On Easter morning, reflecting on Isaiah 65:17-25 and John 20:1-18, Sam Bills spoke to us about the resurrection story. Early in the morning, Mary approaches the tomb where Jesus had been laid with ointments to tend to the body. She suspects foul play when she sees the stone blocking the entrance has been moved aside — and runs back for reinforcements. Peter and John hurry back to the tomb with her. John sees the burial wrappings on the ground — Peter enters the tomb. Peter sees the cloth that had covered Jesus' face set to the side. John joins him. Yet they do not understand. But they remember Jesus' words about the temple of his body being raised — and put together with the situation in the tomb, they believe. This is a quick transition from seeing to believing. But having believed, they return home. Have they grasped what is happening?

On April 14, Palm Sunday, Tim Reardon spoke about the Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, Luke 19:28-44, and his words from the cross in Luke 23:32-46. The celebration of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem is tinged by coming of the cross, and the willingness of those who had celebrated to now condemn him. Emmanuel, God with us. God surrounds us, has tabernacled among us, has become flesh, and has taken up space with us in Jesus so that our bodies might be formed into God's body. We are forgiven, released. God has come to bring peace and justness. God has come not to condemn the world but to draw the world into an embrace of new life.

On March 24, Lauren Murtidjaja addressed Genesis 16, and referenced Genesis 21 — to talk about the story of Hagar. Hagar's story is sandwiched in between God promising Abram a child despite his old age. In the midst of the stories of Abram and Sarai, Hagar's story seems to be forgotten. If she is remembered, it is generally in the context of a too-human moment of taking things into our own hands rather than trusting God. Is Hagar just an innocent bystander who happened to get roped into Abram and Sarai's moment of faithlessness? Was she simply a means to an end, forgotten once Isaac comes into the picture? The feminist biblical scholar, Phyllis Trible, calls this a "text of terror." And it is. It's one of the many biblical stories we don't know what to do with. So what do we do with these stories? And what do we do with Hagar?

On March 17, our Poet of the King, Tim Reardon, revisited the Exodus through Exodus 13:2-10 and Luke 9:51-56. Our interaction with Sarah Augustine and learning about the Doctrine of Discovery have offered a rereading of these passages. We in Pasadena meet in land originally inhabited by the Tongva people. And so what does it mean to be an Exodus people?

On March 10th, we heard from Matt Palombo, with recordings from Guled Omar. Matt Palombo has been working in Minneapolis on mass incarceration and the war on terror. He is a philosophy professor at Minneapolis College, where there is a large Muslim Somali refugee population. Many of his students are part of this Somali community. The scripture reading for the morning was Psalm 27. The psalmist is in a place of fear, surrounded by hate and violence. The reading was chosen by Guled Omar, who relates to this surrounding — serving a 35-year sentence for terrorist-related charges in Ft. Levensworth, Kansas. Guled was taped reading the psalm on a phone call, which was played for us to begin the sermon.

On March 3rd, Transfiguration Sunday, Tim Reardon spoke of the transfiguation of Jesus as a transition point in Jesus' ministry. Previously, Jesus had been moving about Galilee speaking about a kingdom, now he tells his disciples he must go to Jerusalem to proclaim this kingdom, and there he will suffer, be rejected by the leaders of his people, and then be killed, rising on the third day. We often read this metaphorically. What burdens am I carrying that somehow I can call my cross? Yet, Jesus’s cross is not metaphorical. At this point in the narrative, Jesus calls them to literally join him. What would you say? What is it to pick up your cross?

PMC had the privilege of having Sarah Augustine speak with us on February 17. Sarah shared about her identity as both an indigenous woman and a Mennonite woman. She spoke about her work in Suriname, South America, beginning in 2004. There, Sarah was challenged by a community member, an elder, to fight with the local community, whose property had been taken, fenced off, and concessed to a corporation. Sarah accepted the challenge, and has been working with the community there for the past 15 years. In the process, she has become active in the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery.

Last Sunday, Rob Muthiah walked us through 2 Corinthians 8:1-15. He introduced the passage as a sort of fund-raising letter — like those we receive from people raising support for mission trips. Paul is raising support for the mission of the church in Jerusalem, and introduces the churches in Macedonia as generous givers. They give out of poverty, but with happiness. In addition, Paul offers Jesus as a model of generosity to us through the act of incarnation. Paul is raising support for the mission of the church in Jerusalem. Paul introduces the churches in Macedonia as generous givers. They give out of poverty, but with extreme happiness. In addition, Paul talks about how Jesus modeled generosity to us through the act of incarnation.

Lisa Finlay anticipated that speaking about giving would be an interesting challenge, because money is a complex issue for her personally. But she thinks it’s important to talk about giving because, in our consumer society, the way we interact with money—what we decide to give, to spend, where to spend—requires frequent decision-making. And the way we interact with money is a moral decision. Though giving is much broader than monetary giving, we've had recent sermons on other ways to share resources and talents. And the focus on money reflects the widow in our scripture passage — who gives money specifically. And Jesus comments on that.

On January 20th, Frank Scoffield Nellessen continued PMC's theme for the month of first fruits giving. He weaves the theme of giving beautifully with our honoring of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Reflecting also on 2 Corinthians, Frank brings together the words and works of Paul and MLK. "God’s love is radical, flowing through the radical sharing of time, talents and treasures that Paul and Martin Luther King Jr. testify to today. This love creates a world where 'the one who has much does not have too much and the one who has little does not have too little.' Today we can thank God for love flowing through generations of communities, from Corinth to the South to Pasadena, who teach us how to love."