Milwaukee Mennonite Monday Morning Devotionals

On this last episode of the season, Peter reflects on the M4D project.

Rachel Eash-Scott considers God and parenthood and shares two poems.

Previously this spring, Sarah Mast has shared her thoughts on Instincts and Expectations. This week, she focuses on Wonder.

This week Ray Gingerich shares his thoughts on why he's chosen to stay and embrace the Mennonite faith.

This week Wendy Lehman shares visions of new normal in light of our current Apocalypse.

This week Sarah MacDonald encourages us to consider prayer, truth telling, and exorcisms.

This week Liz Regier considers who Christ calls us to love.

This week on the podcast, Sarah Mast shares about Expectations.

This week Matt LaWall-Shane reflects on his experience with the seasons of Lent and Easter as a young teenager, and how he sees them a bit differently today.

As the Easter season begins, we take this week to hear the words of the Psalmist and Easter story through the words of the Gospel, shared with us by many in our MMC family.

As we finish the 2021 Lenten journey by experiencing Holy Week, we hear from Ray Gingerich, who reminds us of the words and actions of St Teresa of Avila.

As we continue our Lenten journey, Sarah Mast shares her thoughts on instincts.

On the heels of yesterday's MMC Zoomiversary worship service—recognizing a year of worshiping together online and not in-person—we hear from Matt LaWall-Shane, who shares a story of hope and humanity through a vaccination.

A Song to Accompany This Week's Devotional:Keb' Mo's “Let Your Light Shine”This week's scripture:Matthew 21:23-32When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, ‘By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?' Jesus said to them, ‘I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?' And they argued with one another, ‘If we say, “From heaven”, he will say to us, “Why then did you not believe him?” But if we say, “Of human origin”, we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.' So they answered Jesus, ‘We do not know.' And he said to them, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.‘What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, “Son, go and work in the vineyard today.” He answered, “I will not”; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, “I go, sir”; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?' They said, ‘The first.' Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, the tax-collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax-collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.

As we continue our journey through this year's Lenten season, we hear from Norm Stolpe who encourages us to consider the immediacy of Christ in our daily lives.

This week, Peter bridges from our winter series "Our Bodies and Our Creator" to the church season of Lent.

John 17:20-2320 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”And check out Esperanza Spaulding's song Readying to Rise here:https://youtu.be/wnZwtkO4fT4

If you'd like to read the full poem that Lauren shared, visit https://yellowco.co/articles/this-body-is-mine-this-body-is-beautiful-a-poem-on-embracing-ourselves

In case you need to be visually reminded of just how amazing our bodies are (or you just need a laugh this week), check out this video of robots attempting simple human movements and failing miserably.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0TaYhjpOfo

This week we continue our series on “Our Bodies and Our Creator” by hearing from Chris Gooding. Chris shares a story from his time in India and encourages us to consider the creation and work of our bodies. How does our work change us or shape us? What does our work mean to our creator?

This week we begin our series on “Our Bodies and Our Creator” by hearing from Steve Hartman-Keiser. Steve shares from a chapter of Marilyn McEntyre's book, "Speaking Peace in a Climate of Conflict," and helps us consider who we are as children of God. As the events of this month unfold, Steve's words and sharing feel fitting for this moment in which we as individuals and as a faith community find ourselves.

This week we hear from Erin Cassidente, who helps us try to find the silver lining in the past, tumultuous year by considering what we've learned and how we've grown from our experiences. She encourages us to pay attention to this experiential wisdom and growth and asks what this might mean in the coming year.

This episode also includes background music from Magmi.Soundtracks, https://freesound.org/people/Magmi.Soundtracks/

This week on the podcast, many members of the Milwaukee Mennonite Church Family share the Christmas story from the Gospel of Luke (Luke 2:1-20)

Today on the podcast, Amy Bowers share her thoughts on Mary's Magnificat, the winter solstice, and what this season has meant.

