WildWords: Sermons from Wildwood Mennonite Church

As we return to The Book of Belonging for the summer, we first encounter the judge and prophet, Deborah. Deborah's story challenges us to use our prophetic imagination when reading difficult texts and confronting violence.

A sordid tale of sexuality gone wrong. Sex, lies, prostitution and… a goat? A family slowly crashes towards annihilation. And yet, God was, and is, there, meeting us in our chaos and vulnerability, calling us to do the same for the messy humanity around us.

These days, the majority of Canadian culture generally doesn't care about people's sexual orientation and gender identity--and that's a positive step from the fear and stigma towards LGBTQ+ people in generations past. But that's not good enough--in the words of Ted Lasso, "We don't not care . We care very much. We care about who you are and what you're going through. A...

This Sunday marks the first in our Pride Month worship series called "Wonderfully Queer! Belonging & Allyship at Wildwood." We start this series with a look at queer theology and different perspectives on reading the Bible. We learn that the way of Jesus is really a "queer" way of being in the world, and is part of our calling as radical, peace and justice loving disciples...

On the edge of the "promised land," the Five Fearless Sisters, the daughters of Zelophehad, display incredible courage and demand their inheritance of land as part of the Israelite family. This inspiring (and complicated!) story draws out some interesting questions about how to treat others well and how to use our inheritance for the good of all. 

You know that gift you received that you didn't really ask for or even know what to do with? That's the vibe a lot of us have for the Bible, especially the difficult parts of the Hebrew Bible (aka The Old Testament). Thanks, God, we know this is special... but it's really old and doesn't make a lot of sense! How do we use this, again? Join us as we consider what it means to belong...

While Jesus was in the boat with his disciples, he gave them a pop quiz about the recent miraculous feedings he had performed — feeding 5,000 and then 4,000.  The disciples remembered the details of how many fish and loaves there were and even how many were left over, but did they really understand what had happened?  Understanding details is not the same as the experience of faith and trust. From...

This week Dwight Eisler shared his thoughts on Miriam’s song in Exodus 15.

On this Brunch Sunday we were pleased to have Eileen Klassen Hamm share with us for our 5-minute focus drawn from Exodus 3-14. “They shook off the names that their masters had called them--Slave, Forgotten, Throwaway--and trusted in a new name: the People God Goes With.” What are the names that our masters call us - Consumer, Producer, Citizen, etc. What is true about these names, and what do we w...

The book of Exodus begins with the defiant and heroic actions of several women, beginning with two midwives, Puah and Shiphrah. They are all seeking to bring life and flourishing to baby Moses and the oppressed Israelites, which is an invitation to us to live into the spirit of liberation and justice, no matter the cost. 

Jacob had spent his life on the run--from his brother, from his mistakes, and from his responsibilities. Had he lost himself along the way? Just as he’s contemplating whether or not to run away again, Jacob finds himself in a literal wrestling match with the Spirit of God. He’s desperate for God’s touch, but afraid that he’ll again be burned instead of blessed. Familiar story? What does it mean fo...

Do you believe in the Resurrection? Which one? Sure, it’s Easter so you’re probably thinking of the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth—but there’s a lot of other beliefs that are usually built around that one. What does your belief—or lack thereof—mean for you? And does that shape the way you live?

Do you believe in the Resurrection? Which one? Sure, it’s Easter so you’re probably thinking of the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth—but there’s a lot of other beliefs that are usually built around that one. What does your belief—or lack thereof—mean for you? And does that shape the way you live?

This Palm Sunday, we remember Jesus's triumphal entry in Jerusalem, the beginning of his final journey to the cross. With shouts of "Hosanna!" and waving leafy branches, the crowd welcomes their king. But we know that, in a few days, they will be shouting "Crucify him!" In this messy in-between, where do we find ourselves? Are we ready to accept the kind of "king"...

Who is most responsible for Jesus' death on the cross? There are the usual first-century suspects... but should anyone closer to home be included on the list? If so, are we also complicit in other major tragedies of our world? Or maybe none of that really matters? How can we think about complicity and wrong-doing in ways that help to move us towards justice and harmony?

Peter's denial of Jesus is a small but profound story, woven into the Easter narrative of all four of the Gospels. In these moments, Peter's devotion to Jesus is tested, as it was earlier in the garden during Jesus' arrest. Peter seems to lose his way, but is there hope for redemption? As disciples of Jesus committed to peace, can we find the "third way" that's neither vi...

Jesus wants to wash Peter's feet. Peter does NOT want this to happen. What's going on for both of them? How do we hear the voice of Christ in the midst of our own internal monologues and the deluge of other voices we live in? And what does it mean for us to follow Jesus in this ritual of footwashing today?

This is the first Sunday of the season of Lent, the slow journey with Jesus toward the cross and Easter. The sermon series, Dwelling in Dissonance, invites us to sit in the uncertainty, the aching, and the mystery of our current experience, in light of the stories of Jesus' final days in the gospel of John. We begin with the miraculous story of the raising of Lazarus. 

On this Brunch Sunday we focused on the story of Hagar. When Hagar ran away God pursued her and showed Hagar that God was with her always. Hagar named God “El Roi: the God Who Sees Me.” This week Lucy Bridges shared with us the story of her son Sean and how she started “Sean’s Fund” through the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) to honour Sean’s life.

The family stories of Sarah, Hagar, and Abraham in Genesis are full of faith and doubt, joy and sorrow. When they lose sight of God's promises and abundance, they take matters into their own hands and the consequences are discord and unravelled relationships. How can we have radical hope in difficult times, and continue showing radical hospitality when we feel lost or threatened?

Is a relationship with God more contract or covenant? The agreement(s) God made with Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 12-17 were both spiritual and political, personal and collective. How did/do the concerns at one end of that spectrum impact the concerns of the other end? Where does your relationship with God fall in that continuum and what does that mean for your faith? How does a local church, exis...

In this interpretation of the Hebrew origin stories in Genesis, we follow the humans as they doubt God and forget their true names, which brings a host of consequences. They embark on a journey with God out of the garden, which becomes our journey of recovering, remembering, and reminding others of our truest names: we belong, we are beloved, we are delightful.

Are you good? What about the rest of the people and the world around you? The Genesis Creation story makes the generous claim that, despite all the headlines, this world is all kinds of good! How do we come to terms with that, as people of faith with our eyes wide open? And how does that goodness call us to respond?

This Sunday, we were pleased to welcome Sharon Murugiah, Executive Director of Shekinah Retreat Centre, to share with us about Shekinah Summer Camp. You can learn more about Shekinah at www.shekinahretreatcentre.org/ . Sharon also shared with us a reflection on Philippians 1:1-11.

On the first Sunday of 2026, we celebrate the Epiphany, which is the event of the Magi visiting the baby Jesus. But it's more than that; it's also an invitation to follow Jesus as disciples, and to be guided by curiosity and wonder as we enter a new season!