Seattle Mennonite Church Sermons
Episodes
407 episodes
Planes
A pastor’s reflections on consuming Christian media on airplanes.Sermon begins at minute marker 3:39Scripture: Acts 17.16-34<...
A Complicated Character
Paul is a complicated character, to say the absolute least. We get a whole range of behaviors from Paul in just this one story: from a callous disregard of one, to intimate concern for another, to a courageous act in solidarity with a whole opp...
Being Called
The Tuesday Early Morning Bible Study group leads a reflection on Saul's healing and baptism - and Ananais' call to heal Saul. What does it mean to be called? How do we know when we are called?Sermon begins at minute marker 3:56Sc...
Sent in the manner…
The disciples are afraid and lock themselves into a room. When Jesus appears and speaks peace to them, Thomas is not there. Thomas must be either fearless, or brave (feels fear, but has left the locked room anyway). After speaking peace into th...
Piñata #1
On myrrh, its use in ancient burials and love poetries. Plus a presentation of the Seattle Mennonite youth’s first Easter Piñata!Sermon begins at minute marker 3:33Scripture:
What’s in a Sign?
Pilate’s sign, posted on Jesus’ cross, proves a source of consternation for the Jewish leaders. They exhort him to edit its message, but he definitively cuts off any hope of debate: “What I’ve written, I’ve written.” In a variety of settings, s...
No King; But Kin
Both the cruelty and wondrousness of humans transcends time and space. As we read this terrible story (with great care!), it’s imperative that we remember both of these things are true. May we remain eyes wide open about the complete betrayal o...
What is Truth? And where do we find it...
Our culture has a way of focusing on individuals and privileging individual insight. In this sermon Melissa reflects on the ways that Truth is found in community. In a time when truth is increasingly under siege, how do we find our way to under...
First Lines and Buried Seeds
Not all is as MEH as it first appears when John embarks on the story of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. Palm fronds and an ancient plea turned praise adorn the political street theatre of Jesus astride a baby donkey. It calls to mind the Singing R...
Laughter, Outcasts, and Getting Things Wrong
It’s another fraught healing story, so we say a few quiet parts out loud, e.g. OF COURSE SIN DOESN’T CAUSE DISABILITY! And then we notice a few key moments from the story of the man whose sight is restored by Jesus’ mud. First: Jesus seeks out ...
Don’t Build a Ramp Into the Empire’s Pool
When the systems of the Empire fail, we may follow our impulse to reform them; to make them more just. But our salvation will never ultimately come from the systems of Empire. We may (and must!) also follow the lead from Jesus: to notice those ...
Nighttime Musings; Daytime Wayfinding
Nicodemus seeks Jesus under cover of dark, and Jesus challenges Nicodemus to follow an Empire-defying Way in the light of day. When we step away from complicity with a violent and death-dealing Empire, when we emerge from the shadows of fear, w...
When the Bible Reads the Newspaper
One of the best known quotes about preaching has been attributed to theologian, Karl Barth. Preachers must preach with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other. What to do when the newspaper seems to get heavier and heavier with eve...
Enfleshed & Tabernacled
God’s singular Word became human and dwelled among us, so that we might also become more fully human and dwell among God’s beloveds. In other words, so that we might love and be loved. With special gratitude this week to Drs. Amy Robertson and ...
Only the Hopeless Needs Hope
Is there anything more lifeless than a valley full of dried bones? From the skeletal ruins of life that used to be, a collage of hope for the start of Advent. Because here’s the thing about hope: it makes the most sense and is the most powerful...
Dragons Are Real
This weird and fantastical vision is a story of the reality of forces of destruction and death, the bravery of creating and giving life in the midst of those forces, and the desire of God that life be protected and lifegivers nourished. This we...
Mosaic
Lessons in discipleship through the writing of icons. Pastor Tyler shares stories from the years he spent painting a 20’ mosaic of the famous 6th century icon, Christ the Pantocrator, alongside artist and pastor, Rick McPeak.Sermon start...
Anabaptist 500 stories
Folks from our congregation who went to the Anabaptism 500 day-long event in Zurich, Switzerland tell histories, stories, experiences and places with us. Jonas & Laura Beachy brought us the historical backdrop to our 500 year anniversary. N...
Embraced by Divine Love
Through the ancient prophet Isaiah, God speaks to a people in exile: You are precious, you are honored, I love you. Through contemporary Anabaptist prophets of art and poetry (see credits below!), we too hear God’s voice reminding us that we ar...
Lamentations
Reflections on the poetry of Lamentations, the scrap metal tears of artist Indira Urrutia Zúñiga, and the mysterious rise of Nickleback’s unpopularity.Sermon begins at minute marker 5:44
Dreaming the Impossible
What if God still dreams? What if that’s the truest, surest thing we can say and know: God is still dreaming? What if we devote ourselves, collectively, with dreaming beyond the probable, beyond the ‘realistic’, beyond even the possible? What i...
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Dreaming the Impossible
What if God still dreams? What if that’s the truest, surest thing we can say and know: God is still dreaming? What if we devote ourselves, collectively, with dreaming beyond the probable, beyond the ‘realistic’, beyond even the possible? What i...
Visions and Divine Images
Join Janet Berg as she reflects on this week's visionary scripture from Ezekiel and on Ann Hostetler's poem responding to it. Janet examines how Divine Images live in our questions and exist in the space between two people.
