Sermons from First Mennonite Church, Indianapolis: Recent Episodes
First Mennonite Church, Indianapolis
November 13, 2022 – Two weeks ago we remembered how faith is seeing God’s unfinished business, God’s business that’s not finished… yet. But what does God’s finished business looks like? And what do we do when visions of God’s finished business come paired with visions of violence? Mary Liechty reads the sermon on behalf of ... [Read more...]
August 7, 2022 – When things are right in your face, you go cross-eyed trying to see them clearly. Jesus’s request to “not worry” invites us to focus on what’s a little further away—without erasing or downplaying the worries right in front of us. Mary Liechty reads the sermon on behalf of Pastor Monica. The ... [Read more...]
July 31, 2022 – We conclude our Jesus Geography series by walking the less-than-safe road between Jericho and Jerusalem. As we walk, we’ll find ourselves in the company of two unexpected disciples who embody the centrality of giving and receiving mercy. Mary Liechty reads the sermon on behalf of Pastor Monica. Scripture: Luke 10:29-37, Mark ... [Read more...]
July 24, 2022 – Jesus spent A LOT of time in people’s houses. What difference does it make that Jesus was in someone’s home when he launched some of his broadest and most systemic critiques of society at large? Why is it important that Jesus both taught and healed in homes? Carla Schmid reads the ... [Read more...]
July 3, 2022 – The Bible is sparse enough on details that when you find one, you should probably ask why it was important enough to be preserved for thousands of years. So how about those place names we so easily skip over? Does the place make a difference in what Jesus said and did? ... [Read more...]
June 19, 2022 – As we recognize Juneteenth, we’ll eavesdrop on one of Jesus’s sermons. His hometown crowd turned from enamored fans into a murderous mob—what on earth happened? Scripture: Luke 4:16-30 (CEB)
May 22, 2022 – “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words—they just might stab me!” How we wield our words is one of the most common topics in Proverbs. Interpersonal speech and speech that describes systemic dysfunction hurt… but is the alternative silence? How do we heal? Scripture: Proverbs 12:18
May 15, 2022 – While Proverbs gifts us with images of Wisdom as the female divine, it also contains troubling portraits of Folly personified as female, as well. In Proverbs 7, Folly is a lascivious woman who seduces an unwary young man. What do we do when we see ourselves reflected in negative stereotypes like ... [Read more...]
April 17, 2022 – Two thousand years before COVID-19, Jesus was already social distancing, even from his best friends like Mary! As we celebrate Easter, we move from embracing the certainty of Jesus’s death to the openness—and open-endedness—Jesus’s resurrection ushers in. This week we conclude our series “Seeking God’s Ways” with the theme “From Certainty ... [Read more...]
April 10, 2022 – “Finally some peace and quiet!” or so goes the phrase. This time, though, peace isn’t quiet. In fact, it’s loud and disruptive! Come along for Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week leading up to Easter, as we explore the theme “From Power Over to Power With.” Scripture: Luke 19:29-42
April 3, 2022 – Jesus is lying low at his friends’ house in the suburbs around Jerusalem when one of his hostesses Mary anoints his feet with expensive perfume, a deeply meaningful gesture. Judas’s protest invites us to ask ourselves, “What is most needed in this moment?” How do we choose between conflicting priorities? We ... [Read more...]
March 20, 2022 – How do we make sense of senseless suffering? Jesus doesn’t give us a straight answer, but he does rule out a very common one. One of the consequences of that, though, is recognizing how many of our blessings are ones we haven’t earned but instead are graces we’ve received. The question ... [Read more...]
March 13, 2022 – Foxes have been preying on hens for as long as there have been foxes and hens. So perhaps it catches our attention when a hen hands the fox their itinerary…? For this second week of Lent, we’re invited to boldly go from fear to compassion. Scripture: Luke 13:31-35
March 6, 2022 – Lent—the season leading up to Easter—has begun! This week, we follow Jesus into the wilderness to peel back the layers of our lives and ask ourselves what we root our sense of security in. Is our tight grip on feeling secure keeping us from living with Jesus-like generosity? Scripture: Luke 4:1-13 ... [Read more...]
February 27, 2022 – Amidst the life-or-death drama of political intrigue in this suspenseful tale, God remains conspicuously absent. Stuck between a glass ceiling and a genocide, Esther is paralyzed until something finally clicks. Who knows what God might be up to behind the scenes to keep hope alive… Scripture: Esther 4:11-5:1
February 20, 2022 – Craig Oury, Co-Pastor at Shalom Mennonite brings the sermon. “End times, pulpit-thumping, repent the end is here!” Okay, maybe not… As I interpret these verses, I hear Peter saying, “The end of all things is near, but so what?” We’re called to follow Christ no matter what is going on, and ... [Read more...]
