Seattle Mennonite Church Sermons

Jesus says we shouldn’t store up earthly treasures. In the same breath, Jesus instructs us to store up heavenly treasures, and some of those heavenly treasures are also defiantly earthly. So go ahead and get yourselves the best treasures that earth and heaven can offer: treasures that may be truly groan-worthy, treasures that redistribute, treasures that are tended well and freely shared. Sermon b...

Conference Pastor, Eric Massanari, calls us to examine how we define what it means to be human and how that affects our interpretation of the Sermon on the Mount. If we are by definition fundamentally fallen and flawed, the call of the Sermon seems impossible. What if we view humanity as potentially redeemed by Christ? That leaves the Sermon as a call for the redeemed, for a chosen portion of huma...

Jesus taught in the Sermon the Mount that God loves completely, and that we ought also love completely. What does that mean in a culture of pervasive and rising Christian Nationalism? Along with our Menno kin across the conference, we have pledged ourselves to “Christian Discipleship” in the midst of Christian Nationalism. We are meant to follow Jesus, to love completely, to cause no harm. We are...

 …And Paul is the original Brandi Carlile?? Okay, that’s maybe a step too far. Nonetheless, go along for this wild ride in which Pastor Megan explores why specificity matters (to Bad Bunny and to God), and how staying gentle might indeed be the most powerful thing we can do (a la Brandi and, remarkably, Paul). Sermon begins right away. Scripture: Acts 2:1-21 ; Philippians 4:4-7   Resources: BibleW...

Paul writes an affectionate letter to the community at Philippi, making clear the strong relational bonds they share. He thanks God every time he thinks of them, and he calls them partners in God’s grace and preaching the gospel. But what on earth does preaching the gospel mean for Jesus, for Paul, and for us 2000 years later?! Jesus’ sense of God’s good news was most certainly shaped by the songs...

A pastor’s reflections on consuming Christian media on airplanes. Sermon begins at minute marker 3:39 Scripture: Acts 17.16-34 Resources: John Shelby Spong. Why Christianity Must Change or Die .  Link to print version of sermon HERE Image: Richard Scarry; Busy, Busy World

Paul is a complicated character, to say the absolute least. We get a whole range of behaviors from Paul in just this one story: from a callous disregard of one, to intimate concern for another, to a courageous act in solidarity with a whole oppressed group as he was released from prison. Through it all, the Way of Jesus is liberating love for self, other, and all. And thank God for Paul’s sake (an...

The Tuesday Early Morning Bible Study group leads a reflection on Saul's healing and baptism - and Ananais' call to heal Saul. What does it mean to be called? How do we know when we are called? Sermon begins at minute marker 3:56 Scripture:  Acts 9.1-19a  Resources: BibleWorm podcast: Episode 732 - No King but the Emperor , Amy Robertson and Robert Williamson, Jr. Image: Lily Tomlin as &...

The disciples are afraid and lock themselves into a room. When Jesus appears and speaks peace to them, Thomas is not there. Thomas must be either fearless, or brave (feels fear, but has left the locked room anyway). After speaking peace into their fear, Jesus assures the gathered disciples that he sends them in the same manner as God the Parent has sent him. According to John’s gospel, God the Par...

On myrrh, its use in ancient burials and love poetries. Plus a presentation of the Seattle Mennonite youth’s first Easter Piñata! Sermon begins at minute marker 3:33 Scripture:    John 19.41 - 20.18 Image by Alejandra Montenegro on pexels

Pilate’s sign, posted on Jesus’ cross, proves a source of consternation for the Jewish leaders. They exhort him to edit its message, but he definitively cuts off any hope of debate: “What I’ve written, I’ve written.” In a variety of settings, signs may be meant to delight and connect, to inspire or provoke, to teach or to impact the behavior of the sign-reader. At the site of Jesus’ execution, fol...

Both the cruelty and wondrousness of humans transcends time and space. As we read this terrible story (with great care!), it’s imperative that we remember both of these things are true. May we remain eyes wide open about the complete betrayal of “We have no king but the emperor” both then and now. May we receive the miraculous gift of kinship with all who reserve allegiance for God alone; a God wh...

Our culture has a way of focusing on individuals and privileging individual insight. In this sermon Melissa reflects on the ways that Truth is found in community. In a time when truth is increasingly under siege, how do we find our way to understanding the world in a truthful way? By building community while avoiding single stories, challenging our own ideas, and widening our experiences. Sometime...

