Episodes
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Jesus overturned the tables of the money-changers in the Jerusalem Temple. I wouldn’t call it violence, but perhaps righteous anger. But why did he do it? And what might this teach us about the dignity and purpose we have as followers of Christ? To answer these questions we need to look at some big picture biblical themes. That’s just what we do in this sermon on Mark 10:46 – 11:33. We trace the presence of God through the temple, the resurrected Christ, and into his people. Because of this, Jesus’ people have a dignity and purpose which is unique and powerful. Note: During the live-stream recording of this sermon, a few short ‘blackout blips’ occurred. Each lasts for only a few seconds.
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This episode is an answer Pastor Ruttan has provided to a question submitted through Westminster’s Q and A Forum. The question (submitted anonymously) is this: “I’ve heard it said that when Christ returns (I believe some people refer to this as “the rapture”?), he will take all those who believed and have already died to heaven first; then he will take all the living believers. It’s a little unsettling to think that our much loved ones who were faithful believers are just hanging out somewhere waiting for that day. Could you also say a clarifying word about the terms ‘purgatory’ and ‘the millennium’?” Please note that we’ve slightly condensed the question, but have tried to capture it’s main elements. You can also read the answer in text form in blog format on our website here.
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When someone uses the phrase “alternative lifestyles,” what comes to mind? Perhaps rejecting family life, a certain kind of nomadism, embracing sexual promiscuity, creating a belief system out of a mishmash of ideas, or something else “unconventional”? But as more and more of these things become accepted and adopted, perhaps there is a new kind of alternative lifestyle: Christlikeness. This isn’t just for kicks. Clearly, things need to change in the world. They need to be different. Christ invites us to participate in his renovating work. “On earth as it is in heaven.” But we can’t expect the world to be different if we’re the same. This sermon on Mark 10:1-45 unpacks the text to discover a series of invitations—these are ways to live which are higher and more beautiful than what our broken world has to offer. But if we don’t pay attention, and if we don’t cooperate with God, it’s easy to calibrate to culture instead of Christ. What if Christlikeness was the new alternative lifestyle?
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As we enter into the season of Lent, many of us might consider fasting from sweets, entertainment or social media. We do this remembering the 40 days when Jesus fasted and was tempted in the wilderness before his ministry began. But why is that so significant for us and what does this tell us about who Jesus is? In this sermon by William Min, we look at that together and how we can hold firmly to our faith in Christ, who is our great high priest.
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It’s a word that has been neglected, sometimes avoided, and even dragged through the muck. This podcast episode and blog explains that it is God’s word, and we are not authorized to erase it. Let’s claim it and live it for the glory of God. This episode is taken from Pastor Ruttan’s podcast, The Pulse Podcast with Matthew Ruttan. You can access a text version at his website here.
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Join in with this pastoral prayer from the service at Westminster on February 23, 2025.
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The word “great” is used a lot. “Make Canada Great Again” (or America or Europe). It’s not only used of nations, but people. “So-and-so is great.” But what do we mean by that? How do we define greatness? If our definition isn’t biblical, we tend to absorb the perspective of our surrounding culture (which seems inclined to define it in ways that are, shall we say, not so great). In this sermon on Mark 9:33-50 (also released as a podcast episode), we unpack a story about this very topic. The disciples had been arguing about who was greatest. Jesus responds by providing a biblical definition we are wise to adopt today. Jesus’ definition of greatness is something which needs to be rediscovered in every era and which never grows old. “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” [The handout referenced can be accessed by clicking here.]
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Join in with this pastoral prayer from our worship service on February 16, 2025.
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Motivation matters. For example, people who do better in surgery are people who have a reason to live afterwards. It’s a matter of motivation. With that in mind, spiritual muscle matters. Agreed. But we probably won’t do anything to make it happen unless we’re properly motivated. How’s this for motivation? If you do not grow spiritual muscle, not only will you suffer, but there is a risk that people around you will suffer as well. In Mark 9:14-32 the disciples weren’t able to help a severely demonized boy because they didn’t have the proper spiritual conditioning for the job. In this sermon (also released as a podcast episode), we unpack this fascinating text and apply this same principle to the entirety of our lives. Spiritual muscle makes a difference. What if there was hurt or harm in our lives—or in the lives of the people we care about—that we were simply unable to address because of a lack of spiritual conditioning? All Christians are saved; but not all Christians are at the same level of spiritual maturity. Fortunately, God educates and equips us, not only to be victorious in the realm of spiritual warfare, but to share and show the light of Christ with the people around us and in the world at large. Spiritual muscle makes a difference.
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There’s a lot happening in the world. Leadership races, controversies, executive orders, tariffs, competing ideologies, and quarrels over the holy land. You can compare it to a vortex which threatens to suck us in and take over our lives. At first glance, Jesus’ transfiguration seems unrelated. But it actually provides helpful guidance about how to approach and respond to what is happening around us in a way that is sane and centred on Christ. This sermon explores Mark 9:2-13 and is an invitation not only to marvel at Jesus’ radiance, but to resist the modern pressure to oversimplify issues, play political games, and place our hope in lesser political or ideological heroes. There is a better way.
