Podcast – Pasadena Mennonite Church

PMC’s Justice and Service Commission invites us into ministry around affordable housing, indigenous rights, peacemaking amidst war and world conflicts such as in Gaza, and political advocacy in these and other areas. Justice is aspirational but also is possible, so the commission places Justice before Service in its name as a reminder to seek justice and not settle for direct service, valuable as that is. Image: Vigil for Ceasefire in Israel|Palestine at Congresswoman Judy Chu's office.

Cara Pfeiffer uses the story of the woman caught in adultery, John 8:1-11, to share the practical peacemaking steps Jesus took in that encounter to deescalate the situation and to protect a vulnerable woman.

Stanley Green described his first pastorate in South Africa, where his parishioners were menial laborers on farms producing ostriches and grapes. Stanley knew that the very religious white owners of the farms beat their workers. They were paid little, forcing them to buy on credit from the farm store half-way through the month. And at 13, children were taken out of school to work the farms. This history created an interest for Stanley regarding the topic of spirituality. The history of the western church created a duality between mind and body, and other-worldliness over earthliness, as well as linear thinking. This has been manifested through sexism, climate change, and wide-spread disease that plagues our society. It is time to bring back what has been forgotten: the body, the physical world, and those labeled as “other” back into our consciousness so that our world can heal and find restoration.

On September 11th, we were honored to hear from Sarah Augustine, a Pueblo (Tewa) descendant and author of "The Land Is Not Empty: Following Jesus in Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery" (Herald Press, 2021). This is the first week in a series called Anabaptist Academy, and centers around Jesus and Justice. The Doctrine of Discovery is a legal doctrine, a paradime for creating law. It is the current legal doctrine in the United States, defining reality for indigenous peoples, dating back to colonization, mission, and economic development — and last cited in 2005 in a majority opinion written by Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The Doctrine is also based upon Christian doctrine deployed by the church.

We enter Luke 10:38-42 with Mary and Martha, and the topic of empathy. Mike Rewers empathizes with a rather unpeaceful Martha and her blindness in the moment. But when we can become aware of our inability to see clearly, we become more able to see the other with loving and accepting eyes, which is how God sees us — and them. We have to bump into others to become aware of ourselves. God lives in the space between us and the other, and calls us into healing.

As the apostles wonder whether Jesus has returned from the dead to restore the kingdom of Israel, Jesus instead speaks of power that will come upon them in the form of the Holy Spirit. This was not a dominion over others, but the power of the Spirit of God. What if this is a power that allows us to bypass the offenses of others, that makes it possible for us to live in peace, to be able to be patient and kind to others, to trust in God despite adversity — the power to able to control our desires — power that can only be given by the Spirit of God. This is a power so simple, so sweet and profound that it can really only come from God. And it invites us to accompany others.

“What a time in the U.S. to be asked to talk about conflict resolution,” says Kathleen Klompien-Wedberg as she begins her sermon relating to our Peaceful Practices Curriculum. She notes that the past few weeks have seen the world in a time of war and aggression on multiple fronts. Yet our passage in Matthew 18:10-22 about trying to reconcile, again and again, the the songs we sing about God’s love and seeing from one another’s point of view, the interactions with the children this morning — call us to be looking at our situation with humility, with creativity, and with discovery. We’re not doing this by ourselves.

Lisa Thornton began our summer sermon series on “Peaceful Practices — A guide to healthy communication in conflict.” Lisa finds curiosity to be an intentionally chosen posture. Curiosity isn’t merely about inviting all opinions to the table and giving them equal value, but about looking at others around the table regardless of their opinion, and holding each person with value. It’s about working to start interactions rooted in empathy rather than judgement. Hearts and minds are changed only because stories of others are revealed, and the Holy Spirit is allowed to work throughout. We practiced this with the story of Jesus healing a woman on the Sabbath who had been bent double for 18 years.

Pentecost Sunday celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit in a new way following the resurrection and ascension of Jesus. Rob Muthiah reviews how the Spirit of God is present in creation, throughout the Old Testament and in the life and ministry of Jesus. And so, Rob asks, what about today? He goes on to use a metaphor developed by theologian and vicar Sam Wells, of performing a play that is missing an act — which we are assigned to improvise. Improv involves following the preceding acts and knowing the act to come. This is how the church discerns God’s movement today: following scripture, knowing what’s to come, filled with and gifted by the Spirit, and guided by the Holy Spirit's presence.