April 20-26, 2022
A flowering cross powerfully captures the paradox of the gardens of our lives, filled as they are with sorrow and joy, death and life, planting and growing. And it is one of my favorite moments at First Mennonite … watching the cross, an instrument of torture and death, transformed one hand at a time, one […]
Read postApril 13-19, 2022
All are invited to come to the church any time Wednesday-Friday from NOON-7:00pm this week to walk the Stations of the Cross as part of your Holy Week journey with Jesus. An electronic version of these Stations is also available for those unable to come in person (just email Pastor Tonya at tonya@hutchfmc.org to receive […]
Read postApril 6-12, 2022
“So, could you not stay awake with me one hour? …” (Mt 26:40). These were the words breaking through the fog of sleep covering the disciples who simply could not stay awake while Jesus agonized in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before his death. We all know how hard it is to fight sleep […]
Read postMarch 30-April 5, 2022
All of you who are thirsty, come to the water!Whoever has no money, come, buy food and eat!Without money, at no cost, buy wine and milk!Why spend money for what isn’t food, and your earnings for what doesn’t satisfy?Listen carefully to me and eat what is good; enjoy the richest of feasts. Listen and come to me; listen, and […]
Read postMarch 23-29, 2022
A prayer for today, from the Iona Abbey Worship Book: God in the midst, come close to us and help us come close to you as for a fraction of time we step back from the activities of the day. May we treasure such moments with you: moments when we can bring to you the […]
Read postMarch 16-22, 2022
“What does it mean to be people of peace in these times?” This is the question beginning a recent Facebook post from Mennonite Central Committee, and one I am asking myself often. It’s also the question the FMC high school seniors have sought to answer in their peace essays – essays I am really appreciating […]
Read postMarch 10-15, 2022
Rhythm matters. Over the past couple weeks, I’ve been accompanying Hutchinson middle school string players, helping them prepare for State Contest (which was supposed to be March 10 and sadly was cancelled due to the snowy weather forecast). Let me tell you, without rhythm (and a steady beat), there’s no way we’d be able to […]
Read postFebruary 23-March 8, 2022
Today, I invite you to join in prayer for Ukraine, using a prayer provided Mennonite Central Committee (originally included in the 2017 Peace Prayers Packet) https://mcc.org/stories/crisis-ukraine Our loving God, As you look down on your children in Ukraine, we ask that you bring this military conflict to an end as quickly as possible. Change the […]
Read postFebruary 16-22, 2022
“Here is the church. Here is the steeple. Open the doors and see all the people.” I can still remember forming ‘the church’ with my intertwined hands, sitting on a pew in Emmanuel Mennonite Church in LaJunta, CO. And ‘seeing’ all the people as I gave my fingers each a name of a friend in […]
Read postFebruary 9-15, 2022
“I have no one…” These are the first words uttered by the man who’d been ill for 38 years in response to Jesus’ question: “Do you want to be made well?” As John 5 tells it, Jesus was in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate where there was a pool which had five porticoes. In those […]
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