WLGBC Sermons

You would be hard pressed to find a more famous mother than Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Yet, we don't talk much about her. Join us as we look at lessons from Mary's life for all of us.     

The same earth-shaking power that raised Jesus bodily from the dead also makes us alive with Christ today. Join us as we conclude our sermon series, "Easter Aftershocks."   

The resurrection changed everything… forever! At Easter we looked at the significance of the earthquakes that happened at Jesus' death and resurrection. Now let's explore how the aftershocks  of the resurrection have been changing lives for centuries!

At the death and resurrection of Jesus, the earth literally shook with earthquakes.  Why did the ground tremble at these events?  What did that mean?  Join us this Easter Sunday as we celebrate the week that shook the world (and still does).

The Long-Awaited King!This week we hope that you will see with fresh-eyes what happened on Palm Sunday. In Luke 19 we read about Jesus coming in on a donkey and how that was the long awaited fulfillment of promises throughout the Old Testament. We will look back through the OT and allow a fresh sense of anticipation to build as we head into Passion Week!

Am I in the Place of God?Hardship, suffering, and brokenness of the world can tempt us to question God's power or goodness. The final chapter of Joseph's story challenges us to ask, “Am I in the place of God?” How might the answer to this question grow our perspective or deepen our faith? Join us to reflect on Genesis 50.

Full CircleFull circle moments are events which connect with the past and point to the future. As we approach the end of the Joseph story, we encounter several full-circle moments which bring closure to Jacob and Joseph's stories while also connecting forward to us. Join us as we continue the hope-giving story of Joseph.

Heart CheckAmazingly, Joseph didn't take revenge on his treacherous brothers when they showed up looking for food in Egypt. However, he did test them to see if their hearts had changed. Join us as we consider how the brothers' hearts had changed and do our own heart check.   

Joseph-Look up!In this week's sermon, Joseph goes from prison to second-in-command of Egypt, but not without challenges. Join us as Pastor Tim Boucher continues our sermon series in the life of Joseph.    

Joseph's life was a roller coaster ride of favor followed by betrayal, mounting success followed by unjust humiliation. Through it all, God was with Joseph. And Joseph's response to his dramatically changing circumstances reflected God's faithfulness to him. Join us as we continue our study of the life of Joseph.  

A Bad BeginningThe life of Jospeh is a story of hope, but it gets off to a disturbing start.  Family dysfunction and violent betrayal highlight the first chapter (Genesis 37).  Despite the darkness, God's promises and purposes are not absent.  Join us this Sunday as we start a new sermon series on the life of Joseph.

CelebrationFirst birthdays are a big deal. This Sunday we want to celebrate the first anniversary of the Wide Open Initiative. We want to pause and take time to remember and celebrate what God has done and is doing now in and through the church family. We are a work in progress, and God is doing great things! Let's celebrate!

With Jesus . . . TogetherWe're talking about habits of walking with Jesus. We don't do this just privately or in isolation; we do this with others. In fact, the home is one of the best places to follow Jesus together. Join us as we conclude our sermon series, "With Jesus."

Simply GenerousLearning to live simply allows us to live generously.  Join us as we continue in our sermon series, “With Jesus.”  Jeremy Wike, Pastor of Community of Hope in Columbia City, shares about the habit of releasing.   

Rest for Our Weary Souls We 21st century Americans are generally stressed and anxious. We're pretty good at recreation but not so good at finding rest. Jesus offers us the gift of rest. What does He mean by that and how do we get it? Join us as we continue in our sermon series, “With Jesus.” 

Practice of Retreat All kinds of demands press into our lives, requiring our time and attention. The same was true of Jesus, who was followed by crowds expecting different things from Him. Jesus knew it was necessary for him to get alone with the Father. What does it look like for us to retreat, in order to be with Jesus? Join us as Tim Sprankle, Pastor of Leesburg Grace Church, launches our new sermon series called “With Jesus.”  

Where the Battle Is The transforming work God has begun and will complete in us takes place mostly in our patterns of thinking. The battle is in and for the mind. What does victory in that battle look like? Join us as we continue in our series on sanctification called “Work in Progress.” 

We Are God's Construction Project Being conformed to the image of Christ is not something that happens apart from others.  We need the Holy Spirit . . . and each other. The Spirit transforms us as we pursue Jesus together, in unity. Join us as Pastor Tim Boucher continues our sermon series, “Work in Progress.”

