Mennonite Brethren Herald Digest is digitally published bimonthly by the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches, primarily for the use of its members, to build a Canadian MB community of faith. We seek to 1) share the life and story of the church by nurturing relationships among members and engaging in dialogue and reflection; 2) teach and equip for ministry by reflecting MB theology, values, and heritage, and by sharing the good news; 3) enable communication by serving conference ministries and informing our members about the church and the world. However, the opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of the church as a whole.
Members participating in the 1980 Study Conference at Clearbrook MB Church (Abbotsford, British Columbia).
Courtesy of the Mennonite Archival Information Database
Digest
OCT | NOV 2025 | VOLUME 64, NO. 05
EDITORIAL OFFICE
1310 Taylor Avenue Winnipeg, Manitoba R3M 3Z6
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ISSN: 0025-9349
The Mennonite Brethren Herald is a publication of 6 10
12
WHOSE WAY IS PRACTICAL?
Brian Cooper
RAISING LITTLE PEACEMAKERS
Stephanie Christianson
PRAY FIRST! PRAY ALWAYS!
Lori Nickel
29 18
MAKING PEACE WITH CONFLICT J Janzen A PRAYER FOR PEACE Doris Falkenburger
39
Connie Maier TASTE AND SEE GOD AS… Gayle Petker
CANADIAN CONFERENCE OF MENNONITE BRETHREN CHURCHES
CONFÉRENCE CANADIENNE DES ÉGLISES DES FRÈRES MENNONITES
Sharing the life and story of Mennonite Brethren in Canada
From the editors
GENESIS 2:18 IS OFTEN UNDERSTOOD IN the context of marriage, but I’d like to focus on the first half of that scripture: “It is not good for the man to be alone.” To rephrase slightly, we can say: “It is not good for us to be alone.”
Have you ever felt alone, even when surrounded by people? I have. Most of my conversations take place in my head, unspoken and unheard. Can you relate to this? Are you like me, spending most of your time online, staring at a screen? Perhaps you’re isolating, ruminating over past conflicts, tensions, or who knows what else.
I recently learned that loneliness can be six times more harmful than mental illness and that social isolation can increase the likelihood of premature death. While I’m not familiar with the scientific studies supporting these claims or how the metrics were determined, I find these facts quite convincing.
The Church (in Acts 2) was born into community: 3,000 baptized believers devoted to fellowship, prayer, and the apostles’ teaching. Even though my community looks drastically different than that of the Early Church, I am challenged to look past my own desires to see the beauty in gathering as a family—to realize that I am placed where God wants me to be. Being in the right community helps us become more like Jesus (Proverbs 13:20), shaping us to fulfill the mission of the Church and preparing us to be peacemakers in a lonely and lost world.
On October 21, 2025, the MB Church of Canada will gather in person, a rarity since the COVID-19 pandemic, to explore our MB conviction to be a people of peace. What does it mean to be a peacemaker in 2025? We have designed this issue of MB Herald to accompany EQUIP 2025 and set the table for meaningful discussions during our gathering.
Peace,
OUR AMERICAN NEIGHBOURS HAVE just witnessed the assassination of a political activist. Our social media feeds are AI-generated silos, in which vitriol permeates the comments section. The chilling details of the total destruction in Gaza continue to mount.
Peace is hard to come by these days.
We long for the time when Jesus fulfills his great promise in Revelation 21:4. But peace is not just a far-off utopia. Jesus declares that “the kingdom of God is in your midst” (Luke 17:21), and we are his agents, sent to bring peace (Matthew 5:9) and light (Matthew 5:14) to this world.
It’s our prayer that the articles in this issue will cause us to think theologically about peace and its centrality to the gospel (see Brian Cooper’s “Whose Way is Practical?” on page 6 and Jesse Nickel's “Peace and the Way of Jesus” on page 19), as well as inspire us to practice peace in the everyday (see J Janzen’s “Making Peace with Conflict” on page 29 and “Raising Little Peacemakers” by Stephanie Christianson on page 10).
And may we be motivated by sharing Jesus’ radical, reconciling love, as Phil Wagler writes on page 33: “[a]mid’ ‘thisworldly’ messes and darkness, it is ‘other worldly’ love that will… shock the systems of the world and reveal we belong to Jesus.”
As we work as agents of the Prince of Peace here and now, our hearts also cry, “Come, Lord Jesus, come.” Shalom,
Carson
CARSON SAMSON Editor
LEANNE JANZEN Assistant Editor
The Gospel, Peacemaking, and the Kingdom
Equip 2025: The Gospel, Peacemaking, and the Kingdom
The National Faith and Life Team (NFLT) sponsors an in-person gathering of our MB family every two years to both discuss important theological and ethical matters (e.g., sexuality, discipleship, hermeneutics, church, etc.) and equip our family for more faithful witness in living out our convictions. The NFLT often connects an Equip gathering with important discussion pieces related to our MB Confession of Faith.
Equip 2025 (Oct 21-23; NKMB Winnipeg) is exploring what could be called the Mennonite Brethren peace position. What does our commitment to the gospel and God’s Kingdom mean for living out peacemaking in our families, churches, community, and world? Our Confession of Faith talks about Christian Peacemaking as involving such things as a strong rejection of violence, a commitment to love enemies and alleviate suffering, and a commitment to give alternative service in times of war. We will be exploring what our Confession seems to be saying and the implications of such convictions for our personal and corporate lives in a world of increasing conflict and violence.
We are excited to host a conversation around the MB peace position and a robust understanding of the gospel. We are excited to host a conversation about what practical peacemaking looks like in marriages, churches, the community, and beyond—and hear stories from people living out peace in these different places. We are excited to host a tough conversation about the nature of violence; and whether police and/or military service can fit with our MB peace position. We will hear about how and why our US Mennonite Brethren (USMB) family chose to revise their Confession of Faith around these questions—and sit together to discuss our new proposed Explanatory Notes for Articles 12: Society and State and 13: Love and Nonresistance. What does it mean to have integrity as a Canadian MB family in light of our convictions?
Besides having these important conversations, we are just excited about being together as a family, visiting together, worshiping and praying together, eating together, and getting to know new people from across our MB family.
Whatever your thoughts are about peacemaking, violence, and Articles 12 and 13, Equip 2025 needs individuals (men and women, younger and older, pastors and congregants) representing every MB church across Canada to be present, or we will be missing much-needed voices. In the same way, every MB church across Canada needs to hear about what our shared convictions about these things mean for faithful discipleship and gospel witness to Jesus.
Register today and join this important and possibly even denomination-defining conversation! For all the details, visit our website
NATIONAL FAITH AND LIFE TEAM
The Gospel, Peacemaking, and the Kingdom
Letter to the editor
Dear Equipper,
I want to wish you well on your journey to Winnipeg to participate in the EQUIP 2025 conference. Its focus on peacemaking is highly relevant for our day and harkens back to our Anabaptist origins 500 years ago.
It’s encouraging to see the MB community digging into our Confession of Faith. In August the MB Herald published a draft version of the revised explanatory notes for Article 13: Love and Nonresistance that help to round out the vision and practice that stem from this shared conviction.
The article and explanatory notes are written with much consideration and clarity; however we know that the “stuff” of everyday life has many complexities and nuances, which we must approach with discernment as to how peacemaking is lived out in the world and also inside our hearts (not just our minds).
Reading “Article 13” and its accompanying notes left me inspired and gutted (I’ll explain). Using the metaphor of yeast, my hope is that EQUIP 2025 catalyzes inspiration within you and your congregation to sense the Gospel power and witness that results from a commitment to peacemaking/reconciliation.
I have certainly been inspired by people who have demonstrated grace, humility, and emotional maturity in the face of messy situations. Some of the most powerful testimonies of God’s presence and work are stories of conflicts being resolved or even transformed. Some of these examples are global, others local to my community. I know of situations in Saskatchewan where people have been drawn to the Gospel in seeing churches from various denominations working together — that, too, magnifies our witness of the God we serve, and his desire to reconcile all things unto himself.
But why did I feel gutted? One could easily point to the deplorable state of geo-political affairs that result in entrenched conflicts. However, I feel a nudge to shine a light on what silence and neglect do to the conflicts that arise within our church communities. Particularly in situations where power and influence are disproportionate amongst those involved in the conflict, the willful practice of silence and neglect in the face of conflict become weapons that can and do inflict much pain, damage, and division. Tragically, it becomes a form of violence, contrary to Scripture and our MB Confession of Faith. Sometimes our “peacekeeping” resists the Spirit’s voice in remaining faithful to the narrow way of a reconciling Gospel.
Working through conflict necessarily includes our desire and obedience to take initial steps to address it. This we all know — yet how much more difficult do these first steps become when one is personally involved in the conflict! Moving toward reconciliation will require a maturity of faith that includes emotional maturity to listen deeply to the other party, to communicate our feelings, laments, and our personal responsibilities to the current conflict, along with a willingness (and patience) to seek a way forward that offers paths of well-being for those involved.
And so here is my final encouragement: let us indeed practice nonresistance, yielding to the Spirit, seeking to reconcile our internal rifts and conflicts, to tell a new and wonderful story that grows like yeast.
RICK BLOCK
is a member of The Gathering in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
Whose way is
practical?
BY BRIAN COOPER
Inever wanted to be an Anabaptist. Growing up in Winnipeg, I grew up a Baptist pastor’s kid who went to seminary and became a Baptist pastor. I never experienced a crisis of faith, probably because my parents were excellent role models. Their integrity convinced me that what I was being raised to learn was right, and I have retained much of what they taught me.
I knew that Anabaptists were related to Mennonites. And what I knew about Mennonites I knew largely because my mother was Mennonite, from a small town in southern Manitoba. But my own interaction with Mennonites was sporadic, and at a distance. The exception was my interactions at family gatherings, which were often not pleasant.
I was told that Mennonites were pacifists, which seemed ironic to me. My cousins did not seem to be very pacifist. And later, the Mennonite Brethren church teams in the interchurch hockey league in Winnipeg were known as the most violent ones, something that people from our Baptist church found terribly amusing at the time.
I don’t think I can recall the challenge of nonviolence or peacemaking in the biblical sense ever arising during my years in seminary. Christians were called to be people of peace, but certain situations dictated that a peaceful response was not practical. Yes, there would be peace eventually, but not now. The question of how things would change from the present, when peace is not completely practical, to then, when peace would reign, was not clear.
