I joined the Mennonite church 7 years ago. I wanted to be a part of a church that acknowledged Christ’s way of peace as fundamental to the gospel. The peace of Jesus is always at the center of our worship at Chapel Hill Mennonite. But, as far as I can tell, the larger denominational bodies [...]
Entries Tagged as 'current events'
This is why I’m a Mennonite
July 25th, 2010 by isaac · 6 Comments
Tags: church life · war
Life at Mt. Zion Mennonite
July 15th, 2010 by isaac · 2 Comments
I wrote a reflection on my week-long visit with the people of Mt. Zion Mennonite Church in Boonsboro, Maryland. Here’s an excerpt:
From the window of the nursery I can see the cemetery that stretches across the hill alongside the church — a field planted with rectangular stones to mark the graves of the faithful: Stauffer, [...]
Tags: church life · current events · published · theology
Worship in el Pueblo de Dios
June 22nd, 2010 by isaac · No Comments
About a month ago I had the opportunity to spend a week with an Hispanic Mennonite congregation in Dallas, Texas. I wrote up a short piece about my experience. Here’s an excerpt:
The Bible study before the Sunday morning worship service of Iglesia Menonita Luz del Evangelio turns into a passionate sermon.
A discussion of the story of [...]
Tags: immigration · published · theology
Bodies Matter: a footwashing protest
April 2nd, 2010 by isaac · 3 Comments
For Holy Thursday a bunch of gathered at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Cary, North Carolina, and held a footwashing worship service—we told them we wanted to wash the feet of the people detained inside. If you haven’t heard about these ICE detention centers, that means the federal government is good [...]
Tags: church life · immigration · political power · sermons · theology
Goshen College, National Anthem: A sermon on Philippians 2:5-11
March 29th, 2010 by isaac · No Comments
There has been a lot on controversy around the recent decision of Goshen College (a Mennonite university in Indiana) to play the national anthem before athletic events. The college has never played the anthem on campus because of the song’s praise of violence (“bombs bursting in air,” etc.). So, needless to say, due to the [...]
The other MLK
January 11th, 2010 by isaac · No Comments
To celebrate MLK Day next week, I wrote a short piece on Martin Luther King, Jr. for the Mennonite Weekly Review. It highlights the King that won’t be remembered on his day. Here’s an excerpt:
Most of us don’t want to remember what King didn’t want us to forget: that the racial violence that birthed colonial [...]
Tags: current events
Jesus for President: An Ecumenical Campaign
September 18th, 2008 by isaac · No Comments
The Jesus for President campaign came to Raleigh, N.C. on July 22nd. Chris Haw, Shane Claiborne, and their crew took the stage at 7pm. People started filling the seats at 6:30, anticipating the acclaimed campaign. For two and a half hours, Shane and Chris spoke about Jesus and politics to an attentive crowd. Although our [...]
Tags: current events · political power
a prayer for Memorial Day
May 27th, 2008 by isaac · 2 Comments
Congregational Prayer: 5.25.2008 (lectionary text: Isaiah 49:8-16Isaiah 49:8-16English: Contemporary English Version (1999) – CEVThe Lord Will Lead His People Home
8 . This is what the Lord says: I will answer your prayers because I have set a time when I will help by coming to save you. [...]Hope–a verb: a sermon on politics
May 4th, 2008 by isaac · 5 Comments
Here’s sermon I decided not to preach. I think it’s good, but I realized that it’s not necessarily what my church needs to hear—the Holy Spirit led me elsewhere at the last minute (it seems like God always interrupts a good thing). If you’re into politics, it may be interesting for you. The idea for [...]
Tags: current events · sermons
the threat of a book and police violence
September 24th, 2007 by isaac · 1 Comment
I imagine that I’m a latecomer to this bit of news, but I thought I’d share it here for those who are like me—with their head in the sand most of the time.
Last week during a Q & A time with presidential candidate John Kerry at the University of Florida, a student was violently forced [...]
Tags: current events