Not all is as MEH as it first appears when John embarks on the story of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. Palm fronds and an ancient plea turned praise adorn the political street theatre of Jesus astride a baby donkey. It calls to mind the Singing Resistance happening in Minneapolis - St. Paul in these days and weeks (and increasingly: months). When things get spicier for Jesus in the Jerusalem week ah...

It’s another fraught healing story, so we say a few quiet parts out loud, e.g. OF COURSE SIN DOESN’T CAUSE DISABILITY! And then we notice a few key moments from the story of the man whose sight is restored by Jesus’ mud. First: Jesus seeks out those who are cast out. Second: Establishment folks, observing and overhearing, wonder if they’ve gotten a few things wrong. As ones who seek to follow Jesu...

When the systems of the Empire fail, we may follow our impulse to reform them; to make them more just. But our salvation will never ultimately come from the systems of Empire. We may (and must!) also follow the lead from Jesus: to notice those who have been abandoned for 38 long years, to engage those beloveds, and to seek and offer healing from an altogether different source. Sermon begins at min...

Nicodemus seeks Jesus under cover of dark, and Jesus challenges Nicodemus to follow an Empire-defying Way in the light of day. When we step away from complicity with a violent and death-dealing Empire, when we emerge from the shadows of fear, when we embrace and embody God’s lifegiving love for the whole darn world, we will find life abundant and eternal. And we will find that we are not alone. Ma...

One of the best known quotes about preaching has been attributed to theologian, Karl Barth. Preachers must preach with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other. What to do when the newspaper seems to get heavier and heavier with every passing day? As the U.S. seems to descend further and further into a lawless, violent police state, terrorizing and killing its own citizens, ripping apa...

God’s singular Word became human and dwelled among us, so that we might also become more fully human and dwell among God’s beloveds. In other words, so that we might love and be loved. With special gratitude this week to Drs. Amy Robertson and Robert Williamson, Jr. (Amy & Bobby!) for their inspiring conversation on the BibleWorm podcast about temporary structures like tabernacles and human fl...

Is there anything more lifeless than a valley full of dried bones? From the skeletal ruins of life that used to be, a collage of hope for the start of Advent. Because here’s the thing about hope: it makes the most sense and is the most powerful in the face of the hopeless. Sermon begins at minute marker 2:41   Ezekiel 37:1-14 Resources: Hamlet and Horatio come upon two gravediggers who identify a...

This weird and fantastical vision is a story of the reality of forces of destruction and death, the bravery of creating and giving life in the midst of those forces, and the desire of God that life be protected and lifegivers nourished. This weird and fantastical vision is a story of resistance, because dragons are real. We are called to midwife the Beloved Community, dragons be damned! Sermon beg...

Lessons in discipleship through the writing of icons. Pastor Tyler shares stories from the years he spent painting a 20’ mosaic of the famous 6th century icon, Christ the Pantocrator, alongside artist and pastor, Rick McPeak. Sermon starts at minute marker 3:03 Colossians 3.1-17 Resources: Poem: Sarah Kinsel, “You are like trees planted by streams of water,” Drawing Near: A Devotional Journey with...

Folks from our congregation who went to the Anabaptism 500 day-long event in Zurich, Switzerland tell histories, stories, experiences and places with us. Jonas & Laura Beachy brought us the historical backdrop to our 500 year anniversary. Nancy Chupp brought us thoughts on "Who Are These People" from today, back to the 70's, and back to the 1500s. She reflects on the lack of wom...

Through the ancient prophet Isaiah, God speaks to a people in exile: You are precious, you are honored, I love you. Through contemporary Anabaptist prophets of art and poetry (see credits below!), we too hear God’s voice reminding us that we are precious, honored, and loved. We name clearly the bodies that are particularly targeted with assault and violence in our country and world: trans bodies,...

Reflections on the poetry of Lamentations, the scrap metal tears of artist Indira Urrutia Zúñiga, and the mysterious rise of Nickleback’s unpopularity. Sermon begins at minute marker 5:44 Lamentations 1.1-2, 20-22 Resources: Poem: Lament by Ruth Ann Myers Kulp Art: Jerusalem's Suffering by Lisa Obirek See this article Knitting with Tears , about Indira Urrutia Zúñiga's scrap metal tears....