http://www.willowspringsmennonite.church/

Willow Springs Mennonite Church, 16621 Kentville Road, Tiskilwa, IL (2026)

02/26/2024

What a special Willow Springs retreat using the Anabaptist Prayer Book to guide our worship! Fun fellowship and games! And, catered Puerto Rican food from La Cocina De Irene!

01/21/2024

Worship via ZOOM ONLY January 21, 2024

01/14/2024

The Light from the manger still invites and transforms!

01/13/2024

Worship via zoom 1-14-2024. Stay safe, warm and dry!

04/10/2023

Celebrating Easter! New life for the journey.

07/11/2021

July 11 worship on zoom only, 9:30 am. See you then!

06/10/2021

Great day for Kids Creation Celebration at Willow Springs! Awesome children, parents, bee presenters and leaders.

12/25/2020

Christmas Devotional December 25, 2020
“God with skin on”

Scripture reading John 1:1-2, 14
1. In the beginning was the Word. The Word was close beside God and the Word was God. 2. In the beginning, he was close beside God…
14. And the Word became flesh, and lived among us. We gazed upon his glory, glory like that of the father’s only son, full of grace and truth.
- The Kingdom New Testament: A Contemporary Translation, N. T Wright author of “Simply Christian”

There is a story about a little boy who was going to sleep for the night and was afraid of the dark. So, he crept his way into his mother’s room and whispered, “Momma, I’m afraid.”

His mother said, “Don’t worry son. Jesus is with you.”

He thought about it a minute and said, “I know he is, Momma, but I want someone with skin on.”

Many years ago, we were at my son’s house in PA. We had taken our daughter to check out a program run by Mennonites to see if it would be a good fit for her. While we were waiting to see if she would be accepted into the program, Polly casually suggested that maybe we should move to PA if our daughter enters the program. For reasons I do not fully understand even today her casual remark hit me like a ton of bricks, and I had a severe panic attack. I remember laying on the floor in my son’s living room terrified. Polly got down on the floor and wrapped her arm around me. I needed Jesus with skin on and Polly Jesus for me.

Like the boy in the story, there are times when we too just want someone with skin on. When I am hurting, I want someone to be Jesus for me.

“And the word became Flesh, and lived among us” For three years the disciples walked with Jesus and witnessed God with ‘skin on.’ Jesus was revealing God in the flesh to them. It was an epiphany that was not suddenly revealed to them and often was seen only in hindsight. In the process they needed to be convinced again and again for the truth to sink in that Jesus really was God in the flesh.

John in his Gospel recorded that initially Andrew tells Simon, “we have found the Messiah” yet, “Who is this man” was a constant refrain. Thomas only fully recognized that Jesus was God with ‘skin on’ after he saw his physical body after the resurrection.

The New Testament writers did not theorize or speculate about how Jesus could be both human and divine as the church councils did a few centuries later. They simply recorded what they had seen and heard and handled. 1John 1:1. Their lived experience with Jesus was such that, as the Apostle John expressed it, they “glazed upon his glory, a glory like that of God the father’s only son full of grace and truth.”

If we accept the disciple’s testimony, deny ourselves and take up our cross, (Mark 8:34) and follow in the footprints of Jesus, we too experience God in the flesh.

We are Jesus hands and feet. Yes, we can be alone and feel God’s love and presence and experience the Holy Spirit as our comforter, yet we also need the physical presence of fellow disciples. During this pandemic we yearn for physical contact. We yearn for the time when we can freely be together to worship, have fellowship over coffee or tea and have meals together.

Prayer focus: Loving God we give you this day as an act of worship.
May we live and breathe in awe of your compassionate presence in this world.

Open our ears to hear your voice.
Open our eyes to see you in the face of another.
Help us willingly, unceasingly share our hearts with you.
May our constant conversation compel us to steward well the gifts you lavish on us this day.
- Author unknown

- Vernice Begly

12/24/2020

WS Advent Devotional Christmas Eve - 12/24/2020
Luke 1:26-38

The Birth of Jesus Foretold
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[a] the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Reading this passage aloud to myself just now, I was reminded of an image from a children’s story book called The Nativity, illustrated by Julie Vivas. The particular image that came to mind was the Angel Gabriel giving the good news to Mary whilst sitting at a kitchen table with coffee mugs in their hands, as if this exchange was simply an ordinary conversation between two friends. It doesn’t matter that what Gabriel was saying sounded impossible and extraordinarily frightening. Fear Not – the Angel says…and Mary, comforted by these words and her faith eventually responds…So be it.

