Willingdon Church Sermons: Recent Episodes
Willingdon Church, Burnaby, BC
Regular podcast of Sunday sermons from Willingdon Church. We are a community church; international in attendance, biblical in its message, uplifting in its worship and committed in its service to all ages from all walks of life.
The post How Should I Think About Myself (and Others)? appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post The Nature of a Believer’s Relationship with Jesus Christ appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Called to be Blessed, Called to be Faithful appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Want a Distinctive, Dynamic, Daring Life? appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Psalms: Songs for Life – 10 Praise The Lord With Your Whole Life appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Psalms: Songs for Life – 09 Hope is in the Lord appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Psalms: Songs for Life – 08 The Hope of the Broken appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Psalms: Songs for Life – 07 Imitation Gods appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Psalms: Songs for Life – 06 Revive Us Again! appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Psalms: Songs for Life – 05 The Need for Praise appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Psalms: Songs for Life – 04 Look to the Lord appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Psalms: Songs for Life – 03 Longing for Home appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Psalms: Songs for Life – 02 His Faithfulness is Our Courage appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Psalms: Songs for Life – 01 God’s Victory is Our Joy appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Pentecost 2023 – A Good Sermon About A Great Sermon appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Romans 911 – 05 Running From the Finish Line appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Romans 911 – 02 In His Choice, We Rejoice appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Romans 911 – 01 If Only I Could Save Them appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Love To The End – 03 Devotion to Death. Devotion to Life. appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Love To The End – 02 Come Thou Long Expected Jesus appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Elephant in the Room – 10 What is the Meaning of Life? appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Elephant in the Room – 09 What Happens After You Die? appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Elephant in the Room – 08 Is Jesus the Only Way? appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Elephant in the Room – 06 Where Have All the Dinosaurs Gone? appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Elephant in the Room – 05 Why is there Evil and Suffering? appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Elephant in the Room – 04 Who Determines What is Right and Wrong? appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Elephant in the Room – 03 Wrestling with the Violence of God appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Elephant in the Room – 02 Why Fight For All Human Life? appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Elephant in the Room – 02 Why Fight For All Human Life? appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Elephant in the Room – 01 Courage To Stand appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Hidden Christmas – 05 Not Just A Resolution appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Christmas 2022 – Treasures: Rediscover The Gift Of Christmas appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Hidden Christmas – 04 Timely and Timeless Words appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Hidden Christmas – 03 From Beginning to End – Part 2 appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Hidden Christmas – 02 From Beginning to End appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Hidden Treasure – 11 The Treasure of the Hidden Kingdom appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Hidden Treasure – 08 The Word to Treasure appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Hidden Treasure – 06 Requests Leading to Treasure appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Hidden Treasure – 05 The Power of the Good Treasure appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Hidden Treasure – 04 The Treasure of God’s Compassion appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Hidden Treasure – 03 The Treasure of God’s Mercy appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Hidden Treasure – 02 The Treasure of Knowing Your Father appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Hidden Treasure – 01 Expecting the Unexpected appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Outhustled – 09 Outstripped: What do I do when life is too much? appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Outhustled – 08 Outwrestled: A Life-Changing Encounter appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Outhustled – 07 Fleeing and Fearing: How Brokeness Transforms Our Faith appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Outhustled – 04 Out Of Place, But Not Grace appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Outhustled – 02 Those Terrible Family Sins appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Outhustled – 01 A Blessed and Contentious Beginning appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Confident – 12 When Will Everyone Stop Groaning? appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Confident – 11 No Longer Slaves – A Family Led by the Spirit appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Confident – 09 Doing What I Don’t Want to Do and Not Doing What I Do Want to Do appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Confident – 08 The Law and the Lawless Ones appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Confident – 06 Absolute Freedom is a Fantasy! appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Confident – 06 Absolute Freedom is a Fantasy! appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Jesus’ Conversations 03 – Crucifixion Conversations appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Jesus’ Conversations 02 – Facing Crisis Jesus’ Way appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Jesus’ Conversations 01 – Jesus’ Table Conversation appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Confident – 03 Why Is Our World So Messed Up? appeared first on Willingdon Church.
