Michelle Burkholder
Two Disciples and a Mary Walk Into a Graveyard . . .
Speaker: Michelle Burkholder
Christ is risen! [Christ is risen, indeed] Alleluia! What a day, eh?! I mean Easter is always a cause for joy and celebration but, as a celebration that moves around on the calendar, it isn’t every year that it coincides with April Fools Day. And what a glorious pairing the two make: both are full […]
Holy Sight
Speaker: Michelle Burkholder
This week finds us still in the liturgical season of Epiphany. Epiphany begins the week after Christmas and is traditionally celebrates the visit of the wise ones to the young Jesus in Bethlehem. We, here at Hyattsville, usually only officially celebrate Epiphany for one Sunday and then move on. However, the liturgical season (which is […]
The Hovering Spirit
Speaker: Michelle Burkholder
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Genesis 1:1-2 These are the opening words to story of God’s work in the world as […]
Aut Visum Aut Non
Speaker: Michelle Burkholder
Our theme this year at HMC is focused around building connections. We are on the lookout for ways to connect with ourselves, each other, and God. During the month of November we have been exploring what is means to make connections through the practice of gratitude. The story we find in Luke chapter 17 affirms […]
Turn, Then, And Live
Speaker: Michelle Burkholder
There are lots of Biblical proverbs that ring familiar in our ears [some more so than others]: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding [Proverbs 3:5] Start children off in the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it […]
A Big Ol’ Box of Chips
Speaker: Michelle Burkholder
If you were here last week you may have heard Kathleen, the congregational chair for the year ahead, share the outcomes of the church council and pastorate’s working retreat day on Saturday, September 9. For those of you not familiar with the retreat it is an event that happens each fall as we begin a […]
Faith, Hope, Love: A Showdown?
Speaker: Michelle Burkholder
Many of you know that after college I took some time to travel. Two of my friends and I set off on a two month tour of art museums and culture sights around Europe. I was excited about the trip – it was my first time traveling off the continent of North America. It was […]
Ears to Listen, Hearts to Hear
Speaker: Michelle Burkholder
Last week, I had the opportunity to preach at Scottdale Mennonite Church, another congregation in Allegheny Mennonite Conference. It was a treat to go and experience worship in another AMC context and to see some of the folks I have met at conference events over the past few years in their home setting. The community […]
Living Love is a Verb
Speaker: Michelle Burkholder
In a week and a half a group of folks from this congregation will be heading to Orlando, Florida for the 2017 Mennonite Church USA [MCUSA] biennial convention. Every two years, delegates and interested persons from across MCUSA gather as a collective body to worship, fellowship, learn from each other, and do the work of […]
Living Stories
Speaker: Michelle Burkholder
Once upon a time… Those words got your attention, didn’t they? We humans love stories. And we really love a good story. One that keeps us engaged, is relatable, maybe giving us some space for laughter or tears, and one that is, on some level, believable. We like it when we can trust a story. […]