When I was applying to graduate studies after several years as a youth pastor, people asked me what I wanted the focus of my studies to be. And, to my chagrin, I didn’t have a favourite area of study or a theologian at whose feet I wanted to sit. But I did have a half-formed idea rolling around in my head. It had to do with how I might connect the doctrine I had learned, and which I believed, with the rest of my life so that I might connect it to the way I acted and talked around non-Christians.
One might say that I wanted to figure out how to make my theology practical — or, perhaps more practical. I now think more in terms of the need for theological integration, meaning that Christians don’t really believe what we say we do unless we put it to practical application in our lives. That has become a recurring motif in my life and my thinking.
When I began my doctoral program in theology, I had a bit of a problem. I needed some focus for my vague research ideas. In what I think now was a moment of inspiration, I seized upon an idea. I had researched Baptists, so why not research the people from whom Baptists descended? I knew a bit about Anabaptists, and thought they provide me with interesting and fruitful material for a thesis.
MY APPEAL TO PRACTICALITY WAS AN APPEAL TO A STANDARD OF MY OWN DEVISING RATHER THAN A CONCEPT TAUGHT BY JESUS.
When I began to read the writings of Anabaptist leaders like Conrad Grebel, Pilgram Marpeck, Balthasar Hubmaier, and Menno Simons, I was struck by their clear-headedness and awareness of the
forces arrayed against them. They were not the naïve idealists I imagined them to be. They were putting their lives on the line for what they believed. The distinguishing factor in their stories was that they were unwilling to kill those who differed with them. This, of course, is what made them noteworthy.
CHRISTIANS WHO CALLED FOR VIOLENCE WERE TAKING LIBERTIES WITH WHAT JESUS TAUGHT AND DEVIATING FROM FAITHFULNESS, NOT FULFILLING IT.
The other insight that began to dawn on me with increasing weight was that their rejection of violence did not stem from some abstract commitment to peace. Rather, it came from their observation that the words and deeds of Jesus, being the example that Christians are called to follow, did not permit a theology of sanctified violence by Christians. Christians who called for violence were taking liberties with what Jesus taught and deviating from faithfulness, not fulfilling it.
Suddenly, my prior objections to the practicality of nonviolence started to re-emerge. I recalled hearing voices form the past say that Jesus is God — with not only this unique identity but also a unique mission in the world — and we are not, so we cannot expect to do what he did.
The problem was that scriptures that talk about what Christians are called to do, both from the mouth of Jesus and in other New Testament letters, said different. Christians are called to follow in the steps of Jesus (1 Peter 2:21), to death, if necessary (Philippians 2:5-11). Jesus laid down his life so that, among other things, we would know how to lay down our lives for others (1 John 3:16).
There was another experience that was formative for me. My Baptist father once preached at an Anabaptist church that then invited him to become their pastor. My father declined the invitation, stating that he could not, with integrity, support what he called their pacifism. I was not sure what I believed about nonviolence, but I respected his decision, and took to heart its theological implications.
My father’s response to the pastoral call reminded me of something else, an important ecclesiological lesson. As an individual — even one with a lot of theological education — I do not have the right or privilege to reject or minimize a theological conviction operative in the community of faith I join. If I am not willing to subject my own theological authority to that of the family of which I am becoming a part, then I am guilty of a sort of idolatry. This sobering realization forced me to stop and seriously consider what I am representing as a member of a church community. It is something that I have noticed that many MB church leaders are unwilling to do, often under the guise of “agreeing to disagree.”
In 2006, I had the privilege of joining the pastoral staff of an MB church in Mission, BC. By then, having studied the origins of Anabaptism and found them compelling, I was excited for this ministry opportunity. I wanted to be a good MB leader. I read and wrestled with the articles of the Confession of Faith. I wanted to believe them — all of them. As a member of the family, how could I do otherwise?
It was hard for me to accept that Christians are called to be people of peace who reject violence. I didn’t like it. Part of me still doesn’t. I wasn’t sure it was practical for Christians to repay violence with Christlike love. Then I realized something.
IT WAS HARD FOR ME TO ACCEPT THAT CHRISTIANS ARE CALLED TO BE PEOPLE OF PEACE WHO REJECT VIOLENCE. I DIDN’T LIKE IT. PART OF ME STILL DOESN’T. I WASN’T SURE IT WAS PRACTICAL FOR CHRISTIANS TO REPAY VIOLENCE WITH CHRISTLIKE LOVE.
My appeal to practicality was an appeal to a standard of my own devising rather than a concept taught by Jesus. And what I meant when I said that nonviolence was impractical was only that it was difficult. My own faithlessness wanted to reserve a certain set of circumstances where the way of Jesus does not apply so that I could choose an alternative that I might find more satisfying. I concluded that this is foolishness.
That sort of human way is not faithful to the call of Christ, and to my knowledge, it has never worked in human history. But for those who are in Christ, by faith we know that there is a better way coming, and we have the privilege of showing a watching world its power. The choice is ours. We can rely on our limited wisdom and power or trust the eternal wisdom of Almighty God revealed in Christ. Whose way is practical?
BRIAN COOPER is Interim Academic Dean, Director of Student Development, Registrar, and Associate Professor of Theology at MB Seminary. Brian has been married to Connie for 30 years and they have three children. They are members of South Abbotsford Church in Abbotsford, BC.
Raising little peacemakers
BY STEPHANIE CHRISTIANSON
ne morning, as we were getting ready to go out the door, my preschool-aged son stopped and said: “We don’t hit other people because Jesus doesn’t want us to hit.” As an Anabaptist committed to peacemaking and nonviolence, this felt like a huge parenting win! Later that day, I joked with my colleagues about writing a kids’ book called The Littlest Anabaptist based on this experience. As I reflect on this anecdote, I am struck by the immense responsibility of discipling my kids in the area of peacemaking (and, of course, in all of life!). As a mom who seeks to follow Jesus with and in front of my children, it is important for me to cultivate peacemaking in our home, in big things and small. Let me share a few ways we try to follow Jesus in our home by making peace.
1. We say sorry when we mess up. Any “parenting expert” will tell you that if (let’s be real — when!) you lose your temper with your child, the most important thing you can do is repair the relationship. Losing your temper isn’t the biggest problem; refusing to acknowledge what you’ve done and neglecting to seek their forgiveness is. In my four short years as a mom, I’ve had to do a lot of repairing. I always considered myself to be an even-keel person. However, during temper tantrums, I feel that perception leave me. There are so many times I want to do things on my own time and in my own way, and I don’t take into account the little people around me. I yell and I say things I wish I hadn’t. There could be a temptation to pretend it didn’t happen or justify my actions because “I’m the parent,” but I need to ask for forgiveness, say what I did wrong, and commit to not doing it again in order to restore peace (Romans 12:18). This brings peace to our home and teaches my kids how to make peace with others who hurt them.
2. We don’t hit. Before I had toddlers, I couldn’t imagine some of the phrases that would come out of my mouth: “we don’t lick other people” or “please get your feet off my face.” A standard in our house is: “it’s OK to be angry, but it isn’t OK to hit (or kick, or bite).” While these physical reactions are developmentally normal, it is important to teach my kids that we don’t resolve differences or express our feelings in a way that forcefully harms another person. Yes, he took your toy, and he shouldn’t have done that, but
you also can’t hit him. Sometimes, the things that elicit a hit from my kids seem so minor to me, but I remember that, in their world, it’s a huge deal. So it’s my job to teach them to resolve conflicts and differences without their fists… or teeth (Matthew 5:38-42).
3. We don’t watch gratuitous violence. My kids haven’t hit kindergarten yet, so we tend to spend our screen time watching a bunch of puppies rescue a seemingly incompetent town (if you know, you know!), as opposed to any number of the gratuitously violent shows that plague our streaming services and movie theatres. But I know this will become an issue as they get older. How much violence should we put into our minds, when it is not true, noble, right, pure, lovely, or admirable (Philippians 4:8)? What about entertainment in which violence serves as a warning or is an implicit critique of said violence? I’m still figuring that out as an adult, to be honest. But it is very important to me to guard my kids’ eyes, ears, and hearts in terms of violence experienced in the name of entertainment. These reflections might seem inconsequential compared with the questions our Anabaptist forebearers had to ask in terms of parenting and peacemaking — what happens when your son is conscripted? What happens when soldiers come knocking on your door, threatening everything and everyone you hold dear? To be honest, I don’t know because that’s not my life. But what I’ve just written about is my life, and I’m committed to peacemaking in this life rather than a theoretical life I might have lived. I would love to be a peaceful parent. To me, this calls to mind images of quaint story-time cuddles, watching my kids play with delight and not worrying about the mess (everywhere!), and letting them help me in the kitchen without losing my mind. But since this kind of peace is fleeting, I seek the peace that Jesus gives (John 14:27) and to practice the peace he calls us to, always and no matter what. And I pray my kids will “follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1).
STEPHANIE CHRISTIANSON is the Assistant Academic Dean at Horizon College and Seminary in Saskatoon, SK. She also serves on the SKMB Faith and Life Team. She is married to Austin, and they have two amazing young sons.
Our CCMBC theme for 2025 is Pray First! Pray Always! and we want to embrace that in our monthly prayer columns. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 is the foundation verse telling us to “pray continually.”
For 2025 we want to deliberately and intentionally pray the Lord’s Prayer. We want to pray this prayer as part of devotional routines, as we commute, as we face both the pleasant and the challenging moments in our day, and as we lie in bed at the end of our day reflecting on all that we have experienced. Each month, we will focus on a phrase from the Lord’s Prayer so that we can more fully appreciate the depth and beauty of this prayer.
Praying the Lord’s Prayer daily and thoughtfully is not a “vain repetition” (Matt 6:7 KJV), but an act of worship with the power to slowly transform disciples of Jesus (and the churches made up of these disciples) ever closer into the character and Kingdom mission of Jesus. It is also part of participating in God’s work of salvation in the world as God’s Kingdom comes to earth as it is in heaven.
We are excited this year to welcome a variety of writers from our MB family across Canada as they share their own insights and guide us to pray more faithfully. May 2025 be a year of transformation and may the Lord’s Prayer be part of our commitment to Pray First! Pray Always!
OCTOBER 2025 PRAY FIRST! PRAY ALWAYS!
The Lord’s Prayer (Part 9)
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, Amen.
(Note: the ending in italics is only found in later manuscripts. It is included in the KJV but not in most modern translations.)