The post Confident – 02 God’s Love Breeds Confidence appeared first on Willingdon Church.
“What comes to mind for you as I say the word “danger”? What kind of dangers have you experienced in your life? One of the beautiful things about Willingdon Church is that we have such a diverse...
The desire for health is universal. Sick people all over the world want to be well, and in most cultures there are people dedicated to practice of healing. In Africa, a traditional healer uses...
A few weeks ago, I had a conversation with a man who had grown up under a communist regime. I asked him, “What was it like to live under that authoritarian regime?” His response: “Everyone had to...
We live in an unusual time. Many things feel uncertain. The pandemic continues. Heat waves, wildfires, climate change. A shifting moral landscape. We are in the middle of an untimely federal election...
In our annual calendar, we have two seasons which invite us to plan: the beginning of the school year in September and the beginning of the calendar year in January. What are your plans for the...
All growing, developing relationships will eventually experience conflict. Why do I say that? Am I just a pessimist? No! I’m just old enough to have experienced this reality and we’re all flawed...
A cheerful heart is one of the treasures of life, something that Proverbs suggests can be attained through the practice of wisdom. But where does the cheerful heart come from? Is it just a...
We all interact with words every day. Statistics and studies tell us that men and women about 16,000 words each day on average. That is a lot of words that come out of our mouths and it isn’t just...
Pride. It lives deep within us. It’s a sticky tar that clings to our soul and seeps deep into every crevice of our being. But we might not even know it. God has much to say about pride, and about its...
Most of us don’t enjoy other people telling us what to do or how to live. Taking advice from people, especially when it is unsolicited, can be a frustrating and at times challenging thing to do. So...
How often do you use customer reviews to determine whether you will make a purchase from a store, go to restaurant, or stay at a hotel or Air BNB? I regularly use reviews to pick where I will eat,...
Sometimes we receive an email and the person signs off with the word “shalom” - a Hebrew greeting. When we wish someone “shalom,” we are expressing our desire for them to experience well-being, a...
Friendship is really important. We sing a lot about being friends. University of McGill neuroscientist, Daniel J.
It is most important, according to the wisdom of Proverbs, that a person know how to relate properly to his Creator. This vertical relationship precedes all horizontal ones: we need to learn to look...
The Scripture passage today talks about fulfilment of God's promises. Promises to Abraham, but also promises to us. And we see right away that God's promises become reality through faith.
Normally, we fathers have an intimate connection with our children. If someone threatens or harms our children, we have an instinctive, visceral reaction. In a similar manner, we children usually...
The first human beings, Adam and Eve, were born into privilege. They enjoyed all of the wonders of being people created in the image of God. They walked with God in His garden. They enjoyed the ample...
The topic of privilege is sensitive and heated in our cultural climate. There are many unfair advantages and disadvantages that people face every day due to things they have no control over such as...
Our text today speaks to outward signs and inward realities. What are some signs familiar to us? A wedding ring symbolizes the oneness of marriage. If I don’t wear my ring, my wife will soon ask me...
At Pentecost, 2000 years ago, the Father sent the Spirit to indwell his people and the church of Jesus Christ was born. And then, 60 years ago, on May 22nd, 1961, the local expression of that now...
Gwen and I have 3 boys who are close in age. We had our share of disputes to settle. The boys didn't always appreciate our judgements and accused us of being unfair in our discipline. We learned a...
When Paul wrote the letter to the Romans, he had already preached the Gospel for more than 20 years in Jewish synagogues, city halls, and market squares. He knew how people would respond to his...
Admittedly, these verses are hard to read. We are parents, children, grandparents, grandchildren, singles, and married who wrestle with the meaning of the passage. We may be hearing some things in...
We live in a beautiful province. With the ocean, the mountains, the valley, the forests – nature is incredible. But we stop at nature itself, we miss the point of nature altogether. The majesty of...
What would you want to hear from another follower of Jesus today? Would you want to hear that the person was thinking of you? Would you want to hear a word of af rmation for persevering in a dif cult...
