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God at Work: When the World Feels Like It’s Falling Apart

Ann Arbor Community Church Sermon Podcast

Release Date: 06/16/2025

Advent Week Four show art Advent Week Four

Ann Arbor Community Church Sermon Podcast

Advent Week Four - Jonathan Hurshman - . Watch our livestream Sundays @ 11:00am -  

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Advent Week Three show art Advent Week Three

Ann Arbor Community Church Sermon Podcast

Advent Week Three - Pastor Donnell Wyche - . Watch our livestream Sundays @ 11:00am -  

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Advent Week Two show art Advent Week Two

Ann Arbor Community Church Sermon Podcast

Advent Week Two - Pastor Donnell Wyche - . Watch our livestream Sundays @ 11:00am -    

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Advent Week One: A Genealogy of Hope show art Advent Week One: A Genealogy of Hope

Ann Arbor Community Church Sermon Podcast

Advent Week One: A Genealogy of Hope - Pastor Hannah Witte - . Watch our livestream Sundays @ 11:00am -   Summary: Pastor Hannah introduces Advent as a season of waiting and reflection, inviting the congregation to remember Jesus’ first coming and anticipate his return. This leads into the reading of Matthew 1, emphasizing that the genealogy is an origin story rich with meaning rather than a list to skip. Pastor Hannah highlights three themes in Jesus’ lineage: it is multi-ethnic, featuring women like Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba; it is full of broken yet beautiful...

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The Parables of Jesus - The Least of These show art 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 show art 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 show art 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 show art 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 show art 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 show art 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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More Episodes

God at Work: When the World Feels Like It’s Falling Apart - Rev. Donnell T. Wyche - a2vc.org. Like us on fb.com/vineyardannarboror watch our livestream Sundays @ 10:45am - vimeo.com/annarborvineyard 

Summary:

In this first message of a new sermon series, Pastor Donnell Wyche invites us to wrestle with one of the most urgent questions of our time: Where is God in a world that feels like it’s falling apart? In light of recent violence and tragedies, Pastor Donnell names what many of us feel—fear, anger, helplessness, and confusion—and draws us into the biblical tradition of asking hard questions. The people of God have long cried out, “How long, O Lord?” and “Where are you?” Pastor Donnell reminds us that these questions aren’t signs of weak faith; rather, they are faithful expressions of grief, longing, and hope.
 
Drawing on scripture—from Genesis to Psalms to the prophets—Pastor Donnell highlights a consistent truth: God hears the cries of the oppressed. God is not distant or indifferent. In fact, the biblical witness reveals a God who is deeply invested in humanity, who suffers alongside us, and who calls us to act with justice, mercy, and humility. While we may not always understand God’s timing or ways, scripture and the lived experience of the faithful tell a story of a God who cares and who invites us to co-labor in the work of healing and justice.
 
As the sermon closes, Pastor Donnell offers four practical invitations: to act courageously in small, just ways; to create contemplative space to be with God; to learn by immersing ourselves in scripture that shapes our moral imagination; and to commit to community, walking with others in faith. When the world is unstable, these practices anchor us in God’s presence and call. Even in the darkness, we are not alone. God is near, and God is at work.