Our October 2025 prayer guide is highlighting the request to God: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
This month we find ourselves studying the last two requests in the Lord’s prayer after coming through repentance, receiving forgiveness, and forgiving others. It feels like we have cleaned out our souls before God. If you read last month’s article on this topic of forgiveness, you may recall being reminded that it is often unforgiveness that gives the enemy a foothold in us, leading to bitterness. By responding in repentance and forgiveness, we now are ready to walk in the way of greater victory. Have you ever wondered why we pray for God to not lead us into temptation? James 1:13-15 tells us that we are never to say, “God is tempting me” because temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away, giving birth to sinful actions. So why would Jesus include this in the Lord’s Prayer?
The word “temptation” is the Greek word peirasmos, which has two different meanings. One is “test,” and the other is “temptation.” As Darrell Johnson says in his book Fifty-Seven Words that Changed the World, “A periasmos is a difficult or challenging situation in life, which can either be a test, proving and improving a person’s character, or a temptation, enticing a person in the way of sin. Whether it is a test or a temptation depends on who is behind it and how we respond” (page 92). Testing refines our character much like gold is refined by fire. Do we turn to God and trust in him in the testing, or do we find ourselves giving in to temptation?
We all go through experiences in life where God is testing our character, and where the evil one is hoping to do the opposite, having us fall into temptation that leads to sin. We read in Psalm 105:19 that until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the Lord tested Joseph’s character. In 2 Chronicles 32:31 we read these very sobering words: “…God withdrew from Hezekiah in order to
test him and to see what was really in his heart.” If you are familiar with King Hezekiah’s story, you know he was very vulnerable to pride. Sadly, the evil one’s temptation was enticing and led Hezekiah into sin. Being tempted or tested is when we must, in humility, turn to God for help to withstand the temptation and not fall into sin. Sometimes we may be so unaware that we do not even realize this is happening!
The second part of this petition is “but deliver us from the evil one.” What I have experienced in the last several decades as I’ve grown in experience and awareness of the schemes of the evil one, is that increasingly, my prayer is to be aware of and attentive to what is going on inside of my thoughts and emotions. As I am writing this column, I have found myself in a time of testing where my inner pull is to trust in God, but then I also want to let my thoughts go to judging the motives of others. I am so sick of falling into this temptation, and just today I found myself repenting of it and asking God to forgive me. With that so fresh in my heart, I ask God to deliver me from these schemes of the evil one and to strengthen me so I don’t fall again. May I become more aware and in tune when I am in times of testing and seek God first. This is my prayer.
How aware of the evil one’s temptations and schemes are you of in your life? Do you diminish them, or blame everything on them? The pendulum sure swings from one extreme to the other, even under our “MB tent.” I’ve heard a lot from both extremes — diminishment and exaggeration — but what I have discerned from this prayer of Jesus is that we need him to stand up against the strategies and lies of the devil (the evil one), and we need deliverance when we find ourselves in bondage of any kind. Let’s wake up! Let’s pray these prayers of Jesus and pay attention to when we feel we are being tested and ask God to help us, and to deliver us from the schemes of the evil one. This is truly the way of greater victory.
For the month of October, let us again pray the Lord’s Prayer daily…
CONSIDER:
Jesus told his disciples in Luke 22:46, just before his betrayal by Judas, to watch and pray so that they would not fall into temptation. How are you practicing this healthy watchfulness in your prayer life? Talk to God about this and ask him how he would want you to grow in this area of being aware and attentive to what is going on in you and when you are being tested.
As you look at this list of common areas of temptation (or any others that come to mind), which temptations do you feel the most vulnerable to, and how will you intentionally grow in watchfulness and awareness of them in your life in order to resist them before they lead to sin?
˚ Pride
˚ Independence
˚ Anxiety and worry
˚ Envy and comparison
˚ Unbelief
˚ Judgement or self-righteousness
˚ Unforgiveness
˚ Lust (for sex, money, power, etc.)
˚ Dishonesty
Consider the two extremes when thinking about the devil: being fearful of his power or ignoring the reality of his warfare against us. Do you fall into any of these extremes? What is God teaching you about this?
PRAYING THE LORD’S PRAYER: PART 9
Our Father in heaven — lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. May you keep me from being led away in temptation. You know where I am vulnerable, and I ask you to strengthen me to not fall or stumble in this area. Show me, Lord, when I am walking in independence, and trying to have victory in my own strength of will. Bring anything into the light that I can repent of, and I surrender again to your authority and reign in my life. Lead me.
Our Father in heaven — lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. May I always walk in dependency on you and know that greater is he who is in me than he who is in the world. Not by my might, but by your Spirit, I will walk in victory.
Our Father in heaven — lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Grow my discernment so that I would learn to walk in freedom and in victory as I become more watchful and prayerful. Show me, Lord, what is negatively influencing my walk with you. May I choose to walk in humility and total dependency on you.
Our Father in heaven — lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. May I be brought into complete freedom and used by you to bring deliverance to others in my community. May you be the only spiritual influence in my life that empowers me to serve others and to set the captive free.
SO NOW WE PRAY:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, Amen.
LORI NICKEL leads Multiply’s Member Care team and serves on the HR team out of Multiply’s international office in Abbotsford.
The Lord’s Prayer (Part 10)
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, Amen.
(Note: the ending in italics is only found in later manuscripts. It is included in the KJV but not in most modern translations.)
Our November 2025 prayer guide is highlighting the last full statement of the Lord’s Prayer: “For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever.”
When we look in our modern Bibles in Matthew chapter 6, this line of the Lord’s Prayer is not there! So why is this something we still pray?
This line was included in the King James Version of the Bible, following its translation in 1611. The phrase was drawn from early church liturgy, hearkening back to King David’s prayer over the congregation from 1 Chronicles 29:11-12 (CSB): “Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty, for everything in the heavens and on earth belongs to you. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom, and you are exalted as head over all. Riches and honor come from you, and you are the ruler of everything. Power and might are in your hand, and it is in your hand to make great and to give strength to all.”
Later Bible translations, with newer manuscripts, eventually removed this line from Matthew’s Gospel. But it was already well-rooted within English-speaking Protestantism and has remained a part of the Lord’s Prayer. We are richer for it!
“For thine is the kingdom” is an echo of the phrase, “Your kingdom come” earlier in the prayer. The Lord’s Prayer is bookended with the reminder that the kingdom is God’s and his alone. We need to hear this message more than once.
A kingdom implies there is a king who rules over his subjects. Only God is that king. He is in charge, not humanity.
Much of our tendency is to want the kingdom and all its wonderful benefits, but we don’t want a king. We, in our fallen state, want to be the king (or queen) of our own domain. Our deeply rooted sense of independence and individualism push back at the thought of being subject to anyone outside of ourselves.
So we need to pray over and over, “thine is the kingdom”. We submit ourselves and acknowledge it is actually God’s kingdom we inhabit. Not the other way around. It humbles us. It affirms the truth about the reality we find ourselves in. And we can be thankful for that, because he is a good King revealed in the person of our crucified and resurrected King Jesus. His way is the best way for our flourishing and real, abundant life. It is good to be a subject in the kingdom of God!
Next we pray, “thine is… the power.” God also is the one to whom power belongs. He carries in his very being strength and might. He is in control. He is sovereign.
Contrast God’s power with the enemy of our souls, Satan. He only has very limited power. Our good Father in heaven has all power. All the resources of heaven are at his disposal. The accuser of our souls doesn’t. But, ironically, we don’t always live like we actually believe this truth. It can, for example, be easy to slip into worry and anxiety about an upcoming work task or relational conflict. Often unknowingly, even to ourselves, we agree with the worry or anxiety, giving into its power over us. And it overwhelms us. When the truth is, all the power belongs to our King Jesus. We don’t need to align ourselves with the lies the enemy encourages us to take on as our own. All the power we need to refute the enemy of our souls is found in King Jesus by his Spirit.
We also pray, “thine is… the glory.” All the glory also belongs to God alone. All the beauty and splendour this world has to offer reflect a piece of God’s glory.
I am reminded of the story of Jesus’ temptation and the glory that the devil showed to Jesus in Matthew 4:8 (LNT): “Next the devil took him to the
peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.” Satan tried to use a reflection of God’s own glory to tempt Jesus to worship him instead. But Jesus knew that all that glory contained in the world and its kingdoms would rightfully be his one day. The glory for Jesus would be his reward in reconciling humanity to God. Hebrews 12:2 (CSB) says, “For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” King Jesus, because he endured the cross and rose again, now shares all glory with the Father and will bring his kingdom fully when he returns one day. All glory belongs to God for this truth and promise that gives us hope!
And finally, all these things belong to God “forever.” There is a timeless nature of God’s kingdom, power, and glory. They existed long before we did. They continue to exist, even in the context of our timebound experience. They will exist long after our generation has died. This sense of the eternal nature of God’s kingdom, power, and glory are beyond what our brains can conceive.
Our concerns in this time-bound existence can sometimes eclipse the truth of how the kingdom, power, and glory belong to God forever. We can be distracted by pursuits, desires, and relationships that sap our time and energy. We are pulled away from God. Praying the Lord’s Prayer counters this tendency and invites us into the awe and mystery of the “forever-and-ever-ness” of who God is. It recalibrates our perspective on how fleeting our lives are in light of God’s eternal kingdom.
When we pray this important ending sentence to the Lord’s Prayer, “For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever,” we affirm what is rightfully God’s and not ours — both now and forevermore.
CONSIDER:
˚ Over what “kingdom” do you try to set yourself up as king or queen? In what area of your life do you need to be a subject to the true King?
˚ Where have you allowed the power of the enemy to loom larger than it really is? How can reflecting on God’s endless power reset your perspective?
˚ How can the glory of our risen King Jesus draw us more deeply into worship?
˚ What time-bound concerns have eclipsed an eternal view of God and his kingdom?
PRAYING THE LORD’S PRAYER (PART 10)
“Our Father in heaven — Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever!” We humble ourselves and name you King. King Jesus. Lord of the universe. Lord of our lives. Forgive us for so often refusing to be a subject in your kingdom. You alone are king. Remind us also that you are a good King.
“Our Father in heaven — Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever!” All power belongs to you. All of it. All the resources of heaven and earth are under your dominion. The enemy of our souls is so limited in his power. Forgive us when we grant him power in our lives that is rightfully yours. Yours only is the power, King Jesus!
“Our Father in heaven — Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever!” Oh, the wonderful glory is also yours. The glory of your beauty. The glory of your splendour. The glory of your presence with us by your Spirit. May you receive the glory due your name in our lives and in our witness!
“Our Father in heaven — Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever!” Forever. All these things have always belonged to you. They are all yours now. And they always will be yours.
Even though we don’t yet see your kingdom, power, or glory in their full expression, we live with hopefilled expectation that one day we will see these things with our own eyes. We long for Jesus’ return to usher in the Kingdom of God. Come Lord Jesus!