God's Construction Project Our church facility is a construction zone . . . and so is each one of our lives. What are God's construction plans for our lives? Join us as we begin a new year and a new sermon series titled: “Work in Progress.”

A Mystery Wrapped in a Glorious Enigma  When God lifted the veil on His plan to save mankind, He answered one mystery with an even greater one. Join us as we marvel at the mystery of Christmas, which reveals the heart of God.      

Introducing . . .  The promised Messiah had been the central hope of the Jewish people for a thousand years. However, mystery surrounded the questions of when and how He would arrive. Finally, the long-awaited announcement came. Join us as Pastor Tim Boucher leads us through Luke 1.

Hidden in Plain Sight With the advent of Jesus, God raised the curtain on the mystery of his salvation plan, which had been “hidden for long ages past” (Romans 16:25).  Hidden in plain sight, that is, for all along the prophets had announced the coming of the Messiah.  Join us as we consider some of those prophecies and the faithful waiting they inspired.  

Grand Finale Everyone loves the “grand finale” of a fireworks show. Join us as we look at Paul's “grand finale” at the end of the Book of Romans. Pastor Kip will also be setting up our Christmas sermon series titled “The Mystery of Christmas.”

When We Don't See Eye-to-Eye Christians don't agree about everything. That's no surprise. What is a surprise is how God's love and grace call us to relate to people with whom we don't agree. Join us as Pastor Kip continues in our study of Romans.

Not My Caesar We might wonder if anyone ever thought or said that in first century Rome. Possibly. Why else would Paul have broached the topic of how the gospel should impact our attitude towards civic authorities? Join us as Sam Yeiter talks us through a very relevant topic in Romans 13. 

Paul has explained the gospel thoroughly. But what does the gospel look like in action?  How is it lived out in real time? Join us as we launch into the practical application of the gospel.

Beautiful Feet The only way people have the chance to believe the gospel is if they hear it.  The only way they'll hear the good news is if someone takes it to them.  The only way someone will take the message of salvation to others is if they are sent.  And those who are sent have “beautiful feet” (Romans 10:15).  What does that mean?!  Join us as we look at how hearing and believing are dependent on sending and going.

It is tempting to think that the biggest thing going on in the Middle East is the violent conflict between Israel and her enemies. That's what gets the headlines. However, the most important thing going on in the Middle East (and everywhere else around the globe) is that God is continuing to call out from every nation a people who are His very own. Who are those people? Join us as we continue in Romans and consider “God's Plan for His People.”  

Hope Stronger Than Suffering In a fallen world, struggles and suffering are unavoidable. Following Jesus doesn't necessarily make life easier. However, it does make life better. How? Because the believer's hope is greater than life's struggles. Join us as we explore the reasons for confident hope in Romans chapter eight.

When it comes to our struggle with sin, the battle is in and for the mind. This battle is won as we develop habits of focusing our minds on the Holy Spirit, the very presence of God in our lives. What does it mean to set our minds on the Spirit, and how do we do this today? Join us as we dive into Romans chapter 8.

Just because we know our destination doesn't mean there won't be struggles along the way. We have right-standing with God through faith in Jesus. Now, through His Spirit, God is making us more and more like His Son. This doesn't happen immediately or without struggle. But God has promised to finish what He started. Join us as we talk through Romans chapter 7.      

True Freedom Freedom, it turns out, isn't the right or ability to do anything we want.  True freedom is the power to do what is right.  In an ironic turn of phrase, Paul describes this kind of true freedom as “being slaves to righteousness.”  Join us as we look at Romans chapter six and Paul's argument for true freedom as opposed to grace abuse.

If we viewed our lives like an accounting ledger, with our sins being debits and our good works being credits, what would our bottom line look like to God? The answer is that we all carry a massive, insurmountable deficit. How would that change if the righteousness of Christ were credited to our account? A whole lot! Join us as we consider Romans 4 and the story of Abraham, a man whose faith in God was credited to him as righteousness.

How It Works We all love salvation. But how does it work? Join us as we go “under the hood” of salvation to understand how God can forgive us and still be just. 