More often than not, it is out of the ordinary that something extraordinary happens. Although it does require our imagination and a little dose of positive perspective. Plant a humble seed in the ground and vegetables appear. Mix some flour, eggs and sugar into a bowl and voila, you have cake! Greet a stranger on the street and receive a big smile in return. A hundred million mini-miracles like this happen in our lifetimes, if we only are open enough to receive them, brave enough to respond.

I truly believe that cultivating an attitude in life to respond with grace and generosity in the simple everyday events prepares us to face the monumental moments. Mary’s “yes” came seemingly easy to her because she had cultivated her faith and trust in God. Every mini-miracle we pay witness to brings us great joy. Facing the pains and sorrows of life moves us through those times of hardship, grief and mourning.

Fear Not – the Angel says….What is God calling you to this day? What has the Spirit of God implanted in you for you to nurture and to give life to?

I am aware that this is the last Advent reflection for this year. It has been a humble privilege to offer a few reflections to all of you, and a great joy to read all the others every morning in my prayer hour. During this time when we especially feel disconnected and distant, it has made me feel closer and connected to my Willow Springs Family.

May the Christ-child whose coming we have anticipated and prepared for, bring you comfort and peace, joy and hope and most especially Love…in all its many manifestations.

~ a short reflection by Sr. Glenna

12/23/2020

WS Advent Devotions 12/23/2020
Advent Week 4 Theme: On the road to revelation, if we have faith and a willing spirit, God will show us the way. God’s word to us is “I am with you; do not be afraid.”
Romans 16:25-27
Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him – to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.
“So that all nations might believe and obey him”
We are very sorry for the recent years of increasing worldwide hostility to the displaced and to the immigrants. In the U.S. in 2020, there has been a very large increase in hate crimes against Asians blaming them for the Covid pandemic. We are especially saddened by the level of participation in hostilities toward immigrants by proponents of a christianity mixed with fear based nationalism. It’s happened before many times. Connie and I learned of one such time in September of 2018 as we stood in front of the church “Igreja de Sao Domingos” in Lisbon, Portugal. We listened to the story of a sad time in this church’s history. During the second wave of the Christian Reconquista of Portugal in 1497 all remaining Jews were either removed or forcibly converted to Christianity. In 1506 after a difficult time of plague, drought, & famine a zealot christian mob identified and blamed the Jews for these problems. They surrounded this church and attacked and killed several thousand converted Jews who were worshiping inside. This history lesson is a reminder to us that we must cast out fear and test all contemporary thinking with Christ’s teaching, i.e. “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Who is our neighbor? The story of the Good Samaritan follows in the Biblical text.
So it is today (12-8-2020) with a sense of irony and appreciation that we observe the public release of the first Covid-19 vaccine. It is the brainchild of researchers, Ugur Sahin and Oslem Tureci, a married couple, both Turkish Muslim immigrants to Germany. As a student studying in Germany in 1971, Elvin observed that the German people viewed Turkish immigrant guest workers as the lowest tier of their society. Uger Sahin was the first guest worker child admitted to his school in Cologne, Germany. This season in particular we feel a need to recognize and be thankful for the many contributions of immigrants. Some of them harvest our food, some take care of our elderly, some develop lifesaving vaccines, some have been our own family ancestors, and one is our Savior the “immigrant to Egypt” Christ child.
Lord God,
As you promised, show us the way, be with us and cast out our fears. We pray this Holy Season for the revival of respect, humility, courage, and integrity among peoples of all faiths. We pray that all might believe and obey You— to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.

Lord in your mercy… hear our prayers.
Elvin & Connie

For more context and reflection, consider reading all of Romans 16.
Below: Flight into Egypt, (1451) by Fra Angelico Giovanni, from the monastery of San Marco, Florence, Italy.
A print of this painting hangs in our living room.

12/22/2020

WS Advent Devotional Tuesday 12/22/20

Psalm 89:1-4, 19-2

1 I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever;
with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known
through all generations.
2 I will declare that your love stands firm forever,
that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.
3 You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant,
4 ‘I will establish your line forever
and make your throne firm through all generations.’”

19 Once you spoke in a vision,
to your faithful people you said:
“I have bestowed strength on a warrior;
I have raised up a young man from among the people.
20 I have found David my servant;
with my sacred oil I have anointed him.
21 My hand will sustain him;
surely my arm will strengthen him.
22 The enemy will not get the better of him;
the wicked will not oppress him.
23 I will crush his foes before him
and strike down his adversaries.
24 My faithful love will be with him,
and through my name his horn[a] will be exalted.
25 I will set his hand over the sea,
his right hand over the rivers.
26 He will call out to me, ‘You are my Father,
my God, the Rock my Savior.’