SO NOW WE PRAY:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, Amen.
CONNIE MAIER is Associate Pastor at Glencairn Church in Kitchener, Ontario. She also serves on the CCMBC National Faith and Life Team.
A prayer for peace
BY DORIS FALKENBURGER
Heavenly Father, you promised peace that surpasses all our understanding, especially if we tend to worry or be overly concerned about anything. You want us to come to you and tell you about any kind of need that occupies our minds and hearts. Then we will experience your peace, and it will guard our hearts and minds as we live our daily lives in you, Jesus.
Today, we want to ask you to bring peace to your people who live in war-torn and famine-stricken countries, who are the light in a very dark world. Encourage them with the knowledge and joy that their names are written in your book of life as they experience extreme suffering. Be especially with those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Fill them with your peace.
Lord, we also want to lift up our own country of Canada to you and ask you to hold it in your hands. Direct our leaders in the way they should go, according to your purposes and plans, so it will be well with all the citizens living here. Lord, please bring unity among your people across the land, and may your word take root and grow abundantly in the hearts of your followers so they can influence others with your truth and love — which results in abundant peace that rules hearts.
We pray for our churches in our provinces to be attentive to your never-ending love towards your bride, us. Mobilize, multiply, empower your church to be a shining witness by following what the Lord requires of us — to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with you, our God. Lord, we want to walk closer with you. Please take our hand, we need you. Jesus, you said: “I am leaving you with a gift — peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” We receive this gift, Jesus.
Lord, we come individually and as families with open hands to receive your gift of peace to calm us in every circumstance and give us courage and strength for every challenge. Lord, we want to actively work to reconcile and restore relationships and resolve conflict. Make us peacemakers in your kingdom here on earth until you return.
Hear our prayer, Lord. Amen.
DORIS FALKENBURGER is a member of Glencairn Church in Kitchener, Ontario.
PEACE AND THE WAY OF JESUS
BY DR. JESSE P. NICKEL
“After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. ‘The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!’” (Mark 1:14–15, NIV).
Thus the Gospel of Mark describes the inauguration of Jesus’s ministry, at the heart of which was a message of hope fulfilled: good news! God is acting! What has been promised is about to take place!
Jesus proclaimed this message to listeners who desperately longed to hear it. The Jewish people who inhabited Galilee, Judea, and the surrounding regions in the first century AD were heirs to a centuries-long lineage of waiting. Their homeland — like most of the territory surrounding the Mediterranean Sea — was under the control of the most powerful empire this part of the world had ever known: Rome. Yet Rome was only the most recent of the foreign powers that had ruled this land over the preceding 600 years. Ever since Babylon’s destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BC, generation after generation of the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David had lived in subjection to Gentile kings — rulers who neither knew nor worshiped the God of Israel.
Over these centuries, the political and social fortunes of the occupied Jewish people waxed and waned. Through it all, however, the reality of their circumstances stood in tension with the promises God had made to their ancestors. Over and over, God had declared that one day, salvation would come: God would deliver his faithful people from their oppressors, who would themselves be punished for their wickedness. God’s word declared that the righteous would be redeemed, sins would be forgiven, Jerusalem would be purified and restored as the centre of the holy worship of the one true God, and God would reign over his world!
And so they waited, and hoped, and wondered: When would God act? What would it be like when he did so? Who were the righteous, for whom this “day of Yahweh” would come as salvation? Who were the wicked, for whom it would come as judgment?
So when Jesus stepped into the public eye in Galilee, and began to proclaim that “the kingdom of God has come near,” we must imagine that those who heard this statement would have understood it as a declaration that the long-awaited action of God was imminent. And as the gospel narrative continues, it becomes clear that this was not just something Jesus announced — he actually began to enact it. With his own words and deeds, the promises were being fulfilled; God’s deliverance was happening! The kingdom was not only being proclaimed, it was being inaugurated!
This goes a long way towards explaining the vast amount of attention (both positive and negative) that Jesus very quickly began to attract. Here was a man who was declaring God’s imminent action. What set Jesus apart from others who had made similar declarations, however, was the unparalleled power and authority with which he spoke and acted. Those who encountered Jesus could hardly believe their ears and eyes: who was this, and how was he able to do what he was doing? They had never seen, nor heard, anything like him before.
VIOLENCE BRINGS ENMITY AND HOSTILITY, DIVISION AND STRIFE, DESTRUCTION AND DEATH. VIOLENCE, THEREFORE, IS ANTITHETICAL TO WHAT WAS AT THE HEART OF JESUS’S MINISTRY.
Very quickly, it seems, many people began to believe that maybe, just maybe, this man from Nazareth might be the one — he might be messiah, the anointed one (in Hebrew, mashiaḥ; in Greek, christos) whom God had promised to raise up, to empower and equip to bring about the long-awaited deliverance. By the time of Jesus, messianic expectations were diverse and complex — all sorts of different beliefs and hopes connected to God’s promised future action coalesced around this prophesied figure. But one prominent thread, traceable through a variety of sources, envisioned the messiah as a mighty warrior; someone who would lead God’s people in forcefully casting off the shackles of their idolatrous overlords. Such expectations were rooted both in Israel’s past (think of the celebrated violence of men like Phinehas, King David, or, more recently, Judas Maccabeus) as well as visions for its future — after all, how would Israel be set free without Rome’s downfall?
Therefore it was natural — indeed, to be expected — that, given Jesus’s repeated declaration that God’s kingdom was at hand, and the amazing power with which he spoke and acted, such messianic expectations were placed upon Jesus. Surely, this man would eventually turn his attention to the true enemies of God’s people. Surely, the day of justice was coming soon, and the wicked would get what they deserved. Surely, Jesus was the one who would bring about true freedom for God’s people!
THE SCRIPTURES OF ISRAEL SPEAK OF GOD’S ACTION USHERING IN A KINGDOM CHARACTERIZED BY RESTORATION, HEALING, AND THE FLOURISHING OF CREATION — A KINGDOM OF LIFE.
If we are paying attention, moments like this can be found scattered throughout the Gospels. John the Baptist, in prison, hears about “the works of the messiah” and is confused, sending his followers to ask Jesus, “Are you, in fact, the messiah, or was I mistaken? Should we be waiting for someone else?” (Matt. 11:2–3). Lying behind John’s question is a disjunction between what John expected the “works of the messiah” would be, and the report he received about Jesus’s activity. When would Jesus begin to bring about the deliverance John (and many others) were looking for? Jesus, arriving at Jerusalem, is welcomed by crowds proclaiming words taken from the psalms, heralding the arrival of God’s victorious king; and waving palm fronds, a symbol of victory over God’s enemies (Mark 11:8–10). A few days later, in Gethsemane, Jesus’s own disciples watch as an armed mob approaches, coming for their master, the one they are convinced is indeed God’s anointed. The disciples are confused and frightened. What will Jesus do? What if he is taken away? Everything they’ve seen him do, all that he has promised… it all seems to be hanging in the balance. And so they look to Jesus: “Lord, should we strive with our swords?” (Luke 22:49). But one of them doesn’t wait for an answer. Unwilling
to stand by, he puts his allegiance to Jesus into action, drawing his weapon and attacking those who would oppose the messiah (Luke 22:50).
Yet as often as Jesus was confronted by such expectations — expectations that he would take up the sword of revolutionary zeal, ushering in God’s reign by violence, winning God’s victory through bloodshed — Jesus rejected them, and articulated a different vision. Jesus responds to John’s question by exhorting him to open his eyes to the prophetic significance of the things he was doing, to see these acts of healing and restoration as the true “works of the messiah” (Matt. 11:4–6). Jesus approaches Jerusalem on a donkey, evoking the king of Zechariah 9 who comes to “proclaim peace to the nations” (Matt. 21:4–7). To his zealous disciple in Gethsemane, Jesus declares, “Put your sword back in its place … for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?” (Matt. 26:52–54).
Jesus steadfastly refused the temptation to embrace violence in the work that was his to do. To the surprise, confusion, and even disappointment of many
— both supporters and adversaries — Jesus rejected the option of victory by the sword. Instead, he proclaimed and enacted a deliverance that reflected what was at the heart of the kingdom he was inaugurating. The Scriptures of Israel speak of God’s action ushering in a kingdom characterized by restoration, healing, and the flourishing of creation — a kingdom of life. Violence brings enmity and hostility, division and strife, destruction and death. Violence, therefore, is antithetical to what was at the heart of Jesus’s ministry. Instead, what resonates throughout Jesus’s words and deeds is peace. Peace is the lasting effect of encountering Jesus (Luke 7:50; 8:48); peace is central to life with God (Matt. 5:9, 43–48); peace defines the kingly identity Jesus takes upon himself (Matt. 21:4–5); peace is the outcome of the climactic moment of Jesus’s mission, as he gives his own life on the cross (Eph. 2:14–18). In word and deed, Jesus brought about God’s peace — shalom-peace, the peace that results from Jesus’s acts of reconciliation and restoration. Shalom-peace was at the heart of the world Jesus envisioned, worked toward, and gave his life to inaugurate; shalom-peace was — and must continue to be — at the heart of the identity and practice of those who enter into and live within that world.
In A Revolutionary Jesus: Violence and Peacemaking in the Kingdom of God, I explore the importance of Jesus’s rejection of violence and emphasis upon peacemaking to our understanding of his teaching, mighty deeds, and death and resurrection, and the implications this has for our lives as his disciples. This is no peripheral issue; it is at the heart of Jesus’s vision of the kingdom of God and the identity of those who belong to it.
JESSE NICKEL
has been a Biblical Studies Faculty member at Columbia Bible College since August 2016. Before that he worked for several years as a youth pastor at Peace Mennonite Church in Richmond, BC. Jesse hopes to contribute toward the continued breaking-in of the shalom-centred kingdom of God. Purchase his book A Revolutionary Jesus: Violence and Peacemaking in the Kingdom of God at Amazon , Indigo, or CommonWord
PEACE IS THE LASTING EFFECT OF ENCOUNTERING JESUS (LUKE 7:50; 8:48);
PEACE IS CENTRAL TO LIFE WITH GOD (MATT. 5:9, 43–48);
PEACE DEFINES THE KINGLY IDENTITY JESUS TAKES UPON HIMSELF (MATT. 21:4–5);
PEACE IS THE OUTCOME OF THE CLIMACTIC MOMENT OF JESUS’S MISSION, AS HE GIVES HIS OWN LIFE ON THE CROSS (EPH. 2:14–18).