What's Our Problem? Paul has talked about pagan Gentiles, so-called “good”people, and religious Jews. There is a lot of finger-pointing going on between these groups; however, we all end up in the same boat. We all share the same fundamental problem. What is it? Join us as Sam Yeiter concludes the first section of our sermon series in Romans.  

Think Again Last Sunday we looked at how the Apostle Paul described the wickedness and evil of this world which God will justly judge (Romans 1:21-32). This Sunday, Paul addresses two groups of people who, for one reason or another, think they are exempt from God's judgment (Romans 2). To them (and to us) Paul says: “Think again.” Join us as we continue in our study of the Book of Romans.

Wrath for Real God's wrath, like death and taxes, is not a conversation starter. Like taxes and death, God's wrath is real and must be reckoned with. Unlike taxes and death, God's wrath is avoidable . . . but that's getting ahead of the story. What is God's wrath? Why does it exist? What should we know about it? Join us as Pastor Tim Boucher leads us through Romans 1:18-32. 

“I am not ashamed of the gospel,” wrote Paul in the opening section of his epistle to the believers in Rome. Why was Paul so eager and unashamed to share the gospel with the church in Rome? Join us as we launch into Romans, the Bible's most thorough revelation of the gospel of God's grace.       

Isaiah 53 is arguably the clearest presentation of the gospel in the Old Testament. It's powerful, but it isn't pretty or easy to read. Grace is God's free gift of forgiveness to us, but it cost Him infinitely. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Isaiah stretches human language in his effort to describe the infinite cost of grace. Join us as we conclude our sermon series, “Ancient Hope: The Gospel in the Old Testament.”    

“On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided,” said God's people long before Jesus appeared. What will be provided? A substitute! Centuries before it was fulfilled at the cross of Christ on a hill outside Jerusalem, God's promise of providing a substitute was foreshadowed, possibly on the same mountain. Join us as Dr. Tiberius Rata takes us to one of the high points of God's grace in the Old Testament: “God himself will provide the lamb.”  

Out of Egypt God's rescue of his people from bondage in Egypt is the great salvation story of the Old Testament. At the heart of the Passover story is God's grace in making a way to redeem and free his people.  Join us as we consider how this saving grace still frees us today.

Surprised by Grace Grace shows up in unexpected places and in unexpected ways, starting with the worst day in the history of the world (Genesis 3). God leaves an ever-expanding trail of grace right through the Old Testament. Join us as we begin to follow this trail of grace in the Old Testament with a new sermon series titled “Ancient Hope.”   

The Best Gift We use one word to define ourselves and our fellowship of churches: Grace. What is so amazing about grace? Join us as we consider the best gift ever: the “incomparable riches of God's grace.”            

As part of the Charis Fellowship, we inherit a rich legacy of commitment to local and global missions.  Influencing the world through the gospel message has been one of our fundamental commitments and reasons for existence as a church.  Join us as we continue in our sermon series “Roots of Grace” by looking at our commitment to biblical mission.

Our commitment to biblical truth does not take place in a vacuum. We live out biblical truth in the context of relationships. What is our model and motivation for pursuing biblical relationships? Join us as we continue in our correct series, "Roots of Grace."

Disunity is easy; it comes naturally. Unity, on the other hand, requires conscious choices and hard work. Inspired by the Spirit, the Apostle Paul admonished all believers to “make every effort” to promote and preserve the unity we have as members of the body of Christ.” What are some attitudes and actions that build unity within and between churches?  as we conclude our sermon series, “Unity in a Fragmented World.”  

Our church is part of the Charis Fellowship. “Charis” is the Greek word for grace. Now that we understand the name, what is our fellowship of churches all about? We start a four-part sermon series which explores the fundamental commitments of the Charis Fellowship. We start in our “Roots of Grace” sermon series by considering our commitment to biblical truth.

Greater Love God's song is better because His love is greater. God's love is not self-centered and selfish. Instead, it is others-centered and self-giving. God's love isn't easy. However, it leads to lasting, satisfying joy. Join us as we conclude our sermon series, “God Called It Good,” by considering God's greater love.

The Question of Identity When it comes to gender and sexuality, there is no shortage of confusion and dysfunction in our world and within the church. Regardless of the issue, the core question is one of identity. What is the foundation of our identity? What does the Bible say about this? What are helpful ways we can engage with others around a biblical view of identity? Join us as we hold a discussion about understanding and dialoging about identity.