On this date in 1536 Menno Simons left the Roman Catholic church to join the Anabaptists. He eventually became a leader in their midst.
For me as an English Canadian with British roots, to carry the name Mennonite speaks nothing of ancestry or culture. It represents a Christian faith heritage of following Jesus with conviction, seeking to embody the Good News as children of light. I wonder how many of our members have read any of Menno's writings.
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I am so grateful for the family of God. In a culture that idolizes individualism, we are called to be a body, a connected entity made one by Jesus Christ.
In Revelation, the message of the vision of Christ was not written for individuals, but as a word to the church, as the messages to the seven churches (ch. 2-3) demonstrate. Jesus meets us and grows us in this family, with all its frailties and shortcomings, because that is where His Spirit resides and that is where he can best paint a stunning portrait of his grace. As we look forward to celebrating Canada Day we can be grateful for the wonderful country we live in. We can be proud to be Canadian. But that kind of pride needs limits. Our highest allegiance is always to Jesus. I came across the following from Myron Augsburger:
"There is no other movement in the world so important as the church. The more genuinely the church can live as the body of Christ, serving under his headship and extending his mission, the more we enrich our respective societies and enhance the good among humanity." |
AuthorPastor Ward Parkinson Archives
December 2022
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