Here at Wildwood we are For the Church Following Jesus Together To The Glory of God! Palm Sunday is happening in a couple of days which means that next weekend is Easter weekend! We are so excited to be able to celebrate Easter with you all as a church family and we know that just as Jesus rose from the dead, we also have the hope that one day we will rise also. In this episode, we talked about the differences between holidays in the Old vs New covenants, why we celebrate Easter, and what Easter will look like specifically at Wildwood. Below is some helpful information about next weekend! Can’t wait to worship together with you all!
Palm Sunday – 8:30, 9:45, 11 am
Good Friday – 6 & 7:30 pm
Easter Sunday – 8:30, 9:45, 11 am (Please consider attending the 8:30 service to make room for visitors)
Does Easter ever sneak up on you?It certainly can do that.Even though this holiday celebrates the most important event in history, we almost miss it from time to time.Unlike Christmas or Independence Day (which always occur on the same day each year), Easter moves – sometimes even occurring in a different month! If we are not careful, we can “accidentally” bump into Resurrection Sunday on the way to or from a T-ball game or soccer tournament!
It is rather ironic, though, that Easter (of all holidays) would surprise us.After all, the events remembered at Easter had been planned for a very long time.From the time that sin entered the world in the Garden of Eden, God promised that one day the seed of the woman would have His heel bruised while He crushed the head of the snake (Genesis 3:15).The victory promised at Eden was accomplished on Calvary’s cross and announced in the garden’s empty tomb.
Jesus ushered Easter in by intentionally processing from Heaven to Bethlehem to Galilee to Jerusalem in a multi-millennia-long journey.Given this amount of planning, it would be a shame for us to miss it.
This Easter season at Wildwood Community Church we will be gathering on three days for three different worship services:
Palm Sunday – April 2 (8:30, 9:45, 11:00)
Good Friday – April 7 (6:00 PM & 7:30 PM)
Easter Sunday – April 9 (8:30, 9:45, 11:00)
This weekend, as we celebrate Palm Sunday, we will look at Luke 9:51 – 22:53 and see Jesus journey to Jerusalem knowing full well what awaited Him there.And why did He do this?Because HE LOVES US and was coming to rescue us.
Join us this Sunday as we prepare our hearts for Easter by seeing His heart for us.Get ready.Don’t miss it.And we will see you this Palm Sunday morning … and bring friends!
On Sunday, March 26, 2023 at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a sermon based on Luke 16:1-13. This message was part 3 of the “In God We Trust” sermon series. Below you will find questions related to the message for personal reflection or group discussion. You will also find audio and video from the sermon to listen to/watch, download or share.
Sermon Questions:
Pray
Read Luke 16:1-13
Have you ever stopped to consider the principle that we take zero dollars and possessions with us into eternity?How does remembering this cause you to think differently about the stuff (money and possessions) in our lives today?
When you look back on your life, do you have any regrets financially?Given what we have studied over the past three weeks, is there a spiritual component to your regret?(i.e. do you have any sense that you have squandered any of the resources the Lord has entrusted to you?)
What are some ways God is leading you to invest for the ultimate tomorrow today?
In the message we talked about what Jesus says in Matthew 6:21 … that our heart attention follows where ever our “treasure” is.Have you seen this principle play true in your life?
We detailed some of the ways we can serve God with our money in the message:
Give then live (Matthew 6:33)
Work for your wages (2 Thessalonians 3:10-12)
Provide for your family (1 Timothy 5:8)
Pay your taxes (Romans 13:6-7)
Save for the (un)known (Proverbs 6:8, Ecclesiastes 11:2b)
Plan to help others (Deuteronomy 24:19-21)
Did the Lord prompt you during this section of the message in any particular way to change any of your current behaviors regarding money?
8. What is one particular application you took away from this passage/message?
To access these questions in pdf format, click here.
Here at Wildwood we are For the Nations Following Jesus Together To the Glory of God! Over spring break we had the opportunity to send out a group of college students to the Middle East for a mission trip! Chanae, who is the College Women & Outreach Director, as well as Destiny a college student got to participate in the trip. This is an episode that you do not want to miss. They shared stories from the trip, talked about what the Lord is doing over in the Middle East and shared how God is working both in their hearts and in the hearts of those who do not know Him. You will definitely enjoy this episode, and if you want to hear more about the trip make sure to come to the Post-Trip Banquet which will take place on April 16th from 6-8pm at Wildwood!
