Willow Creek Weekend Podcast

GIVE April 13 & 14 • Steve Gillen His time. His love. His creation. His resources. His affirmation. His purpose. His plan. His mercy. His restoration. His glory. His Son. Our God gives and gives and gives and gives. And gives some more. He is giving hope and a future to people around the world, and one of the ways we can partner with him is by giving too. This isn’t a one-time kind of giving but an emptying out. God asks us to GIVE of our time, our hearts, our abilities, and our resources to join what he has in store for the restoration of everything.

Each year we’ve heard stories of the work God is doing through our partners around the world. These stories have consistently helped to GROW our understanding of the deep needs of those around the world and GROW our faith in a God who is big enough to supply the very deepest of those needs. This year, we’ll be hearing from many of our partners in person as they share the places where they’ve seen God at work, where they’re still waiting, and what God may be calling them to next.

GO March 30 & 31 • Eugene Cho Jesus called us to live lives that are characterized by going. But the command to GO is about more than simply signing on to a project. GO is about going out of our comfort zones. It’s about going where we have proximity to a need we may never have seen up close. It’s about going beyond what is comfortable, what is familiar, what we’ve done before. When we GO in these kinds of ways, God can use our disorientation to change us and change his world.

HEALTHY, WEALTHY, AND FOOLISH MARK 10:17-23 | MARCH 23-24 | ALBERT TATE He has everything, youth, money, and a world of opportunity. When the rich, young ruler comes to Jesus, it appears as though every door is open to him, but Jesus can see that he’s living in a prison of his own choosing, his heart held fast by his fortune. How do we keep from letting money make a fool out of us?

THE ADVENTURE OF SURRENDER 2 CORINTHIANS 8:1-5 | MARCH 16-17 | STEVE GILLEN We often approach financial advice in the same way a child approaches his or her chores. We do it “because so-and-so said so.” What if, instead of following God’s teaching on money “because he told me to,” we followed because we get to? What if we began to see that God’s guidance on money is an open invitation to an exciting and surprising adventure?

MONEY THAT MATTERS LUKE 12: 13-21 | MARCH 9-10 | EUGENE CHO Money is the second-most talked about topic in the pages of scripture, referencing the subject well over 2,000 times. Taken together, these passages paint a picture of finances that is personal, practical, and eternal. God wants to free us, help us, and make us part of something much bigger, an eternal future that is truly worth our investment.

JOHN 20:1-31, 11:25, ROM 6:4 | MAR 2-3 | STEVE GILLEN The tomb is empty. His followers are stunned. Then Mary Magdalene sees him, followed by most of the disciples, and finally, Thomas. The crestfallen, the terrified, and the incredulous have all become convinced: Jesus has risen! John makes his intentions clear. He’s shared this story so “that you may believe... and by believing you may have life.” For all of those who, like Mary, cry out “I have seen the Lord!” baptism is a symbol of the resurrection that has occurred in our own lives.

JOHN 17:20-23 | FEB 23-24 | ALBERT TATE Three years of teaching, ministering, provoking, healing, and friendship are drawing to a close. Jesus and his closest friends are gathered for a final meal, a fact only Jesus fully understands. At the end of the meal, he looks heavenward and starts to pray: Father, make them one. He knows that the coming hours will challenge them. He knows that the coming centuries will be a challenge for all of us, one that continually threatens to rip the church apart. But the church can be one, united in Spirit and purpose!

Do As I Do JOHN 13:1-17 | FEB 16-17 | DANIELLE STRICKLAND Garbage. Sewage. Filth. The streets Jesus and his friends walk aren’t pretty. Neither are their feet. And yet Jesus, disregarding every cultural norm, gets down on his knees and washes the feet of his followers. Jesus’ whole mission on earth was one long act of service, one that shouldn’t ever end because it continues to this day... in us. We’re called to serve the poor, the hurting, the disenfranchised, and our brothers and sisters in the faith. Will we accept the challenge to do as he has done?

JOHN 11:11-15, 25, 33-43 | FEB 9-10 | STEVE GILLEN Jesus’ friend, Lazarus, has died. When Jesus arrives, he’s already been in the tomb four days. Lazarus’ sister, Martha, tells Jesus, “You’re too late.” But Jesus knows he’s come at the perfect time. As with all of the miracles John mentions in his book, this one points to a deeper truth, unveils some part of who Jesus is. Jesus holds the power over all things, including death. In his words, in his tears, and in his miracle we get a glimpse of Jesus’ whole purpose. He offers life to all of us!