Gelassenheit
How do I know that word?
Perhaps repeatedly heard On Sunday mornings as a child In German service while we ‘Kinderlein’ Counted ceiling tiles
Gelassenheit slipped in quietly With Ewigkeit, Barmherzigkeit And various other this and that Expressed with mighty gravity While making scant sense to me
Why would they?
Words for elders in the place Who had faced some reason to grasp at them Unlike us in the crowd, so well shrouded From all that gave such words their relevance
What it meant to those wrinkled old I did not know Their stories stayed blissfully untold Till revealed at last In first-year history class
Gelassenheit, poorly defined, is described As resigned Powerless to resist or object To prevail or protect Numb to pain, the walking dead
But lodged in murky childhood memory Are nuances not the same As giving up or caving in Hinting, instead, at some deep soul work Where mysterious power is gained
Like in a blizzard dropping reins And somehow, inexplicably, impossibly Finding home again
FRIEDA KLIPPENSTEIN
Q&R corner
Q&R corner provides responses to questions that readers may have about CCMBC and its work collaborating with provincial MB conferences in areas of spiritual health and theology, leadership development, mission, and organizational health in order to achieve the overall mission: “To cultivate a community and culture of healthy disciple-making churches and ministries, faithfully joining Jesus in his mission.” If you would like to contribute a question, please send it to questions@mbchurches.ca
Please note that we will not be using your name in the MB Herald Digest in order to respect those who prefer anonymity. There may not be space to respond to every question—and sometimes we might not really have the ability or authority to respond to some questions (for example, those that relate more directly to one of our provincial MB conferences or to a local church leadership). We apologize in advance if we are unable to publish a response to your specific question.
Preface: One of the most challenging of the eighteen MB Confession of Faith articles is Article 13: Love and Nonresistance. The NFLT has recently given preliminary approval to a DRAFT of the Article 13 Explanatory Notes designed to help explain the article itself and provide biblical foundations when appropriate. The August (Part 1) and October (Part 2) 2025 Q&R Corners are dedicated to providing selected sections of these DRAFT notes which describe what has been called the “Mennonite Brethren Peace Position.” The complete draft of the Explanatory Notes is available here. Feedback (encouragements, suggestions, concerns, etc.) can be sent to the NFLT through the
following email link: listeningwell@mbchurches.ca
ARTICLE 13: LOVE AND NONRESISTANCE
God’s Community of Peace
We believe that God in Christ reconciles people to Himself and to one another, making peace through the cross. The church is a fellowship of redeemed people living by love. Our bond with other believers of Jesus transcends all racial, social and national barriers.
Christian Peacemaking
Believers seek to be agents of reconciliation in all relationships, to practice love of enemies as taught by Christ, to be peacemakers in all situations. We view violence in its many different forms as contradictory to the new nature of the Christian. We believe that the evil and inhumane nature of violence is contrary to the gospel of love and peace. In times of national conscription or war, we believe we are called to give alternative service where possible. Alleviating suffering, reducing strife, and promoting justice are ways of demonstrating Christ’s love.
Article 13 now moves from Christian peacemaking to how disciples of Jesus should relate to violence. Numerous questions emerge at this point: What is violence? Is violence an inevitable part of our broken and sinful world? Can violence be a God-honouring part of peacemaking that limits the evil actions of others and protects the vulnerable? Can God rightfully do violence? There is much disagreement among believers about these questions.
In terms of the definition of “violence,” this word is widely used to describe the horrible actions of murder, rape, assault, armed robbery, and wartime conflict, but it has come to be used increasingly to describe almost any forceful word or action. While Article 13 does not define violence, it seems to assume a definition along these lines: Violence is an actual or threatened forceful action, usually physical in nature, that one can reasonably predict will produce significant physical and/or emotional damage to the recipient (viz., oneself or others). This allows for the reality of there being many forceful human actions that are not violent human actions. Jesus’s driving out “all who were buying and selling” in the temple courts (Matt 21:12) is certainly a forceful action, but it does not meet the level of being a violent action. While the language of “significant physical and/or emotional damage to the recipient” involves subjectivity, this is, unfortunately, unavoidable.
In terms of the questions whether violence is an inevitable part of our broken and sinful world and whether violence could in some very limited circumstances be God-honouring, the New Testament writers provide a cautious yes. Paul implies this in Romans 13 where he describes God as giving the “sword” (which is both a threat of and an instrument of violence) to governing authorities to maintain order (v.4). The assumption here is that there could well be times when the governing authorities can rightfully and necessarily use violence for the protection of the vulnerable and the well-being of the community.
There is, of course, much disagreement about God’s loving character and how it fits with biblical descriptions of God participating in, or even commanding, violent actions. The Bible records many instances where God’s actions would fit the definition of violence provided above (although it should be noted that the biblical writers never use the word “violence” or its derivatives to refer to what God did). When God brought life-ending judgments on people (cf. Gen 9:15; 19:24-26; Exod 14:27-28; Num 16:25-30) or commanded his people to bring life-ending judgments on lawbreakers (Lev 24:23; Josh 6:17-21; 7:25), the biblical writers do not describe these as “violent” but assume that they are God’s righteous justice against egregious covenant violations by God’s own people (Deut 28:15-68) or God’s
In terms of the questions whether violence is an inevitable part of our broken and sinful world and whether violence could in some very limited circumstances be God-honouring, the New Testament writers provide a cautious yes.
righteous justice of pagan nations because of their profound violations of universal human ethical standards (Amos 1; cf. Gen 15:16).
Article 13 does not directly address any of these questions but is noting the incongruity of violence in the life of the individual believer. Four statements about the nature of violence are highlighted:
First, violence has “many different forms.” While we may think of violence as murder, rape, assault, armed robbery, or wartime conflict since these are most obvious actions that produce significant physical and/or emotional damage to the recipients, we must not rule out other more subtle forms (e.g., threated violence, extortion, etc.)
Second, violence is “contradictory to the new nature of the Christian.” The New Testament writers highlight that becoming a believer involves a radical transformation of one’s heart, mind, and character (1 Cor 6:11). Most translations describe how being “in Christ” involves becoming a whole “new creation” (NASB, RSV, ESV) or a “new person” (NLT), while a few explain how being in Christ means that the “new creation has come” (NIV; NSV). The language of “new creation” and “new nature” alludes to a time when God’s loving purposes will be fully present, and people cleansed from all sinful and violent impulses. While believers today live in the overlap of both the present and God’s new creation future, violent actions that produce significant damage to themselves and/or others certainly conflict with the new transformed nature of the believer.
The new nature of the Christian living by the ethics of God’s Kingdom in a broken world, involves loving and blessing both neighbours and enemies (Lev 19:18; Matt 5:44; 22:39; Luke 6:27; Rom 12:9-21; 13:8-10).
Violence seeks to harm the other person while love seeks the ultimate well-being of the other person— even at great personal cost. A fundamental reason for disciples of Jesus to reject violence is because our primary identity as followers of Jesus and Kingdom citizens means that violence is inconsistent with this identity. Jesus rejected violence (1 Pet 2:19-23) and he said: “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here” (John 18:36-37 NRSV). The church does not defend itself with the weapons of the world but with the armour of God (Eph 6:10-20) since our struggle is not against “flesh and blood” (v.12). Jesus commanded that believers leave vengeance to God rather than taking it on themselves to punish the wrongdoers (Rom 12:19). The sole form of God’s judgment entrusted to the church today is the exclusion of the persistently unrepentant from their fellowship (see Article 6: Nature of the Church).
Third, violence has an “evil and inhumane nature.” Since violence produces significant physical and/or emotional damage to the recipient, it is not surprising that Article 13 notes that violence has an evil and inhumane nature. Violence always damages those who are the recipients of violence; deeply affects the family and community surrounding the recipients; and forever taints the hearts and minds of the perpetrators of the violence. Violence steals, kills, and destroys human life in a wide circle. It can lead to an ever widening and intensifying cycle of violence dragging in more and more people into a downward spiral. Violence is evil and inhumane because it damages God’s image bearers; fractures healthy communities; steals, kills, and destroys human life and flourishing; and takes into human hands a level of judgment and justice which rightfully belongs to God.
Fourth, violence is “contrary to the gospel of love and peace.” Unlike many other ancient creation stories where violence was naturally embedded in the story itself, the biblical creation account and the hope for the new creation demonstrates that in God’s world, violence is an unwelcome and temporary intruder, contrary to God’s loving intentions for creation, and contrary to the gospel of love and peace. God created a world without violence and set the first humans into a garden sanctuary where love and peace were woven into the fabric of creation (Gen 1-2). Even though that world was disrupted by Satan, sin, and death, the incarnation, life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus helped bring about the coming to earth of God’s Kingdom of peace and love. God’s Kingdom will be fully present when Jesus comes again (Rev 21-22; cf. Isa 2:1-4; 9:1-7).
This section of Article 13 and its unequivocal evaluation of violence as incompatible with Christian
“We see from Jesus’s own life on earth, that Jesus was not passive against evil doers, but he employed a variety of non-violent approaches to end the damaging actions of others.
”discipleship raises many practical questions that are left unanswered. Does Article 13 promote a passive stance toward injustice and evil done to vulnerable individuals? What actions are compatible with Christian discipleship when facing individuals seeking to do profound damage to others—especially the vulnerable and defenceless? While certainly Article 13 doesn’t answer these questions, MBs have always highlighted Jesus as not only our Saviour and King but also our model for Kingdom life faithful to the Creator. We see from Jesus’s own life on earth, that Jesus was not passive against evil doers, but he employed a variety of non-violent approaches to end the damaging actions of others. While we pray that we will not face these situations of evil against us or others, we know that in this world we will have trouble (John 16:33) and faithful witness for Jesus may increase rather than decrease hostility and animosity from others (Matt 5:11-12; 24:9). Jesus modeled and taught multiple ways for how to respond to the evil intentions of others in ways consistent with the gospel of love and peace:
1. Submit to and absorb evil actions upon oneself, so these actions can be defused and defeated Jesus modeled this at the end of his life by submitting himself to arrest without any attempt to flee, call down divine defenders, or allow his disciples to retaliate (Matt 26:52-56). He remained almost entirely silent under the false accusations of the high priest and made no physical or verbal resistance to numerous forms of verbal and physical abuse (Matt 26:63, 67; 27:14, 28-31). This complete submission to evil intentions was a selfless act done for the salvation of the world (viz., the well-being of all). Disciples of Jesus will need to discern when submission to
“Article 13 does not claim that all nations should dismantle their military forces, police and border services, or corrections departments, but focuses only on believers avoiding participation in war.
