Seattle Mennonite Church Sermons SMC preachers

All of Acts is a story about a community / communities in transition; a story about finding a way together through much sorting and discerning; a story about claiming and releasing and improv; a story of a community’s long journey of becoming. All in the service of following Jesus together, as empowered by God’s Spirit. Today, Melanie and Jonathan share with us a story of our becoming, and theirs; a story of Community Ministry seeded in the rich soils of Seattle Mennonite Church and the Lake City neighborhood; a story of community ministries (plural!) midwifed, nurtured, and - ultimately - released. Today we embark on the sorrowful and sacred path of bidding the Neufelds farewell. Though it is impossibly hard to say goodbye to beloveds, we remember their time among us with deep gratitude, and we release them to seek and discover their next deep yes. God be with us, each one. [Megan’s intro begins at minute 21:15, Melanie & Jonathan’s sharing begins at minute 23:45]
Series: Narrative Lectionary - Year 3 - Eastertide

Acts 15:1-18

Permission to podcast the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-726929. All rights reserved.
Come and Fill our Hearts - © 1982, 1991, 2011, Les Presses de Taizé, GIA Publications, Inc., agent; Contributors: Jacques Berthier, TaizéThere's a Wideness - Text: Frederick W, Faber, 1861; Tune: Lizzie S. Tourjee, 1878Come Thou Fount - Text: Rober Robinson, 1758; Tune: American traditional in John Wyeth’s Repository of Sacred Music, Part Second, 1813Additional Resources
Call to Worship: Voice Together 862Prayers of the People: Voices Together 1048In Christ there is no East or West,  Voices Together 390Scripture: Acts 15:1-18Land Acknowledgement: Real Rent Duwamish: https://www.realrentduwamish.org/ Blessing our Offerings: DonateSupport Camp Carmec: Donate“Stay: A Blessing for Ascension Day,” Jan Richardson, Circle of Grace, 161 (2015).“We Shake with Joy,” Mary Oliver, Evidence (2009).Benediction: Voices Together 1068Image: Neufelds at Winnipeg Pride Parade, 2018, swiped shamelessly from facebook! :)

 At first blush, Philip seems to be the hero of this remarkable story in Acts, being willing to expand the circle of the Jesus-following community. Philip offered baptism to the Ethiopian eunuch, a gender-variant foreigner from a racial minority. But Pastor Joanna Harader (of Peace Mennonite in Lawrence KS), invites us to take another look at the Ethiopian eunuch, and find a resilient and insistent faithfulness that has survived every possible barrier or attempt to cast out. Blessed be the resilient ones who show up for worship and community, in the face of marginalization. Blessed be the insistent ones who claim Scripture as their own, when it has so often been used against them. Blessed be the faithful ones who stare down the real possibility of rejection in order to ask the challenging questions and disrupt the status quo. “Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized???” [Sermon begins at minute 31:20]
Series: Narrative Lectionary - Year 3 - Eastertide

Permission to podcast the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-726929. All rights reserved.
Come Walk With Us - Text:  Zulu, South African traditional, trans. Gerhard Cartford © Lutheran World Foundation; Tune: South African traditional, Arrangement © Peace of Music Publishing AB, admin. Walton Music Corp. Text: English tr. © Lutheran World FederationBecause the Words We Wait To Hear - Text: John Thronburg; Tune: Jane Marshall © 2003, Wayne Leupold EditionsWe Will Walk with God - Text: Xhosa, traditional Swazi, trans. John Bell; Tune: traditional Swazi, transcr. Swedish Youth Exchange project © 2002 WGRG, Iona CommunityAdditional Resources:
Moons Prayer, by Michael Bade, used with permissionScripture: Acts 8.26-39Land Acknowledgement: Real Rent Duwamish:https://www.realrentduwamish.org/ Blessing our Offerings: http://tinyurl.com/SMCoffering Prayers: included words from “This is how we’ll make it,” a prayer by Rev. Mihee Kim-Kort, from A Rhythm of Prayer, ed. Sarah Bessey.“The Ethiopian Eunuch,” a conversation with the BK Apologist, Alfredo Valentin, and the Tru-ID Apologist, Adam Coleman - https://youtu.be/CtUKlodzizc Queer Virtue, Rev Elizabeth Edman, http://www.queervirtue.com/ Image: “Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch,” Herbert Boeckl (1952 – 1960), fresco of the Seckau Apocalypse in the Angel's Chapel at Seckau Abbey, Styria, Austria; image licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

We had a 15 minute service of worship and prayer today followed by continuation of our Congregational Meeting from last week.  Holy Work!