February 13, 2022 – Our very own Maggie Girard closes out our series on spiritual practices by teaching us about the artistic process—process art, specifically—and how it can overlap with our spirituality. She led us in a hands-on meditation as we mold and sculpt portions of quick-drying modeling clay. Scripture: Psalm 139:13-18
February 6, 2022 – The sermon this week come from Steve Bustos, Stewardship Consultant with Everence. Christian Stewardship is embracing the notion that everything we have been entrusted with including our time, talent, wealth, and much more is meant to draw us closer to Jesus. Stewardship as a spiritual practice is then the life-long journey of ... [Read more...]
January 30, 2022 – There’s pain in the world, and some of it is our fault. Naming and taking responsibility for how we make mistakes frees us to change, rather than closing our eyes and allowing hurt to continue. God takes hurt seriously… and there’s a way forward toward reconciliation. Scripture: 1 John 1:5-2:2
January 23, 2022 – What does observing the Sabbath as a spiritual practice have to do with non-exploitation, restorative non-work, and nonviolent resistance? Scripture: Deuteronomy 5:12–15, Matthew 11:28–30
January 16, 2022 – We’ve got a plan, we’re working hard, and we’re doing our best to be the hands, heart, and voice of Christ (as our mission statement says). What do we need the Bible for, anyway? What’s up with this weird book? Scripture: 2 Kings 22:8–13; 23:1–3
January 9, 2022 – On this Epiphany Sunday, we kick off a sermon series on spiritual practices. What are spiritual practices? Are they important? Why do we do them? Attention to spiritual practices may have been the difference between life and death for the magi on their politically disruptive pilgrimage. Scripture: Matthew 2:1-12
January 2, 2022 – The message comes from Joanne Gallardo, conference minister of Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference of Mennonite Church USA in Goshen, Indiana. Originally from northwest Ohio, Joanne is a graduate of Goshen College and Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana. Scripture: Jeremiah 31:7-14
December 26, 2021 – What’s in a name? Why the name “Jesus”? What’s this “Emmanuel” curve ball from left field? Jesus Emmanuel is born… let’s explore and celebrate the significance of that name together! Scripture: Matthew 1:18–25
December 19, 2021 – The author of Colossians probably wasn’t a fashion designer, but they’ve sure got a heavenly design sense. Set that Christmas sweater aside this year, and dare to imagine God’s robe! What does it look like to dress like Christ? Scripture: Colossians 3:12–17
December 12, 2021 – We continue our Advent theme by daring to imagine God’s song. Against a backdrop of pride, idolatry, and injustice, the prophet Zephaniah dares to imagine a world that rings with God’s song of peace, justice, and love. As we anticipate Jesus’s birth, God invites us to sing along! Scripture: Zephaniah 3:14-20
December 5, 2021 – Today’s Advent theme is Dare to Imagine God’s Embrace. Four members of our Care Team— Donna Haines, Melanie Schmucker, Kevin Rosner, and Mary Liechty—share stories on the theme. Scripture: Luke 3:1-6
November 28, 2021 – While the Babylonian armies besiege Jerusalem with no end in sight, the prophet Jeremiah is being detained for prophesying doom and gloom in Jerusalem’s immediate future. Yet despite the atrocities of war and his dismal situation, Jeremiah holds onto hope as he dares to imagine God’s goodness: eventual, holistic restoration through ... [Read more...]
November 21, 2021 – This week as we eavesdrop on the author of James, we walk into the middle of a full-blown diatribe seeking to correct a distorted relationship between faith and works. Can we comb through the forceful language to uncover the author’s nuanced intent? Scripture: James 2:14–20, 26
November 14, 2021 – For millennia, people have turned to the Psalms to put words to their experiences. We continue in our month of celebration with a psalm of gratitude for God’s faithfulness in bringing the psalmist through difficult, even harrowing, times to a place of celebration. What echoes or resonances of this psalm do ... [Read more...]
November 7, 2021 – We celebrated the installation of our new pastor, Monica Miller. Blaine Detwiler, a mentor of Monica’s, preached the sermon. Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:4–6; Matthew 22:34–40; Romans 12:9–16
October 31, 2021 – As we celebrate All Saints’ Day, we remember and honor the long stream of people who have gone before us – some recently and some in the distant past. Many have participated in building and making possible this worshiping community and many have been encouragers and shapers of our own journeys. ... [Read more...]