”and absorbing of evil actions is the appropriate peacemaking posture.
2. Flee from evil doers so they are unable to cause more evil. Jesus modeled this in Luke 4:29-30 when a violent crowd wanted to “throw him off the cliff.” He rejected vengeance and violence in that moment and instead chose to walk calmly through the crowd and go on his way (v.30). On one occasion when the Jewish leaders were so incensed at Jesus’s teaching that they “picked up stones to stone him,” Jesus “hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds” (John 8:59). In a similar vein, Jesus commanded his disciples to flee when violent persecution faced them (Matt 10:23; 24:15-16). There are times when active peacemaking will mean fleeing the conflict for one’s own safety and for the limiting of evil.
3. Respond with forgiveness and good works that break the chain of evil. Jesus gave his life for the very ones wanting to kill him. He proclaimed: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). Jesus’s surprising instruction in Matthew 5:38-41 that disciples “turn the other cheek,” “give them your cloak also,” and “go the extra mile,” have perplexed scholars for centuries. However, many suggest that these responses reflect strategic actions that caused surprise, righted the power imbalance, and changed the relationship. It may be that this is what Paul has in mind when he says: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head” (Rom 12:20; cf. Prov 25:2122). Disciples of Jesus who offer forgiveness and respond with surprising acts of kindness to their
enemies when vengeance and retaliation are expected, can be a powerful reflection of how Jesus responded to his enemies.
4. Verbally confront evil and/or prophetically declare it as worthy of divine judgment. Jesus did not use violence but pronounced a series of prophetic “woes” against the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23. Jesus’s words to the scribes and Pharisees who brought to him a woman caught in adultery, spoke truth and ended the potential for a violent outcome (John 8:2-11).
Verbal confrontations like these (John 8:1258) allow an opportunity for repentance on the part of the recipients while leaving judgment in the hands of the ultimate judge (cf. Rom 12:19). Faithful peacemaking can involve speaking truth to power.
5. Confront evil doers with force but not with violence. While violence always involves force (or the threat of force), force can exist independently from violence. This is how Jesus responded when he drove out those “buying and selling” in the temple courts—in the exact spaces where Gentiles drawn to God were to offer prayers. Jesus “overturned” tables and benches; he did “not allow” people to carry merchandise through the temple courts; and he “scattered” the coins of the money changers (cf. Matt 21:12; Mark 11:15-16; John 2:15).
Jesus’s forceful actions were done on behalf of the Gentiles who in that moment were weak, vulnerable, and without a voice. While forceful, Jesus’s actions did not cause profound harm to those present that day, but his actions would have caused them the opportunity to reflect on their own participation in evil actions at the temple courts. Because force can easily intensify and become violent, believers will need much prayer and wisdom before embracing this as a means of peacemaking.
Article 13 now moves from individual violence to corporate violence (war) and how individual believers should respond. Article 13 does not claim that all nations should dismantle their military forces, police and border services, or corrections departments, but focuses only on believers avoiding participation in war. There are three parts to the two sentences here: First, the context of these statements is “national conscription or war.” National conscription is when a nation implements a program which forces a certain group of their citizens to participate in military service rather than simply waiting for them to volunteer. In Canada, national conscription was practiced at certain times during both the First and Second World
Wars. The term war normally refers to a formal declared military conflict between two nations (but today could involve a variety of violent clashes between groups).
Second, MBs believe God has called them “to give alternative service where possible.” The assumption here is that the calling to alternative service is in contrast to being called to provide military service and participate in the corporate violence that war necessarily involves. Alternative service became an official government-approved option in Canada during the Second World War. Military draftees who requested it and could convince the official review boards of the authenticity of their religious objections to participation in military service, were allowed to go into full-time civilian service doing useful but non-violent work on behalf of Canada (e.g., forestry, railway construction, farm work, etc.). Alternative service is not an ongoing guaranteed provision in Canada nor is it available for many in the MB family around the world.
…we must acknowledge that many believers today argue that military service and deadly force may be necessary in some circumstances to protect the vulnerable in our present broken world where Satan, sin, and death still have a stronghold. Many would argue that military service is a means to love our neighbours and selflessly do what we can to help and protect them from evil—even to the point of laying down our lives (John 15:13) and following the example of Jesus (John 10:11, 15). In addition, for those who refuse to join the military in wartime and/or choose alternative service, their testimony for Christ can easily be misunderstood as showing a lack of sacrificial love for our neighbours since they were not willing to lay down their physical lives for the sake of their neighbours.
Third, the overall purpose of alternative service is to show sacrificial love and concern for one’s neighbours without embracing the violence inevitably required by military service. Alternative service is designed to be sacrificial but oriented not toward the taking of human life but toward activities that contribute to human flourishing….
Alternative service has and always will be conflictual in our larger world. It will only be a faithful testimony to Christ’s love if it reflects an integrous and self-sacrificial love for one’s neighbours that is evident at all times. Anything less than this will be a poor witness to Christ’s love and God’s Kingdom.
…we must acknowledge that many believers today argue that military service and deadly force may be necessary in some circumstances to protect the vulnerable in our present broken world where Satan, sin, and death still have a stronghold.
Making peace with conflict
BY J JANZEN
esus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9). Paul echoes those words when he wrote to the early church, “so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (Romans 12:18). Canadian Mennonite Brethren have aspired to embrace and embody that Biblical vision (see the Confession of Faith). Yet living up to our values is easier said than done. My hunch is that we Canadian MBs struggle mightily to know how to be peacemakers at home, in our neighbourhoods, on the job, or on the playground. There are many reasons for that, some of which I’ve outlined elsewhere.1
So what might a lived theology of peace look like? How do we practice what we preach at the kitchen table, in the school cafeteria, or around the workplace watercooler?
HEALTHY ATTITUDES ABOUT CONFLICT
To begin, it’s worth reminding ourselves of a few healthy attitudes about conflict. As Carolyn SchrockShenk notes, conflict is normal and natural because we are created with the capacity to think, reflect, dream, feel, and act, and we do all of those things in different ways. 2 With that in mind, one can easily imagine that conflict existed before sin. After all, Adam was a guy and Eve was a girl. They would have approached their work of tending to creation from different perspectives, with different tastes, and so on. I suspect that Adam and Eve dealt with conflict in collaborative and constructive ways. Perhaps sin and evil entered our world precisely when they chose a negative response to the conflict they encountered. Which leads to this: conflict is not necessarily sin. Our responses in and to conflict might be sinful, but that doesn’t mean conflict is sinful. If you take out all the conflicts from the Bible, you have a very thin book. Families experience conflict; churches experience conflict; volunteer groups experience conflict because conflict is essentially people figuring out how to get along
1 I’ve written about this in “A Complicated Peace: The Problem of Passivism in Canadian Anabaptist-Mennonite Peacemaking”(master’s thesis, Regent College, 2011) and “Passing on Peace? Canadian Mennonite Brethren and Peacemaking,” in Renewing Identity and Mission: Mennonite Brethren Reflections After 150 Years, eds. Abe J. Dueck, Bruce L. Guenther and Doug Heidebrecht (Winnipeg, MB: Kindred Productions, 2011), 117-138.
2 Carolyn and Lawrence Ressler Schrock-Shenk, ed. Making Peace with Conflict: Practical Skills for Conflict Transformation (Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1999), 25-37.
with one another. So rather than lamenting the presence of conflict or feeling guilty about it, a more productive response is to make peace with the reality that conflict happens — and then learn how to deal with it to the best of our ability.
A third healthy attitude is to see conflict as a creative, life-giving learning opportunity. For example, choosing who will drive Jason to baseball practice, or determining how Jenny’s braces will get paid for are decisions that involve weighing up options, balancing various interests, and prioritizing needs and wants that we may not have been aware of beforehand. Frequently, we work through those matters with others, so that — without even realizing it — conflict with pos-
OUR RESPONSES IN AND TO CONFLICT MIGHT BE SINFUL, BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN CONFLICT IS SINFUL. IF YOU TAKE OUT ALL THE CONFLICTS FROM THE BIBLE, YOU HAVE A VERY THIN BOOK.
itive outcomes takes place all the time.
To be sure, conflict, whether it’s healthy or unhealthy, generates all sorts of uncomfortable feelings: anger, fear, hurt, uncertainty, jealousy, pain, and so on. What’s key is how we respond. The choices we make will determine if the conflict is constructive or destructive. We can pursue connection, or we can avoid things — push down discomfort and build up walls. (If we’re honest, all of us do this to some degree because… well… conflict is awkward.) We can pursue solutions that provide justice and right relationships for everyone involved, or we can insist on our way or the highway. We can look to discover something new, or we can insist that we are right and you are wrong.
HEALTHY RESPONSES IN CONFLICT
In Matthew 18:10-18, Jesus paints a picture that provides some postures, practices, and processes for aspiring peacemakers to adopt. He sets the stage with a parable about a shepherd going to great lengths to find a lost sheep.
The story encourages us to approach conflict with an attitude of humility and a willingness to be vulnerable. After all, the shepherd clearly slipped up in fulfilling his responsibility to keep his flock together. And then the shepherd exposes himself and his sheep to further risk by leaving the flock behind to seek out the wandering sheep! When we find ourselves in tension with others, we’re best served by first asking ourselves, “What did I miss here? How did I contribute to this in unhelpful ways? What’s going on inside of me?” We can also expect — and even invite — people to point out our blind spots. Easy to do in the heat of the moment? No. But having the courage to be humble and vulnerable in that
Philippians 2 way is transformative.
Recognizing our vulnerability shifts our attitude toward the other person(s). Instead of seeing our child as an obstacle, or our spouse as an opponent, or our in-laws as the enemy, we might begin to see the frailties that leave them vulnerable. We can ask ourselves, “Why would a reasonable, rational, decent person do that?” With that in mind, we’re less likely to approach them with an antagonistic attitude, and more likely to enter the conversation with a desire to make things safe and productive. 3
Jesus continues by saying that when there is tension, two things should happen. One is that we should be clear about our goal(s). More specifically, we don’t go looking to win the argument; we don’t go to make the person feel stupid; we don’t go looking to accuse; rather, we go to win the person back . For example, when Andrea and I got married, one of the things we promised was that we would tell each other the truth (gently!) even if it was painful, because we want what’s best for one another. It’s that kind of posture that we are to take, and if we have that kind of attitude, we approach matters in a spirit of love, kindness, and concern. There have been countless times when the heat has been dialed down as one of us has paused and asked, “What are we trying to accomplish here?”
