Seattle Mennonite Church Sermons

http://www.seattlemennonite.org SMC preachers

Seattle Mennonite Church is an active Anabaptist Mennonite Christian congregation working faithfully at following Jesus in our urban context. All are welcome! Listen in to our Sunday morning sermons to get a sense of who we are.

February 03, 2019
Megan M Ramer

An episodic exploration of generosity

Pastor Megan took us on a journey in this sermon. It is - to start - an invitation to prayer, then a snapshot, a wondering, a snippet, a slippery word, a preference, a story, a ...
January 29, 2019
Jennifer Delanty and Kyle Reimergartin

Telling Stories of Land and Ancestors

"We want our forbears to stand on the right side of history...perhaps these cognitive gymnastics are a vain attempt to justify what is actually untenable." Jennifer Delanty tal...
January 13, 2019
Megan M Ramer

Power of Ritual

Jesus is baptized by John the Baptist in the River Jordan. This water ritual does more than simply mark his shift to public ministry; it effects that significant transition. Pas...
January 06, 2019
Megan M Ramer

Refugees & Weeping

Jesus was a refugee. Jesus IS a refugee (and their name is Jakelin Caal Maquin, Felipe Gomez Alonzo). A weeping mother refuses to be consoled. What if the truest thing we can sa...
December 30, 2018
Pastor Amy Marie Epp

I Am From

Matthew's first verses may sound like a list of boring names. But these names tell the story of where Jesus came from. They tell the story of brokenness and triumph of loss an...
December 24, 2018
Megan M Ramer

Roots for Windstorms

Here in Seattle, we've experienced an unusually windstormy couple of weeks, which makes an apt metaphor for our lives of gusty national politics, devastating news cycles, and th...
December 10, 2018
Amy Marie Epp

No Justice, No Peace: The Courage of Esther

Esther was more than just a vapid beauty queen. When her people were in danger she put her life on her line and used her power and privilege to accomplish justice. Esther's ri...
December 02, 2018
Megan M Ramer

Nevertheless: An Advent Sermon on Lament & Hope

A sermon from the depths of my soul for my favorite season of the year, Advent. On the lovely (accompanied by strings) and dangerous (banned by Nazis) Habakkuk, waiting, and the...
November 25, 2018
Megan M Ramer

Tender & Infinitely Fallible

Like a good spiritual director who knows we are both tender (in need of care) and infinitely fallible (in need of challenge), the prophet Jeremiah attends to a people in despair...
November 19, 2018
Pete Lagerwey

SMC Storytellers - Pete Lagerwey
November 18, 2018
Christie Dahlin

Creative Peacemaking in an Age of Perpetual War

What does it mean to be Christians in an age of perpetual war? Seminary Intern Christie, explores this question as we hear the words of the Prophet Isaiah, of swords to garden t...
November 14, 2018
Anna Maguire

SMC Storytellers - Anna Maguire
November 11, 2018
Megan M Ramer

When you seek a cure, but find healing instead

We hear the story, rich with details and characters, of Naaman seeking a cure for his leprosy. Naaman's dogged pursuit of a cure is transactional and full of all the power plays...
November 04, 2018
Megan M Ramer

A Jubilee Epistle for All Saints

"To the angel of the Mennonite Church of Seattle..." Our 50-year-anniversary celebration weekend built toward our All Saints worship in which we heard letters of greeting, remem...
October 28, 2018
Megan M Ramer

Not of this world?

King Solomon plays a deadly game of chicken, with an infant's life at stake, and for this is he is called wise. Pastor Megan explores the anti-monarchy sentiment buried within t...
October 23, 2018
Rita Kowats

SMC Storytellers - Rita Kowats

A story that moves from the quickstep to the tango. I the first minute or so of the recording is missing, with Rita's introduction of that key image of formality to freedom th...
October 21, 2018
Amy Epp

Bathsheba's #MeToo

Every woman has a story in which her body was in some way violated by a man. In which her consent was not sought. For Bathsheba her #MeToo moment changed the entire direction ...
October 14, 2018
Hannah Notess

SMC Storytellers - Hannah Notess

Hannah shares her experience in community, benefiting from the fruit that other's planted and nurtured, and in turn sowing seeds that will grow plants from which others can harv...
October 14, 2018
Megan M Ramer

Final Words

We continue our journey with the Narrative Lectionary into Joshua. Pastor Megan reflects on Joshua's final oration to his beloved people. You'll have to listen to figure out wha...
October 09, 2018
Bob Pauw

SMC Storytellers - Bob Pauw

On his 40th Anniversary with his late wife Linda, Bob reflects on the way community has made God present over his and Linda's relationship with our church.
October 09, 2018
Katherine Jameson Pitts

How Do You Feel About Boundaries?

The ten commandments. They are often co-opted by institutions and governments as a litmus test for political affiliation. What they were in context was a covenant: identifyin...
September 30, 2018
Pastor Amy Epp

The Bad Guy Needs to Die

Pastor Amy explores why the destruction of Pharaoh's army is so important to the story of the deliverance of the people of Israel and how, when it's used as a recurring chorus o...
September 23, 2018
Megan M Ramer

A Can of Worms & Immigration Stories

What a week to hear this story! Listen as Pastor Megan exposes some of the troubling and resonant layers of our Genesis story of Joseph and Potiphar's unnamed wife. And yet heed...
September 16, 2018
Megan M Ramer

A Call No One Would Want

Pastor Megan explores the extreme vulnerability Abram & Sarai must have experienced as part of their call to leave their land and kindred.
September 09, 2018
Megan M Ramer

Wrestled Claims About God

On this first Sunday of our Narrative Lectionary adventure, we start at the very beginning: Genesis. Pastor Megan wrestles with how Creator God becomes Destroyer God in the stor...
September 09, 2018
Melissa Kelly

