Willow Creek Community Church Weekend Podcast

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 waiting worth it.

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 difficult circumstances.

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?

When You Pray // Megan Marshman, September 21/22 The disciples noticed something unique, something radically different in the way Jesus conversed with God. That fascination prompted them, in Luke 11, to say, “Teach us how to pray.”

PRAY: Learning To Speak // Matt Wright, September 14/15 What can often impede our prayers are our misconceptions of who we are and who God is. Our most real prayers are made possible when the real us learns to speak with the real God.

6 PRAY: More // Albert Tate, September 7/8 When Paul writes to the Ephesians, he doesn’t just tell them, “I’ll pray for you.” He prays for them! And his prayer pushes past their circumstances to the very heart of life in Christ.

5 WORSHIP: Growing in Worship // Eugene Cho, August 31/September 1 What role does the Holy Spirit play in worship? And in what ways can our experience of worship as a body (and with our bodies) spill into our everyday lives as children of God?

4 WORSHIP: Worship Begins Here // Megan Marshman, August 25/26 When we roll into church on Sunday it’s easy to think it’s just another service, forgetting that we’re together to worship a holy God. But what is worship? And why do we gather and sing together?

3 SERVE: Made For This // Matt Wright, August 17/18 Ephesians 2 tells us that we are created by God to do work he’s called us to do, so when we serve, we are more of what God has made us to be than at any other time.

2 SERVE: Just Like This // Steve Gillen, August 10/11 In John 13 Jesus wraps a towel around his waist, gets down on his knees, and does the job no one else deigned to do. And then he says, “Do like I do.” How do we join Jesus in his humility?

Week 1: Welcome To The Party // Eugene Cho, August 3/4 What if the Church were where the hungry came to be filled and where you received the best meal you’d ever eaten? What if the Church were like a potluck where everyone brought his or her best dish to the table?