Have you ever made a financial decision you regret?A decision painful enough to make you wish you had a time machine to go back and worn “former you” what lay on the other side of that decision/purchase/investment?
I have.Sadly a few times.
I once bought a used car that within 3 months of ownership was identified to have more $ of repairs needed than I had paid for the car initially!What a disaster! And then there was my first “investment” in a Mutual Fund when I bought a “can’t miss” portfolio that popped in the Tech Bubble.Sure, neither of these things were THAT expensive (the car was not that awesome to begin with and the amount I “invested” in my late twenties was laughably slim) but looking back, I wish I had stayed away from both.
How about you … can you relate?A house that was a money pit?A business venture that went south?A timeshare that was a money suck?
Living in this world carries with it a number of “mandatory” expenses, or things that are dictated to us by life and culture … things like taxes, medical bills, and the rising price of groceries.The resources we manage already feel crimped by the things outside our control … so we HATE IT, when the things inside our control go up in smoke.
This feeling of financial regret is often-times magnified when investigated through the lens of our walk with Christ.Over the past two weeks at Wildwood we have seen that “God owns it all” and “We are called to manage His resources.”How are we to respond TODAY in light of the financial regrets of our YESTERDAYS as we follow Christ?
Well, this Sunday, we will look to the ultimate TOMORROW to help us make the right investments TODAY with God’s resources He has entrusted to us to manage.
Join us this Sunday, March 26 at 8:30, 9:45, or 11:00 at Wildwood Community Church for the conclusion to our series, “In God We Trust:3 Thoughts about God and Money.”We will look at Luke 16:1-13 and select verses from Matthew 6 to see our third thought about God and Money – “Invest His resources in light of eternity.”
In Matthew 25:14-30 Jesus tells a parable about a wealthy landowner who entrusts His riches to His servants expecting them to invest those resources according to the landowners intentions while they await His return. The resources given by the landowner are extensive … as he gives today’s equivalent of millions of dollars to each.
Jesus tells this parable in the context of a sermon He was preaching about His certain return to the earth in the last days (Matthew 24-25 … “The Olivet Discourse.”). The implication is clear – Jesus was telling His disciples that He was leaving for a “long journey” (2,000 years now and counting) but one day would return. While we wait for His return, we are to invest His resources for His purposes.
What are His resources? Truly ALL THINGS … but generally these could be categorized in three areas: time, talent, treasure.
Is time truly the Lord’s? YES. Psalm 90 reflects on our relatively brief lives, yet God is eternal. Our days are numbered, Psalm 139 says, by the Lord of All Time. Whatever time we have is GIVEN US BY GOD, with the expectation that we would use those opportunities according to His purposes.
Is talent truly the Lord’s? YES. 1 Peter 4:10 indicates that we are each given a spiritual gift by the Lord to equip us for service and Psalm 139 tells us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Ephesians 2:10 even tells us that the Lord has prepared us for good works “that we should walk in them.” Whatever talent we have is GIVEN US BY GOD, with the expectation that we would use those skills according to His purposes.
Is treasure truly the Lord’s? YES. Psalm 50:10 lets us know that God has “the cattle on a thousand hills” and King David reminded us in the prayer of dedication over the resources to construct the Temple that truly all things are the Lord’s (1 Chronicles 29:10-16). So whatever treasure we have (money, possessions, etc.) is GIVEN US BY GOD, with the expectation that we use that stuff according to His purposes.
In His grace God has saved us and equipped us with opportunities, skills, and stuff. He wants us to use them as He intended, and one day we will give an account for how we stewarded His resources (2 Corinthians 5:10). It is my prayer that we would all hear “well done good and faithful servant” on that day.
How will you put to use what He has given you this week?
On Sunday, March 19, 2023 at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a sermon based on Matthew 25:14-30. This message was part 2 in the “In God We Trust” sermon series. Below you will find questions related to the message for personal reflection or group discussion. You will also find the audio and video of the message to listen to/watch, download or share.
Sermon Questions:
Pray
Read Matthew 25:14-30
Take an inventory … enumerate the resources the Lord has entrusted to you: Time (opportunities), Talent (skills), and Treasure (stuff). Taking a look at those resources, would you consider yourself having been given 1 “talent” or several “talents”?
