When I first read this passage in Luke’s gospel, in preparation for preaching on it, I thought, “Oh, this is just too easy.” Unlike some stories which leave you scratching your... Read More
Features
1. In what situations have you prayed for justice or deliverance? Have you ever begun to doubt that you were praying hard enough, or even to doubt the existence of God? How do you... Read More
January 29, 2014 | Feature | By Barb Draper
Update: In October 2020, Mennonite Church Eastern Canada announced the termination of the ministerial credentials of John D. Rempel, on the basis of ministerial sexual misconduct... Read More
January 15, 2014 | Feature | John D. Rempel
The good news is that God came to us in Jesus Christ to reconcile us to himself and to invite us into his kingdom. The news of what God has done—and is doing—for us in Christ is... Read More
January 15, 2014 | Feature | By Palmer Becker
1. In what setting have you heard someone “sound the Scripture,” telling a Bible story without reading it? How is re-telling a story different from reading it or repeating it from... Read More
December 31, 2013 | Feature | By Barb Draper
Biblical storyteller John Epp
Managing editor Ross W. Muir was introduced to biblical storytelling when John Epp, a member of the Network of Biblical Storytellers Canada and Toronto United Mennonite Church,... Read More
December 31, 2013 | Feature |
1. Do your Christian values make you feel like a resident alien in Canada? How strong are your ties of loyalty to Canada? How strong is your allegiance to your local community or... Read More
December 11, 2013 | Feature | By Barb Draper
In Philippians 2:25-30, the Apostle Paul advises the violently besieged Christian community in Philippi to grant special “honours” to a “fellow-soldier” who has “risked his life”... Read More
December 11, 2013 | Feature | By Gordon Zerbe
In the first 300 years of the Christian church, before church and state became fused, preachers and leaders regularly used the language of “citizenship” to describe the Christian... Read More
December 11, 2013 | Feature | By Gordon Zerbe
Ray Friesen suggests, ‘If we can imagine a nativity scene in first-century Palestine (pictured), we can possibly imagine it in our 21st-century world.’
In Charles Dickens' well-known story, A Christmas Carol, anyone who dares enter the inner sanctum of Ebenezer Scrooge's office with so much as a suggestion of Christmas is greeted... Read More
November 20, 2013 | Feature | By Ray Friesen
1. Do you know anyone with a “Bah! Humbug! ” attitude towards Christmas? What makes you want to say “Bah! Humbug! ”? Where do you draw the line on sentimentalism? What does it... Read More
November 20, 2013 | Feature | By Barb Draper
Atonement, Justice and Peace: The Message of the Cross and the Mission of the Church by Darrin Snyder Belousek . Eerdmans , 2012. Instead of Atonement: The Bible’s Salvation Story... Read More
November 6, 2013 | Feature | Compiled by Dave Rogalsky
Christus Victor/Ransom When humanity sinned in Genesis 3, they fell under the control of Satan. Due to personal sin, no human being was able to pay the ransom to free humanity, so... Read More
November 6, 2013 | Feature | By Dave Rogalsky
A statue of the Good Shepherd at the St. Callisto Catacombs, Rome. In the early centuries, Jesus was much more likely to be portrayed as the Good Shepherd than as a crucified Messiah.
In the 1990s, when the Mennonite church in Ontario was deciding whether to add Hymnal: A Worship Book to its pews, a dear (now departed) saint approached me, saying, “I hear that... Read More
November 6, 2013 | Feature | By Dave Rogalsky
1. During the Second World War, what happened when young men in your family or community were called up for military service? What are the stories of your congregation dealing... Read More
October 23, 2013 | Feature | By Barb Draper
Of memories I have of family members, the one about my Uncle Sam’s arrest on April 19, 1944, and his imprisonment, which became legendary in our community, left an indelible mark... Read More
October 23, 2013 | Feature | By Joseph Martin
An Altona, Man., war memorial bears the names of local Mennonites who served and died during the Second World War.
Of late, many peace-minded Canadians have been decrying the country’s increasing militarization, calling to mind this country’s proud peacekeeping tradition as if it was a... Read More
October 23, 2013 | Feature | By Ross W. Muir
1. What would happen if someone in your congregation joined the military? Would your church have a prayer of blessing to send him on his way? What does peace mean to you? Can... Read More
October 9, 2013 | Feature | By Barb Draper
The General Council Peace Commission of Mennonite World Conference (MWC) requested a response from Mennonite Church Canada to the question, “How is your church doing in its desire... Read More
October 9, 2013 | Feature | Gordon Allaby
Arlyn Friesen Epp, director of Mennonite Church Canada’s Resource Centre in Winnipeg, recalls peace lamps being introduced at the 2002 MC Canada assembly in Saskatoon. Congregations were invited to purchase the lamps and pray for peace. Some churches continue to light the peace lamps today.
“In the last 15 or 20 years, I have heard only one sermon on peace,” says Bernie Loeppky, a member of Grace Mennonite Church in Winkler, Man., and a member of the Evangelical... Read More
October 9, 2013 | Feature | By Evelyn Rempel Petkau
1. Have you ever had an experience where you felt unjustly treated and there didn’t seem to be a way to make it right? How did you respond to those feelings of injustice? What... Read More
September 25, 2013 | Feature | By Barb Draper
What do you see as the greatest divide between indigenous and settler cultures in Canada?Read More
September 25, 2013 | Feature | By Deborah Froese
This ‘freedom’ graffiti carries significance and irony for South Africans. It is emblazoned on a bridge connecting Soweto to the informal settlement of Kliptown, an area of extreme poverty.
Elmer Courchene introduced himself as an Anishinabe elder whose home is Turtle Island. He carried himself with dignity, but his carefully chosen words reflected the uncertainty... Read More
September 25, 2013 | Feature | By Deborah Froese
1. What have been your experiences with the Roman Catholic Church? Do Mennonites today still have the same suspicions about Catholic theology that Will Braun says he grew up with... Read More
September 11, 2013 | Feature | By Barb Draper
The San Francesco Basilica in Assisi, Italy, attracts both the faithful and interested tourists to its doors.
Despite gaping holes in the biblical basis for its elaborate hierarchy, and despite relatively widespread pedophilia among its priests, the Roman Catholic Church holds on to... Read More
September 11, 2013 | Feature | By Will Braun