WildWords: Sermons from Wildwood Mennonite Church Wildwood Mennonite Church

"From their innermost being will flow rivers of living water," Jesus said. This "River of Life" flows within and all around us, the way of shalom. In the baptism ritual, we name and celebrate this living water. And in the communion ritual, we practice living this way of shalom, each in our part of the Body of Christ. Come on in, the water is fine!

The Mennonite tradition claims two rituals as central to our practice: baptism and communion. While other denominations claim these (and others) as sacramental--the essential means by which God’s grace is given--we hold them as “merely” symbols--pointing to the more significant transformation in progress beyond these practices. Does that make them less valuable, and if so, why bother? These and other rituals are markers that remind us that the whole journey is sacred and we all belong as part of God’s shalom.



Our service began with a video clip "Super Hero Identity" (https://www.instagram.com/p/C66o4jCrJEh/) followed by these words from Joe.

When we follow Jesus, we see him building bridges and tearing down walls between communities, offering forgiveness and mercy rather than judgment, standing with “the least of these” in service and solidarity. and choosing sacrificial love as the way to peace. As Mennonites, reconciliation--right relationships with one another and all of Creation--is the center of our work.

What do lotus flowers, butterflies and honey bees have in common? Following our Sunday Brunch on this last Sunday of the month, Peter Lippmann shared with us some thoughts on patience drawn from Psalm 37:3-7 and Philippians 4:8.

We were excited to work with Amanda Dodge, Program Director with MCC SK, to have a guest speaker from India join us this Sunday live via Zoom, as part of MCC's "Climate Action for Peace" campaign.

Our speaker, Pabrita Paramanya, is an MCC staffer working in development and agriculture. Pabrita’s presentation covered identification of regions in eastern Indian where he works with MCC & partners, discussion of climate change adaptation and mitigation work there, and stories of affected people/families.

The presentation was followed by an opportunity for a Q&A period.

How are we meant to read the Bible? Anabaptists take the Bible seriously as a guide for faith and life. Of course, that’s the claim of most every Christian church--so what makes an Anabaptist perspective different? Our tradition claims faithfulness to a simple, straightforward understanding of Scripture, to an interpretation guided by community, and to Jesus as the embodiment of the Word of God. What does that mean to you?