Willow Creek Weekend Podcast

Do you have what it takes to make a difference in the world? To change it for the better and to help others? 

Yes! You do! 

Nehemiah, in the Bible, felt like he had many constraints, but he was still able to use his influence as King Artaxerxes’ cupbearer and his connection to God to serve others in need. And you can too.

In week two of Celebration of Hope 2024, David Temfwe of the Jubilee Centre, one of our partners in Zambia, demonstrates how God has given us all that we need to use our influence, connections, and resources to help people around the world, and tells us how the Jubilee Centre is making a significant impact in the lives of the people they serve in Zambia.

What do you do when you’re faced with a big problem? Most of us do one of two things: either move quickly into action, or become overwhelmed and freeze. It’s fight, or flight, or freeze.

Have you ever been told to stop questioning and just believe? People say that with good intentions, but it can lead to a lack of faith. It’s perfectly normal and expected to have doubt and curiosity about Jesus and the Bible.

We know the Easter story—Jesus lived a perfect life, suffered and died on the cross, and then rose from the dead on Easter Sunday. But what would it have been like to be one of His disciples or friends at Easter? They changed their entire lives to follow Him; then everything they thought would happen shattered when Jesus died. Their own hope died.

Many of us have a fear of being alone. It’s a very human trait to suffer through feeling lonely and social isolation. But with God next to us, we are never truly alone. And God understands our feelings of loneliness and sadness; Jesus suffered terrifying depression and loneliness in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-46)and cried out to God in desperation.

We imagine Jesus as a very serene, calm and soft-spoken man. But, just like us, Jesus feels anger, and in John 2:13-25, He gets so angry Jesus flips tables!

Shame is a word and feeling we all want to avoid. Shame is often a barrier between us and God, too. Our regrets, all those actions and feelings we carry with us for years, weigh us down and make us feel less than worthy of God’s love. But that’s just not true at all.

In John 18, Peter denies Jesus three times, something he is deeply ashamed of. And then, in John 21, Peter is forgiven by and restored through Jesus.

You, too, can experience forgiveness and restoration; true healing and freedom from shame, guilt and regret. Pastor Shawn shows us how this is possible in our own lives.

Does God understand our grief? In the story of Lazarus and his death and resurrection, Jesus shows us that He lives grief just as deeply as we do. Even though Jesus knew Lazarus would be brought back from the dead, He still joined Mary and Martha, Lazarus’ sisters, in their grief and sadness.

When Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding, it was not only His first miracle but also caused great joy. No, not because the guests got the best wine (but that did make them pretty joyful)! But because Mary, Jesus’ mother, saw Him step into His calling. 

We can sometimes wonder how we can be happy. Or curious about where others are finding joy in this life. We can ask; what do I need to find my joy? 

As we begin a new series on Big Feelings, Pastor Dave takes us to John 2:1-12 to discover how being close to God can bring out our own joy.

What is the power of our giving? Can our generosity change the world? In the earliest Christian church (in Acts 2:42-47), people gave so that others in their community were looked after. Orphans were homed, the sick were cared for, and anyone with a need was helped. 

Jesus calls us to do the same in our world today! We can help in our community by giving generously–and remember, it’s not about the amount you give, but the heart behind it–we can meet the needs of others. What would the world look like if we all gave to help in our community?