St. Paul's Church - Willington, CT

This week we concluded our "After Easter" series with more reflection on the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost: What does it mean to be "filled with the Holy Spirit"? What does the Holy Spirit DO? We looked to Jesus' teaching in John 14-16 for answers.

This week we came to the final event in our After Easter series: the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. We considered why this event is "a new Sinai that reverses Babel," and how to think about the topic of "speaking in tongues" today.

One post-resurrection event that is rarely talked about is Jesus' ascension. We talk a lot about his birth, his death, and his resurrection, but rarely the ascension. This week we considered: What actually happened when Jesus ascended? Why did he ascend? Why was it better for him to ascend than to stay in earth in his resurrected body?

This week we looked at another one of Jesus' post-resurrection appearances: breakfast on the beach with his disciples. This story can be a special source of encouragement for any of us carrying guilt and shame from past mistakes.

Thomas' experience after the resurrection is relatable to many people: he struggled to believe. Today we considered what we can learn about dealing with doubt from his story.

Christ is risen! For anyone who has trouble affirming those words, this morning we identified several reasons why believing in the Resurrection is "a plane worth boarding."

After a month reflecting on the cross, this Good Friday we considered it from one final angle: the cross is where we learn that God is always near to us, even if He feels far away.

Throughout the month of March, we've considered the significance of the Cross from different angles: The cross as our revelation of God, the cross as our example of how to live, and the cross as our salvation. This week we considered how the cross "unmasks" the evil patterns of this world; exposing them and challenging us to turn from them.

Jesus said that "he came to give his life as a ransom for many." This raises questions: What do we need to be ransomed from? And how does Jesus giving his life on the cross pay our ransom? This morning we tried to answer these questions by looking at Jesus' ministry and going all the way back to Genesis.

Jesus said that whoever wants to be his disciple must be willing to "pick up their cross." What does that mean? We identified four ways of looking at it.

This morning we began a new Lenten series looking at the Cross. The Apostle Paul said that the cross reveals a "hidden wisdom" that is better than anything any ear has heard, any eye has seen, or any mind has conceived. But why would something as ugly as an innocent man condemned to a terrible death be described this way? This morning we identified several reasons why.

Fritz Maurer from Regeneration Therapy on how to turn from the spirit of fear and walk in the power of the Holy Spirit.

As we begin the season of Lent, we looked at Jesus' 40-day temptation in the desert - the inspiration for Lenten observance. While in the desert, the Devil tempted Jesus in three ways. We considered why it would have been wrong for Jesus to succumb, and how we can resist similar temptations in our own lives.

After 27 weeks spread out over 18 months, we've finally reached the last chapter in Revelation. This morning we considered the meaning of the last details in John's vision of heaven and what we're supposed to do to be ready for Christ's return.

After 25 weeks in the book of Revelation, we have finally come to John's vision of the culmination of history. This week, with the vision of chapter 21 as our guide, we identified eight things that are revealed about heaven.

This week we arrived at the final scene of judgment in Revelation, and one of the scariest passages in the book. It raises questions: Who is part of the Kingdom of God and who isn't? Who is "written in the Book of life" and who isn't? And why? We identified two commons errors people make when attempting to answer these questions.

This week we come to what is probably the hardest part of Revelation to interpret. Chapter 20 describes a "thousand year" period where "those who have been beheaded" for their faith "come to life" and "reign with Christ." Over the history of the church, three main perspectives have developed for understanding this passage, and a good case can be made for each interpretation. Even though we can't k...

Revelation 19 gives us a powerful vision of Jesus as a rider on a white horse, waging war and overcoming his enemies. We considered how this passage might provide insight into *how* Jesus wages war against evil (and it isn't necessarily the way we might expect!).

What happened at our nation's Capitol this week is something we should both lament and learn from. As we resume our study of the Book of Revelation, we are given a vision in chapters 17 and 18 that can help us as we process this week's events.

Many of us are eager to put 2020 behind us. But in the same way that we could not have predicted the events of 2020 in 2019, we can't predict the events of 2021 today. Is it possible to find contentment in the midst of this kind of uncertainty? The Apostle Paul thought so (Philippians 4:10-13). This morning we considered why.

For our Christmas Eve service, we concluded our Christmas Conversions series with what might be the most relatable one: Charlie Brown. In 2020, Charlie Brown is a good figure to represent how many of us feel. His "conversion" is a good example of how the true meaning of Christmas can transform our attitude for the better.

This week's "Christmas conversion": the Grinch. We considered how this classic Christmas story illustrates something Jesus taught. “Maybe Christmas,” he thought, “Doesn't come from a store” / “Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more.”

One of Christmas's most enduring stories/films is A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. In it, Scrooge transforms from a greedy miser to a generous and kind soul. This week we considered the ways this classic Christmas story can serve as an allegory for how Christ transforms us.

Some of the most enduring Christmas movies involve a "Christmas Conversion" where a character experiences a dramatic change in perspective and attitude. One of these movies is It's a Wonderful Life, which tells the story of George Bailey's conversion from despairing of life to being thankful for it. We considered the ways that this story reflects Biblical truths about how we can move from despair...