Bethel Ontario

DELIVERANCE - Sermon from September 13, 2020 SERMON - Sylvia Mann

The Rev. Dr. Mann's sermon from Sunday September 13, 2020. "Deliverance". A look at the parting of the Red Sea, and the need for forgiveness...

Sermon Snippet from this Sunday's service (Sept. 13) "And so now – I come to the forgiveness part of this sermon, the “Matthew part”…Why – in learning of the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt, is it important to talk about forgiveness? – well, in order to follow God to freedom, in order to be disciples – we have to let of those things that hold us back… and here is something I loved learning: the Greek word for forgive, aphiemi, means simply to open your hand and drop what it’s clutching. So you see - if reconciliation just can’t happen, let it go."

Danger and Restoration - Sermon from Sept 6, 2020 - Sylvia Mann

Our sermon from September 6, 2020, "Danger and Restoration". Our Pastor, the Rev. Dr. Sylvia Lee Mann focuses on the story of the first Passover .....
Sermon Snippet:
"The Exodus text is about the establishment of a ritual, a call to a life of worship. But it is also a call to transformation: from slavery to freedom, from oppression to liberation. It is a call to risk a new life and to embrace change…"

Our Road to Holy Ground - Sermon 30August2020

Our Sermon for August 30, 2020. "Our Road to Holy Ground".  From Bethel's Pastor, the Rev. Dr. Sylvia Lee Mann. This week – . Pastor Sylvia will be focusing on the burning bush and the transforming power of Love - the call we have to do the work - to be on Holy Ground - and that wherever we are with God is Holy Ground, WE are the church. .....

Courage, Transformation, and Rocks - Dr. Sylvia Lee Mann 23Aug2020

Pastor Sylvia's sermon from August 23, 2020

 

This week our theme at Bethel Congregational Church UCC in Ontario California is "Courage, Transformation, and Rocks", as we connect the Exodus story of Moses (and the heroic women who defied the order of the Pharaoh), to the transformation of our minds and souls, and the story of Simon's transformation into Simon Peter - the rock....

Reconciliation, Unity, Compassion -16Aug2020SERMON

Sermon from August 16, 2020 - "Reconciliation, Unity, Compassion"

the Rev. Dr. Sylvia Lee Mann

This week our theme is "Reconciliation, Unity, Compassion"...we hear "the end of the story" about Joseph and his brother, about the reconciliation of the family, along with Paslm 133's call for unity, Isaiah's call for justice and compassion, and the call for compassion and Grace to be extended to all people...
Sermon Snippet:
"So we have come full circle  - 
Back to the lessons of Isaiah: “maintain justice, and do what is right… God’s house is for all peoples.”
And the Psalmist: encouraging unity, inclusion… while we wrestle with who exactly are kindred and who are not.
And Joseph’s story of not just reconciliation – but his recognition that God took something bad, horrible, and completely turned it around and with that forgiveness and reconciliation, and the growth of Joseph into a mature man of God, Joseph cared for his family with compassion – as well as the people of Egypt, and the people of the neighboring lands. 
And finally in the story of the Canaanite woman – the inclusion of everyone in the gifts of compassion. 

Let it be so. May we share the gifts of reconciliation, unity, and compassion, with all." 

Dreams and Storms - Sermon from August 9, 2020

Sermon by the Rev. Dr. Sylvia Lee Mann for August 9, 2020.

This week , in our continued focus on compassion, connection and discipleship,  we take on the story of Jacob and his brothers - and consider Dreams and Dreamers - along with a slightly different take on the story of Peter walking on the water. Join us to check it all out!. Sermon "snippet": "...Dreamers sound naive at best and crazy at worst. Dreamers proclaim that the meek are blessed. Dreamers demand that the outcasts be welcomed. Dreamers beat plowshares into pruning hooks. The world is in need of dreamers. What are we willing to risk our lives in proclaiming the truth? What are we willing to risk to embrace the dreams of God?
Are we willing to encounter STORMS – as the disciples did? As Jesus did, walking across the water in this ever so frequently encountered Gospel story? As Peter did – are we willing to try, even fail, and reach out for help?"

Feeding the 5000 - Sermon August 2, 2020

Pastor Sylvia brings us the sermon for August 2, 2020 at Bethel Congregational Church UCC.

This week , our focus is on compassion and discipleship. Sermon "snippet": "...maybe Jesus was trying to get them (the disciples) to see that their resources - allied with the power of God - were more than they thought, more than enough. Maybe Jesus was trying to change the attitude that says, “We have nothing but five loaves and two fish.” We tend to look at what we don’t have rather than at what we do. We tend to feel overwhelmed by the problems we face rather than being willing to start with what might seem like inadequate resources and see what God can do with what we bring. “Send the crowds away” so that they can solve their own problems is a common response to the needs around us. Can we hear Jesus saying to us, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat."

Seeds and Treasure - Connections

This week , in our focus on connections - Pastor Sylvia helps us learn to connect the assurance we receive that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8: 38-39); with the power of the Mustard Seed, and the Treasure of God's love (Matthew 13), and the blessings of God's promises (Psalm 119). 

God's Dream and Ladders - Sermon

Our sermon at Bethel Congregational Church UCC in Ontario California with Rev. Dr. Sylvia Lee Mann.

This week the theme is "God's Dreams and Ladders". It's part of our "Connections - Nothing Can Separate Us" series - a lesson from Jacob as he realizes that God was with him all the time - even when he didn't know it! And - at God's dream for us - and how the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares teaches us to look at how connected we all are through God, the Spirit and Each other - and at the seeds of faith, hope, and love that God plants within us - and which connect us all.

Set Your Mind - Nothing Can Separate Us

Sermon from July 12, 2020, part of our "Connections" Series at Bethel Congregational Church, UCC. Rev. Dr. Sylvia Lee Mann, Pastor.

"Set Your Mind - Nothing Can Separate Us". We explore lessons and meaning in the Parable of the Sower, and in Romans 8. Learning how we are all experiencing the connections to God, Spirit, and each other. Even though we are in separate homes and places, we worship together, and are the living Body of Christ. The Church is NOT Closed! We are the Church deployed - doing God's Work in the World!