does this through sending his Son into the world. Jesus is the true and better Abraham who answered the call of God to leave all the comfortable and familiar and go out into the void to create a new people of God.
Aug 18

This Is My Story: Cain & Abel

August 16- Cain & Abel Paul Walker Scripture: Genesis 4:1-17; Hebrews 11:4 Their Story: Cain and Abel are sons of Eve and Adam. Cain is an agrarian man and Abel is a shepherd of flocks. One day they both offer a sacrifice to God. Cain offers “some of the fruits of the soil.” Abel’s sacrifice comes from “fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock.” In a word, Cain offered the ordinary and Abel the best, and of course the quality of their offering reflects the condition of their hearts. Abel is enthusiastic in his worship, while Cain is basically disinterested. God favours Abel’s more heartfelt sacrifice, and this angers Cain. Cain is warned by God that “sin is crouching at [his] door”(v7). But Cain ignores this warning and re-imagines his brother as a rival and enemy. So Cain kills Abel. Then Cain lied to God (and himself ) about his actions, moves east of Eden, and founds the first city. Thus we have the story of the rise of human civilization that is built upon a foundation of making our brothers into enemies. Our Story: Life is not a game where Cain has to outdo Abel. Life is a gift from God, understood by the grammar, not of competition, but love. And love tells us that we are our brother’s keeper. God’s Story: In a world founded upon the murder of our brothers, God is pleading with us to resist the power of sin in this world. And so God will send his son into the world to show us the better way of forgiveness and reconciliation. Jesus is the true and better Abel who, though innocently slain, has blood now that cries out, not for our condemnation, but for our forgiveness.
Aug 11

THIS IS MY STORY: Adam & Eve

August 9 - Adam & Eve Scripture: Genesis 1-3 Their Story: In the beginning, God speaks creation into existence. All of creation is God’s temple— and at the heart of creation God creates image bearers to be divine representatives in Creation. So Adam is formed from the dust of the Earth and given the breath of life. Adam is placed in the garden and given the priestly task of tending (עבד) and working (שמר) the garden, with instructions to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But all is not yet complete and thriving, as God declares, “It is not good that the man should be alone”. (2.18) So Eve is formed and the goodness of mutual relationship, completion, and harmonious thriving become true for humanity. That is until the serpent calls into question the goodness of God. The image bearers are deceived by the serpent and sent out from the garden. Creation is marred, but all is not lost. The Creator God will send the Seed to crush the head of the serpent. (3.15) Our story: We are made in the image of God and called for thriving and relationship, and yet due to own rebellion, we are also broken and need of rescue. God’s story: God is love. A love that is creative and desires humanity’s flourishing. A love that gives us the freedom to go our own way. When we do go our own way, God does not abandon us but goes with us out of the garden with the promise that the Seed will crush the head of the serpent. The Seed who is Jesus— is the true and better Adam & Eve, who passed the test in the garden and whose victory over sin, death, and the grave is won for us.
Aug 5

The Good Shepherd: The House of the Lord

August 2- The House of the Lord Scripture: Psalm 23:6; John 14:1-4, 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 Speaker: Lorelle Perry Surely your goodness and mercy will follow me  all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord  forever. - Psalm 23:6 The last verse of the Psalm focuses on a big picture of where our Good Shepherd is leading us. The life with our Good Shepherd is a life where God is with us and we “dwell in the house of the Lord forever”. God’s house is the place of refuge, blessing, and wholeness. God’s house is abiding in reconciliation and relationship with our Good Shepherd. It is not only a future reality but something we can encounter in our experience by faith today. Our challenge is to stay with our Good Shepherd in the increasing belief that God truly desires to be with us. This is why David tells us that goodness and mercy (or love) chase us down. Goodness and mercy pursue us like a predator might pursue prey! It’s not something we have to earn, but a gift we receive by grace. Jesus has promised us that his “Father’s house has many rooms”(Jn 14:1). There is room for all who respond to the voice of the Good Shepherd and follow after him. The question we all must ask is will we surrender to the goodness and mercy that is chasing us down? Desired Outcome: To share the good news that goodness and mercy are chasing us down to bring us into the house of the Lord.
Jul 28

The Good Shepherd (The Table Before Me)

