Our world is full of great cause for alarm. AI potentially running amok, climate change, politics, war - take your pick. Hope in the face of these concerns is a precious commodity. However, the context of this week's scripture reminds us that the prophets also lived during troubling times as well. When faced with oppressive powers or oppressive times, we are faced with a choice. Do we assimilate, accommodate, or do we take the most dangerous option - resistance? Without resistance, many may suffer through our lack of action. One of the most powerful tools of resistance is hope. Trey Ferguson's sermon explores how hope is the exercise of the positive expectation in God's goodness, best practiced in community. The prophets teach us that hope comes from having a God mighty enough to save us and that you can count on that salvation. However, we must carry the burden of this expectation together. That as we wait upon the Lord with an audacious hope, God will effect changes that create an almost unrecognizable improvement in circumstances. Come and listen as Trey offers his interpretation of how we will live to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

The story from Genesis is about Abraham taking his son Isaac up to the mountain to be sacrificed. But Abraham being willing to sacrifice his son is craziness!

Who has been rendered expendable in our zeal for God? When we're driven by a desire to be faithful to God and go too far, real people pay the price. Typically, the most vulnerable among us: widows, orphans, immigrants, women, and children in general, captives, disabled people, queer people, all sorts of people who are pushed to the edges of our society. And when God sees these people bound to altars that we've constructed, God moves on their behalf. When faith takes us too far God provides the means for us to be faithfully generative.

We have to face the fact that zeal to be faithful to God will not override God's care and compassion for even the least among us.

This morning Trey preached from Romans 6:3-11.

Death is the great equalizer. Making sense of death is the impetus behind a great deal of faith systems and cultural narratives around the world and throughout history. Even in the incarnation of Jesus, Jesus receives a death sentence. In entering the story of humanity, Jesus embarks on a journey toward the grave. It's not the sort of journey we get to watch from the sideline. It's a journey we're invited to take with and in Jesus. When we are baptized into Jesus, we're not baptized into a substitutionary equation, but a life of radical following and discipleship. And it's a life that marches straight to death.

But when we follow Jesus, we're baptized into a different type of death. We're baptized into Jesus' death. The sort of death that we face when we know how the world will respond to what is right. We're baptized into Jesus' death so that we can experience the miracle of resurrection. When we come alive again we move as those who are not timid about what comes next. We move with a sense of eagerness and even urgency about what we find on the other side of our next steps.

On Trey's first official Sunday as RMC's new pastor, he spoke about the radically inclusive, ever-expanding Kingdom of God. Jesus proclaims the good news not to draw people into religion, but to construct new ways of belonging.

Today's passage says that when Jesus saw the crowds he had compassion for them. Compassion is not only the awareness of distress or suffering of another but the sharing of that distress. We are compassionate when we feel the distress of others in our own being and move to alleviate it on their behalf.

In a world that has become increasingly reliant on artificial intelligence, it is easier than ever to dehumanize our neighbors. And it is impossible to dehumanize anyone without gradually losing touch with your own humanity. The salvation that Jesus offers is a rehumanization project in which the many ways of the world that chip away at our ability to love one another well are overcome by the herald of a new humanity.

RMC's soon to be pastor, Trey Ferguson, preached on Pentecost Sunday, reflecting on the arrival of the power of the Holy Spirit that empowered his followers to preach the Gospel to multitudes of people in their own heart languages, no Duolingo required. In the upper room their must have been a deep sense of anticipation, waiting on the arrival of God's invitation to a partnership with God in their work. This mirrors our own anticipation as we await to see the wonders God will show us in partnering RMC with Trey and his wonderful family. How will the Holy Spirit empower this community of believers and its new pastor? Raleigh today is as cosmopolitan as Jerusalem in the time of Christ, full of new people arriving from all over the world with heart cultures of their own. Trey reminds us of the truth that as a descendant of Africans, it bears witness to an act of colonization that he is fluent in English rather than Igbo. Pushing people away from their heart language separates them from their common story and culture, and cements outsider control. Pentecost is the Holy Spirit's act of affirmation of all of people yearning to commune with God, that reaches out to people in a way that makes the most sense to them, bringing them into communion with God and other believers without colonization or coercion. As RMC strives to become a multilingual and intercultural church, we sit in anticipation of what the Holy Spirit might do with our efforts to imagine a community that embodies this spirit of communion.