In Paul’s letter to the Romans, we have the most sustained, comprehensive exposition of the great truths of the Gospel set out in logical fashion: the human condition, justi cation by faith alone,...
Do you want to know what’s going to happen in the future? I know I do. People have always wanted to know the future. We’re insatiably curious and anxious about the future. We want to know how things...
We live in a world where there are promises all around us, and so many of the choices we make in life revolve around the promises we believe. It feels pretty great when promises are kept, and things...
Jesus concludes his Sermon on the Mount with these words: “The house fell with a great crash!” Boom! Over! Wiped out! Total collapse! Why does Jesus end his sermon this way? Those before him, on a...
As Jesus draws His Sermon on the Mount to a close, He speaks of two gates, one narrow and the other wide; there are two kinds of prophets, some true and others false; two kinds of disciples,...
Robert Frost penned the famous poem “The Road Not Taken,” rst published in 1916. The last verse of the poem reads;I shall be telling this with a sighSomewhere ages and ages hence:Two roads diverged...
How do we pray if we think God may give us what we do not need? How do we pray if we believe God may give us harmful gifts? How do we pray if God is not completely trustworthy?
Why does Jesus talk about specks and planks? Let’s set the context. In his sermon, Jesus has been talking about what it looks like to live the culture of heaven on earth.
This life is full of surprises and unexpected journeys. We experience a great many things as we go through each day, and sometimes those experiences can leave us feeling anxious. In an ever-changing...
Over the past five weeks, we have talked about spiritual practices that help us gain perspective: giving, prayer, and fasting. Perspective is so important because life is full of decisions based on...
Prayer is not unique to the Christian faith. People from different religions, ethnicities, and cultures around the world make their request known to the spiritual realm. Prayer, however, has two...
As we began last year, everyone was talking about 2020 vision, including us. 2020 Vision was the title of our sermon series based on Revelation 4-11. Our desire was to sit in those chapters and allow...
2020 was supposed to be the year of clear vision. We were all set to refocus our attention on Jesus and invest in our faith more than ever! None of us could have expected the type of year that...
What does it even mean to have faith? Let's begin with the faith journey of those who lived the first Christmas. When the angel Gabriel appears to Mary, the mother of Jesus, she doesn't say, "Oh....
We are now 10 months into this pandemic. Some have had to navigate health and financial crises. All of us, at some level, have had to face mental, emotional, and relational strain. We feel isolated...
The God who makes order out of chaos desires that ALL of life be arranged according to His design. The Hebrew word for this is “shalom,” usually translated as “peace” into English. The world longs...
No passage in Scripture is more admired and, at the same time, more resented. Nowhere is the challenge of Jesus greater. Nowhere is the distinctiveness of the Beautiful Way more obvious. Nowhere is...
Sex, marriage, and truth are beautiful. How is that for getting to the point? The truth is we have a hard time talking about sexuality, marriage, and truth because we are so broken and confused in...
We are driven every day to follow our hearts and try to get what we want. When things don’t go our way, anger is a regular response. It comes out in different ways - our words, our thoughts, our...
We have the awesome privilege of making all kinds of choices in life, both small ones and big ones. Will we eat cereal or eggs for breakfast? Will we play soccer or ice hockey? Will we remain in this...
Sometimes we’re tempted to be less than honest. I am often asked the question, “What do you do for a living?” If I am honest, I cannot hide my connection to Jesus. Identifying myself as a pastor...
Who is a person that you have dreamed of becoming like? It could be a family member or friend, or maybe a celebrity or public figure. We all have people whose ways of life captivate us, and inspire...
Have you heard of “The Beautiful Game”? Brazilian footballer Pelé made the phrase synonymous with soccer when he named his autobiography, My Life and the Beautiful Game. The Brazilians of Pelé’s...
We live in a world of following and being followed. How many followers do you have on Instagram? How many friends on Facebook? How many followers on Twitter? How many views did last week’s sermon...
This week we are celebrating communion together as a church family, and hearing a message from our guest speaker, Jeff Vanderstelt.
