Seattle Mennonite Church Sermons

A woman anoints Jesus' head with precious perfume. She offers this extravagant - even wasteful - gift under the angry eyes of the disapproving disciples. Yet Jesus says of that "what she has done will be told in memory of her."  Sheldon Burkhalter explores the joy, love and beauty inherent in her gift and the way we who follow Jesus are called not only to acts of service but to acts...

King David is unmatched in the Hebrew Bible in stature and name recognition.  How can this flawed and fallible person be THE ONE that is so lauded and admired?  Pastor Amy tries to cut through the Bible's spin and see David with the eyes of Jesus.  Which doesn't mean she likes him, but helps her understand that God's work is accomplished through him. Image: Gerard von Honthorst, Kin...

God goes by many names.  Maybe that's why when Moses asked a burning bush for it's name, God side stepped the question with the vaguest and most specific of answers: I AM.  The God of our ancestors is big enough and intimate enough to answer to all names. -- Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

The struggle is real!  The place of this story in our first testament is a witness to the reality that God's desire for humanity is that we both cling to and wrestle with our Creator.  In the struggle that Jacob had with God, though he came out limping, he also came out blessed.  After the surprise of the struggle, he saw the face of God.

We welcomed back to the pulpit our former intern Christie Dahlin to reflect on the ways we laugh - from discomfort or to keep from grief, to the pleasure of shared joy.  As Sarah and Abraham have their lives and laughter transformed from bitter and pained to disbelieving delight at the welcome of their son, they realize that truly nothing is too wonderful the confound the mystery of God's wor...

 Compared to the first chapter of Genesis, the story of creation in chapter two is tender and intimate, and speaks of God's caring closeness.  God's fingerprints are all over creation and God's breath animates all creatures.  When God scoops up some mud and created the first earth-ling then breathed into it, life begins! In times of stress and anxiety, in times of stillness and calm...

Long-time SMC member Lenae Nofziger recounts the places in her own life and in scripture where she find hope.  She includes her own bout with depression, the strength of the prophets, the compassion and empathy of Jesus possible because of his own suffering.  Suffering is not part of some cosmic plan by God, but "if suffering were unavoidable even for the son of God, how could anyone else avo...

Pastor Jonathan reads from Jennifer's experience of Pacific Northwest Mennonite Conference.

Doug Basinger reads the contribution of Sabrina Lindquist, SMC's representative to the Mennonite Church USA delegate assembly.

Madeleine Kelly Kellogg reflects on the highlights and experiences of being a youth at Mennonite Church USA youth assembly.

The sons of a father are lost - to the distant country of fast living and the distant country rules and jealousy.  The woman lost and isolated by years of unclean bleeding.  Through story and relationship, Jesus teaches a rhythm of solace: retreat and return and in the rhythm finding God.

Yep, that's ALL-CAPS on the COMMAND. What are we - a people who don't much like to be commanded at all - to do about having been commanded to remember the sabbath and keep it holy? What are we to do about the fact that we - on the regular - DON'T remember the sabbath or keep it holy? Whether you love and regularly practice sabbath, or resist it altogether, or think it completely unr...

AJ Block reflects on worship and praise, hurt and freedom, the rhythms of reorientation, the embodied manifestation of the prophetic in our gathered body, and God's intention for us.

After hearing Mike read the gospel from Luke, Anna & Kevin each reflect - thoughtfully, vulnerably, honestly - on the story of Jesus offering healing to all 10 lepers though only one would say thanks, and God's coming to those (like us) most disoriented and lost. [Photo by Ev on Unsplash ]

When if feels like life is too much, when people suck, when stress is eating us up, when injustice is rampant and we can't stand it, the Psalms are there for us.  The Psalmist lets it all out at God in anger, blame, despair and grief and God takes it.  Though we feel like the church doesn't want us to express our sadness or our anger, we never should feel like God is sending that message...

In May our adult Sunday School focused on beginning to understand our calling to hospitality to trans folks in our community.  Starting with learning some basics about gender identity and expression using the Genderbread Person and some terms and definitions from BMC 's Trans 101 resource, we turned the second half of the class over to Avery Kanode, who was gracious and generous enough to sha...

What a gift to have these contemporary prophets & friends leading us in worship. Listen to inspiring stories and inspired reflections from members of the ecumenical / interfaith "Faith Action Climate Team" here in Seattle: Abby Brockway, Lynn Fitz-Hugh, and Keith Ervin.

We begin a worship series on the Psalms and, with huge credit to Walter Brueggemann, Pastor Megan begins by exploring how folks "on the desperate edge of their lives" cried these prayers and songs destined to last and resonate for thousands of year. And because a Psalm is better prayed than preached, Pastor Megan launches from Psalm 1 to write her own Psalm, her own "deeply human ut...

Listen to reflections from Pastor Megan interspersed with the reading of most of Romans 8 by Pastors Melanie & Jonathan. It's a whirlwind tour, but in the wind of that whirlwind, in the breath that allows words to be heard, and the breath that creates spaces between words, giving them meaning… in the wind and in the breath, perhaps God’s Spirit somehow - mysteriously - moves, dances, sigh...

Don't be an righteous tool, be a weapon of justice!  With the armor of God, you too can do battle against the sin of white supremacy, racism and sexism.  Sin's power is strong but new life in Christ and with the grace of God, we are free to shake off that power. Resources in the sermon: The Invisible Knapsack , by Peggy MacIntosh features all the ways that white folks carry privileges in...

In our congregational meeting on June 2, 2019, we created space for telling the story of Mennonite Voluntary Service in Seattle, and for sharing memories and reflections.

It's all in that (long!) title: Pastor Megan begins her sermon with a greeting, based on Paul's greeting to the gentile Jesus-followers in Rome, then offers some CliffsNotes on Paul and his letter to the Romans, and concludes by sharing a bit of good news from these opening words of Paul's letter - good news of connection experienced and embodied across many miles.

We journeyed along with Paul and Barnabas, as they sought to follow Jesus and end up get mistaken as gods and frantically seeking to redirect! Pastoral Intern Christie explores the invitation and permission to go and do, even with the risk of making mistakes. As we move forward in small and faltering steps, there is a call to be in community and to root in remembering our deepest identity, that we...

"What God has made clean, you must not call profane." Peter has visions of (forbidden) food while hungry and praying on a rooftop in Joppa, but it turns out to be far more than just a hunger-induced delusion. It turns out to be inspiration for him and his gatekeeping community to get out of the Spirit's way (or INTO the Christ-Spirit's Way) in not withholding belonging from unl...

 Pastor Amy remembers the words of Waziyatawin, who told our congregation: These words do violence.  The "Great Commission" in Matthew 28 is used to uphold the Doctrine of Discovery and has given white European colonizers a supposed reason to subdue and subjugate indigenous people and claim indigenous resources.  But when we, Jesus' disciples, follow everything he's taught us,...