The Promises of God - Jonah - Contending with God's Mercy
Ann Arbor Community Church Sermon Podcast
Release Date: 12/17/2023
The Parables of Jesus - The Least of These
Ann Arbor Community Church Sermon Podcast
The Parables of Jesus - The Least of These (Matthew 25:31-46) - Pastor Donnell T. Wyche - . Like us on or watch our livestream Sundays @ 11:00am - Summary: In this week’s message, Pastor Donnell Wyche concludes our journey through the parables of Jesus by taking us into Matthew 25:31–46—the well-known but often misunderstood story of the sheep and the goats. Rather than presenting a God eager to condemn, Pastor Donnell reminds us that Jesus is revealing the true heart of the Father: one grounded in self-giving love, mercy, and a desire for relationship. Jesus paints a picture of...
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The Parables of Jesus - The Bags of Gold
Ann Arbor Community Church Sermon Podcast
The Parables of Jesus: The Bags of Gold - Pastor Hannah Witte - . Like us on or watch our livestream Sundays @ 11:00am - Summary: In this week’s message from Ann Arbor Community Church, Pastor Hannah invites listeners to enter into Jesus’ parable of the bags of gold from Matthew 25:14-30 with fresh eyes. Pastor Hannah helps listeners see that the story isn’t primarily about productivity or comparison, but about faithfulness and trust in the character of the master—who represents Jesus. She explains that each servant received what they could handle, revealing a master who knows,...
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The Parables of Jesus: Awake and Waiting
Ann Arbor Community Church Sermon Podcast
The Parables of Jesus: Awake and Waiting (Matthew 25:1–13) - Pastor Donnell Wyche - . Like us on or watch our livestream Sundays @ 11:00am - Summary: In this sermon, Pastor Donnell Wyche explores Jesus’ parable of the ten young women waiting for the bridegroom, highlighting how it invites us to live with spiritual readiness, not fear. He reminds listeners that the parable isn’t about purity or moral worth, but about preparation — about having “oil” that lasts through the long night. The wise and foolish alike had lamps and fell asleep, but only those who brought extra oil...
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All Souls: A Liturgy for Our Losses
Ann Arbor Community Church Sermon Podcast
All Souls: A Liturgy for Our Losses (Matthew 5:4) - Pastor Donnell Wyche - . Like us on or watch our livestream Sundays @ 11:00am - Summary: In this All Souls Day message, Pastor Donnell Wyche pauses the church’s Parables of Jesus series to offer a space for grief, reflection, and healing. He begins by expanding the meaning of All Souls Day beyond remembrance of those who have died to include all the losses that shape our lives—dreams unfulfilled, relationships broken, jobs lost, health struggles, and even disillusionment with the church itself. Through humor and compassion,...
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The Parables of Jesus: The Parable of the Weeds
Ann Arbor Community Church Sermon Podcast
The Parables of Jesus: The Parable of the Weeds - Jonathan Hurshman - . Like us on or watch our livestream Sundays @ 11:00am - Summary: Jonathan Hurshman brings us an honest, heartfelt sermon examining Matthew 13:24-30. He explores cultural context of the hearers and the world that Jesus was speaking to brilliantly, and invites us to be people who take Jesus at his word, trusting that Jesus is far more brilliant than we are. At the core of his sermon, Jonathan uncovers the question of the parable, how will we live as people of the kingdom of God, in a world where evil grows...
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The Parables of Jesus: Justice as Restored Dignity
Ann Arbor Community Church Sermon Podcast
The Parables of Jesus: Justice as Restored Dignity (Matthew 20:1-16) - Pastor Donnell T. Wyche - . Like us on or watch our livestream Sundays @ 11:00am - Summary: In this message on Matthew 20:1–16, Pastor Donnell revisits the workers-in-the-vineyard parable with fresh eyes. Rather than reading it through an hourly-wage fairness lens, he reframes the story around God’s justice as mercy, compassion, and restored dignity. The landowner’s repeated trips—at dawn, 9 a.m., noon, 3 p.m., and even 5 p.m.—are not about efficiency but about refusing to leave anyone unseen, unchosen, or...