Permission to podcast the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-726929. All rights reserved.
Holy Spirit Come with Power - Text: Anne Neufeld Rup © 1970, Spanish trans. Barbara Mink © 1980; Music: The Sacred Harp, 1844, Harm. Joan Fyock Norris © 1989Renew Your Church - Text: K. L. Cober © 1960, renewed 1985; Music: American Traditional, adapt. The Sacred Harp, 1844Additional Resources
Land Acknowledgement: Real Rent DuwamishPrayers of the People Adapted from Peter Haresnape's "Prayer of Formation," sourced from Christian Peacemaker Teams worship resources for solidarity with water protectors.Blessing our Offerings: Donation form Worship Psalm: Voices Together 184Benediction by Weldon Nisly, sourced from CPT  worship resources 

Acts tells us that as the community of disciples grew in number, “a dispute arose…” Not shocking for any of us who have ever been part of any human community: As numbers grow, disputes are surely to arise! This story of the early Jesus-following community trying to figure out how to organize themselves in the wake of Jesus’ death and resurrection, as their numbers are growing by the day, offers some insight into our own adventures in being community together. May we have ears to hear, and the grace to receive the Holy Spirit’s disruptions of our best laid plans as GIFT!
Series: Narrative Lectionary - Year 3 - Eastertide
Permission to podcast the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-726929. All rights reserved.
Come Away from Rush and Hurry  Words - ©1999 MennoMedia Inc.The Church of Christ Cannot Be Bound   Words - ©2005 GIA Publications , Inc.Our God in Heaven  Words and Music - ©2008 Abingdon PressGo Now in Peace, Worship Continues  Words - ©2004 Wayne Leupold Editions
Additional Resources
Scripture: Acts 6:1-7:2a, 44- 60Land Acknowledgement: Real Rent DuwamishPrayers of the People adapted from the Baptist Union of Great Britain Blessing our Offerings: http://seattlemennonite.org/donate Call to Worship: Voices Together 877Photo: Footbridge, Boulder River Wilderness, Megan M Ramer, 2021

The disciples on the road to Emmaus didn't recognize Jesus while he was walking with them. But like a flower that knows in its cells how to bloom, they knew in their bodies that to be disciples was to offer hospitality.  They had been at hundreds of tables with Jesus offering welcome to strangers and sinners.  Just like the disciples, we're living in a time of uncertainty, unsure of what comes next.  Perhaps if we let the DNA of discipleship form us - welcome, hospitality, empathy and compassion - we'll be able to grow with confidence into whatever new form life will take.

[Sermon begins at 26:30]

 Luke 24.13-35

Permission to podcast the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-726929. All rights reserved.
Christ Has Arisen, Alleluia! Words by Bernard Kyamanywa © 1968 Makurima University College; trans. Howard S Olson © 1977 Augsberg Fortress. Music Haya traditional.On the Journey to Emmaus, Words by Marty Haugen based on Luke 24. Music arranged by Marty Haugen from Irish Traditional © 1995 GIA PublicationsIn the Bulb There Is a Flower,  Words and Music by Natalie Sleeth © 1985 Hope Publishing Co.Go My Children, Words by Jaroslav J. Vajda © 1983 Concordia Publishing. Music Welsh Traditional.Image: Photo by Michael Burrows from Pexels

We gather to celebrate the risen Christ with music, song and story. Children and their families bring their joy and creativity to the Easter story in a mini video-pageant and we conclude our worship with our tradition of belting out the Hallelujah Chorus (well, we hear ourselves singing from a couple years ago - but we belt along at home.) Alleluia! Christ is risen!
Series: Narrative Lectionary - Year 3 - Easter
Luke 24:1-12

Permission to podcast the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-726929. All rights reserved.
Lift Your Glad Voices - Text: Henry Ware Jr., 1817; Music: John E. Gould, 1878Eternal Light - Text: based on a prayer by Alcuin, 8th c., Christopher Idle, 1977 © 1982; Music: Irene Zacharias Moon © 2019Who are These? - Text: based on “Ad coenam Agni”, ca. 5th - 6th c., refrain, Brenda Hostetler Meyer, stanzas © 2019; Music: Jacek Galuszka © 1989Additional Resources
Scripture: Luke 24:1-12 This Joyful Eastertide, VT 352When at Creation's Dawn, VT 121Land Acknowledgement: Real Rent Duwamish: https://www.realrentduwamish.org/ Blessing our Offerings: http://seattlemennonite.org/donate Call to Worship: Joanna Harader at SpaciousFaith.comPrayers of the People: adapted from Ann Siddall in Lent to Easter liturgies: Year C.  Posted at Stillpoint Spirituality Centre.  Learn How to Sign the Word AlleluiaEaster Pageant: SMC children and their families, including Sarah, West & Aven, Elena & Adele, Daryl, Cedar & Rose, Kyle & Macaulay, Nico & Ethan and Naomi.Musical Accompaniment: Joanne Sprunger, Piano; Greg Thiessen, TrumpetImage: Photo by Jessica Lewis on Unsplash