Zao MKE Church

Pastor Jonah is back! When our nervous systems are continuously activated by the dangers and injustices all around us, what intentional practices can we cultivate to keep coming home to community, connection, and the love of God?

As we seek to push back on the powers of empire, it can be hard to know where to start. There are so many causes and movements that are worthy of our support, but we can only do so much as individuals. Let's remember that we aren't meant to do everything, but to discover who God uniquely made us to be. Guest sermon by Chris Chapman

What do you do when everything you thought you knew collapses? And what does it mean to start over? This week we explore the story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, as we learn to listen to what our bodies can tell us about what is true and who to follow. Guest sermon by Tamice Spencer-Helms

One thing progressives and conservatives undeniably share is this: we all cherry-pick the Bible. It’s an unavoidable reality that we gravitate toward certain passages and stories while overlooking or even rejecting others. If that’s the case, then the question isn’t whether we cherry-pick — but how we do it. Can we acknowledge this fact and still approach Scripture in ways that are rooted in integ...

We live in a world that simultaneously gives us reason for immense sorrow and tells us to constantly stay positive and look on the bright side. It can be hard to look at the state of the world and have hope, but is that the whole point? What if our faith found room for both honest grief and reason to hope in the goodness of God? We will explore this through the lens of Lamentations, a book all abo...

God speaks through all of creation. In this special sermon, hear the voice of God as told by community members Bryan, Kian, and Liz: how God is showing up in their lives, how God invites them into transformation, and how God's love changes everything.

Many of us have become disillusioned with more conservative, fundamentalist expressions of the Christian faith. After we deconstruct, it can be challenging to find new practices and expressions that suit what our faith looks like now. What theologies and beliefs are you still holding on to that are keeping your faith from thriving? What practices can you return to and trust that God will still mee...

This Sunday we reflect on Jeremiah’s image of God as the potter and we as the clay, discovering how God reshapes us with intention to live as vessels of justice, mercy, and hope. Guest sermon by Rev. R. Ellen Rasmussen

An exploration of Jesus’ work with his followers to build a rich, relational, liberatory movement. Guest sermon by Mark Fraley

God speaks through all of creation. In this special sermon, hear the voice of God as told by community members Krissie, Cat, and Galen: how God is showing up in their lives, how God invites them into transformation, and how God's love changes everything.

Have you ever felt like you are alone is this life, or that God was far from you? Let’s explore El Roi or the God that sees us. Guest sermon by Tamra Schneider

Every human being is divine. Each of us is born with inherent worth, in the image of God. Join us for this service where we explore birth as divinity incarnate.   Guest preacher: Rev. Jennifer Nordstrom

History is written by the powerful, but God invites those at the margins to be prophetic interpreters and storytellers. How does the story change depending on who tells it?

We spend our lives fighting for justice - but the point of the fight is that all may live whole, beautiful, connected lives of creativity and joy. So while we fight, why wait? We are called to come fully alive right here, right now - even as we work towards a better world.

Rage can be righteous, but if we don’t process and transform it, it will consume us. This week, Sweeney Todd offers a portrait of a man on the wrong path. How can we do better?

Defy gravity and quit playing by the rules of someone else's game! This week, we build the courage to resist systems that script us as villains or “wicked” for being different, powerful, or noncompliant.

In a world that punishes the poor and rewards betrayal, Les Misérables shows us that love, grace, and solidarity are revolutionary acts. This week, we’ll explore the daily choices that shape us—will we join the people singing for liberation, or cling to systems that cannot save us?

Guest sermon by Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis. The Reverend Dr. Liz Theoharis is a theologian, author, pastor, and anti-poverty organizer. She is Founder and Executive Director of the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice. Rev. Dr. Theoharis is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), co-pastor of the Freedom Church of the Poor, and teaches at Union Theological Seminary in...

This week, we take a closer look at Miriam, a prophet, strategist, and teacher who led her people into freedom alongside her brother, Moses.

This week, we hear the story of Shiphrah and Puah, midwives who defied Pharaoh’s orders and protected their people, reminding us that liberation often begins with quiet, courageous resistance.

Queer, chosen family isn’t outside the Bible—it’s right at the heart of it, in the lineage of Jesus. This Pride, come celebrate and participate in queer kinship and connection at Zao and beyond.

When the urgency of the world overwhelms us, James reminds us we are called to be patient with the same dedication that others rush to violence.

James teaches us that friendship with the world (empire) will always give us a frenemy at best. No matter how loud and seductive the logic of scarcity and empire is, we can turn up the volume on resurrection truth through community discernment and prayer.

Resurrection faith transforms our speech, calling us to align our words with wisdom, integrity, and action. How we speak reveals the truth: has the word of God truly taken root in us?

This week at Zao: a sharp word from James on favoritism, wealth, and God’s economy of mercy. No more playing favorites - resurrection communities don’t hoard, they provide.