Another thing that should happen is that we are to take the initiative; we are to keep facing into the relationship. (As former MB Seminary President, Henry Schmidt, once said, “You only get stabbed in the back if you’re walking away from someone.”) Not only that, we should be ready and willing to be the first person to admit, “I don’t know; I need help. I was wrong; I’m sorry.”4 In the blink of an eye we tell ourselves a story about events we witness. In doing so, we make interpretive assumptions.5 As we “have it out” with the other, we are to take the initiative to get curious and start with questions because we enter a situation without knowing the whole story. So when approaching someone, before accusing them of this or that, you might begin by saying, “Here’s what I saw happening. Are you aware of the effects?” Or you might say, “Help me understand what was going on there.” Or, “Did I hear you
3 Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler, Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, Second ed. (McGraw-Hill, 2012), 124.
4 Louise Penny’s mystery novels feature Quebec Police Inspector Armand Gamache, who frequently says that one grows in wisdom by learning to repeatedly say those four phrases. Gamache practices what he preaches.
5 Patterson, Grenny, McMillan, and Switzler, 103-130.
right when you said ? What did you mean by that?”
As we “fill the shared pool of meaning”6 we may discover that the person has already recognized their mistake and repented. Great! Or we may find out that we were mistaken; what we thought was the problem was actually a symptom of something deeper. For instance, someone may have lacked information, and so they behaved in a way that they didn’t realize was causing problems for someone else. Or it could be that there were difficulties at home, and so they overreacted because of the fatigue and worry that’s left them frayed at the edges. With a more comprehensive understanding, everyone can then adjust and respond more effectively.
In situations where we’ve been hurt, it helps to take time to understand and name our feelings beforehand,
THE POINT OF ASKING QUESTIONS, LISTENING TO PEOPLE’S PERSPECTIVES, AND SHARING OUR EXPERIENCES IS, OF COURSE, TO LEVERAGE CONFLICT IN CONSTRUCTIVE WAYS THAT LEAD TO EVERYONE’S FLOURISHING.
so that we can speak clearly and simply. It’s one thing to say, “I feel you were unfair and rude when you gave me work to be done by the next day.” It’s another to say, “I felt frustrated when you gave me work to be done by the next day because then I had to work late. I would have appreciated having more notice.” Being specific is especially useful: that annoyed me; this word upset me. Avoid exaggerating, like “You always get your way!” or “ You never listen to me.” Instead of saying, “You’re wrong!” you might reply, “I differ in how I see it.”
The point of asking questions, listening to people’s perspectives, and sharing our experiences is, of course, to leverage conflict in constructive ways that lead to everyone’s flourishing. As we discover more information and come to a shared perspective, solutions, alternatives, and steps toward change emerge. Many conflicts are resolved at this point. But occasionally that isn’t so.
Jesus is sensible enough to know that there are times when people can’t get out of their own way and fail to hear each other well. When that happens, Jesus tells us to seek the help of others.
To be clear, witnesses are not about ganging up on someone. They are to clarify and confirm the facts. They are to protect the “accused” from unfair finger-pointing and to prevent power plays. They are there to offer perspective, too. For instance, it could be that
6 Ibid, 24-28.
two people are misunderstanding one another. In that case the witnesses can act as translators. At other times, a conflict involves more than two people. It could be that one person’s behaviour is affecting others. In that case, bringing witnesses into the mix is simply making sure that everyone who is directly implicated in the issue is there to talk things through together to avoid a “he said, she said” scenario.
No matter the circumstances, resolving conflict means that people make legitimate demands. Meaningful solutions occur when there has been an acknowledgment of one’s part in the problem, and a concrete plan that spells out what next steps will be taken. Witnesses assist in that goal by ensuring expectations are reasonable and limiting hasty decisions. If we are serious about resolving a problem — which involves everyone changing how they think, feel, and behave — then witnesses are helpful in determining how the community (i.e. a couple, a family, a team) will work together in pursuing wholeness and maturity.7
There are two benefits to vulnerably saying to oth-
JESUS ASKS US TO MAKE PEACE WITH CONFLICT NOT BECAUSE IT GUARANTEES PEACEFUL OUTCOMES, BUT BECAUSE PURSUING PEACE — IN LITTLE WAYS AND HIDDEN PLACES — LOOSES THE KINGDOM OF GOD ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN (V. 18).
ers, especially those in the church, that you are struggling in conflict. First, witnesses bring another set of eyes to the situation that may spot alternative solutions that may have been overlooked. Second, and perhaps most importantly, the church can pray as it encourages everyone to exercise patience, gentleness, self-control (among other fruits of the Spirit). Menno Simons and other early Anabaptist leaders were known to take up to two years when working through the Matthew 18 process. Given the rigors of conflict, it’s only sensible to have righteous people offering powerful and effective prayers on our behalf (James 5:16).
KEEPING DOORS OPEN…
Unfortunately, there are times when we get stuck despite our best efforts. In these scenarios, Jesus instructs us to treat the other “like a Gentile and a tax collector.” This is perhaps the most important line in Jesus’ teaching. Treating someone with whom we strongly disagree as a Gentile and a tax collector does not mean that you “label, limit, and liquidate” her or him. Rather, we are
7 Much of this comes from a richly-rewarding-yet-sadly-neglected book: Marlin Jeschke, Discipling in the Church: Recovering a Ministry of the Gospel, Third ed. (Scottdale, Pennsylvania: Herald Press, 1988).
to treat people the same way Jesus treated Gentiles and tax collectors: with kindness and respect. We are to maintain relationship — or at least keep the door open to relationship — even when we find ourselves at odds. (That often requires the help of frequent prayer by us and the community that supports us!)
One of the things about navigating differences is that no matter how well you work out one situation, the next conflict that comes along is a new, unpredictable experience. In fact, it’s worth noting that Matthew 18 is not the only model of healthy conflict in scripture.8 Nor does Matthew 18 address all types of conflict. For instance, it would be unadvisable to expect a victim of abuse to meet one-on-one with the perpetrator. Each conflict is unique, requiring different approaches from everyone involved.
While one conflict might come to a beautiful resolution, there are other times when the least-crummiest option is the best we can arrive at. Interestingly, Jesus appears to be comfortable with that, for the assumption throughout Matthew 18 is that God has been present and actively working in the midst of the conflict. After all, Jesus himself says, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” In that sense, conflict is the space in which prayer — a real-time encounter with God — is possible.
Jesus asks us to make peace with conflict not because it guarantees peaceful outcomes, but because pursuing peace — in little ways and hidden places — looses the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven (v. 18). When we risk conflict, we are opened up to learn something new about ourselves, others, our world, and God. As we look to make peace, we participate in the life and story of Jesus. And when we do that, whether we succeed or fail, we wind up more fully alive human beings who bear the image of God in the likeness of Jesus.
Blessed are the peacemakers indeed!
8 Exemplars of creative conflict can be found in Acts
J JANZEN serves as Pastoral Elder at Highland Community Church in Abbotsford, BC. He and his wife, Andrea, are parents to four children in their teens and early 20s.
6:1-7 and in Acts 15/Galatians 2.
BY PHIL WAGLER
hile Israel, Gaza, Ukraine, and Russia dominate global headlines, the country of Sudan is experiencing one of the most disastrous crises of our day; an inter-ethnic, inter-tribal conflict that erupted in 2023. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that, as of April 2025, 13 million people have been forced from their homes and the North African country poised to win a race no one wants: the most displaced people on earth. As children in Canada begin a new school year, UNHCR notes that 90 percent of Sudan’s children do not have access to formal education.
The General Secretary of Sudan’s alliance of evangelical churches, Rafat Samir, and his family are some of these displaced people. Christians in Sudan comprise about five percent of the population and have often suffered. In a recent podcast, Rafat shares of a time when he was called before military authorities and questioned about his ministry with churches from varied backgrounds and traditions. He remembers the military official saying, “‘You are multi-colours, multi-races, and multi-languages. How do you love each other?’” Rafat says, “I really understood what Jesus meant when he said, ‘This is the only way people will know you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’”
In a world fractured near and far, our churches are to become God’s reconciling presence. So, is that in fact what are we becoming?
God’s mission strategy is for love among Christians to be our distinguishing mark. Churches spend vast amounts on programs and conferences, social media, and bouncy castles — but Jesus was excruciatingly clear: if we want the world to know we are his disciples, then we need to love one another. If this works in the brokenness of Sudan, why can’t it work in our communities?
The resources thrown into our church machineries can be the avenue a neighbour or even an enemy might experience the transforming love of God. But they also risk becoming the message. For Jesus, “success” is measured by a simple metric: the reconciling love of God evidenced in the way those who were once strangers, enemies, and political or ideological opponents actively love one another because of him. This is not cheap; this is the most costly and radical thing we ought to be attending to as we form fellowships of the Prince of Peace.
The power of the Gospel — that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, ushering in new creation and a new humanity and giving to us the message and ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:16-20) — is fueled by love. John, always seemingly smitten by divine love, wrote, “God is love” (1 John 4:16) and made sure we heard from Jesus that “God so loved the world...” (John 3:16). God’s reconciling presence revealed in Jesus Christ for the sin and brokenness of his world was compelled by love for the enemy, the ultimate Other: all of us.
The body Jesus is building that Hades will not overcome (Matthew 16:18) is to be controlled and compelled by this love (2 Corinthians 5:14). To be Christian — to be “in Christ” — is to become this divine love. This was, quite remarkably, central to Jesus’ formation of his disciples, reaching its zenith at Calvary, and spilling over into the resurrected life the disciples proclaimed and demonstrated to the ends of the earth. For we who put great emphasis on proclaiming the Word — with the pulpit at the centre — it seems odd that Jesus himself said that even his words were empty without works: “Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father” (John 10:37). For Jesus, it was the love of God revealed — full of grace, truth, and power — that legitimized any heralding of his identity, regardless of whether his message was received or not.
Amid “this-worldly” messes and darkness, it is “other-worldly” love that will, as Rafat learned in the desolation of Sudan, shock the systems of the world and reveal we belong to Jesus. In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s killing, American behaviour expert Chase Hughes points out that the systems we scroll and are
THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL — THAT GOD WAS IN CHRIST RECONCILING THE WORLD TO HIMSELF, USHERING IN NEW CREATION AND A NEW HUMANITY AND GIVING TO US THE MESSAGE AND MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION
trolled by feed “A diet of enemies instead of neighbours.” Do we not hold that central to the Gospel is the love of neighbour? Does it not seem logical that the first and only place the Good News of the revelation of Jesus Christ will be seen and understood is in the radical life of, as Lesslie Newbigin writes, “a congregation which believes it” (Newbigin, The Gospel in a Pluralist Society).
