Teaching & News From Eastgate PCB

Matthew #56: Tasting The Tree Of Life (Matthew 26:17-30) Janelle Greene (6/28/26) When I was in college, one of my professors led an activity that has stayed with me ever since. He said the word “apple” and asked us to write down as many descriptive words as we could. We wrote things like fruit and tree. Then he showed us a picture of an apple, and our list grew with words like red, round, and lea...

Matthew #55: Proximity Doesn't Mean Transformation (Matthew 26:1-16) Lawana Schreifer & Nate Prepelka Download Join us as Nate and Lawana continue in our study of the book of Matthew. Click here for a pdf of the teaching slideshow.

Matthew #54: Identifying With The Insignificant (Matthew 25:31-46) Janelle Greene (6/14/26) Download I once had a job where I wasn’t entirely sure what I was supposed to be doing. Every time my boss walked into the room, I suddenly felt the need to look busy. The problem was that I wasn’t even sure whether what I was doing was close to what was actually expected of me. Maybe you’ve felt that way b...

Matthew #53: The Risk of Grace (Matthew 25:14-30) Rob Woodrum (6/7/26) This week we’ll be reading a very familiar parable – what is often called “The Parable of the Talents”, in Matthew 25:14-30. As you read this story, remember that parables aren’t meant to be exact representations of God’s kingdom in all the details. Jesus said it is “like” this sort of thing. The most important element of this...

Matthew #52: Waiting For The Wedding (Matthew 25:1-13) Rob Woodrum (5/31/26) It seems like every culture has a different approach to weddings and the rituals associated with them. This Sunday, as we continue our study in Matthew, we’ll be reading about the unusual wedding rituals of ancient Palestine as we study  chapter 25:1-13 . As you read the parable that Jesus tells, what do you believe...

Matthew #51: Faithfully Waiting (Matthew 24:36-51) Rob Woodrum (5/24/26) Download My wife and oldest daughter were in Chicago once, trying to navigate our way to my son’s house on the city’s train service. This was back before it became much easier and all on your phone – at that time we had to buy metro cards and load them with the proper amount for our trip. My daughter had gotten hers in order...

Matthew #50: Wise Living In A Troubled World (Matthew 24:15-35) Rob & Janelle (5/17/26) Download This Sunday we’ll be continuing our trek through Matthew 24, reading  v15-35 . Much of what Jesus predicts in this section deals with the upcoming siege of Jerusalem, a prediction that was fulfilled in 70 AD. As we did last week, we’ll focus on the instructions we receive from Jesus concerning how...

Matthew #49: Living In A Fading World (Matthew 24:1-14) Rob Woodrum (5/10/26) Download This Sunday we’ll be starting chapter 24 of Matthew’s gospel this Sunday reading the first 14 verses. End time predictions are almost a cottage industry in the Church over the years…needless to say, we won’t be adding to those. What we’ll learn from Jesus is that there is a  presupposition  of the...

Matthew #48: Bad Religion (Matthew 23:1-39) Janelle Greene (5/3/26) Download Join us as we continue our study of the book of Matthew. In this passage, Jesus pronounces woes upon the religious leaders. Click here for a pdf of the teaching slideshow.

Matthew #47: God's Redemptive Plan (Matthew 22:15-46) Janelle Greene (4/26/26) Download This Sunday we’ll be reading through a string of confrontations Jesus experiences in Matthew 22:15-46 as we continue our study in that Gospel. It’s delightful to me how Jesus is able, not only to gracefully answer his accusers, but to weave clues into his answers that reveal an overview of what God is up to. Th...

Matthew #46: An Invitation From The King (Matthew 22:1-14) Janelle Greene (4/19/26) Download What is the biggest, most elaborate party you’ve ever been invited to? Did you enjoy yourself or was it challenging to be there? No matter how big the party was that you attended, I can guarantee it didn’t hold a candle to ancient royal feasts. They were known to last up to 10 days. Even into the medieval...

Matthew #45: The Great Power Grab (Matthew 21:33-46) Rob Woodrum (4/12/26) Download Has someone ever taken something that belonged to you – or at least you felt belonged to you? How did that make you feel? Have you ever been in charge of something and someone else starts stepping all over your authority? What do you want to do in a situation like that? We’re going to be thinking about that theme t...

Matthew #44: A Fruitless Religion (Matthew 21:18-23) Rob Woodrum (3/29/26) Download Many years ago I was with my dad at the home of family friends. At one point, he reached out for an apple that was in a fruit bowl as the centerpiece for the table where we were sitting. Our friends gasped in horror as he quickly put it to his mouth and bit down hard…only to find it was plastic. I have to give it t...

