Willow Creek Weekend Podcast

Jesus made himself comfortable with the ones who made most people very uncomfortable. Jesus saw that all of us are like the sick and dying, and like a doctor with the cure, he rushed into the middle of the pandemic. Who doesn’t measure up to our standards? Who have we deemed beyond help? Who would we prefer to cordon off from our lives?

Most of us believe in the idea of second chances... in theory. But when it comes to giving second chances to others or receiving them ourselves so many things can get in the way. Pride, fear, failure, and unforgiveness can hold us back. What can we learn from Jesus about offering second chances? And what can we learn from those who were willing to take him up on the offer?

To go, we have to leave. To take something up, we have to lay something down. If we follow, we can’t lead. The call of Jesus is courageous and uncompromising: to be a part of the world reshaping work of Jesus, we will need to leave our old world behind. Pastors Steve Gillen and Ray Johnston teach on the book of Mark.

What’s next? If we’re to have hope for tomorrow, we have to look to the past. Who has God been? What has God done? Psalm 68 is a love letter, extolling the triumphs, the character, and the heart of the one who made the universe.

PSALM 139: ALL THE LOVE February 22/23 - Megan Marshman What if you really knew me? We get used to living life like we’re on a perpetual first date, hiding our quirks, our baggage, our past, and our innermost thoughts and feelings. After all, how could anyone love all of that, right? Psalm 139 is a close-up examination of our intimate God, the one who sees it all, knows it all, loves us all, and h...

PSALM 42: ALL THE HEARTACHE February 8/9 - Matt Wright Is it okay to not be okay? Many of us feel the need to always put on a brave face, hoping to keep the world, our loved ones, and even God from knowing what’s really going on. But inside we’re hurting, heartbroken, or depressed. Psalm 42 gives voice to these feelings and offers them as an honest prayer, and a cry for help and hope.

PSALM 13: ALL THE DOUBTS February 1/2 - Matt Wright What if I have doubts? Sometimes the only thing of which it seems we’re certain is that everything seems uncertain. God feels a million miles away, and we feel abandoned. We wonder if he’s listening or if he’s even out there at all. Psalm 13 begins with a brazen question, “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?” The Psalmist wants to know wh...

Is it okay to be seeking and wondering? Psalm 14 offers two encouragements for the person who is still searching for the truth about God. The first is that seeking is a great place to be; the real fool is the person who’s made up his or her mind without ever beginning the hunt. The second is that as each of us searches for God, he’s searching for us too.

PSALM 7: ALL THE JUSTICE January 18/19 - Eugene Cho   What about the world? Our broken world is filled with stories of transgressions and oppression. And whether we are among the “woke,” the weary, or somewhere in between, the Bible leaves little room for apathy and little doubt about God’s commitment to justice. Psalm 7 and Amos 5 are scathing rebukes of injustice, but they’re also mirrors w...

PSALM 51: ALL THE GUILT January 11/12 - Megan Marshman What about this thing in my past? None of us can escape the stain of sin, and most of us are helpless to avoid the spiral of shame. That shame makes us hide from each other and from God. But Psalm 51 shows us that the way out of the cycle of sin and shame is to go through. To come out of hiding we need to go through confession and repentance.

PSALM 23: ALL THE FEARS January 4/5 - Albert Tate What about when I’m afraid? Psalm 23 is among the most comforting and beloved of the psalms. But it’s written for real life. It’s written to remind the weary and the wary that no matter the path ahead, the darkness around, or the enemy nearby, even in our worst fears, God is near.

ALL THE THINGS December 28/29 - Eugene Cho The Psalms have it all. They reflect the full gamut of human experience and emotion, harboring no-holds-barred doubts, fears, and frustrations alongside sincere worship and praise. The Psalms also hint at the fullness of God, his character, his power, and his willingness to welcome all we are to all he is. Let’s begin a journey into sacred space.

PRISON PACK Weekend December 7 - 8 | Albert Tate The Christmas story resounds with the message: You are not alone! Extend that message of God’s hope and compassion to some of the most lonely and isolated people this Christmas, the incarcerated. During services, we will assemble gifts for every inmate in the state of Illinois.

Throughout the sweep of the Old Testament, a consistent theme rings out. Whether through temple or tabernacle, in the best and the worst, God longs to be with his people. For generations, God promised to be with them, but the world had to wait for the full fruition of that promise. Finally, in the surprise and miracle of Matthew chapter 1, we see the great lengths to which God went to make the wai...

On His way to Jerusalem, Jesus passes through a village and comes upon ten people with a terrible thing in common: they all suffer from leprosy. He sends them off to the priest, miraculously healed, but only one returns to thank Jesus. What does this one man’s act of gratitude have to teach us about our own hearts?

Content in All Circumstances (Philippians 4:10-14) November 16 & 17 - Albert Tate Despite the overwhelming blessings most of us enjoy living in Chicagoland (when compared with the rest of the world), it's quite common for us to feel discontent, especially when we compare our situations with others. What Paul teaches, and also models, is that joy and contentment are possible even in the most diffic...

November 9 & 10 - Megan Marshman Anxiety is something we all face, and Paul was not immune to it (Philippians 2:28). What Paul teaches us, however, is that peace is possible when we face trying times. It begins with recognizing God as the source of peace, turning to Him with our requests, and not forgetting to thank Him for what He has already done.

Paul had quite a number of personal attributes in which he could place his confidence. But what he discovered after he became a Christian was that everything he previously clung to was like human waste compared to the value of knowing Christ. Nothing compares to having a relationship with Him, so Paul pressed on every day to get to know Him better.

Of all people, Paul should not be joyful. He’s been called to hard ministry. He’s imprisoned. He’s potentially looking at a death sentence. And yet a sense of joy permeates the book. How can we live with the mind of Christ and practice joy in all circumstances?

Journey Through Philippians - Week 1

SHARE: Who We’re Becoming // Steve Gillen, October 12/13 As we wrap up, each of us have decisions to make about the kind of people we will become. We will only become the church we hope for when each of us chooses to become the person God calls us to be.

SHARE: The E Word // Eugene Cho, October 5/6 Evangelism has become something of a dirty word, funny considering that the root of the word means “good news.” What are the fears and excuses that hold us back from sharing the best kind of news?

9 SHARE: Wide & Deep // Steve Gillen, September 28/29 Jesus called each of us to go into all the world. But do we know people who need Jesus? Do we see their desperation for this good news? And do we go to them, meeting them in that place?