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The Parables of Jesus: The Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector
Ann Arbor Community Church Sermon Podcast
The Parables of Jesus: The Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector - Pastor Hannah Witte - . Like us on or watch our livestream Sundays @ 11:00am - Summary: Pastor Hannah continues our fall journey through Jesus’ harder parables by inviting the church to “rest our whole weight on God” and to take Jesus at his word. Teaching from Luke 18:9–14, she frames the parable for a mixed crowd—newcomers and long-timers alike—reminding us that we are becoming a people transformed by Jesus, learning to belong across differences with joy, freedom, and boundless generosity. In this...
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The Parables of Jesus: The Rich Fool
Ann Arbor Community Church Sermon Podcast
The Parables of Jesus: The Rich Fool - Pastor Hannah Wyche - . Like us on or watch our livestream Sundays @ 11:00am - Summary: Pastor Hannah continues our fall series on Jesus’ harder parables by welcoming newcomers into a community learning to live in God’s unfolding story—transformed by Jesus and belonging across differences with freedom, joy, and boundless generosity. Setting the scene in Luke 12:13–21, she notes how a man interrupts Jesus to demand a fairer inheritance, revealing a heart preoccupied with money. Jesus’ warning—“Be on your guard against all kinds of...
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The Parables of Jesus: Love and Liberation
Ann Arbor Community Church Sermon Podcast
The Parables of Jesus: Love and Liberation (Luke 16 & Mark 10) - Pastor Donnell Wyche - . Like us on or watch our livestream Sundays @ 11:00am - Summary: In this sermon, The Parables of Jesus: Love and Liberation, Pastor Donnell Wyche explores two passages—Luke 16’s parable of the unjust steward and Mark 10’s encounter with the rich young ruler—to reveal a God who prioritizes mercy, freedom, and love over judgment and accounting. Pastor Donnell begins by reimagining the parable of the unjust steward, challenging traditional interpretations focused on fairness or stewardship....
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The Parable of the Unjust Steward
Ann Arbor Community Church Sermon Podcast
The Parable of the Unjust Steward (Luke 16:1–9) - Pastor Donnell Wyche - . Like us on or watch our livestream Sundays @ 11:00am - Summary: In this week’s message, Pastor Donnell Wyche launches our new series on The Parables of Jesus with one of the most perplexing stories—The Parable of the Unjust Steward (Luke 16:1–9). On the surface, Jesus seems to commend a dishonest manager who manipulates accounts for his own survival. This shocking twist unsettles our assumptions about morality, fairness, and what God expects of us. But Pastor Donnell reminds us that Jesus...
info_outlineThe Promises of God - Jonah - Contending with God's Mercy by Rev. Donnell Wyche - a2vc.org. Like us on fb.com/vineyardannarbor or watch our livestream Sundays @ 10:45am - vimeo.com/annarborvineyard
In this sermon, Pastor Donnell encourages us to embrace gratitude and grace as we reflect on our year. He begins by expressing gratitude for those present and emphasizes the importance of focusing on what we should be thankful for, rather than dwelling on our failures and disappointments. Pastor Donnell reminds us that despite the challenges, we have made it through the year, which is a significant accomplishment.
He then delves into a sermon series on the promises of God, using the story of Jonah to illustrate his points. Pastor Donnell explores the idea of trust in God, especially in situations where God's plans might seem daunting or disagreeable. He provides a detailed analysis of Jonah's story, including Jonah's reluctance to follow God's command to go to Nineveh and his eventual compliance after trying to flee.
Pastor Donnell highlights Jonah's internal struggle and his anger towards God's mercy towards the Ninevites, which Jonah perceives as unjust. This part of the sermon invites listeners to reflect on the nature of justice, mercy, and our own responses to perceived injustices.
Throughout the sermon, Pastor Donnell skillfully weaves in contemporary applications, encouraging listeners to consider their own lives in light of Jonah's story. He challenges us to think about how we respond to God's calls, how we handle our own reluctances and disappointments, and how we can learn to trust in God's broader plan, even when it conflicts with our personal desires or sense of justice.
In conclusion, Pastor Donnell leaves us with a thought-provoking choice: to live in a world where mercy triumphs over judgment, as exemplified by God's treatment of Nineveh, or to choose a different path. This message, rooted in biblical narrative and rich in personal application, invites reflection and a deeper understanding of our relationship with God and others.