Guest speaker Chris Rice brought the message this Sunday.

Every age has its signature affliction, according to Byung-Chul Han. Ours is the age of the burnout society. We're in captivity to our activity.

The story of the good Samaritan is about allowing our lives to be interrupted by the stranger by the side of the road. The story of Bethany is about our lives being interrupted by extravagant devotion. Extravagant action cannot be separated from extravagant stillness in this time of anxiety and burnout.

We need to get God's love into our bones! The Psalmist did not write, "Be busy and know that I am God."

Susan shared the story of Paul and Silas being jailed in Philippi. They were charged, beaten and imprisoned after the owners of a fortune telling demon-possessed slave girl lost their revenue from her when Paul cast out her demon in name of Jesus Christ. When you mess with people's source of money, you're asking for trouble!

Even when in prison, however, Paul and his companions continued to pray and sing praises. They knew that God was still at work, even in difficult circumstances. It's a spiritual practice that we can learn from. But it takes practice and regular exercise to build that muscle.

Susan Scott preached on the Acts 2: 42-47 as a natural extension of the Gospel of Luke. Jesus performed many miracles in Luke, and now his followers through the power of Holy Spirit are doing the same, if a little less perfectly. The testimony of their ministry begs questions of our own walk as Christians. How much forgiveness and love should I offer to difficult people? How much money should I give away? How much risk should I take to help the disenfranchised? Am I doing all of this well enough? Instead of framing this situation as an imposition that we should try to navigate in terms of minimum acceptable performance, we should be looking at service in God's Kingdom as an invitation. Susan Scott explores these questions by looking at them not in terms of the fear that we often pose them, but rather in the context of love. How is the love of God inviting you to be a vessel for his presence in the world?

RMC's Hans Linnartz preached this week from the Gospel of Luke. Luke tells of the mysterious appearance of Jesus walking with his followers Cleopas and Mary, his wife, just outside of Jerusalem, fleeing the city following Jesus' crucifixion. Editor's note - below are the slides mentioned in the sermon in the order they are referenced. Much like the other post crucifixion appearances of Jesus, Cleopas and Mary, fully in grief over his death, do not initially recognize Jesus among them for some unspecified reason. However, at the end of their journey, Jesus corrected and guided the pair out of their grief through scripture, revealed his true self, and left them in a state of joy and understanding, equipped to rejoin the other Apostles and carry on with spreading the Gospel. Remember this mysterious Jesus when we are in our deepest despair and pain. Jesus is still walking alongside to guide us, bring us joy, and help us spread the Good News, even if we don't recognize his presence yet.

Trey Ferguson preached on Holy Humor Sunday at RMC via Zoom. Editor's note- at the beginning of the sermon Trey played a CLIP - please click on the link to the left to watch- from a David Blaine street magic performance where he gets a person to pick a card and reinsert it into the deck. David throws all of the cards against a window and the person's card appears stuck to the BACK of the glass while the other cards fall to the ground. The audio of this illusion was deleted from the recording for copyright concerns and due to the visual nature of the trick not translating well to an audio format. Trey ponders in his sermon on the connection between the joy David Blaine took in instilling a sense of wonder in strangers and the real wonders that Jesus performed during his time on earth and how those around him struggled to interpreted their meaning and veracity. We know that some of the disciples were full of doubt, and others didn't believe Mary when she reported an empty tomb and a living Jesus. The biggest question for the disciples and followers wasn't can Jesus be raised from the dead, for they had seen Jesus do this, but who had the power to raise Jesus while he was dead. Of course Jesus knew this was going to be the Holy Spirit. But Jesus cared enough about Thomas's doubt to appear inside the locked room a second time, and took pleasure in turning doubters into believers, inviting them to experience shock, wonder, and awe. In turn we musk ask ourselves how we plan to share the whimsy of our faith with others who doubt. Jesus has sent us out into the world like God sent him to share this wonder.

