Willow Creek Weekend Podcast

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!

A massive crowd is following Jesus, and they’re hungry. As is often the case, Jesus is the first to perceive their need. He turns to his disciples, “What do you think we should do?” They scramble. Then they come up with a hopeless plan. But Jesus has a plan too, he’s had it the whole time, a way to use their meager efforts to make something much bigger. Jesus can provide in ways we cannot foresee, cannot even imagine. Where do we need him in our lives? And might he have even more to offer than we realize?

JOHN 1:35-39 | JAN 26-27 | MIKE BREAUX John’s book begins like a movie. A dramatic and poetic prologue sets the scene. A supporting player summons us to anticipate the arrival of a promised hero. And then, as that hero steps into the light, we wonder who he might be, awaiting his very first line. Those first words come in the form of a question: What do you want? That question is closely followed by an invitation: Come and see. Over the next six weeks, let’s try to answer Jesus’ question and even accept his invitation to come and see who he really is.

Before this was the calling of Martin Luther King, Jr., it was the message of Jesus. Jesus brought a message of justice and crossed lines of prejudice. When we take a look at the stories, he told we find that many of the main characters, the heroes aren’t who we’d expect. They’re the down-and-out and the disenfranchised, the hated and the hurting. But Jesus didn’t just tell stories of those kinds of people, he entered into their stories with them. In fact, he went out of his way to do so. In John chapter 4 we read the account of when Jesus took the path no one expected him to take so that he could enter into the story of a lonely woman at a well. Throughout their encounter, Jesus knocks down stereotypes, prejudices, and expectations, and through this scene, we begin to see answers to some of our biggest questions.

We are a body of many parts, but diversity alone does not guarantee that all those parts will work together. True community requires diversity, humility, empathy, and... most of all... love. Love is the rebar in the concrete of community, the undergirding for all of it. And without love, well, we’re nothing but clanging and chaos. Will we let love come alive among us?

Life tells us the lie that we are better off alone, that in isolation we show our real strength. The writer of Ecclesiastes tells a very different tale.     - “Two are better than one.”     - “Three strands are not quickly broken.” The message is clear... we need one another. Life will inevitably bring calamity, but who will be there with you when it comes?