Conviction and Instructions

I heard a one-hour sermon last Sunday morning – sermon, not service. The service was one and a half hours. I cannot recall any previous hour-longs, although half hour sleepers do come to mind, myself the preacher on a few of those occasions I’m sure. Mostly in my preaching years I tried to adhere to the so-called limit of 20 minutes, and then felt badly if it lasted 25. This sermon was already well preached at 25, excellent opening image of cookies that will disappear if we take those bites to suit our own tastes, first one bite, then another, and another, and soon only a few crumbs! Point very clear, complete with biblical references from the OT book of Daniel, where Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refuse to worship any other than God and they survive the fiery furnace (Ch 3), and the very convincing NT gospel of John, the promise of Jesus that His absence (death and resurrection) is for our good because he will send the Advocate, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth (16:13 NKJV). He is with us still to guide us in all things.

After a pause to kneel at our seats for personal prayers (I still enjoy memories of that ritual from my childhood years), then another 35 minutes pointing out specific temptations, those habits which so easily get in the way of life lived with conviction. The implications thereof were listed in a kindly manner – seemingly with a love and specificity I cannot remember ever hearing before. The evils of alcohol, of marijuana, foul language complete with local anecdotes, and then into a wider scope - the importance of head coverings for women, more important than jewelry and tattoos we are tempted to adorn ourselves with. Then there are the subtle dangers of modernism which can cloud up our souls, including LGBTQ male-female confusion even in some of our Mennonite churches. Imagine the worldliness creeping in!

The church was full, two services each Sunday morning, brand new building with spacious foyers, modern spotless bathrooms, comfortable seating, and a plain front – no theme verse, no cross, no idols or images before our eyes. And yet one image I came away with and shall never forget. Everyone not only listening but seemingly absorbed in every word of this duo-lingo Plautdietsch – English sermon; young people, middle-aged and elders fully attentive even while young mothers or older brother or sister would take out a squirmy little one (and then return to their seat to continue listening). No exasperated looks and no sleepy heads. I cannot forget.

As per my preacher-trucker style (most readers of these tomes know all about it), the thinker often kicks in after some incident, and then I “says it as I sees it.” My thinker has mixed feelings about hour-long sermons. On this occasion, however, I would say the second half hour was not wasted time; it met the requirements of holy assembly. The examples were obviously clear to a congregation who knew where he was coming from, no boring explanations or theologizing with quotes from smart authors somewhere. I could not but notice some of the muscular young men, some already married to pretty young ladies complete with head coverings – some not. These are hard-working Mennonites. They are welcome immigrants to a province [i] which welcomes entrepreneurs (Could not but notice the parking lot full of late model Yukons, Rams, Escalades and F150’s and SUV’s. No horse and buggies here). This was a pastoral sermon directed to these high-energy recent immigrants, many of them quite young. Needless to say the preacher knows about local concerns even in this province of opportunity (local police know about it too - apparently Mennonite kids still know how to get into trouble like others in nearby towns and villages). Understandably, in order to really cover all bases, instructions from one of their Ohms would include a caution regarding the worldly resident Mennonites who have compromised to societal trends. Misbehaviors and worldly values: all must be included in those bites we might be taking out of the sacred cookie.

So, my thinker has not yet fully integrated this into the further thinking, sometimes referred to as philosophizing. One initial thought has to do with evangelism. I am disappointed with the impression of these ‘returning Mennonites’ that we 'resident Mennonites' have compromised with the world. Their hesitation about us is legitimate and their caution is in order. Us urbanized educated woke Mennonites preach more about inclusiveness and love, working hard at diplomacy, while admitting that there is not much for our young people in our gathered assemblies. We are just like all the mainline churches. Are we inviting our young people to church, inviting them to the rigors of faith or are we excusing them? 

A second thought, and this is a challenge to these immigrant brothers and sisters. Even as we all need the Advocate, the presence of God’s Holy Spirit to help us live with conviction, are they also willing to discern with all of us, rather than stand off? The worldwide Anabaptist community of faith is facing deep challenges especially in these days of very confusing politics. How might we as a peace church be a peaceable witness even as we await the imminent return of Jesus? I say this in defense of us who have lived our whole lives here. Many of us are now ‘educated’ and at risk of losing some simple gospel truths. As Anabaptist Christians, we need to become reacquainted and speak with one another in this God-given land, including those of us in the cities. [ii] My family and I, having lived in Alberta for 45 years, now in Calgary with immigrants flooding in, we have daily opportunities to learn neighborliness with ALL of our neighbors! [iii] 

The Mennonite sojourn from Europe to the West and then the auswanderungs within North and South America is colonialism (including liberal and conservative organizational readjustments - splits).😏 And now we have run out of places to move to in pursuit of special privileges (privilegium). We dare not merely vote Conservative (or Republican) just because conservative politicians like immigrants who give them no hassle. That is not the calling of a people committed to a peace ministry. 

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ (Ephesians 4:14-15 NIV).

Perhaps in a future blogpost, and I will appreciate responses from anybody reading this. For now I express my appreciation. I was deeply blessed to hear the word of God fitly spoken to a people gathered to hear exactly that.

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[i] In 2000 then Premier Ed Stelmach facilitated the building of a public school named Two Hills Mennonite School. Started with 36 students and now has over 400, with teaching staff of 55. https://www.twohillsmennoniteschool.ca/

[ii] See Palmer Becker, Anabaptist Essentials: Ten Signs of a Unique Christian Faith (Harrisonberg, VA: Herald Press, 2017).

[iii] Calgary Interfaith Council theme for 2024 – 25 is “Courage to Connect.”