Three observations were given … one about our past (do we need to repent for any previous misdealing with God’s provision?), one about our present (are we currently playing the “comparison game” with other believers?), and one about our future (what is our plan to invest His provision in the days ahead?)Did anything in particular stand out to you as you evaluated your life in these ways?
Like the “one talent” servant in the parable, we are also tempted to bury God’s blessing and not deploy it for His purposes.Can you relate to this?Do you have a sense that you have buried or squandered any of the Lord’s resources that He has entrusted to you?
What are some specific ways you want to invest His blessing this week?
What is one particular application you took away from this passage/message?
To access these questions in pdf format, click here.
Hey Wildwood Church family! For this week’s episode of This is Wildwood we welcome on of our students, Maddox Volentine! Maddox is a junior at Norman High and has been coming to Wildwood for a number of years now. A few weeks ago, Wildwood Student Ministry had their DNOW Weekend and Maddox was involved! Learn more about Maddox and his walk with the Lord and faith in Jesus, and also learn about what DNOW is and how the Lord is using it to draw students closer to Him for a weekend!
Every day there are a number of assets that I manage. It is actually quite a generous portfolio. These resources are not mine, but are mine to manage. What does this collection include?
* I am not an investment banker, but this portfolio does include money.
* I am not a real estate broker, but it does include property.
* I am not an auto dealer, but it does include transportation.
* I am not an event planner, but it does include time.
* I am not famous, but it does include relational connection and influence.
* I am not the most talented person around, but it does include gifts and skills.
Every day, I wake up on this planet, I tend to these resources, and attempt to steward them in the manner that their owner would desire. Hundreds of dollars and square feet, thousands of minutes and relationships, several skills and a few vehicles have all been entrusted to my care by their true owner.
This is not unique to me. You also manage a similar portfolio daily of resources that are owned by another.
Who is that Owner? Well, if you were at Wildwood last Sunday for the start of our new sermon series, you heard from 1 Chronicles 29:1-16 that Jesus Christ is the rightful Owner of All Things. This means that our salary, our stuff, our calendar, our skills, and our influence is not REALLY OURS … but are actually God’s. By His grace and mercy He has entrusted into our care some of His things, with the hope that we would manage it for His glory and honor.
Your time, talent, and treasure are actually His. Though He has entrusted different amounts to each of us, the objective is the same. So how can we be a good steward of His resources? We will look at that this Sunday morning at Wildwood in our 8:30, 9:45 and 11:00 sermon series in part 2 of our series – “In God we Trust: 3 Thoughts about God and Money.” Last week we saw that God owns it all. This week we will discuss our role as stewards of His portfolio.
On Sunday, March 12, 2023 at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a message based on 1 Chronicles 29:1-16. This message was part 1 of the “In God We Trust” sermon series. Below you will find questions related to the message for personal reflection or group discussion. You will also find the audio and video of the sermon to listen to/watch, download or share.
Sermon Questions:
Pray
Read 1 Chronicles 29:1-16
Why do you think the subject of “my money” is so emotional for all of us?Can you think of any examples when your emotions or anxieties were elevated as you were considering your resources?
In 1 Chronicles 29:9, the people rejoiced at the opportunity to give.Have you ever experienced this feeling when giving away your resources?Describe that experience?What led to you having this feeling of joy as you gave?
In 1 Chronicles 29:10-16, David prays to God and declares that ALL David and Israel had were actually the Lord’s.Personalize this statement for a moment.Did you realize that all you have is actually on loan from God?Take a brief inventory of all of the Lord’s resources He has entrusted to you in this season of your life.
Take some time and pray and thank God for His provision He has given you to manage and steward at this time in your life.
What are some ways you are challenged to alter the way you are handling God’s resources at this time in your life?
Do you regularly give a percentage of your income away (as a reminder that ALL of the resources are ultimately the Lord’s)?When did you develop this rhythm?What led to you to begin giving?If you are not giving, what is preventing you from practicing this act of worship today?
Why is it easier to trust Christ with our souls than with our stuff?Are you gently holding both with an open hand before Him today?
What is one particular application you took away from this passage/message?
To access these questions in pdf format, click here.
