For sermons before September 22, 2024 visit the archived website.
The Year of the Lord’s Favor
Luke 4:17-21
Be a God Pleaser
John 12: 37-43 Our next “Holy resolution” will emphasize working on pleasing God, not people. We will explore what a people pleaser looks like, and how we can’t please everyone, but we can please God. We will also look at not letting the pendulum swing too far, and being an individualistic “me pleaser”. Link to full service
Say what you need to say
Matthew 18: 15-17 The Holy Resolution last week was to listen, now it is to speak. Now, we will look at Jesus’s teaching in Matthew from the traditional perspective in which we are the ones addressing the sin. We will see how speaking up can heal and make healthy relationships. Full service link
Listen to Criticism
Matthew 18: 15-17 Stop being defensive! We will look at Jesus’s teaching on church discipline from the perspective of being the one called out for sin. We need to learn to listen to criticism and ask “what if this is true?” One of the hardest but most effective ways to gain wisdom and grow is to learn from the discipline and criticism of others. Link to full service
The Greatest Sermon in the World
1 Corinthians 2: 1-5 The past few months we have talked a lot about who we are and what membership at Westgate means. This message will explore the purpose/goals of a sermon. Generally speaking these are to help the listener; learn, change, be challenged, hear from God, and hear gospel. Link to full service
Celebrating Well
Luke 2: 8-14 Sometimes Christians are stereotyped as being lame/no fun. We should be joyful people who can celebrate well. We will emphasize God coming to earth and his humanity, but specifically the joyful, fun, and approachable side of Jesus. Link to full service
Waiting Well
Isaiah 40: 27-31 Christians have been described as “people who wait” and we are currently in a season of waiting. We will explore how to wait well, what to do or not do as we wait, and why God makes us wait as all. Link to full service
A Balanced church
1 Corinthians 10: 23-24 We are a church that values balance; numbers, age groups, progressive/traditional, and with our time. We will explore how to maintain “balance” and when adaptability is more important than balance. We will also see how balance means picking battles, cutting certain things, and self sacrifice. Link to full service
An Intergenerational Church
Mark 10: 13-16 Jesus valued groups that others didn’t, including the young/children. Westgate is a church that holds children in a special place and wants to include them. At the same time, we deeply value our elderly and make efforts to ensure they are included as well. The message will share ways we do this, and maybe ways we can be better about it. Link to full service
A Family Church
Matthew 12: 46-50 Jesus had family issues like the rest of us. The faith community became his family and his safe place, and he envisioned that for his church. We will explore how Westgate values the church feeling like family and being a place where people belong and are known. Link to full service
Westgate Traditions
Matthew 15: 1-9 We will talk about who we are, our quirks, our values, our culture, and our history.
A Crowded Family Table
1 Corinthians 11: 17-22 In this text Paul addresses problems with the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Learning from their mistakes, we see that communion is about unity and belonging. God ultimately wants people of all ethnicities, incomes, and walks of life to be together in holy and joyful table fellowship. We hope to establish this at Westgate with our new family members. Link to full service