Adam and Eve, the first humans, faced temptations in the Garden of Eden. They took the fruit of the tree because it was good for food, pleasing to the eyes and it would make them like God. Throughout...
As we go through life, we all experience what I will call “marker events,” events that mark us in such a way that we remember them forever. Events that profoundly shape our lives. Some marker events...
Some amazing highways in Canada are the Sea to Sky Highway between Vancouver and Whistler, the Icefields Parkway between Banff and Jasper, and the Cabot Trail around Cape Breton in Nova Scotia.
The trellis is a common support used to get plants off the ground and growing upward. Supported by a trellis, plants become more fruitful and productive. Each of us has a personal trellis, rhythms...
How are you feeling about your relational world today? Are you Covid frustrated, sick of being distanced from others? Maybe you’re one of the people who love not feeling the pressure to be with...
Our lives are more volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous than they were six months ago. COVID-19 has affected almost every area of our lives in some way.
Everyone struggles with envy and doubt at different times in life. Sometimes it feels like we will never be free of these things. We can become bitter in our envy towards others, and lost in our...
Repentance is not a popular word in our modern culture. In fact, we’re often told that repentance is unnecessary, that we should not feel bad about the hurts we cause others. This teaching leaves us...
Don’t you hate injustice? I know I do. We experience or feel injustice when we experience or witness something that we think is unfair. When we feel that our rights or the rights of another have been...
The book of Psalms has been the songbook of the church for literally thousands of years. Countless generations have sung these songs in worship to God. They have been sung in every conceivable...
Psalm 23 is personal. Two everyday images are employed: The LORD (Yahweh) as Shepherd who genuinely cares for His sheep, and the LORD as Host who cares for His guest. The psalm is written from the...
In his book, The Infinite Game, Simon Sinek talks about finite games and infinite games. Finite games have a definite beginning and end, there are clear rules to play by, and agreed upon objective,...
Chances are you know Philippians 4:13 by heart: “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” This verse has become quite popular and is even marketed within Christian circles. But how often...
So what do you long for? Perhaps you long for an end to racism and social injustice. Recently, I heard a pastor from New York say, “Some just want to hang out with people who believe the same thing....
For over two months here in BC, we have been committed to social distancing. Are you desperate to spend time with people you love? To go to your favourite restaurant? Or to get a much needed haircut?
This series is titled, “No Matter What.” No matter what is going on around us as we know we can stand on the promises and truth of Christ. Today our title takes on a slightly different meaning.
In light of the amazing picture of Jesus that Paul paints in the passage right before this, how now shall we live? Jesus sacrificed Himself on our behalf, rose from the dead, and now has been exalted...
In Canada, we tend to value justice, pleasure, and prosperity over everything else. We despise injustice, suffering, and poverty. We want a society where no one is poor, where no one suffers, and...
Last Sunday, the largest single-show broadcast in Canadian history, Stronger Together, was aired. It was a TV special packed with famous Canadian names from across the worlds of music sports, science...
As we journey through this COVID-19 shutdown, with many of our normal activities being stripped away, the days can start to blend together as time passes. Each day is kind of like the last one. The...
When Paul wrote to encourage and challenge the church in Philippi, he found himself isolated from the people he loved so dearly. He was forced to stay home on house arrest chained to a soldier. He...
This is an unusual Easter. We find ourselves in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis. I want to acknowledge that some of us may not be ready for Resurrection Sunday. Some of us may feel like the...
What song would adequately express our sentiments on this Palm Sunday? If you’re like me, I need my heart vacillating between songs of faith and hope, and songs of lament. For some reason, I’m...
With the recommended social distancing in recent weeks, and for some, selfisolation, we are almost forced to take a look at our relationships, especially with those closest to us. Police officers are...
Everyday we’re hearing new updates on the spread of COVID-19. The updates announce new restrictions on travel, public meetings, and workplace precautions. Schools are closed, some for the remainder...