This week on the podcast, Dan Eash-Scott shares the wisdom of one of his summer Bible campers and the well-known passage of 1 Corinthians 13, and considers how God's Love might be manifested in our lives.

Accompanying Norm's sharing are several scriptures that he alludes to without naming: Scripture where the virgin birth is tangentially inferred: Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3; Luke 3:23; 4:22; John 6:42; 9:29; Galatians 4:4The NT passages that contain very early, proto-creedal language: Romans 10:9; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Philippians 2:11; 1 Timothy 3:16; 1 John 4:2, 15.

In this installment of M4D, Rachel Eash-Scott finds hope in the Advent texts for this week and encourages us to pay attention.

Along with our usual music contributors, Connie Johnson-Evers and David Stolpe, music during the questions to consider this week is by Maxim Tsukanov, a Russian composer, and used under the Creative Commons license. Check out Maxim's work at https://soundcloud.com/x3nus

This week, Lori Hartman-Keiser shares with us the challenges and struggles of life during a pandemic and looks to Romans 8:24-25. She reminds us of the connections that we miss during this time, and encourages us to embrace the versions of those connections that might bring us hope.

This week, Peter reflects on a recent occurrence during MMC Zoom Worship and considers what it might mean, especially in light of tomorrow's election.

This week, we hear from Ray Gingerich on the joys and struggles of walking and talking with Jesus.

Thresholdby David Stolpefrom the project “Alchemists and Infidels”Verse 1Still dark when I woke and got up out of my bed.Tossed and turned all night, rambling thoughts in my head.Trying to find the secret, searching for the key.Frustrated by my progress, held back by me.Verse 2Walked downstairs to the lab, unlocked the chain on the door.Froze at the threshold, wondering could I become something more?I've pumped the bellows in this furnace for longer than I can recall.Will I get back up eight times if on this seventh trial I fall?ChorusIf I can render gold from this lead,Could I also tender Life to the dead?Impurities defected this ore I refine,Can my soul be perfected, love make me divine?Verse 3Do I stand at the threshold of achieving something great?Will lead transmute to gold? Is righteousness my fate?What's it all been for, my sacrifice and toil?If what I find is pure, surely it will never spoil.ChorusIf I can render gold from this lead,Could I also tender life to the dead?Impurities defected this ore I refine,Can my soul be perfected, love make me divine?BridgeI've set out to find the truth of this strange alchemy.Too far to turn back now, the path forward I'm trying to see.Stoking coals under this crucible, filled with metals of no worth.Will I pull from it precious gold, and my soul find its rebirth?ChorusIf I can render gold from this lead,Could I also tender life to the dead?Impurities defected this ore I refine,Can my soul be perfected, love make me divine?Well I have rendered gold from this lead,And I have tendered life to the dead.No impurities defect this ore I refinedWill my dark soul perfect, love make me divine?Love make me divine!

Erin Cassidente shares about Christ's call to forgive, despite how difficult or frequent that may be. She couples this with the call to seek justice, reading Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer's poem, "In the Steps of RBG."

In this installment of M4D, we hear from Norm Stolpe, who considers why there is beauty in creation and leaves us with Psalm 27:4

Along with our usual music contributors, Connie Johnson-Evers and David Stolpe, music during the questions to consider this week is by Maxim Tsukanov, a Russian composer, and used under the Creative Commons license. Check out Maxim's work at https://soundcloud.com/x3nus

Along with our usual music contributors, Connie Johnson-Evers and David Stolpe, music during the scripture reading is by Maxim Tsukanov, a Russian composer, and used under the Creative Commons license. Check out Maxim's work at https://soundcloud.com/x3nus

Along with our usual music contributors, Connie Johnson-Evers and David Stolpe, music during the scripture reading is by Maxim Tsukanov, a Russian composer, and used under the Creative Commons license. Check out Maxim's work at https://soundcloud.com/x3nus

Rachel Stolpe shares her thoughts on first impressions and considers Genesis 1:27

Hosted by Peter Eash-ScottNo guestsMusic by Connie Johnson-Evers & David Stolpe