Wildwords: Sermons From Wildwood Mennonite Church

This week's parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16) is uncomfortable! A harsh condemnation, complete with angels, hellfire and "a great gulf fixed" between the two. Are the wealthy really doomed to a fate of torment? Should I be worried about my own selfish tendencies? Another disorienting week of Lent 2025... join us in the underworld, if you dare!

This Sunday we got to view the Parables of the Lost Things in Luke 15:1-32 from three different perspectives. WMC’ers Kristen Harder, Marc Blain and Phyllis Goertz each shared a reflection on all or a portion of the scripture passage.

We often assume that as followers of Jesus, we are called not to condemn, but our passage from Luke 13 complicates that. Jesus refuses to condemn people who are suffering as "sinners" deserving of their fate, but he also has harsh words for political and religious leaders who abuse their power. So Jesus calls us not to condemn or dehumanize people, but we do have to stand up against violent actions. Peacebuilder Lisa Schirch speaks of this as "two-handed peacebuilding," where one hand is held up to "stop" the violence but the other is held out as an invitation to remain in relationship and humanize the other. Susanne Guenther Loewen was our speaker this week.

This season of Lent brings the series theme "Christ Collides." Apparently our encounters with the stories of Jesus are meant to leave us disturbed and disoriented, if not bruised and shaken. Ouch! Why would anyone sign up for that?Listen to "Collision Course" from Joe Heikman drawn from Luke 10:25-42.

In Luke 9, Jesus takes three of his friends up a mountain for a dazzling display of glory: the Transfiguration. In the midst of their ministry and on the journey towards Jerusalem, they're offered a glimpse of what is to come. How do these mountain top moments shape us as we walk through the messiness of this world? Are we open to transformation in the thin places where we meet God?

This Sunday’s service featured a “coffee shop conversation” between Lisi and Joe reflecting on Luke 6:27-38, the second part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain. "Love your enemies...turn the other cheek... be merciful as God is merciful...etc." Does Jesus really mean for us to do all of that stuff? How can we possibly live up to those ideals? Join the conversation!

How do we respond to those who feel unworthy? How do we work at reframing the messages that have us believe we are not enough? How do we, like Jesus, call each other forward into hope, healing and worthiness? We were pleased to have our own Heather Peters (MCC SK Peacebuilding Coordinator) provide our 5-Minute Focus on this Brunch Sunday. In closing Heather invited us to listen to and watch When God Imagined Me by Alana Levandoski and to pray for people who are experiencing feelings of unworthiness – whether through systems, cultural narratives or relationships.

Luke 2 tells the story of Anna and Simeon, two elderly folks who interrupt baby Jesus' first trip to the Temple with their joyful proclamations. What is this simple story doing as the final story of Jesus' early days in Luke's gospel? Why do these old "prophets" matter and what could we learn from them about identity, hope and blessing?

In Luke 4, Jesus begins his public ministry with an "inaugural" sermon in his hometown of Nazareth. His message, coming straight from the prophet Isaiah, bears a challenging word for his first audience and for us. In these challenging times, we ask ourselves: can we live out the radical message of the gospel, and what are we willing to endure and give up?

We were pleased to have our friends Cheryl Woelk and Scott Kim visiting this Sunday. Scott and Cheryl are Mennonite Church Canada Liaison Workers in South Korea. They shared with us their experiences working for peace as Mennonite Christians in Korea.

"You want a new world? Great. Get real still and let the old world die." The promise (or threat?) of a whole new world is in the air all around us these days--politically, economically, ecologically and personally. How do we navigate the bumpy waters of change--longed for or forced upon us--in ways that lead to health and growth? And what does this have to do with Jesus' baptism?

Epiphany is the season after Christmas in which we celebrate the incarnation of the Divine, the revelation of God in the person of Jesus Christ. In Matthew 2:1-12, we follow the journey of the "Magi" from the east to Bethlehem, learning that God works in unexpected ways and gifts come in unexpected places.

With the prophet Isaiah, we imagine the world as it could be and full of life - flowers and rivers in the desert, and a Sacred Path back home. Jesus offers the same prophetic imagination to see the world differently. This transformation is slow but sure work, and we are invited to take part. As we wrap up this Advent season, we pray that hope and peace and joy and love flourish in us and transform the world around us.

Advent is a season of peace and love and harmony, as envisioned by the prophet Isaiah's poetry about wolves and lambs resting together, toddlers playing with vipers, vegetarian lions, etc. That sounds lovely (if a little boring), but... here in the real world, conflict and destruction persist, to put it lightly. Why do we care about an ancient, idealistic vision of peace? And how might we practice this vision within ourselves and our communities?

On this first Sunday of Advent, we ponder what it means to have hope along with Mary through the lens of The Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55). This song offers a word of hope for a waiting and oppressed people, and invites us to "go and do likewise" and join God in bringing hope to our hurting world.

On Eternity Sunday, the last Sunday of the traditional church calendar, at Wildwood we take time to name and grieve for our losses in the past year. This year's snow storm meant that only a few of us met at the church building while most others joined online. This solemn service raises big questions for many of us, especially about death, resurrection and the afterlife. What is the basis for the Christian hope that not even death can separate us from the love of God? How do we know that, in the end, everything is going to be okay?

This week we were excited to have Wyndham Thiessen ( Executive Director/Community Leader) and Alecia Thompson join us from L’Arche Saskatoon. They talked about building community and referenced some scripture texts that are particularly relevant to them in this context. We have chosen L'Arche Saskatoon to be our Annual Community Partner this year and look forward to connecting and building community over the coming months.

What Colour is your Faith? This summer at Wildwood, we're exploring the model of Spiral Dynamics as a way to understand the many different faith perspectives that are within and around all of us.  Billie Eilish. Mumilaaq Taqqaq. Hannah Gadsby. (Yup, we are shamelessly celebrity name-dropping to clickbait you into checking out this week's sermon.) But also, these three powerful women demonstrate the best of the "Red: Power/Ego" space in our series on the spirituality of Spiral Dynamics. Come flex with us! The song you should see me in a crown by Billie Eilish has been removed due to copyright.

What does it look like to break the cycle of shame in practical terms? Embracing vulnerability in your relationships, with yourself and with others. Ben and Joe explain what that might look like, and then a dance party breaks out. Seriously. The song Just the Way You Are by Bruno Mars was removed from this recording due to copyright.

The prayer that Jesus taught us, or the Lord's prayer, outlines a vision for the kin-dom of God on earth. This Peace Sunday, as we are surrounded by narratives of war, scarcity, and fear, how can we rewrite the stories? How can we reimagine the ancient vision of shalom (peace) and make it make sense for our world today? Note: Song recording Your Peace Will Make Us One by Audrey Assad has been removed due to copyright.