Vast swaths of the New Testament letters operationalize this command of Jesus to love one another as the Gospel spread. Paul, himself a Jew, insisted repeatedly that the fellowships who believed Jesus was Lord, sprouting through the Roman Empire (with its Pax Romana), should diligently do the works of love the cross and resurrection made possible. Forgive one another. Bear with one another. Speak the truth to one another. Accept one another. Be devoted to one another. Serve one another. Pray for one another. “Confess your sins to one another,” wrote James. And then, as Hebrews reminds us, Christian meetings should be focused on “...how to stir one another to love and good works...” (Hebrews 10:24).
In short, the Gospel’s purpose is to redeem us by love to love; and not only in word, but in deed (1 John 3:18). The small but mighty letter to Philemon is the case study of divine love evidenced among believers that turned the tables on cultural expectations, systems, assumptions, ideologies, and sent shockwaves of heaven through Colossae. In the end, reconciling love in action — within the body and through the body into the world — is Gospel-living and mission. Or else our finely-tuned worship instruments and well-crafted sermons are just resounding gongs.
A rediscovery of the radical reconciling love of God is needed today within the body of Christ. A fractured world is pleading for a reconciling presence; a presence that Jesus’ disciples are to perplex them with.
Perhaps a few reflective questions can help us as Mennonite Brethen be renewed as inheritors of a lively evangelical anabaptism that birthed a radically loving, not cheap, discipleship:
How may we be under-emphasizing the work of peace and reconciliation as central to the formation of a Gospel-shaped people? Are there ways the Spirit is prompting a renewal of radical love that is consistent with Jesus’ Gospel of the Kingdom among us?
How may we be under-emphasizing the cross of Christ as central to any hope for holistic peace and reconciliation? Are there ways the Spirit is prompting a renewal of the redeeming love of God for sinners that is consistent with Jesus’s Gospel of the Kingdom among us?
How might we embrace with humility and urgency the peacebuilding and reconciling heritage bequeathed to us through suffering by our spiritual mothers and fathers?
Does your church place as high an expectation on loving one another toward spiritual and relational wholeness and missionally loving the stranger and enemy as you do on the bells and whistles of contemporary church life and programming? How are you learning the theological foundations, spiritual practices, and peacebuilding skills necessary to reconcile believers as a loving, other-worldly community despite disagreements? Is anyone looking at your fellowship and saying, “How do you love each other?”
PHIL WAGLER
is Interim Pastor of Kelowna Gospel Fellowship Church in Kelowna, BC (BCMB), Global Director of the World Evangelical Alliance’s Peace & Reconciliation Network, and Global Liaison with the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. He is an available resource to congregations seeking to grow biblically-rooted peace and reconciliation theology and practice.
THE RECONCILING LOVE OF GOD EVIDENCED IN THE WAY THOSE WHO WERE ONCE STRANGERS, ENEMIES, AND POLITICAL OR IDEOLOGICAL OPPONENTS ACTIVELY LOVE ONE ANOTHER BECAUSE OF HIM.
Finish lines
RAMONA LOUISE FALK
Ramona (Mona) was born in Grande Prairie, Alta., Apr. 29, 1929, and died in Abbotsford, B.C., May 14, 2025. She spent the afternoon before she died listening to her granddaughter read Emily Dickinson, a reversal of the roles they had enjoyed decades earlier. This was a fitting end to a life flooded with expressive imagination: engaging stories, joyful gardens, colourful cakes, and restful watercolours were continual products of Ramona’s creativity. She sang as she worked and was as intelligent as she was beautiful: her quick wit kept her family humble while her wisdom made them strong. Ramona deeply mourned the family members who died before her, especially her mother, Mary Duerksen Schroeder. She always said it was only God’s strength that brought her through that shattering childhood loss. She further grieved the passing of her father and stepmother, Peter and Anna Schroeder, her siblings Joan (Jake) Rempel, Peter (Elinor) Schroeder, her brothers-in-law Pete Enns and Ed Klassen, and her daughter-in-law Linda. As a longtime member of the MB Church, first in La Glace, Alta., and then in B.C. at East Aldergrove (now Ross Road Community Church), South Abbotsford, and Bakerview (now The Gathering Church), Ramona lived out her faith in service to others. She served
(together with George) as a deacon, sang in the Fellowship Choir, worked in the church library, served in women’s ministries, taught Sunday School, served in the Pioneer Girls program, and volunteered in many other capacities. She was also part of a Bible study group that met for more than 30 years, often in her home. Ramona was cared for in her final years by staff at Hallmark on the Park and Menno Home. Remembering Ramona are her husband of 76 years, George; her son Don (Judy) with their children Angela, Rachel (Jeremy) Brown, Kathryn (David) Graham, Matthew (Andrea), and their grandchildren Elias, Kyler, Donovan, Judah, Samwise, Abbot, Finn, and Loralyn; her daughter Ruth (Gordon) Wiebe with their daughters Melissa and Deanna; her daughter Sharon (Dana Yoshimoto) with their children Connor and Olivia (Paulo Da Rocha); her siblings Dorothy Enns, Shirley (George) Warkentin, Anita Klassen; nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Birth: April 29, 1929 Birthplace: Grande Prairie, Alta. Death: May 14, 2025 Parents: Peter C. & Mary (Duerksen) Schroeder Married: George Falk, June 10, 1949 Family: George; children Don (Judy), Ruth Wiebe (Gordon), Sharon (Dana Yoshimoto); daughterin-law Linda (Quiring) Falk [d.]; 8 grandchildren; 8 great-grandchildren; 3 sisters Church: East Aldergrove, South Abbotsford, Bakerview, Abbotsford, B.C. Baptism: La Glace, Alta., 1945
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A moment in time Taste and see God as…
Coaldale Mennonite
Brethren Church celebrates 100 years in May 2026
BY GAYLE PETKER
A year ago, I started piecing a quilt sampler called “The Immanuel Quilt” by Joni Wolf. I was inspired to make this quilt, which portrays more than 30 names of Jesus, as I hoped to create a visual for a wall of the youth room at Coaldale MB Church (in Coaldale, Alberta), that would point our youth towards Jesus. As I pieced
each square, meditating on the name it represented, Jesus drew me to himself. Reflecting on names of Jesus has helped me trust him more as I increasingly recognize where he is at work around me. That’s why, when we were brainstorming a theme for the upcoming 100-year celebration at Coaldale MB Church, I suggested “Taste and See,” which later became “Taste and See God as….”
To me, the theme invites people to come and experience God, recognizing where he has been at work in and through us for the past century. It is our hope that through this weekend people will experience God, engage in biblical community, and leave equipped for kingdom service.
In preparation for our celebration in May 2026, we are compiling a commemorative book telling the story of our journey with God. This book will be filled with both personal stories highlighting names/characteristics of God and cherished family recipes, reflecting the rich heritage and faith of our congregation.
The following are a couple of examples of stories from the early days (from Mennonite Brethren Church of Coaldale, Alberta: 1926-1976)
Taste and See God As… Cornerstone
At first the spiritual and social life of the pioneers centered around the Lathrop Farm because the premises permitted a larger gathering. The first services were conducted in a small house which had been used for workers on the property. This, as well as the larger main farmhouse, soon became too small, but there was still the hayloft in the barn! It served as a meeting place during the summer months. People attended these services even though for some it meant a long and arduous drive.
Taste and See God As… Faithful and True
In the winter of 1928, construction began for the first Coaldale MB Church building. Some of the members of the Coaldale Mennonite Conference Church came and helped. “The Lord gave us appropriate weather for all of December and the greater part of January. It seemed as if the Lord held back the cold weather as he had stopped the sun for Joshua. The building was ready for the first service on January 25, 1929. It was very plain and modest, especially inside. The walls were not finished, not to mention painted, but that did not matter. For us it was the House of God!
I have been deeply touched thinking about God being the Cornerstone upon whom these early pioneers built their faith and lives. God was the one they trusted. He gave them strength when they probably felt weak and had very little. Through their difficult experiences leaving Russia and coming to Canada, he was leading, and they trusted him. In addition, God repeatedly proved himself to be faithful and true. Even in the building of their new “meeting place,” it was clear God was providing for them! These stories encourage me to trust in him who is faithful and true as I build my foundation with God as the cornerstone.
Recently I read Ezekiel 36:36 (NIV) which says,
“Then the nations around you that remain will know that I the Lord have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.”
God is working all around us, drawing each of us to himself. What a great reason to share stories of what God has done and is doing in our lives! Through sharing we can bring him glory and encourage others to draw near to him.
With these thoughts, I’d like to encourage all who have been a part of Coaldale MB Church, both past and present, to submit a story sharing their experiences of how God, through Coaldale MB, has impacted your faith and life. Story and recipe submissions can be made to coaldalemb100@gmail.com
Stay tuned for more details about Coaldale MB Church’s 100 th Anniversary celebration! Details will be made available on the Coaldale MB Church’s website as well as Facebook .
In case you missed it
We regularly publish website-exclusive stories on mbherald.com. Here are a few articles we’ve posted online in the last few months.
Introducing Rick Bayer, BCMB’s new Director of Pastoral Ministries
BCMB is pleased to announce that, following a season of thoughtful discernment, prayer, and diligent work, Rick Bayer has accepted the role of Director of Pastoral Ministries, beginning October 1, 2025.
Road 3:16: reaching Ukrainian newcomers in Winnipeg Read about Road 3:16, a church meeting at Eastview Community Church in Winnipeg, MB on Sunday evenings to minister to those originally from Russia, Ukraine, and other Slavic communities.
New MDS Canada Executive Director Announced Learn more about Reynold Friesen, the new Executive Director of Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) Canada. He will begin his new role in February, 2026.
MCC Manitoba celebrates 10 years of growing food and hope It has been 10 years since the start of Grow Hope in Manitoba — a unique partnership between dedicated farmers and generous urban sponsors who work together to grow food and raise funds for people facing hunger around the world.
The MB Herald Podcast is all about telling stories that build up our MB church family. We invite guests on the show to highlight various ministries and initiatives, as well as talk about some of the pressing issues we face in our churches and communities.
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LATEST EPISODES
Rethink Giving with Glen Madden: Hear about a creative and biblical approach to giving that is accessible for people of all generations.
Faith and Politics: Is it possible to (peacefully) talk about politics as Christians? The answer is yes! Hear our panel discuss all things politics — and more.
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