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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

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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The Parables of Jesus: The Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector show art 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 show art 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 show art 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 show art 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...

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Spiritual Formation: Solitude show art Spiritual Formation: Solitude

Ann Arbor Community Church Sermon Podcast

Spiritual Formation: Solitude - Pastor Hannah Witte - . Like us on or watch our livestream Sundays @ 11:00am -   Summary: Spiritual Formation series, Pastor Hannah Witte reflects on the practice of solitude. Drawing from Mark 6:30–31, where Jesus invites his disciples to step away from the swirl of activity and find rest, Hannah reminds us that Jesus values not our productivity but the condition of our souls. Solitude, she explains, is a spiritual discipline that slows us down, helping us step away from busyness, noise, and distraction so we can encounter God’s loving presence....

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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.