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“It’s my cross to bear.” When people say that they are usually referring to some sort of burden. But when Jesus said to “take up your cross” what was he actually talking about? He said it before crosses had become sentimentalized. A modern equivalent might be, “take up your electric chair.” This sermon (also released as a podcast episode) unpacks Mark 8:31-9:1 and zeroes in on that enigmatic expression, and also a few other related statements: “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.” “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” It explains the context, provides a definition for the meaning of carrying one’s cross, a motivating reminder about the joy that lies behind sacrifice, and a suggested application for disciples today. In the words of missionary Jim Elliot: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
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Join with this prayer from worship on January 26, 2025. It focuses on the transforming love of God in a time of noise, stress and controversy.
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We’ve devalued words. We’ve all heard the playground chant: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” It’s untrue, of course. Words can bruise, and can often leave an (invisible) mark which is much worse. Words can be used in a positive way as well. They can help and inspire. But this is about something more. It is about the actual spiritual power of certain words in certain situations—especially against the powers of darkness. This sermon on Mark 7:31-8:30 looks at four related sections of text which come to a head with Peter’s confession. “Who do you say that I am?” Jesus’ continual battle with the kingdom of darkness (and his location during that critical Q and A) teaches us something about the actual power of words in the unseen realm which is very much real. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words… will change the world. So perhaps we should be a bit more deliberate as we battle under the banner of Christ.
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Picture someone you think is hypocritical, a pretender. They say they believe in God, but when you look at what they say and do, there’s no way! Honesty calls. When we think of someone who is hypocritical, how often do we think of ourselves? This isn’t about beating ourselves up. It’s about honest self-evaluation. It’s about sincerity. It’s about growing in Christlikeness with God’s help. So in this sermon you’ll learn 3 quick fixes to rid yourself of all hypocrisy instantaneously. Just kidding! This is serious stuff. Think crock pot not microwave. This sermon unpacks Mark 7:1-30. In this text Jesus responds to attack and criticizes the hypocrisy of some Pharisees and scribes. He also speak with, and then casts out, a demon from the daughter of a Gentile woman. It then takes us through a series of practices and perspectives to help us address the hypocrisy in our own lives as we move toward sincerity. With God’s help let’s strive to “win within.”
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Proximity. Noun. “nearness in place, time, order, occurrence, or relation; closeness.” Being in close proximity to the right people in the right situations makes all the difference. If you have a guard dog beside you when you walk through the woods at night, it makes a difference. If a mother visits her daughter when she feels alone and needs to talk to someone she can trust, it makes a difference. If a mentor comes alongside a younger friend while navigating tough issues and people at work, it makes a difference. Proximity to Christ is essential as we face difficulty and danger in life. This sermon (also released as a podcast episode) unpacks Mark 6:45-56, the dramatic story of Jesus walking on water, and his famous words to the fear-filled disciples: “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” What if in the midst of your own difficulties and dangers God had a specific word for you too? “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
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If only… If only I had fewer problems in my past… If only I was a better speaker… If only I had more influence… then God might use me for something important. Think kind of thinking neglects that God’s ability is bigger than your inability. This sermon on Mark 6:30-44 by Pastor Ruttan unpacks the miraculous feeding of the 5000. It shows us that Jesus is the new and greater Moses, but also something critical about discipleship, especially when we feel unqualified. What was true then remains true today. God uses what you have, not what you wish you had.
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In this episode, Pastor Ruttan shares two tips for personal peace in a new year. One is obvious, the second will need some explanation. You can link to the text version here.
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A lot has happened in the past 100 years. In 1924 there were 1.9 billion people in the world. Most household didn’t own cars. Over the next 10 decades there would be the great depression, World War Two, a moon landing and the rise of the internet. It makes you wonder what will happen in the next 100 years. One author speculates that artificial intelligence is like a tsunami just off the shore of our human existence. Another media and technology mogul thinks we’ll all have our own advanced personal robots by 2124. The future is the great unknown. In light of all of this, how might the nativity story speak into our collective and individual future which, for many people, feels uncertain, dangerous or scary. This Christmas Eve mini-message by Pastor Ruttan on Christmas Eve offers an answer to that question.
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It’s one of the most famous stories ever told: The birth of Jesus. Shepherds, angels, and hostile Inn-keepers have appeared in thousands of Christmas pageants for hundreds of years. But when we hear something so much, we stop hearing it. Instead of paying more attention, we pay less. This episode is an opportunity for you to slow down and go more in-depth with Luke 2:1-20. It is a re-release from 2022. Learn more about Nazareth, the harsh political landscape, historical ambiguity about the census, ancient prophecies, and what it would have been like for Mary. Oh, and there are no donkeys mentioned in the story — sorry! In the words of Matthew Henry, “Long-looked for is come at last.”
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The angel told Joseph to name the baby Jesus “for he will save his people from their sins.” What does this mean? Our first thought is often that he will save us from “the consequence of” our sins. And rightly so. He will and he does. On the cross Jesus gets what we deserve, and in turn, we get what he deserves. But Jesus also saves us from “the slavery of” our sins. That’s right. Jesus himself says that whoever practices sin (in an ongoing, repeated and unrepentant way) becomes a slave to it (John 8:34). That Jesus wants good things for us during life (not just in the afterlife) is a much-neglected dimension of the saving work of Christ. This sermon explores Matthew 1:1-25 and unpacks Jesus’ family tree, Mary and Joseph’s engagement, her unexpected pregnancy, the message of the angel to Joseph, and the saving work of Christ.
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