Matthew #43: The Triumph of Peace (Matthew 21:1-17) Rob Woodrum & Janelle Greene (3/22/26) Download This Sunday we’ll be reading the account of Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem, something we’ve called the “Triumphal Entry”. It’s a very familiar event from the Gospels, and one that we might miss the significance of because of that familiarity. We’ll be reading Matthew 21:1-17 as we continue our study of...

Matthew #42: The Power of Mercy (Matthew 20:29-34) Rob Woodrum (3/15/26) Download This Sunday, in our study of the Gospel of Matthew, we’ll be reading Matthew 20:29-34 . Like all the gospel writers, Matthew loves a good contrast. In this text, we find two blind and desperate men who are presented right on the heels of James and John seeking greatness in the last section. Instead of two self-assure...

Matthew #41: The Path To Greatness (Matthew 20:17-28) Janelle Greene (3/8/26) Download This Sunday, we will continue our study in the Gospel of Matthew as we read Matthew 20:17–28 . In this passage, Jesus predicts His death for the third and final time (see also Matthew 16:21 and Matthew 17:22 ). Yet instead of seeing the disciples wrestle with or process what Jesus has just revealed, we immediate...

Matthew #40: The Radical Exchange (Matthew 19:27-20:16) Rob Woodrum (3/1/2026) Download This Sunday we’ll be reading  Matthew 19:27-20:16  – which includes a parable that is unique to Matthew’s gospel. It is the parable of the laborers in the vineyard. In chapter 19, after witnessing what happened with the rich young ruler, Pete asks the question that is basically “after sacrificing all...

Matthew #39: Treasures The World Misses (Matthew 19:13-26) Janelle Greene (2/22/2026) Download Last week my son carried his piggy bank to the store and exchanged months of saved change for a pair of upside down goggles. After carefully looking at each item in the toy aisle, he chose to spend his own money on something that would flip his view of the world. The goggles use small mirrors to turn eve...

Matthew #38: A Controversial Trap (Matthew 19:1-12) Rob Woodrum (2/15/26) I will warn you, the topic of our passage this week is going to be uncomfortable. One may be tempted to skip this teaching, but I can assure you we’ll be treading very carefully here, and you may even be relieved as we get into the cultural and historical elements that surround this text – those elements make this section fa...

Matthew #37: The Call To Community (Matthew 18:15-35) Janelle Greene (2/8/26) Download Did you know that April 15 marks Eastgate’s 31st birthday? Last year at a staff meeting, we talked about how amazed we were that our little church community had reached 30 years. Now here we are, a year later, celebrating 31. Instead of throwing a big party, we realized we would rather invest our energy into the...

Matthew #36: The Humble Standard (Matthew 18:1-14) Rob Woodrum (2/1/26) Download My dad used to say: “If it weren’t for my great humility, I’d go on about how humble I am”. It was a joke, of course, but how often do we find it difficult  not  to go out of our way to make sure the people around us have taken note of our gracious and humble attitudes? That’s the struggle we have with our f...

Matthew #35: Sacrificial Freedom (Matthew 17:22-27) Rob Woodrum (1/25/26) Download We’ll be reading Matthew  17:22-27  this Sunday. It’s a highly unusual story. One that’s unique to Matthew’s gospel, but understandable considering his tax-collector background. The story opens in v22-23 where Jesus once again announces his upcoming arrest and execution, as well as his resurrection. Again,...

Matthew #34: Christ's Glory Revealed (Matthew 17:1-20) Rob Woodrum (1/18/26) Download Are you familiar with the phrase “a mountaintop experience”? It’s describing times of glory and exuberance, especially as it touches our spiritual journey. Those experiences are great, but usually…actually, always short lived. This Sunday we’ll be reading  Matthew 17:1-20  and we’ll read about the origi...

Matthew #33: The Cost of Belief (Matthew 16:13-28) Janelle Greene 1/11/26 Download In Matthew 16:13-28 , Jesus asks a question of his disciples that still confronts each of us today: “Who do you say I am?” There have always been plenty of opinions about Jesus. Even to this day, some say Jesus was merely a prophet, teacher, or a well meaning individual. However, Jesus presses past secondhand answer...

Matthew #32: A Contrast of Intent (Matthew 15:29-16:12 Rob Woodrum (1/4/26) Download This Sunday we’ll be returning to our study in Matthew, and we’ll read  Matthew 15:29-16:12 . It’s a big section, but I think you’ll see how it all goes together pretty well. As you read through this section you’ll notice that, even connected with last section, there is an ongoing bread theme. The Canaanite w...