If you do a quick search online about anger and how to deal with anger, you’ll find tons of results. There are all kinds of suggestions and techniques from all sorts of philosophical and religious...
found in a much larger work entitled, The Messiah. The Messiah is one of the best-known and most frequently performed choral works in Western music. Why should we be singing the Hallelujah Chorus...
evelation 11 is about code breaking. When we interpret this chapter, we need to walk with an extra measure of humility. Many consider it to be the most difficult text to interpret in all of Scripture...
In the book of Revelation, we have the vision that John saw clearly recorded for us. However, we often struggle to know how to go about interpreting that vision. We know what John saw and heard in...
When you look at a Russian doll, you look at it and you think, “There’s a doll.” Then you twist it open and you discover a second doll. There is more than you first observed. But, then you twist it...
As a child, when I thought I had been caught doing something wrong my dad was quiet. It was never a comfortable silence. Why wasn’t he saying something? Was he just calculating how severe the...
Have you noticed how depressing or frightening end of the world movies are? Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic movies are never good news. Zombies, natural disasters, global melt down or a new ice age...
Futurology is the study of predicting possible futures, a branch of the social sciences running parallel to the field of history. It is an attempt to tell us what we should expect in the coming years...
Do you remember the first time you put on a new set of glasses? You could see words on a page, signs on the freeway, the features of people’s faces. The world around came into focus.
Last weekend, we studied the first half of the Lord’s Prayer. This week, we will look at the second half of the Lord’s Prayer.
People often say, “I don’t know how to pray,” “I’m no good at praying,” or “I’m not sure I’m praying the right way.”
Because God has spoken in Jesus, there are answers to our questions, solutions to our problems, hope for our future, forgiveness for our sins, healing for our shame, and strength to overcome our...
Over the last few months, we have been studying the spiritual gifts so that we might be more aware of how God has equipped us by His Spirit and, as a result, serve Jesus more faithfully and joyfully...
There is power in personal experience. It is one thing to have the Grand Canyon described to you, but a completely different experience to walk up to the edge of the canyon and be awestruck by the...
Jesus said of the last days, “And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold” (Matt. 24:12).
When it comes to the gift of tongues, we all come from different places. Some of us have never heard of the gift of tongues. Some of us are excited to talk about this gift. Some of us are nervous...
Today we’re jumping back into our E-Transfer series to focus on the spiritual gifts God has given His people. 1 Corinthians 12 teaches that the church is like a body made up of many parts. A body has...
Today we take a turning point in our sermon series. Over the next number of weeks, we will be looking at the spiritual gifts that God gives to the church.
In our day, the word empower is a popular word. We use it to refer to helping people become stronger or more confident in some aspect of their lives.
If you call yourself a follower of Jesus, you have been given spiritual gift(s) by the Holy Spirit. Your “job” then is to discover and develop your gift(s) for maximum impact in God’s mission.
At Willingdon we see community as a key part of the journey of following Jesus. The more we become like Jesus, the more Jesus wants us to experience real, authentic, Spirit-filled, Christ-centered...
As a church family, we exist to know Jesus Christ personally and to carry on His ministry. We do that under the empowerment and filling of the Spirit. One of the key marks of being filled with the...
Our church mission statement is “to know Jesus Christ personally and to carry on His ministry.” How do we do this? Where does the process begin?
If we were to ask a sociologist how Willingdon got to where it is today, he or she might say, “Oh, that’s easy! First, Willingdon has an excellent location, right at the center of Metro Vancouver.
The Canadian federal election will take place in a few weeks. I have read the commentaries on the strategies of the different political parties with interest. Imagine how difficult it would be to run...
Impatience reveals something about our human nature that we need to be acutely aware of. We tend to want to find our comfort, security, and worth in things that are tangible; things that we can...
Many of the Ten Commandments deal with external actions. A person can be caught stealing. You can hear when a person bears false testimony. You can witness a murder. But, today we’ll look at...
The ninth commandment says that we should not bear false witness against our neighbor. Often this commandment is summarized as a command not to lie. That is helpful, but the commandment is about more...
As Christians, we would believe that God made the world and everything in it. He is our Creator and our Designer. As our Designer, He gives us the way we were designed to live through His commands in...
