Celebrate what God is doing in the world and how God calls us to share the good news with others. These guides contain sermon starters and other ideas for shaping worship services that lift up the mission of God.
Love that bubbles up and flows freely for our neighbors is what we are called to, but sometimes it requires us to find common ground in which we can express this love.
Deuteronomy 6:1-9; Psalm 119:1-8; Hebrews 9:11-14; Mark 12:28-34
“Make disciples of all nations.” This imperative from Matthew 28:19 was the heartbeat of the 16th century Anabaptist movement.
Matthew 28:16-20, Genesis 12:1-3, Exodus 33:12-16, Psalm 24:1-6, 1 Peter 2:9-12
Mark 4:35-41 is a story about Jesus creating sacred space, or a set-apart time, for his disciples to meet him as he truly is.
Mark 4:35-41, 2 Corinthians 3:17-18, Psalm 107:1, 23-32, Jonah 1:1-17
Racism harms the body of Christ and God’s reconciling mission. But God has made a way to receive forgiveness — the repentance that leads to life!
Jonah 3:1-10
Jesus encounters Zacchaeus, a “chief tax collector” who was “rich.” Will Zacchaeus answer the call to God’s mission from God’s Spirit-anointed Son?
Luke 19:1-10
This year, join us for several Sundays to reflect on what it means to seek God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
We can see God at work everywhere: in the beauty of a community garden or in the welcome of a stranger. Because of that, our role as missional leaders is to invite the Holy Spirit to help us discern where and what God is calling us to—individually and as faith communities.
To find what God is calling us to, let’s return to Jesus’ teachings. After all, Anabaptists believe that Jesus is the center of our faith. The motivation for what we do. Not politics. Not morals. Jesus.
Mark 4:1-32 and Luke 15:3-32
Even during Christ’s time, there were societal tensions. Consider how God has called us to love and care for all people.
Luke 10:25-37, Ephesians 2:11-22
This story focuses on the relationship of the father and the two sons, and we see the two brothers through the father’s eyes.
Luke 15:11-32
While it is common for the church today to call Jesus our Good Shepherd, the context in which these parables were being told had a very different view of shepherds.
Luke 15:3-10
Mark 4:1-20, Mark 4:30-32
The chosen scriptures manifest a simple sequence that offers reinforcement for those who seek to flourish and support others on their journey with God: Choose, teach, cultivate and comfort.
Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25; Psalm 78:1-7; Matthew 25:1-13; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
One place we find inspiration for following a challenging call from God in contentious times is the book of Esther. How can our churches be places of refuge from the world that divides us?
Esther 4:13-14, Luke 19:5-10