The theme for this week: On the road to revelation, if we have faith and a willing spirit, God will show us the way. God’s word to us is “I am with you; do not be afraid.”

These verses praise God’s plan in revealing that David, the youngest son, who wasn’t even called in from watching the sheep when the prophet Samuel arrives, would become the king of Israel. What a crazy revelation! Can you imagine getting told news like that? I find it interesting that this wasn’t revealed directly to David, but rather through the prophet Samuel, David is called.

Sometimes things aren’t revealed to us directly, but rather through someone else’s insight. One day in mid November I read an article about the rare alignment of Saturn and Jupiter. I told my mom about it right away, and she said, “Oh, I noticed that they have been getting closer together. So that’s what’s happening?” Wow! This incredible event had been revealed to my mom, because she kept her eyes open. I needed the help of a news article.

When I first looked at Saturn and Jupiter on Sunday evening, they just looked like one very bright planet. At first, I thought I was looking in the wrong place, but I didn’t really think so, since I knew that they would be very close together by this time. Dad handed me the binoculars, and then I could clearly see that there were two distinct planets. Without being aware of this event, and without the aid of the binoculars, I never would have seen this alignment, perhaps this same type of event was what the magi saw as The Star. We need to actively pay attention in order to see God’s vision. Sometimes we can’t see God’s vision on our own. We need help. Sometimes God’s vision is revealed to us through other people, like Samuel. Sometimes God’s vision is revealed through “binoculars,” tools that help us better understand God’s vision, such as reading scripture, prayer, and reflection.

I have read these verses several times and one verse continues to stand out to me (paraphrased):

My hand will sustain you;

surely my arm will strengthen you.

I find great comfort in this verse these days. I need God’s sustaining hand each and every day. I hope that you find comfort in this as well.

What might be revealed to you in these verses that haven’t been made known to me? What role might you have in revealing God’s vision to someone else? Is your spirit willing to follow?

Prayer: God, reveal your vision for our lives. Make us aware of your steadfast love and your sustaining hand. Let us be open to revealing your vision in the lives of those around us. Amen

Anna Zehr

12/21/2020

WS Advent Devotional Monday 12/21/2020

2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16
1 After the king was settled in his palace and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, 2 he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.”

3 Nathan replied to the king, “Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the Lord is with you.”

4 But that night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying:

5 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? 6 I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. 7 Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’

8 “Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. 9 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth. 10 And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning 11 and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies.

16 Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’”

“Home is where the heart is.” “There’s no place like home.” “Home isn’t a place, it’s a feeling.” “Home Sweet Home.”

“Home is where we hang our hearts… where our story begins… where you treat your friends like family, and your family like friends.”

Did I know I would return to Willow Springs Church when I left all those years ago? The truth is, I never truly left. Yes, I attended occasional church services at Christ Community Church and Oak Park Mennonite in Chicago when I lived there. I even traveled a half hour every once in a while to attend the Seattle Mennonite Church in a Lake City neighborhood when I moved to the Pacific Northwest. But just as the roots I grew at Willow Springs gave me the courage to spread my wings and explore new places, they also drew me back again. To friends, to family, to home. To where I feel I belong.

How rootless it must have felt to be wandering, wandering, wandering for so many years. No solid foundation, just tent stakes that could be pulled up and moved at will. Did they ever get tired of moving? Fearful? Hopeless? I’m sure they did. They were, after all, human beings: fallible, vulnerable, and sometimes cranky human beings. Again and again I’m sure they had to be reminded, or remind themselves, that the ground beneath their feet did not need to remain permanent in order for stability to reign. We carry our home within us in the form of the Holy Spirit. If our hearts are with God, we are truly home, safe, sound, loved and settled, no matter how far we may wander.

This week, my oldest son begins a new job at Rock Island Arsenal. My daughter-in-law and grandchildren are living in temporary housing as they wait for work to be completed on their new house in Bettendorf, IA. They have been uprooted, tent stakes ripped from the earth, and traveled to a place where they have never been before. But they are not wanderers and neither are we. No one is homeless who has laid the foundation that is Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
Prayer: Lord, keep us from wandering away from our love and devotion to you. Be with us as we welcome friends, family, and strangers to join us under the secure, luminous tent that is your grace surrounding us. Thank you for providing a home that travels with us wherever we go.

Debra Borys

Willow Springs Mennonite Church

02/26/2024

01/21/2024

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07/11/2021

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12/25/2020

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