The Bible refers to adultery as the “great sin.” Let’s just admit that it is hard for us to understand.
“Don’t kill!” This seems like a simple instruction to understand. We all agree with it; we want murder to stop and for murderers to be properly dealt with. But was God’s command as simple as that, or...
“Honour your father and mother . . . ” If you come from a home where you were loved and cared for by your parents, you probably hear these words and say, “Yes. That is exactly what I want to do.
Ethics in Room 21C. What is meant by Room 21C? We live in “Room 21C”, the room of the 21st century. What about ethics? Ethics refers to the moral principles we live by based on our understanding...
The book of Genesis tells the grand story of humanity. It begins with the good news: people are made in the image of God. We are created to have relationship with God. He looked at His creation, at...
The title of today’s message is appropriate for this weekend. It is World Refugee Sunday. The anxious plight of the refugee (driven from their homes, struggling to raise children, women exploited by...
Have you ever had a family tradition in your life for a long time but never fully understood the reason for it? If you are of a particular ethnicity, you may have neighbours that do not understand...
When we look around, we see people bustling through life. Most people would say they are free to do as they please. What is true freedom? What does it mean to be alive? How does Jesus’ promise of...
The Garden of Eden: one of the most iconic locations in all of history. Even if a person has not read the book of Genesis, they would probably recognize the name. ‘Edenic’ has become an adjective to...
Have you ever said to yourself, “Why is life so busy”? In response to the question, “How are you doing?” have you ever said, “I wish my day had 32 hours!”
The title of this message is arguably the most pressing question of our time. This question is not only the most discussed in our society, but it also addresses the realm where the Biblical worldview...
Throughout history people have asked the questions: where do we come from? Why are things as they are? Is there a grand design to our world? What happens at the end of life? Does life have a purpose...
The answer to the question posed by our sermon title determines our identity. Am I an illusion, an intelligent ape, or the creation of God in His image? The answer to the title question determines...
Actions speak louder than words. In Matthew 21:1-17, Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey. This is something that many people have done with no particular significance attached to it – but not this...
Have you ever found a treasure? Have you ever been out minding your business only to have something catch your attention and it turns out to be a valuable treasure? If you were to be honest with...
In Jesus’ last discourse in the Gospel of Matthew (chapters 24-25), He looks down a corridor of time toward His Second Coming. Jesus teaches His disciples how they are to live each day in preparation...
We are starting a new series: “Parables and Passion.” The parables of Jesus describe the Kingdom of God; the passion of Jesus is at the centre of the Kingdom.
Do you enjoy entering a display home? You walk through the entrance, feel the ambience, check out the den, stroll through the living room, envision the dining area and visit the bedrooms to...
In Revelation 3:7-13, Jesus has an important message for the church in Philadelphia and for us, but many of the phrases He uses can be difficult for us to make sense of. What is the “Key of David”?...
What does He say to a person that is falling asleep spiritually? What does He say to a person that is about to die?
This week, we have guest speaker Dr. Christopher Yuan sharing a message on a Christian Response to Homosexuality.
Sometimes we would like to be able to see more than we normally see. We want x-ray vision in order to get to the heart of a matter. We desire telescopic vision to see farther ahead. Night vision...
The Lord Jesus was direct in His warning to the Church in Smyrna – they were going to suffer. Christ never hides from His people that they can anticipate opposition, and violent hostility in many...
When was the last time you waited for an important communication from a special friend, your family, the immigration office, or the head office of your workplace?
In our over informed world we are being continually told what to believe, how to think, what is important, and what we should be concerned with.
The Book of Revelation breaks out with the word “apocalypse.” With this word, our generation immediately thinks about storms, natural disasters, rapid climate change, wars, famine, and the...
The New Year inevitably encourages us to look forward. God created us to be forward-looking. If we look back on the past year, it is to review our life story, remember the good experiences, and...
We all say that we want freedom of choice. We like options. None of us like to feel inhibited or forced into our choices. We also often have difficulty making choices. How do we know we’ve made the...
