Zao MKE Church

This week at Zao: a sharp word from James on favoritism, wealth, and God's economy of mercy. No more playing favorites - resurrection communities don't hoard, they provide.

Faith that lives doesn't just talk - it acts. James reminds us that belief without embodiment is dead, but resurrection faith shows up in mercy, justice, and love made real.

We're kicking off a new series on the book of James: Agents of Heaven on Earth. This week, we'll explore how James calls us to reject the world's false wisdom and live whole, rooted in God's abundance, even in a collapsing world.

On Easter Sunday, we proclaim the impossible: that death is not the final word, that empire doesn't get to decide the ending, and that love—foolish, fierce, faithful love—cannot be buried. This is not a return to normal. It's a rupture. It's resurrection. And we are a part of it.

At Zao, instead of Palm Sunday, we call this day Protest Sunday—a celebration of fierce, faithful resistance to systems of violence and domination. In a world where empire demands silence and individualism breeds despair, we remember: we are not alone. Love shows up. Love tells the truth. Love organizes. And yes—love protests.

To love like Jesus is to surrender what we thought would save us. The cost is real—but what we receive is true love that lasts.

Guest sermon by Colby Martin.

When words fall short, love shows up in music, in awe, in presence. Come vibe with us as we explore the mystery of God and the love that moves us beyond words.

We're continuing our Love Songs sermon series for Lent. This week, our inspiration is "Adore You," by Harry Styles. Listen to the full series playlist here!

This Sunday, we kick off our new Lent series: Love Songs!   If you were into last year's Breakup Album (or missed it), get ready for its perfect match. We're diving into the love songs that keep coming back to the same themes—longing, devotion, heartbreak, and hope. Week one is all about Longing, and we've got a playlist ready for you to belt along with us.   Listen to the full series playlist here!   Our apologies for the audio issues in the first few minutes of this week's sermon! The microphone was restored around the 5:30 mark.

How can we follow the example of the Desert Mothers and Fathers by finding inner stillness in the face of chaos and violence?

A final reflection on what we can learn from the Hush Harbors about how to live in the solidarity and interdependence of the Kingdom of God.

The Christians of the Hush Harbors knew to look back and back to the wisdom of those whose faith had come before. Do we?

Under the brutality from white "Christian" slavers, enslaved Black folks cultivated, protected, and passed on a profoundly different faith in God, Jesus, and the scriptures. In this moment, when white nationalists have claimed the church again and again, we look to the Hush Harbors for lessons on how to faithfully follow Jesus and find Joy Unspeakable even in terrifying times.

Guest sermon by Mark Fraley

This season promises to be an intense one in the USA. But despite recent escalations, this era is not unprecendented. Come learn how Christian communities all over the world have been pockets of prophetic resistance to evil and violence throughout history, and how you can resource your heart and faith for modern times.

After all the loudness of the season, can you find God's presence in the quiet?

What makes joy so essential to Advent? And what keeps us from being truly joyful people?

God commands us to love Them. Jesus explains that to love God means to love neighbor and self. What if love is not just intended for the recipient? What if the act of loving is what transforms us all?

In a violent world, the first move towards peace is always a risky one. Who will put their sword down first?

How can we take the risk of hope this Advent?

Thanksgiving can be complicated. What if our gratitude could be an act of resistance? By centering Indigenous wisdom, the teachings of Jesus, and practices of reciprocity, we can move from shallow tradition to a deeper, more honest celebration of life, connection, and care for creation.

It is better to be a warrior than a garden than a gardener in a war - or so the saying goes. But the Scriptures have something else in mind. In times of horrific political violence, God tells the people to plant gardens. To fall in love. Settle down. Have children.   If the world is feeling like a war zone right now, are you called to plant a seed of hope?

It's a big week, y'all. And whether this Tuesday has you biting your nails, planning a victory party, or throwing your hands up in despair, we see you. But the hope we have in God - and God's people - is firmer than any promise we can receive from earthly power brokers. Let's ground ourselves in the hope of the Gospel and prepare our hearts for whatever comes next.

The gifts God gives to us are meant for the benefit of all, and we are blessed when others are blessed. In a world of competition and scarcity, it feels counterintuitive - but in God's Kingdom, no one is free until we're all free.

God makes some big promises: life abundant, resurrection, liberation... when it's hard to believe in big promises, sometimes we try and make it on our own - to our detriment. Can we lose God's promise or will God find a way regardless?

It can be so hard to reach understanding among people with different identities, perspectives, languages and cultures. But what if that's part of God's design? Difference is a gift, and it can bring us closer to holiness - if we learn to trust each other and God.

Just a few short chapters after the creation story, The Flood comes crashing down to wipe away most of humanity. How do we make sense of this? Did God really just etch-a-sketch creation?

