Sunwest Fc's Weekly Sermon Podcast

In a time of polarization and strong opinions, how does the church move forward in unity and mission together? Tune in this week as Pastor Matt is going to talk about Penguins and Crabs and what we can learn from them to keep the main thing the main thing in a world that is prone to division.

Belonging. It matters! There’s a good reason why the Bible calls the followers of Jesus to connect with one another and to do something about it. Find out what God’s purpose is for your church or small group. This week, Paul Loewen, our Alberta MB Conference Director, will share on a topic that he is passionate about. If you want to know why church matters, don’t miss this Sunday!

26 weeks! That's how long we've been studying the book of Mark. That's exactly half a year. Our world feels very different now than what it did when we began. But Mark wrote this book for a church that needed to be reminded of the source of its hope. Tune in for our last week in Mark and be encouraged that no matter who you are, where you've been, or what you've done, Jesus invites you into a new beginning.

One of the most dramatic and mysterious statements in the Bible is right before Jesus breathes his last breath and says, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?” Isn’t Jesus God? What does this mean? What is going on? Join us this week as we explore the mystery of what is happening and what that means for you!

We have been following Jesus’ journey to the cross. As we enter the climactic point in Mark’s Gospel, we have the story interrupted by a second Jesus. Not Jesus the Messiah, but Jesus Barabbas. In this interruption we see that Barabbas is also a story about us. A story about a costly exchange. A story about the release of of a guilty captive with a broken identity. The injustice endured by Jesus gives the opportunity for the forgiveness, freedom, and the chance to live up to his true name.

When life doesn’t go the way you’ve planned, how do you respond? Do you feel the urge to fight, or to flee? To deny the truth and choose comfort over walking the difficult path? This week we will be looking at the disciples response to Jesus’ arrest in Mark 14:43-72 and how the response to flee gives us the invitation to return.

This Sunday we will focus on Jesus in Gethsemane. We will be looking at Mark 14: 32-42 where Jesus is praying in the garden and honestly processing with his friends and with God the Father about going to the cross and dying for us. We will see how Jesus invited his close friends to walk with him, to support him and we will see Christ’s concern for them and his exhortation to ‘keep watch’ for him but also for themselves. We will see Christ being honest with God the Father and his deep trust in Him and how he then comes to a place of acceptance. Come and hear how Jesus processed his journey to the cross in the garden of Gethsemane and see what are some things we can learn from him that would be helpful for the next time we are experiencing a difficult situation.

As Jesus followers we often think about what is right. We often think about what is good. But how often do we think about what is beautiful? In Mark 14 we see beauty is an essential part of being a disciple of Jesus. We find a woman who does not fit the box of religious niceties but blesses Jesus with a wasteful act of beauty.

Does it ever feel like this is the end of the world as we know it? Have you ever heard well-meaning Christians talk about the current “signs”, the return of Jesus, and the impending doom of the world? This week we’re going to look at Mark 13 and why COVID and the many other struggles in our world are not signs of Jesus’ return.

It's been said that nothing in this world is certain except death and taxes. Even Jesus couldn't avoid a confrontation with these realities. In Mark 12, Jesus continues on the journey towards his crucifixion and has to respond to a question about taxes. We will explore this Sunday how he turns this into an opportunity to talk about our identity as humans and our mission.

Jesus comes into Jerusalem on a donkey and then goes and disrupts the entire religious system. He calls out the religious leaders and tells them that the system has become a den of robbers instead of a house of prayer. That’s enough to get him killed! What does he mean by that and how does it relate to us 2000 years later? Tune in this Sunday to find out.

We live in a world that loves success, status, and honour. But sometimes as we pursue these things we are moving away from what is honoured in the Kingdom of God. This Sunday a blind guy named Bartimaeus will teach us what success really looks like.

Jesus has a certain affinity for kids. And it’s not just because they’re cute. It’s because they are most ready to receive the gifts that God wants to give them. Why is that? Join us this Sunday to find out what children have to teach us about entering the Kingdom of God and what a rich guy has to teach us about missing out on the Kingdom.

This week Pastor Matt takes a one-week break from our Mark series to speak specifically about vision. Since Alberta opened Phase 2, there are many questions about what this could mean for SunWest. Join in this Sunday to hear why Kodak and Instagram have something to teach us, and why trying to go back to the way things were may forfeit the very opportunity we have before us.

We are experiencing the domino effects of so many things in our world that have changed in a short amount of time. In Mark 9 we encounter a desperate father who gives us a picture of someone with honest faith in the midst of challenge. We also find that Jesus responds as someone of compassion, prayer, and action. In the midst of crisis, with a posture of faith, and a life of prayer, we have the rumblings of revival.

Have you ever had a mountain top experience that has changed your perspective and transformed you? It's human nature that we would want to live in that type of place forever. However, in Mark 9 we learn that the mountain top experience prepares us for the descent into the valley. Jesus is going down the mountain, will we have enough courage to follow him?

As we continue our journey through the book of Mark, we are challenged to ponder the question, "Who do we say Jesus is?" We realize that this question makes all the difference in our journey with Jesus. Is Jesus a wise teacher, a miracle worker, a prophet, or Christ? Discover the difference the answer makes in our lives as we learn from Jesus' surprising rebuke to Peter, "Get behind me Satan!"

Racism. Segregation. Prejudice. Scapegoating. Us and them. Sometimes we think, at this point in history, we should be beyond these things. But all it takes is a crisis to see that they are alive and well. As we look at the two feeding miracles of Jesus in Mark, it is easy to miss the simple profound truth in the midst of the miraculous. The kingdom table that Jesus invites you to eat at is an Open Table. It is a table for every tribe, tongue, and nation. Not only that, He is putting you in the middle of the story to serve and host the meal.

Have you ever been stranded and needing help only to have someone who was approaching you pass by? That can be heartbreaking. In Mark 6 the disciples are stuck in a storm at sea and we read that Jesus was intending to “pass them by”. That seems inconsiderate. But there is more going on than meets the eye. Join us Sunday to find out what it is.

“The safest place to be is in the centre of the will of God.” Have you ever heard this quote? Is it true? It wasn’t true for John the Baptist. It wasn’t true for the disciples. Could it be that the expectations we have on God create the breeding ground for a faith crisis? Jesus did not come to make us comfortable, he came to make us courageous. John had to learn this. The disciples had to learn this. We do too.