What kind of week have you had? Excellent? Difficult? The Christmas season is often a mixture of stress and excitement.
The book of Matthew begins with a genealogy. When most of us read Matthew 1:1-17 we see only a list of names. But, behind these names is an incredible story. It’s the story of God and His people that...
All of history, including my life and your life, falls within God’s comprehensive plan for humanity. Are we mindful of His sovereignty in our story? Do we recognize the choices before us?
Often we come to Jesus to see if He can help us live the life we’ve always dreamed. The only problem is that we get frustrated because Jesus continually invites us to put aside our personal dreams...
If you drive, you may have had the unfortunate experience of moving into the right lane, only to hit a car that was in your blind spot. You may have taken someone out to dinner, on a date, and...
Thirst is part of the human condition. Yu-Kai Chou, in his studies on gamification and behavioral design, concludes that we have several core drives (or thirsts). We long for meaning, growth,...
Where are the winds of adversity blowing in your life today? All disciples of Jesus eventually face life struggles that test their faith. Are you facing a storm (financial, family, health, societal...
This is a special weekend when thousands of churches worldwide pray FOR the Persecuted Church. Brothers and sisters who, because of following Jesus, suffer martyrdom, imprisonment, torture, rape,...
The Feeding of the Five Thousand is one of Jesus’ most iconic miracles. To many, it is a familiar story of incredible provision. But just because it is familiar, it does not mean we won’t be...
At the end of John 4, an official, from Capernaum, approaches Jesus in the city of Cana. His son is at the point of death. He pleads with Jesus to come heal his son before he dies. Jesus says, “Go;...
We live in a world of images. We draw from many streams and create our own clothing styles, foods, careers, and spiritual paths. We live in a world of fusion and tolerance. Obviously, there are...
If you watch sports, you know that the two intermissions of a hockey game, or the halftime of a football game, are the times when some of the greatest strategic decisions are made. These are the...
When we come to church, we often have questions. We wonder if people will accept us or judge us. We wonder if we’re going to meet real people or perhaps just some religious fanatics. We also wonder...
We often speak of a home, church, hotel, or business carrying an atmosphere. The atmosphere of a place refers to its pervasive feeling or mood. It depends on the character of those in the place,...
Every moment in life can be a moment when Jesus unveils something about God to us and we have the opportunity to trust Him more. Our text today finds Jesus, His disciples, and His mother at a wedding...
If you are here visiting today, we’re really glad you came. Maybe you’re exploring. You’re wondering who Jesus is and why people worship Him. Welcome!
Most of us would say, “less is more” is bad math. “More is more.” That’s not always the case in God’s economy. The world we live in is preoccupied with “more.” More money, more experiences, more...
This week, 89 South Koreans, who had been separated from family by the wall dividing North and South Korea, were able to meet their families in the North for the first time. This reunion occurred...
566 wildfires are burning in British Columbia. The province has declared a state of emergency. Firefighters have joined us from other provinces and other countries. The army has been called in to...
The title of this message would be the true confession of every person present in today’s text, Exodus 19. If we made the claim, “We met God,” would it reflect reality or presumption?
Sometimes bad things come in threes. After Israel left Egypt they faced one trial after another. First they ran out of water. Then they ran out of food. And then all of a sudden they were attacked by...
We all go through life with expectations. Expectations of ourselves, of others, and of God. What do you expect from God? Do your expectations of God hinder your spiritual growth? What do you base...
Have you ever been through a very difficult situation but after some time passed, you forgot how difficult it really was? It is easy to forget the things we ought to remember.
Exodus is the history of Israel’s salvation. It also reveals the pattern of salvation for us in Jesus. The New Testament describes the work of Jesus in Exodus language.
The Canadian national anthem will be sung across the nation this long weekend. Our anthem speaks of being the true north, rising strong and free, but it does not tell a story, maybe because a...
Living life today, without a sure compass, is extremely difficult. Trusting in our own intuition, abilities, and life experiences to guide us will frustrate us and lead us to ever greater levels of...
