Let’s Review: Creation, Exodus, Exile Texts: Psalm 19:1-6; Deuteronomy 24:17-22; Jeremiah 29:4-7Speaker: Joel Miller

It’s been a while since I’ve been in school, but I do remember that the end of the year is a time of review.  To learn what you learned, as some teachers say.  Or, as a much-loved seminary professor would ask at the end of each semester: “What do you want to remember well?” 

As Chris mentioned in the opening, this transition from school year to summer corresponds with a transition in the church calendar – from Easter season to Ordinary Time.  And, in our case, from the Narrative Lectionary over which we traced the full arc of scripture, to a less structured summer. 

So, let’s review.  This week is focused on the Old Testament or First Testament.  Next week we’ll review the New Testament, or Second Testament. 

Rather than sprint back through the story, I want to make a few bridges into our present by highlighting some themes.  For today, how about three?  Three big storylines that weave through the Hebrew Scriptures which continue to weave through our story:  Creation, Exodus, and Exile. How might remembering these well relate with living well?     

Read/Sing: Psalm 19:1-6

Creation is, in many ways, about beginnings.  “In the beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth.  A wind from Elohim hovered over the face of the waters.” That’s the opening of Genesis, the beginning of the Bible.  It goes on to speak of seven days of creation, including a day of Sabbath rest without which creation is incomplete.  Elohim speaks the world into being, and then speaks blessing over Sabbath.  It is a poetic rather than scientific telling of our origins, but there is a delightful overlap with our current understanding of evolution and the way Genesis 1 portrays an increasingly complex and diverse world, each…

James Laspisa

GOOD MORNING!

Like many of you, I’m not native to Columbus, but migrated here.. 

Since my arrival from Toledo, I have been searching for a Church that is NOT ONLY “Open and Affirming”, but MORE IMPORTANTLY truly “Christ centered”. 

I first found one that is EXTREMELY accepting, but when you look beyond their welcome to the Gay and Lesbian community, you find them lacking in what it means to truly “follow Jesus”. 

I found another that is quite involved with local missions, but even though they proclaimed to be a welcoming congregation, as an openly Gay man, I never felt REALLY accepted there – more like TOLERATED. 

I KNOW I”M SHOWING MY AGE, but can anyone else remember the story of “Goldilocks and the three bears”?

In it, Goldilocks tries three bowls of porridge – the first bowl is too hot, the second is too cold, but finally the third bowl is neither too hot or too cold, but “JUST RIGHT”

IN MY CASE I was beginning to wonder if I would ever find a church that is neither “too hot” or “too cold”, but JUST RIGHT

I was resigning myself to living with compromise when one lazy. rainy, Saturday afternoon late last fall, my Inner Voice told me to  Google “Open and Affirming” churches ONE MORE TIME.

I found a website called gaychurch.org where you can check for welcoming churches in your area. I saw the “SAME OLD, SAME OLD” from other websites I had visited, but then I saw COLUMBUS MENNONITE CHURCH 

COLUMBUS MENNONITE???

Not knowing that much about Mennonites, I figured that Mennonites were basically “AMISH WITH WIFI” and “ASSUMED” that they would be socially conservative and thus not accepting of people like me.

I’M SURE YOU’VE ALL HEARD THE OLD SAYING ABOUT “ASSUME”

I eagerly checked out the CMC website, ESPECIALLY the statement of LGBTQ inclusiveness

I…

…

Madres Creadoras, Creator Mothers Texts: Psalm 91:1-4; 1 Cor 13Speaker: Joel Miller

The final line of our Membership Commitment Statement says: By God’s grace, may we be a sanctuary, where we welcome, protect, and challenge one another.

We’ll recite the full statement together in two weeks as we welcome new members and renew our own commitments.

Today we get to highlight one of the ways we live out that final line through our Keeping CMC Safe policy. 

A policy-based sermon is not exactly a prime candidate for inspiration and insight.  But here’s a thought: If we were to commission someone to do a visual representation of Keeping CMC Safe – a single painting, let’s say, of the theology and practice of being a sanctuary where we welcome, protect, and challenge one another, it could look something like this. 

To be clear, this artist was very likely not pondering congregational policy while painting.  This piece is by Angelika Bauer, a German woman who, in the early 80s, made her home in the town of Santiago, on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.  If you know a bit of Guatemalan history, you know this was a time of civil war and tremendous military violence, US-backed, directed especially at the indigenous Mayan population.  This piece was inspired by the resistance and resilience the artist witnessed during that time. 

You wouldn’t know just by looking that this came from a war zone where thousands of people were disappeared, never to be seen again.  Bauer’s paintings aren’t overtly political.  But protecting the vulnerable, and believing that we are all – all – surrounded by the loving arms of God has implications for every part of life, including the political.  And, we might add, congregational policy.  She calls this work Madres Creadoras, meaning Creator Mothers.  I’ve been drawn to it ever since I…

Scripture: 1 John 4:18-21; Luke 4:18-19

Speaker: Paisha Thomas

Good morning!

Thank you to Pastor Joel for your constant demonstration of what it means to be God’s church, and God’s will being done on earth as it is in heaven.

Thank you to Adam Glass for brokering the generous donation that your congregation made to our new non profit LotF. And to all of you for your contributions.

Paul and Jacqui for your preparation excellence this week

And my two friends who are here for moral support.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight oh lord, our strength and our redeemer. Amen and Asé.

From the Revised Common Lectionary – NRSV

1 John 4:12-21

4:12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and God’s love is perfected in us.

4:13 By this we know that we abide in God and God in us, because God has given us of God’s Spirit.

4:14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world.

4:15 God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God.

4:16 So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.

4:17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as God is, so are we in this world.

4:18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.

4:19 We love because God first loved us.

4:20 Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or…