Wildwords: Sermons From Wildwood Mennonite Church

This Sunday Andy Arthur, MCC Thrift Coordinator for SK and AB shared with us about a recent MCC Learning Tour to Uganda that he and Lisi participated in.

The Beloved Community, sometimes called the Kingdom of God, is political. How do we share life together, as followers of Jesus and children of God? How can we practice politics in ways that limit our self-interest in order to lift up those with the greatest needs?

The Beloved Community is one vision for creating a “truly brotherly society” (Martin Luther King, Jr.), a call for solidarity and harmony between all people. For followers of the way of Jesus, an important dimension of this call is the spiritual. The prayer of Ephesians 3:14-21 is an encouragement for the church to orient ourselves to the “Infinite Being,” and to be rooted and grounded in love as we sow the seeds of God’s kin-dom on earth.

This Sunday Len Rempel, Executive Minister of Mennonite Church Saskatchewan joined us for our Service of Installation for our new co-pastor Lisi Schröttner. Len connected the stories of Jonah, Andrew and Mary Magdalene and spoke to us about their different calls and different responses to those calls from God.

Matthew 25 contains a verse that may be familiar to many, and is used to promote the work of nonprofits and politicians the world over: "Just as you did to the least of these, my brothers, you did it to me" (NRSV). Jesus is inviting us to reflect on where we saw him in the least of those around us. From the hungry to the thirsty to the stranger, do we recognize Jesus? Are we paying attention? How do we embrace a world in need of the love of God? The song He is Among Us (The Least of These) by The Porter's Gate has been removed due to copyright.

What do jewelry, land titles and pottery have to do with peace? Dwight Eisler was our speaker this week.

"Consider the fig tree," Jesus says in Mark 13. As sure as the greening tree signals the coming of summer, the end of the world is both immanent and unavoidable. How do we prepare for these endings, large and small? And what hopeful note is hidden in the image of the fig tree that is also renewed in its time?

What does belonging look like? It seems to be a bit of a moving target these days, especially in faith communities. We were pleased to have Tristan Norton join us to share about belonging in the context of the Parable of the Prodigal Son in his sermon "The Journey Home: Rediscovering Community and Connection in God's Love."

"But can you tell us, exactly, who is our neighbour?" This question prompted Jesus to tell the now-famous Parable of the Good Samaritan. A neighbour responds to the needs right in front of them. We know that one. But as Jesus didn't actually answer the question, it's up to us to work out who is our neighbour, right now?

“One day, a farmer went out sowing seed…” The Parable of the Seeds and the Soils (Matthew 13) is a familiar one. Jesus describes different conditions under which people receive God’s Message as four different types of soil. Obviously, we are meant to be like the “good soil” that produces the best harvest—or is Jesus up to something entirely different? What if the outcome isn’t nearly as important as the pursuit of growth, wherever you happen to be planted?

Nature is wild. Many of us miss that, hiding out in our climate-controlled homes and carefully manicured gardens... And yet, the wildness of life is ultimately unavoidable. Wilderness finds us, ready or not. As we continue our "Wild Church" series, how might engaging with the natural world help to prepare us to hear from God in the all-natural fullness of our own lives?

This Sunday we had Lisi Schrottner share with us. In Deuteronomy 30, we've reached a point of transition and choice for the people of God. Following their wilderness wandering and giving of the Law, the Israelites are about to enter the "Promised Land". They are invited to heed the instruction they've just been given, and thus choose life. The way of wisdom, as we learn, is accessible to us, is a journey that involves discernment, and is the way that leads to life. What does this journey look like for us today?

Anabaptism began in Europe in the 1500s in small, often intentionally isolated, agricultural communities for the better part of four centuries. In the past 100-150 years, Anabaptism has experienced major changes: shifting its center from Europe to North America and then to the global South, becoming increasingly modernized, and culturally and theologically diverse. What are some stories of growth and movement that brought Mennonites to the Canadian prairies and continue to give life to our particular flavour of Wildwood Mennonite?

What does it mean to be part of the global Anabaptist body? Jesus spoke of being a vine to which we are connected (John 15:1-17). The Anabaptist branches of this vine are varied yet we remain one. We have siblings in the faith in Ethiopia, Thailand, Kenya, and the Philippines. Our stories are intertwined and sometimes it gets messy but we remain connected through the vine that is Jesus. Our guest speaker this morning was Len Rempel, Mennonite Church Saskatchewan Executive Minister.

"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?