Do you have anyone you would consider an enemy in your life? Someone that is out to get you? To do harm to you? Most of us don’t have those kinds of people in our lives. We may have people we don’t...
During this sermon series, “Living in the Real World,” we have opened up parentheses to address real issues like human sexuality and our relationship with money. If there are three forces that we all...
We all have Expectations. Let me ask you, what do you expect from God? What do you expect the impact of following Him will be on your life? How will following Jesus impact your relationships, your...
Imagine if you were asked to play the Mongolian horse fiddle right now. What would you feel? You would probably feel a mix of emotions: anxiety, fear, doubt, confusion. You may question the wisdom of...
Living with “the end in mind” is a way of seeing, a worldview. At the heart of a worldview, you have core beliefs, which determine your thought patterns, your values (what is important to you) and...
We want to live with the end in mind. We want to live with God-given purpose in light of eternity. One of our biggest mental strongholds preventing us from living with the end in mind is our...
The Bible reveals to us a Father who is “rich in grace and mercy” and a Savior who “though He was rich became poor for us.” As we explore the depth of this message of freedom and reconciliation, our...
As we saw last weekend, the word “end” can refer to the end of all things, the end of human history on earth as we know it, or “end” can also refer to “purpose.” We are hard-wired by God to live with...
We are starting a new series this weekend, Live with the End in Mind. The word “end” can refer to the end of all things, the end of human history on Earth as we know it. Our passage today begins with...
Last week was Easter. We celebrated the fact that Jesus came into this world (Immanuel) to deal with sin. Jesus, who is 100% GOD and 100% MAN, willingly sacrificed Himself so that you and I can have...
Max Weber, a German sociologist, defined power and authority in the following manner: power is the ability to exercise one’s will over others, while authority refers to accepted power; that is,...
All people experience social pressure to some degree. It can be used to maintain order or to encourage horrific acts. Sometimes people will do things they would normally not do because of the...
People respond to Jesus in all sorts of ways. Some read the gospels and embrace Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. Others read the gospels and conclude that Jesus was just a person, maybe a great...
In the first message of this series, we recognized that we are all created for relational intimacy. We presented a biblical definition of marriage.
The Winter Olympics are a great spectacle of snowboarders racing down mountains and speed skaters racing across slick ice surfaces. Finishing the race well requires clear focus on the prize, personal...
I’m sure you’ve all seen the #Metoo movement sweeping through Hollywood and politics in particular. My response is, “it’s about time!” The rumors of sexual abuse and the glorification of sexual...
This week we welcome special guest speakers Dr. Christopher Yuan and his parents Leon and Angela Yuan
We come to this conversation about human sexuality from different places. Some enter the conversation eagerly; others only remember painful experiences.
Following Jesus has historically created tension between Christ-followers and prevailing societal norms.
Our text today is a very encouraging text for disciples of Jesus. It calls us to live within the reality of His death, resurrection, and ascension. Having said this, these verses are some of the most...
1st Century Christians lived in an unfriendly, sometimes even hostile, environment where their faith had psychological, social and economic consequences.
1 Peter has so much to say to us about “Living in the Real World” today. At the time of the writing of this letter (about 60 AD), there was not widespread, systematic persecution, but to be a...
Human beings yearn for authentic relationship. We have a God-given desire for what is genuine and true. We want the real thing when it comes to friendship, family and leadership. We want the real...
The empty tomb is a historical fact. It has been accepted by almost all throughout history, both Christians and people of other religious persuasions, including atheists. The question is: how do we...
Do you long for home? How would you describe home? Many would describe home as a place where the door is open. You are welcome. You belong. It’s a safe place where you know those who belong and you...
The Choir and Orchestra lead us in worship and celebration as we reflect on what on what God has done for us through the Cross.
“Who is Jesus?” This question has been discussed, debated, written and talked about ever since Jesus walked on the earth. Throughout the ages various people – both religious and secular – have...
The Choir and Orchestra lead us in worship and celebration as we reflect on what on what God has done for us through the Cross.
The Connection band lead us in worship and celebration as we reflect on what on what God has done for us through the Cross.