October 24, 2021 – Frances Ringenberg preaches the reading this Sunday from Hebrews and offers insight for exploring this important dimension of our spiritual walk. Frances shares a quote from Elizabeth O’Connor – We are never diminished by our confession. Quite the opposite. We have the feeling of having expanded a little bit, and actually, this is ... [Read more...]
October 17, 2021 – David Boshart, President of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary comes as our preacher this Sunday. David explores the vivid scene of Jesus rising up in the temple and proclaiming the powerful words of the prophet Isaiah. First, there was praise for Jesus and then fury. What is our response to the words of ... [Read more...]
October 3, 2021 – The gospel of Jesus Christ reaches across boundaries of race, class, economics, and politics. Following Jesus across barriers is the theme of the July 2022 Mennonite World Conference to be held in Indonesia. Mennonite World Conference president Nelson Kraybill shares about how and why the conference is working at crossing these ... [Read more...]
September 26, 2021 – Adult Sunday school on the topic of becoming a welcoming space. Led by Pastor Frances Ringenberg.
September 26, 2021 – The Feast of Tabernacles (also known as Feast of Booths or Sukkot) is being celebrated in Jewish communities around the world. Jesus used this ancient festival to again proclaim the deep truth of his identity and mission. Along with many festival participants we also meet outside this Sunday. Come and hear the ... [Read more...]
September 19, 2021 – As Jesus concludes his teaching on, “I am the Bread of Life”, many people left him; undoubtedly some strutted away haughtily, some jeering and maybe many sighed regretfully, hopes dashed. Others slipped away quietly, embarrassed to be leaving. Jesus asked the disciples, “Are you going to leave me too?” Peter makes a ... [Read more...]
September 12, 2021 – Back to Bread! This Sunday returns us to the John 6 discourse as Jesus takes “I Am the Bread of Life” to an even deeper level for the gathered crowd and for us. Scripture: John 6:51-58
September 5, 2021 – This Sunday’s faith story comes from Joyce Kuntz who will share her beginnings and how she came to FMC with God’s gifts for her and His directions for her life. Scripture: Psalms 37:3-7a
August 29, 2021 – A faith story from Erv Boschmann takes us deep into history and to a story of faith stretching back to the beginnings of immigration from Russia. Scripture: Matthew 25:40; Philippians 2:3-5
August 22, 2021 – New voices challenge Jesus and Jesus takes the discussion even deeper. The unfolding drama becomes more complex and invites us to find our own place in the human and divine encounter. Scripture: John 6:35, 41-51
August 15, 2021 – The message this morning is the first of four sermons from John 6 exploring Jesus proclaiming “I Am the Bread of Life”. Jesus again and again beckons. The people only seek full stomachs, but Jesus offers a fuller feast. We, too, at FMC are seeking a way forward, true nourishment for ... [Read more...]
August 8, 2021 – Monica Miller, our pastoral candidate, preaches from the intriguing passage in 1 Kings where God speaks to the prophet Elijah after Elijah had a great victory over the prophets of Baal, yet became afraid and fled before the threats of Jezebel. Scripture: 1 Kings 19:8b-13
August 1, 2021 – This sermon includes stories from the Pastoral Team Search Committee about the blessings received along their journey, how they quickly learned not to predict each other’s responses, and how they knew when they had found the right person for our congregation. Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:4-11
July 25, 2021 – Today’s scripture takes us into a tumultuous time period and situation. May we find the ways the story speaks to us today in our world and time. Scripture: Matthew 14:22-33
July 18, 2021 – Sarah Burkholder brings a faith story, that most precious gift. Learn more about Sarah’s journey and God’s leading along the way. Scripture: Joshua 1:1–9; Matthew 28:19–20
July 11, 2021 – Our new interim pastor Frances Ringenberg brings a story from her journey. Scripture: Genesis 16:1–15
July 4, 2021 – Jyoti Sarkar shares his story, giving testimony to God’s interventions, time and again. Scripture: Ezekiel 34:11-12; Matthew 6:33
June 27, 2021 – On their last Sunday with FMC, Pastors Bob and Mag reflect on the past year and half they have shared with us. Scripture: Philippians 1:2–11
June 20, 2021 – As we continue our series on Health in the Garden, Karla Stoltzfus Detweiler, executive directory of Hungry World Farm in Tiskilwa, Illinois, speaks about Soil and the Land. Scripture: Joel 1:10-12; Joel 2:12-13, 21-26a