Happy Easter to all! Susan Scott preaches on the resurrection, of course, this Easter. God works a lot like springtime, making things that appear dead become suddenly renewed. With that in mind, what is Jesus when he comes back from the dead? He is embodied with scars, yet Mary mistakes him for a gardener until he speaks. Later he walks through a locked door later. Jesus's followers first had a hard time accepting that he was supposed to die at all since they expected him to usher in an end to Roman occupation, and thus had a hard time comprehending what his resurrection portended So what does the resurrection tell us? Jesus's resurrection foreshadows what will eventually happen to us, gives us hope in the face of our own mortality, and reframes our understanding of earthly suffering. Death cannot silence the power of God's love to manifest within us. In life, we receive hope in the fact that the good works we are called to do are all part of God's greater plan of redemption, and not done in vain. Join Susan Scott as she explores what we can learn from the resurrection of Christ.

Ben Rudeen Kreider, pastor at Chapel Hill Mennonite Fellowship, provided the message on this Palm Sunday.

From the ubiquitous Buc-ee's billboards to the variety of incredibly creative signs seen at yesterday's No Kings rallies, signs are everywhere. A good sign grabs your attention in a short phrase with what a movement is about.

Palm branches waved while Jesus rides in on a donkey colt--both are symbols, or signs with meaning. Pilate had a sign for the world to see hung above Jesus when he was nailed to the cross: "King of the Jews." These words were meant to mock, deride and belittle. To send a message that anyone who dared cross or insinuate kingship was a threat to the Roman Empire. Yet we as followers of Jesus cling with faith to the truth of that sign posted above him.

The paradox of faith is that we believe that this man deserves all titles of honor and respect and admiration and gratitude, that he is indeed King of Kings, Lord of Lords, the very Son of God.

On this fifth Sunday of Lent, we continue the story of Jesus before Pontius Pilate. Through lots of questioning Jesus is mum. When Pilate gets quite frustrated and asks if Jesus is not aware that he has the power to release Jesus or to have him crucified, Jesus answers, "You have no power over me unless it has been given to you from above." Pilate can find no wrong in him, but the Jewish leaders and the people insist he must be crucified.

What made Jesus dangerous was his lack of fear. But Pilate is afraid for his role. When the Jewish leaders say they have no king but the emperor Caesar, Pilate is concerned for his own life.

There is such a contrast, such dissonance, between the apparently fearless Jesus and these deeply religious men speaking blasphemy. It can be difficult for us not to fall into the trap of relying on our government as our ruler, when instead we are called to rely on a higher power.

There are so many points of reference for our lives today in this story of Jesus before Pilate that Susan spoke about on this fourth Sunday of Lent. Pilate was a politician, not a statesman, not a leader, but a politician. To Pilate, truth was something to manipulate.

The dissonance between Pilate and Jesus is stark. As relatable as Pilate is--we read about the likes of him in the newspaper everyday--so we understand his world, his priorities. But it's this other king, Jesus, who claims our allegiance, whose kingdom is not of this world. Jesus has gone before us and stood up to evil and power.

Seth brought the message on this third Sunday of Lent. We find Peter, the beloved disciple of Jesus, at probably one of the worst times of his life, denying he knew Jesus when he swore he wouldn't.

But this story isn't so much about Peter as it is about us. We all, like Peter, have moments when we lose sight of our bravery, our integrity, our boldness, our loyalty. We all have deeds we look back on with shame; things that we hope we'll never have to answer for or even admit out loud.

