If only… If only I had fewer problems in my past… If only I was a better speaker… If only I had more influence… then God might use me for something important. Think kind of thinking neglects that God’s ability is bigger than your inability. This sermon on Mark 6:30-44 by Pastor Ruttan unpacks the miraculous feeding of the 5000. It shows us that Jesus is the new and greater Moses, but also something critical about discipleship, especially when we feel unqualified. What was true then remains true today. God uses what you have, not what you wish you had.

In this episode, Pastor Ruttan shares two tips for personal peace in a new year. One is obvious, the second will need some explanation. You can link to the text version here.

A lot has happened in the past 100 years. In 1924 there were 1.9 billion people in the world. Most household didn’t own cars. Over the next 10 decades there would be the great depression, World War Two, a moon landing and the rise of the internet. It makes you wonder what will happen in the next 100 years. One author speculates that artificial intelligence is like a tsunami just off the shore of our human existence. Another media and technology mogul thinks we’ll all have our own advanced personal robots by 2124. The future is the great unknown. In light of all of this, how might the nativity story speak into our collective and individual future which, for many people, feels uncertain, dangerous or scary. This Christmas Eve mini-message by Pastor Ruttan on Christmas Eve offers an answer to that question.

It’s one of the most famous stories ever told: The birth of Jesus. Shepherds, angels, and hostile Inn-keepers have appeared in thousands of Christmas pageants for hundreds of years. But when we hear something so much, we stop hearing it. Instead of paying more attention, we pay less. This episode is an opportunity for you to slow down and go more in-depth with Luke 2:1-20. It is a re-release from 2022. Learn more about Nazareth, the harsh political landscape, historical ambiguity about the census, ancient prophecies, and what it would have been like for Mary. Oh, and there are no donkeys mentioned in the story — sorry! In the words of Matthew Henry, “Long-looked for is come at last.”

The angel told Joseph to name the baby Jesus “for he will save his people from their sins.” What does this mean? Our first thought is often that he will save us from “the consequence of” our sins. And rightly so. He will and he does. On the cross Jesus gets what we deserve, and in turn, we get what he deserves. But Jesus also saves us from “the slavery of” our sins. That’s right. Jesus himself says that whoever practices sin (in an ongoing, repeated and unrepentant way) becomes a slave to it (John 8:34). That Jesus wants good things for us during life (not just in the afterlife) is a much-neglected dimension of the saving work of Christ. This sermon explores Matthew 1:1-25 and unpacks Jesus’ family tree, Mary and Joseph’s engagement, her unexpected pregnancy, the message of the angel to Joseph, and the saving work of Christ.

Join in with this honest prayer during worship by Pastor Ruttan — lifting up to God concerns about ugliness, scariness, fracture and monsters. But also metamorphosis, love and standing valiant for truth.

Give me his head on a platter! And so it happened that the holy man, John the Baptist, was decapitated in prison because of a grudge. This twisted and bloody story is a contrast between two kings and two kingdoms, both then and now. Each day we chose a path in one of two kingdoms: the kingdom of the world and darkness, or the kingdom of God and light. This is why Eugene Peterson says that God forms the church to be a colony of heaven in a country of death. This sermon on Mark 6:14-29 unpacks the darkness of this story, and highlights the contrast between our true King, and the lesser kings of the world. Ultimately, since we are “citizens of heaven” (Phil. 3:20), how might we bring heaven home?

Rejection is fun, right? Wrong. And yet, it’s something that many of us have to deal with at some point or another, including those who try to follow Jesus. Anthony was a monk who lived into the fourth century. He said: “A time is coming when men will go mad, and when they see someone who is not mad, they will attack him, saying, ‘You are mad, you are not like us.'” Do you relate with that? Jesus faced considerable rejection. This sermon on Mark 6:1-13 is an opportunity for us to re-frame how we think about this topic. Being rejected—and being different because of your beliefs or lifestyle—can be so upsetting that we forget that there is something more important than being rejected. When we keep that more important thing in view—and when we hold certain worldly things “loosely”—the arrows of others start to lose their sting.

Faith isn’t just about pursuing life after death, but life before death. Or, put another way, it’s not just about the after-life, but the during-life. When we think of Jesus as “Saviour” we tend to think about his role after our time on earth. He saves us from the consequence of sin and from being on the wrong side of eternal judgment. As (very!) important as those things are, we can forget certain aspects of his role as Saviour in the here and now. We can miss some of the ways he can be powerfully present, especially in moments of desperation and pain. This sermon explores Mark 5:21-43 and is an invitation to honestly consider Jesus’ role as Saviour in your life before death.

This sermon was originally called “Closing doors to demons” and was delivered on November 17, 2024 at Westminster in Barrie. But Pastor Ruttan has changed the title to this: “Is this the sermon demons don’t want you to hear?” He explains why in a short introduction at the start of the message. Some strange things happened on and around it’s delivery. Okay, to the sermon itself. Jon Thompson says: “The demonic hates anything that reminds them of hope.” If you belong to Jesus, that’s you. But be at peace and do not be afraid. This sermon unpacks one of the most intriguing (and confusing) parts of the Bible: Mark 5:1-20. It’s when Jesus casts out a legion of demons from a man. They go into a herd of pigs who quickly drown. People are both afraid and amazed. The sermon presents some big picture ideas about spiritual warfare, takes us through the text, warns against major “doorways” which give the demonic permission to function in our lives, and encourages practices to help us live freely and victoriously in Christ. There is a companion podcast to this sermon which Pastor Ruttan references. It is an interview he has with Steve Dabbs, author of “When Demons Surface.” You can access that here, or by searching on our podcast, The Word at Westminster. In Romans 16:19-21 Paul said: “I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” It was a good word then, and it’s a wise word now. Let’s open our eyes, and be not afraid. Is this the sermon demons don’t want you to hear?