The John Knox Presbyterian Church Podcast

Jimmy McPherson - Matthew 6:19-34 Where we locate our treasure, attention, and trust shapes the lives we live. In Matthew 6:19–34, Jesus invites us away from possessions that cannot secure us and anxiety about a future we cannot control—and toward the kingdom of God and the faithful care of our heavenly Father. Wherever you find yourself today, join us as we listen again to Jesus’ invitation to bu...

Uli Chi - Matthew 6:7-15 Thank you for listening and for supporting the ministry of John Knox Presbyterian Church Seattle. To learn more about our life together and ministry, visit www.johnknox.church .

Jimmy McPherson - Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 What happens when faith becomes a performance? In Matthew 6:1–6, 16–18, Jesus calls his followers away from practicing righteousness “in order to be seen” and toward a life lived before the Father who sees in secret. Through giving, prayer, and fasting, Jesus invites us to step out of the spotlight, let go of the need for applause, and discover the freedom of...

Uli Chi - Matthew 5:43-48; Luke 6:27-36 Thank you for listening and for supporting the ministry of John Knox Presbyterian Church Seattle. To learn more about our life together and ministry, visit www.johnknox.church .

Jimmy McPherson - Matthew 5:38-42 What does it mean to follow Jesus in a world shaped by retaliation? In Matthew 5:38–42, Jesus moves beyond “an eye for an eye” and offers another way—not passive surrender, but a courageous, creative resistance to evil shaped by grace, generosity, and love. This sermon explores Jesus’ “Third Way” and the practices that form us to overcome evil with good. Thank you...

Jimmy McPherson - Matthew 5:33-37 In Matthew 5:33–37, Jesus challenges more than the practice of making oaths—he calls his followers to lives of integrity where our words can simply be trusted. Exploring the ancient practice of oath-taking, our tendency to search for loopholes, and the challenge of truthfulness in a complicated world, this sermon considers what it means to let our “yes” be yes and...

Jimmy McPherson - Matthew 5:27-32 In Matthew 5:27–32, Jesus takes us beneath outward behavior and into the desires, relationships, and commitments of the human heart. From lust and adultery to marriage and divorce, Jesus calls his followers to a kingdom righteousness that honors others rather than objectifying or discarding them. Yet his demanding words are spoken within the larger good news of gr...

Marc Gronholz - Matthew 5:21-26 Thank you for listening and for supporting the ministry of John Knox Presbyterian Church Seattle. To learn more about our life together and ministry, visit www.johnknox.church .

Jimmy McPherson - Matthew 5:17-20 In Matthew 5:17–20, Jesus makes one of the most important declarations in the Sermon on the Mount: he has come not to abolish the Law and the Prophets, but to fulfill them. This message explores how the whole story of Scripture finds its fulfillment in Christ, why grace never stands apart from discipleship, and what it means to become the kind of people whose live...

Uli Chi - Matthew 5:13-16 Thank you for listening and for supporting the ministry of John Knox Presbyterian Church Seattle. To learn more about our life together and ministry, visit www.johnknox.church .

Jimmy McPherson - Matthew 5:10-12 What does Jesus mean when he says, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake"? In this message from Matthew 5:10–12, we discover that persecution is not something Christians are called to seek, but one possible consequence of faithfully following the crucified Messiah. Looking at the witness of the prophets, the early church, and Jesus himself,...

Jimmy McPherson - Matthew 5:9 Jesus declares, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." But what kind of peace is he talking about? In a world that often defines peace through power, control, or victory, Jesus offers a radically different vision—one rooted in reconciliation, self-sacrifice, and the transforming love of God. Drawing from Scripture, the witness of the c...

Jimmy McPherson - Matthew 5:8 In this message from Matthew 5:8, we explore one of Jesus' most profound promises by tracing it through the story of Scripture — from Psalm 24's question, "Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?" to Revelation's breathtaking promise that God's people "will see his face." What does it mean to be "pure in heart"? Is Jesus describing moral perfection or something deeper?...

Jimmy McPherson - Matthew 5:7 What does it mean to be merciful? Drawing on Scripture and powerful stories of compassion, this sermon discovers that mercy is far more than kindness or pity — it is the very character of God revealed in Jesus Christ. As recipients of God's steadfast mercy, we are invited to become people who notice, move toward, and lovingly respond to the needs of others, bearing wi...

Uli Chi - Matthew 5:6; Isaiah 61:1-11 Thank you for listening and for supporting the ministry of John Knox Presbyterian Church Seattle. To learn more about our life together and ministry, visit www.johnknox.church .

Zach Daoust - Matthew 5:5 Thank you for listening and for supporting the ministry of John Knox Presbyterian Church Seattle. To learn more about our life together and ministry, visit www.johnknox.church .

Rev. Jimmy McPherson - Matthew 5:4 What could Jesus possibly mean when he says, "Blessed are those who mourn"? In this message from Matthew 5:4, we explore one of the most surprising Beatitudes and discover that Jesus is not glorifying suffering but proclaiming God's presence and promise to those who grieve. Drawing on the biblical vision of God's coming restoration, this sermon considers how fait...

Rev. Jimmy McPherson - Matthew 5:1-3 In this opening message of the House Hunters series, we begin exploring Jesus' Sermon on the Mount by asking both who Jesus is and what kind of life he invites us to build. Drawing on Matthew 5:1–3, we discover Jesus as the new and greater Moses who ascends the mountain to reveal God's vision for human flourishing. Far from celebrating self-sufficiency, Jesus p...

Rev. Jimmy McPherson - Numbers 11:24-30 Moses’ remarkable declaration, “Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets,” is a vision of humility, shared leadership, and the wide outpouring of God’s Spirit. Moving from the wilderness of Moses to the church at Pentecost, this message confronts modern temptations toward prestige, control, and spiritual elitism, while calling the church instead toward...

Rev. Jimmy McPherson - Luke 19:1–10 This sermon explores the familiar story of Zacchaeus beyond the children’s song and into the deeper realities of grace, repentance, and communal transformation. Looking at the social stigma surrounding tax collectors, the symbolism of the sycamore tree, and Jesus’ intentional pursuit of the lost, this message reflects on how Christ’s costly grace not only change...

Marc Gronholz - John 9:1–41 Thank you for listening and for supporting the ministry of John Knox Presbyterian Church Seattle. To learn more about our life together and ministry, visit www.johnknox.church .

Rev. Jimmy McPherson - Luke 7:36–50 In Luke 7:36–50 we encounter a story of sin, shame, and surprising grace. Through the contrast between a “respectable” Pharisee and an unnamed woman marked by her past, the message exposes a shared spiritual reality: all are “flat broke” before God, unable to repay the debt of sin. Yet where judgment is expected, Jesus offers something radically different — publ...

David Floyd - Mark 5:1-20 Thank you for listening and for supporting the ministry of John Knox Presbyterian Church Seattle. To learn more about our life together and ministry, visit www.johnknox.church .

Rev. Jimmy McPherson - John 3:1-21 Nicodemus’ nighttime encounter with Jesus reveals how fear keeps us in the dark — guarding our image, avoiding exposure, and holding back from transformation. Rather than condemning, Jesus invites us into new life: a “birth from above” shaped by the renewing work of the Spirit. Drawing on the promises of the prophets and the image of the lifted serpent in the wil...

Marc Gronholz - John 4:1-30 The encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman reveals the deep spiritual thirst at the heart of every human life. As she searches for fulfillment in all the wrong places, Jesus meets her across every barrier—not with condemnation, but with an offer of “living water” that truly satisfies. Her story becomes our story, exposing the ways we try to fill a God-shaped lo...