Zao MKE Church

This week has taken a lot of patience, as we sit on the edge of our seats waiting for crumbs. But what about a world where there is enough for all? Hear Jesus' vision for a Kingdom where "enough for all" matters more than who wins or loses.

This Sunday's scripture text is one you probably have never heard preached before. Ever.   Sometimes it's called the Parable of the Deceitful Manager, or the Unjust Steward. We're calling it the Generous Trickster. And get this - the liar from the title? He's the hero of the story.   Come hear why Jesus told his disciples they could learn a thing or two from this tricky character.

Ever been lost? Ever found something precious?   You might have some insight into the world that God intended. Come hear how stories of lost things can move us from scarcity and isolation into celebration and abundance.

Kicking off our new series, "Upside Down." We'll be hearing all the radical and stranger stories that Jesus told describing what the Kingdom is - a great reversal, a sudden shift in power, a disruption unexpected and beyond our wildest imaginations.   Get a glimpse into the world as it could be, should be, and will be once we are all reconciled in love and liberation.

We noticed that a lot of the people angry at us for supporting Black Lives Matter seem to be pretty queerphobic. And ableist. And misogynist.    Perhaps that's because, deep down, our haters know that none of us is truly free until we're all free. Liberation is intersectional!   Lucky for us, the Gospel is here for ALL oppressed people, and isn't making us wait in line to get liberated.   ***   We...

Our haters have bee throwing out the term "false prophet" a lot. But what does the Bible teach about discerning the Spirit of truth from the spirit of error?   ***   We've been receiving a lot of angry letters lately about our support for the prophetic Black Lives Matter movement, our affirmation of God's beloved LGBTQ+ children, and just in general for the ways that we seek to live out the radica...

Is God the wrathful vengeance-seeker that human beings make God out to be? Or does God have a different plan for how all this should end?   We'll turn the hate mail on its head as we radically reorient ourselves to the judgment and justice of God.   ***   We've been receiving a lot of angry letters lately about our support for the prophetic Black Lives Matter movement, our affirmation of God's bel...

We've been receiving a lot of angry letters lately about our support for the prophetic Black Lives Matter movement, our affirmation of God's beloved LGBTQ+ children, and just in general for the ways that we seek to live out the radical Gospel of liberation.   We'd like to take some time to respond to the haters, offering a different perspective on love, justice, and Jesus. Come hang, and see how w...

Part of the discipleship path is learning to be part of the Church - encouraging one another, holding confidence in God love together, and spurring one another on towards love and good works. Join us as we wrap up our Formation series, reflecting especially on Zao MKE's own formation as a church in this season of unrest, resistance, and prophetic calls for liberation.

What does following Jesus look like in the midst of uprising against state sanctioned violence? Discipleship calls us into the streets, onto our platforms, and into the light to speak truth to power. Find your place in the movement towards God's Kingdom of anti-empire!   As individuals, as church, and as a community, we are being formed into this moment - called into a new way of being with hope,...

What does radical Christian community look like? Our deep dive into just 6 verses about the life of the early church will reveal the defining experiences of life together in the Spirit. This season, we'll journey though the story of Peter and others as we think about what it means to be on our own epic journey as we are called into a community that is greater than any of us - to both be trans-form...

If you've ever felt the love of God before, it can be tempting to just bask in it forever. But what if God is calling us to use that love to fuel a revolution? This season, we'll journey though the story of Peter and others as we think about what it means to be on our own epic journey as we are called into a community that is greater than any of us - to both be trans-formed and also called into fo...

What does our "little faith" amount to? Sometimes, it's enough to walk on water.   This season, we'll journey though the story of Peter and others as we think about what it means to be on our own epic journey as we are called into a community that is greater than any of us - to both be trans-formed and also called into formation  #slay

Once we've taken the leap into the unknown, we often find ourselves forgetting why we would have done such a thing. This is dangerous! Doubt comes crashing in on us like a storm, and we need Jesus to wake up and remind us that he's still who he says he is. This season, we'll journey though the story of Peter and others as we think about what it means to be on our own epic journey as we are called...

Every story of transformation begins with a call to adventure. This season, we'll journey though the story of Peter and others as we think about what it means to be on our own epic journey as we are called into a community that is greater than any of us - to both be trans-formed and also called into formation. #slay

Liberating the Bible: A Radical Reimagination of Scripture as a Story of Liberation, a Song of Freedom God loves us into freedom and God's story is a story of liberation. Although the Bible has been used to do much harm, Jesus -- the living Word of God -- still saves us and redeems us when the written word of God (the Bible) doesn’t go all the way. Jesus is the liberating key that unlocks so much...

After spending weeks in the beautiful love stories of the Bible (reading from a feminist, queer, anti-racist lens), we'll reflect on what scripture has to offer our own modern love stories.

Rounding out our profile of Biblical couples is David and Jonathan. As a prominent king, David had many wives and sexual partners. But scripture notes something different about this one relationship, uniquely noting: "Jonathan loved David" Celebrate love between men as we explore the complicated (and beautiful!) relationship of Jonathan and David.

This week, community member Wallie Walldiferus will join Pastors Cameron Malakai and Jonah Overton for a conversation about justice work as Christian discipleship, and how the process of breaking systems of oppression invites us into personal, inter-personal, and systemic healing and wholeness. #Blacklivesmatter   #PrideMonth

Black, trans, queer, and in search of Holy Truth - the Ethiopian Eunuch has a complex and beautiful identity and story. At the time, the temple would have forbidden this person from seeking love fully as themself. But on the road home, through the words of prophets and the faithfulness of disciples, they discover a new way to be fully them, and fully loved. Hear Pastor Cameron Malakai reflect on t...

Next up in our relationship series, Ruth & Naomi! The classic "best friends" who "cleave to one another" and pledge "wherever you go, I will go." We see you and that Uhaul, Ruth and Naomi. Lots of us have had "best friends" too. Come celebrate queer love, love between women, love across ethnic lines, and the beauty that all of it is represented in the Bible. #PrideMonth #Blacklivesmatter

After tipping the hat last week to Tamar and the often misinterpreted sins of Onan (one of her husbands), this week we'll dive into the whole messy story: marriage, deceit, sex work, and Tamar's righteous pursuit of economic justice. What does the Bible have to say about relationships? Well ...it's complicated. Launching a new relationship series! Using an intersectional, feminist, queer, and anti...

This week, we explore the erotic poetry of the Bible, Song of Songs! Yes, you read that right - erotic poetry. This holy text invites us to embrace both sensuality and sexuality in our experience of life, love, and the divine. Also, many dirty fruit references 🍑🍇🥰  

This week, we sit with Job as he wrestles with questions of loss, sin, injustice and righteousness.

As we continue our series on the Wisdom Literature of the Bible, we dive into the most existential book in the tradition: Ecclesiastes. This ancient Jewish existentialism has a lot of challenges to the straight forward wisdom of Proverbs. There's an order to the universe, eh Proverbs? Sure, but humans are subject to it, not agents in it, says Ecclesiastes. Bring your (imaginary if you like) black...