So the first big plot point after humanity's expulsion from the garden is... fratricide. This story is coming in hot with drama, but what does it say about the nature of people? Are we doomed to be violent from the start?

We think we know the story of The Fall, right? Adam, Eve, Snake, Apple, Bummer Town. But how many different ways are there to interpret this story?

The Bible starts out with one creation story (in the beginning...) and then the next chapter, we etch-a-sketch and start again. A new creation story, with a different order of events, characters, and vibes. What gives? And how do we trust the Bible when it can't agree with itself from page one?

Every great story starts with a great first line. But after that, Genesis can get a little... complicated. Buckle in as we spend some time in the first book of the Bible, making sense of the stories we tell about who we are, who God is, and why we'll be okay - even when things get messy.

Should my faith be simple and easy? The support that comforts me during difficult times? Turns out that a relationship with God is just like other relationships. It can be a source of comfort, strength, joy, and connection - but it takes work to build all of that, and you get out what you put in.

Conflict is not a fave for most of us. But our faith calls us into uncomfortable space and gives us everything we need to conflict our way to deeper, more connected, more trustworthy community. We've got this - together.

We're taught that being cool means being aloof, a touch cynical, and generally above all of...this. So how can we have an earnest, eager faith, one that hopes genuinely in the Good News? Forget being too cool for school and become the faith powerhouse you long to be.

Sometimes we can feel all alone, forging our own path towards liberation from scratch. But there have always been radical followers of Jesus heaven-bent on liberation and love. Come celebrate the people who made your radical faith possible and reclaim the generational wisdom of the underground church.

It's pretty obnoxious when someone is unshakebly certain but also obviously wrong. And once you start to notice nuance in your faith, you see it everywhere - Christians who are CERTAIN about things that just... aren't totally black and white.   How can you pursue a faith that is both bold and humble? Confident, but not so *certain*?   You're not alone. Let's figure it out together.

What if we're wrong? Is it foolish to place our hope in love? Learn to lay down your fear and fully embrace your faith.

How can we be bold in our faith when we don't want to be anything like the “Christians” we see in the world around us causing so much harm? Come hear about how true Jesus followers have always been subversive and countercultural, and proudly reclaim that powerful lineage.   Note: Due to technical issues, the audio for the scripture reading and the first two minutes of the sermon was not captured. The scripture passage read was Romans 1:15-17 (CEB).

Empires come and empires go, but the love of God and the creative resilience of community are the solid rock we can stand on. In the midst of political turmoil, know from where your hope comes.

What do the Bible, campus protests, and queerness have in common? They are radically reimagining the world as it could be, and the establishment can't stop whining about it. Come catch the vision and faithfully queer the future with us.

Intimacy is something most of us long deeply for, but feel deep shame about. Come hear about the queerly intimate community Jesus cultivated while on earth, and what it means for us as his followers.

Generational curses like rejection, queerphobia, and shame, can replicate immense harm among parents and their children. This Fathers Day, come hear about a father who got it wrong, a father who got it right, and how generational blessings can make curse-breakers of us all.

Boys in princess coats, women Uhauling off to Bethleham together, men making out in fields in the dead of night - there's a lot of really gay stuff happening in the Bible. After generations of straightwashing, let's celebrate the queers of scripture and usher them back out of this closet!

Chosen family, claiming new names, and discovering all new and deep belonging in community? Sounds gay. I'm in!

It's time for another round of No Stupid Questions, where Pastor Jonah answers 20 questions from the community in 30 minutes or less!

God doesn't have the future laid out like a paint-by-numbers kit. We're invited to create the new future with God, given the tools to do so, and entrusted with the kingdom.   Come make a mess and be a part of the new thing that God is doing!

God kicked off a creative collab with, "Let there be light," but it was never supposed to end there. Each of us was given creative gifts to iterate on what God is doing, seeing God's creation and responding not only with "Yes!" but also adding our own "and..." while remixing what God gave us into something new.   Not sure you have anything to contribute? All it takes is some courage, tapping into your innate gifts, and a little improv.

Just 2 blocks down from worship, activists and students of liberation are building a new world on Falesteen Lawn, the UWM encampment for a free Palestine.   What does this have to do with our God-given creativity? Everything.

Anything worth doing is worth doing badly.   Wait, what?   So many of our creative impulses are crushed by expectations of perfection. But even God needed to experiment before declaring human beings to be "very good". So let's get creative, and follow the divine lead by doing things, sometimes badly, with all the passion and creativity we can muster.

Do you feel like a creative person? Well, you are. No, really.   Many of us have been alienated from our creative instincts, but each person is made in the image of our divine creator - which makes us all creators, too. Come discover what is hidden in you, and unleash a torrent of creative power in your life and in the world.   Introducing Created to Create, a sermon series at Zao MKE Church from April 21st to May 19th.