Choosing Armor

SMC member Melissa Kelly invites us to consider what the armor of God, fighting racism, the Deathstar takedown and attachment parenting have in common. And how we are called on...
September 02, 2018
Pastor Amy Epp

Holy Desire, Sacred Sensuality

The explicit desire expressed in the Song of Songs can make us squirm, which is why we don't hear it in worship very often. But this book gives voice to human longing and and e...
August 19, 2018
Megan M Ramer

Forgiveness

Pastor Megan reflects on the people we carry around within us, "releasing" and "retaining" the sins of others, and the ongoing practice of forgiveness.
August 05, 2018
Megan M Ramer

Sustenance

On this Sunday, Pastor Megan shared the words of Jan Richardson, offering them as sustenance. © Jan Richardson, “The Gastronomical Jesus,” Reading from the Gospels, Year B, Prop...
August 02, 2018
Thalia Neufeld

Bathed in the Spirit

Summer Ministry Intern Thalia Neufeld dives into the way the Holy Spirit moves throughout Scripture and her understanding of the Spirit's work in the world. She also relates he...
July 22, 2018
Pastor Amy Epp

Hometown Reject

Jesus and his message of God's reign of love were rejected in the town where he grew up. That rejection pivoted Jesus into a ministry that was even larger and more broad, full ...
July 15, 2018
Megan M Ramer

Church Meeting Brings ... Hope?!!

A large groups of SMCers traveled to Boise this summer and had a great time! Pastor Megan reports on the annual meeting of Pacific Northwest Mennonite Conference that took place...
June 24, 2018
Erica Lea-Simka

Fire & Brimstone

We welcomed Erica Lea-Simka, pastor of Albuquerque Mennonite Church in Albuquerque NM, to preach for our Pride Sunday worship.
June 17, 2018
Megan M Ramer

Seeds Grow

Pastor Megan reflects on the most "boring" of all parables in which nothings happens ... or is it EVERYthing happens? Listen for punch lines like: "the smallest of all seeds whi...
June 10, 2018
Megan M Ramer

Misfits

Reflecting on Mark's story of Jesus facing accusers very early in his ministry, Pastor Megan explore how "Scribes ... they're just like us!", has a few words to say about the su...
May 27, 2018
Megan M Ramer

A Collage of God

On Trinity-ish / Trinity-PLUS Sunday, Pastor Megan shares snapshots of some of the MANY names for God and images of God that make up her limited yet growing collage of who God is.
May 20, 2018
SMC preachers

I Will Put My Spirit Within You

The Holy Spirit is active and expansive and there is no getting away from her. God's promise is to breathe into our dry bones and enliven what feels barren, to bring life where...
May 13, 2018
Megan M Ramer

Goodbyes

All goodbyes are not created equal. Listen as Pastor Megan reflects on a couple of the goodbyes she's experienced, her semi-obsession with good goodbyes, and what we can learn a...
April 29, 2018
Melanie Nuefeld

Building Social Capital

Pastor Melanie reflects on the story of the Ethiopian eunuch and Philip from the book of Acts, listening for some resonance with our Community Ministries here in the Lake City n...
April 22, 2018
Megan M Ramer

Other Sheep

I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold, Jesus said. I must bring them also… So there will be one flock, one shepherd. Pastor Megan reflects on those other metaphor...
April 08, 2018
Megan M Ramer

In Strides Jesus

Pastor Megan reflects on fearful disciples gathered behind locked doors in Jerusalem. Through the locked doors of their fear, in strides Jesus. Speaking a word of peace, in stri...
April 01, 2018
Jonathan Neufeld

Can anything good come out of a trap house?

Pastor Jonathan reflects on when life goes sideways and finding hope amidst the impossible and fearful. Sharing stories of the unexpected uprising of life in our own community, ...
March 25, 2018
Megan M Ramer

Cross and the Lynching Tree

Jesus' carefully calculated and lampooning political march into Jerusalem helped ensure that he would need to be crucified, along with many other brave prophets before and after...
March 18, 2018
Jason Rust

Glory & Death

Jason Rust preaches for us - reflecting on glory and death and earthiness and bodies and Mary Oliver poetry and unplanted seeds and lassitude and recklessness in love. You'll ju...
March 11, 2018
Megan M Ramer

A Slithering Slew of Venomous Vipers

What to do with the story in Numbers of God sending poisonous snakes to mortally wound the Israelites in the desert? What on earth could this story have to say to us? Listen as ...
March 07, 2018
Megan M Ramer

Small Things Matter

As Christians we've inherited a rather confused message about "The Law." Historically Christians have loved the Ten Commandments, even advocating for their physical presence at ...
February 25, 2018
Pastor Amy Epp

Names That Are True

Pastor Amy tells anew the story of a queerly named God who gives new names and new identities to Abram and Sarai and calls them into new identities in ways they cannot comprehen...
February 18, 2018
Megan M Ramer

Lament & A Rainbow Promise for All

Pastor Megan leads us in lament for victims of gun violence, specifically the 17 precious youth and adults gunned down by a teenager with an assault rifle in Parkland, Florida t...
February 04, 2018
Megan M Ramer

Joining My Voice

Pastor Megan invites us - like Jesus did when he retreated for prayer in the dark early morning hours - to dwell with the Psalms as we begin to process together having heard a c...
January 28, 2018
Waziyatawin

Naming Injustice to Find Justice: Genocide

WHAT DOES JUSTICE LOOK LIKE? The Struggles for Liberation in Indigenous Homelands. Speakers Wazitayawin and John Stoesz shared with us the experience of the Dakota struggle for ...