We're admonished not to be consumed by the shame of our imperfection. Instead, to lean in to the beauty and the horror of the cross. To lean into the dissonance of our limitations and failures and the grace and truth of the one we follow, of the one who loves us.

(Apologies for the dropout of the audio at a couple places in Seth's sermon.)

At the start of her sermon on this day after the US and Israel rained bombs on Iran, Susan admonished us to keep up the coordinated, persistent, non-violent pressure on the administration, and to keep up the prayer.

The way of Jesus is the way of love, and today's text is all about love. In it we read about Jesus washing his disciples' feet. This was completely unheard of for someone in authority--for their teacher--to be stooping to the point of washing the feet of someone "below" him in the caste system. The master takes on the role of a subordinate and pours out his love and devotion.

But then he goes a step further.

If I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought also to wash one another's feet, for I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you."

To pass on the selfless, self-forgetful love of God, sometimes means letting others see you in a less than flattering light. What a radical countercultural way to behave because it means we have to take our eyes off ourselves, and focus on the other person.

What does it mean to serve others when self-forgetful, selfless service opportunities come your way? Especially when we're not particularly comfortable following through on those opportunities? What is God nudging each of us to do?

The first Sunday of Lent Susan Scott delivered a shorter sermon than normal to allow time for a major church life meeting after the service. Lent is a season when we tend to lean more intentionally into engaging with the life and character of Jesus. The scripture was story of Lazarus' resurrection. We all know the outcome, so it is easy to forget all the pain, suffering, and disappointment that occurred during his death when they expected Jesus to be there and do something to save his friend. He isn't even there to offer comfort. People sent word to Jesus and he stayed put for two days. Forcing this tragedy so that he can perform a great miracle seems callous of Jesus. What his followers do not understand is that Jesus is preparing them for the anguish, doubt, and fear that will happen to them after he is crucified. Join Susan Scott as she uses her sermonette to explore this seldom considered part of the Lazarus story and what lesson we can take from it for our own faith journeys.

This is Trey Ferguson's (our pastoral candidate) first sermon here at RMC. How we imagine God shapes how we interact with others, our pursuits, ethics, and mores. Which means that when our understanding of God shifts there is the potential for us to transform along with it. The children of Israel saw God's glory as a consuming fire (from God's appearance on top of Mt. Sinai) and they applied that understanding in the bloody conquest of Canaan. Jesus, however, provided an entirely different view of God's glory to the disciples. Jesus was not consumed by the fire of God's presence--he was transformed. This begs the question, did God's glory change or did the perspective of the witnesses to God's glory change? RMC invites you to join Trey Ferguson as he uses the Transfiguration of Jesus to explore how our perception of God fundamentally affects our faith journey and our community of faith.

Nina Balmaceda provided the sermon for this morning's service which was held via Zoom due to the inclement weather.

Jesus was not from the center of power. He began his ministry near Mount Tabor. Not a majestic mountain, but more of a hill, far away from Jerusalem's power. It was close to everyday, ordinary people of mixed ancestry. He began his ministry in a place that religious leaders considered marginal, mixed and overlooked.

Jesus is on the side of the oppressed. Christ's first proclamation, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near," is not a threat. It's not a scream creating shame, but a voice of consolation for those who have suffered deeply.

God's kingdom takes root in places that feel far from the center. God's light still rises in unexpected places.

This Sunday we remembered Martin Luther King, Jr. and also focused on the temptations of Jesus as recounted in Luke (and Matthew and to a lesser degree in Mark).

Temptations offer a test. There's a chance to pass it and a chance to fail it. With Lent soon approaching next month, Susan suggested it's a great opportunity to address one of the temptations you face in this tumultuous time. She provided a number of ideas to get us thinking about how we could address some of the temptations we might be facing due to the national turmoil.

What life-giving practice would you do well to embrace? Or what destructive habit would you benefit from turning away from?