Sermons
Vision Amidst Violence
Speaker: Cynthia Lapp
“Why do you make me see wrongdoing and look at trouble? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise.” This description from Habakkuk is all too real. My head and heart have been full the past ten days, full of the wrongdoing and violence of the police shooting less than a mile from […]
Global Warning
Speaker: Cynthia Lapp
These two texts, taken together, give us more than enough to grapple with this morning. In the global context, we are considered wealthy, even quite wealthy. What might we hear in these ancient texts? The epistle called I Timothy is purported to be written by Paul to Timothy, though many scholars believe it was written […]
The Peace Of The Earth
Speaker: Michelle Burkholder
The United Nations has designated September 21st of each year as the International Day of Peace. [And just so you are not confused for the rest of the day, or week, yesterday was the 21st, today is the 22nd – but it’s close enough to warrant exploration today] There are a variety of UN instituted […]
Lost Or Found
Speaker: Cynthia Lapp
Jesus is that guy, the guy that is always telling stories. At least that is how Luke writes his version of Jesus’ life. You probably should read it for yourself to make sure I have it right. Well, ok, he is not always telling stories. Sometimes Jesus steps away to be by himself but what […]
Breathing & Groaning
Speaker: Cynthia Lapp
Yesterday the church council and pastorate met to look to the upcoming church year. As we thought about what is going well among us here at Hyattsville Mennonite, we also noted we are not immune to the stressors in society. Like so many folks, we carry worry and anxiety and it is hard. So I […]
Repairing The Breach
Speaker: Cynthia Lapp
This story of the woman coming to synagogue on the Sabbath feels strangely familiar because it happens sometimes; people (that we do not know) come to the church on a Sunday and need help. By the time they find the pastor it is only minutes until the service starts so I invite them to worship […]
Divine Judgment: What Are We Afraid Of?
Speaker: Jake Short
Judgment. It’s not a word we hear a lot at Hyattsville Mennonite. So often we have felt judged by others for our actions, and therefore we hesitate to pass judgment, often rightfully so. We have been judged in many ways for almost 70 years by other congregations, our regional conference, our denomination, even by the […]
Finding Treasure
Speaker: Cynthia Lapp
It is a joy to be back among you after the gift of a three month sabbatical. My first Sunday back, on July 28, I was told I looked relaxed and happy. That’s an unfamiliar comment to receive! I want to hold onto that happy, relaxed feeling, we’ll see how long it lasts. There were […]
Recipe For Prayer
Speaker: Michelle Burkholder
How do we pray? It is a question the disciples of Jesus asked and one that we still ask today. What is prayer, what does it look like, sound like, feel like in our lives? We can read books, search the internet, go on retreats, and try it out for ourselves if we want to […]
From Chaos, Life
Speaker: Michelle Burkholder
Today is the last day of June; a month full of rainbows and pride parades. Pride is an annual time of celebration for LGBTQ people (& allies) as LGBTQ people claim and joyfully proclaim their presence, value, and inherent worth in public spaces around the world. Pride events are held throughout the month of June […]