July 26 - The Table Before Me Scripture: Psalm 23:5; Luke7:36-50 Speaker: Ryan Murray A video recording of this sermon can be viewed at https://youtu.be/-k1S6ocjAFU You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. - Psalm 23:5 In the last section of the psalm, the basic metaphor changes to that of a banquet host. We are given three images: A table, anointing with oil, and an overflowing cup. All three images communicate a blessing given from the banquet host to the guests. The guests receive from the host blessings of abundance, satisfaction, joy, and everlasting love. The curious place of banquet blessing occurs in the presence of our enemies and not in the absence of them. This psalm imagines the enemies outside our camp able to see us within it, joyful and enjoying our meal, but they are unable to get access to us, like animals on the edge of a clearing unable to get to the sheepfold. In the same way, Jesus has prepared the Kingdom table that transforms enemies into friends (Mt 5:38). This Kingdom table also blesses us in the presence of the great enemies of sin, death, and the grave . As the Apostle Paul writes, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” (Eph. 2:4-5) Grace is the announcement of blessing in the presence of our enemies of sin, death, and the grave. This is the blessing God longs to pour out to all to all who would join him at his table. Desired Outcome: To encourage our people that the Good Shepherd longs to bless us in the presence of our enemies
Jul 21

THE GOOD SHEPHERD: VALLEYS AND SHADOWS

July 19- Valleys and Shadows Scripture: Psalm 23:4; 1 Peter 2:21-25 Speaker: Paul Walker Even though I walk  through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil,  for you are with me; your rod and your staff,  they comfort me. - Psalm 23:4 From time to time, shepherds would need to take their flocks beyond the safe confines of familiar pasture and towards valleys and mountains in search of fresh food. This was a yearly practice done towards the end of the summer months to help the sheep prepare for winter. The shepherd would journey with his flock as they faced unfamiliar terrain. In this journey, the sheep would find their deepest security in their close relationship to the shepherd. The shepherd would be fully prepared to safeguard his flock and tend to them with skill under ever circumstance. Nothing would take the shepherd by surprise. Never would a shepherd take his flock where he had not already been before. In the same way, Jesus our Good Shepherd has gone before us into the valley of death and overcome it through resurrection. We do not serve a shepherd that is distant and removed from the valleys and shadows. No, our Good Shepherd joins us in the valley of the shadow of death so that “now [we] sheep who have gone astray, have returned to the Shepherd [1 Peter 2:25) This Good Shepherd is with us in the valleys and shadows and wants to guide us into his way of life. Desired Outcome: To proclaim the Good News that Jesus our Good Shepherd is with us in the valleys and shadows and wants to guide through them and into his way of life.
Jul 13

The Good Shepherd (Restoration and Repair)

Sermon:July 12- Restoration and Repair Scripture: Psalm 23:2-3; Matthew 11:28-30; 1 Peter 5:2 Speaker: Paul Walker He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters, he restores my soul. He guides me along the right paths  for his name’s sake. - Psalm 23:2-3 Sheep are timid animals. The strangest thing about sheep is that because of their very makeup it is almost impossible for them to lie down unless they are free of fear, unrest, and hunger. As anxious creatures, sheep do not naturally want to lie down. Yet the Good Shepherd of Psalm 23 is skilled at causing his sheep to experience peace, rest, and fulfillment. We know as Jesus followers that he is our Good Shepherd and we are “God’s flock”(1 Peter 5:2) Yet so many us today suffer from anxiety, worry, and fear. We live in an anxious age. We are hurried and rushed. We don’t know how to rest. Jesus invites us to “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”(Mt 11:29) To take Jesus’ “yoke” is to pattern our lives after his life. It is to be people who sabbath. It is to be people who pray, fast, trust, worship, and love deeply. The Jesus way is the narrow path away from unrest and towards rest for our souls. What would it mean for us to follow our Good Shepherd towards restoration and repair? What would it mean for us to lie down in green pastures? Desired Outcome: To encourage our people to allow Jesus the Good Shepherd to lead them into restoration and repair so that they can find rest for their souls.

A weekly Mennonite Church sermon from Douglas Mennonite Church

Creator

Douglas Mennonite Church
Years Active

2021 - 2026
Episodes

100
Rating

Clean
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© Copyright 2026 Douglas Mennonite Church
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Douglas Mennonite Church