St. Paul's Church - Willington, CT

This weekend after service we witnessed (and celebrated!) the baptism of eight people in our community. In light of this special occasion, we talked about the meaning and significance of baptism. What is the point of this ancient ritual? Is it "just" a symbol?

This week guest speaker Bob McCoy shared on Jesus' parable of the wise and foolish builders. What is the difference, and how does that difference influence our ability to weather life's storms?

This week we hosted our annual Vacation Bible Camp. Our theme was "In Jesus the victory is won!" This theme, taken from 1 Corinthians 15:57, is a strong one because it appeals to our desire to win. But we have to remember that true winning sometimes looks like losing, and vice versa.

This week, Pastor Keith walks us through Romans 12:1-2, a passage about how we should live in response to God's mercy. Paul says that we should not conform to the "patterns of this world," but instead "renew our minds." Keith offers some practical suggestions for "pattern shattering," as well as some personal reflection on how the truth of this passage has been evident in his own life.

Have you ever wished God would make His existence and power more obvious than He does? This week we look at a story where God reveals His power in a clear and undeniable way to those opposing Him - the story of Elijah and the false prophets on Mount Carmel. The story is inspiring, but perhaps the greatest lesson comes after the dramatic showdown: when the exhausted Elijah is strengthened and encou...

Our Untamed Jesus series concluded this week by looking at a challenging topic: Hell. We identified three things that Jesus taught about final judgment, as well as three things we need to remind ourselves of if the concept of final judgment is troubling to us. Finally, we recognized several things we need to be uncertain about.

Why did Jesus call his friend "Satan"? This week we try to understand why Jesus' rebuke was so severe, and what his example teaches us about how we should respond to temptation in our own lives.

This week our Untamed Jesus series continues with a look at an anxiety-producing verse: Mark 3:29, where Jesus talks about an unforgivable sin.

Once, a desperate woman came to Jesus asking for healing for her daughter. Jesus responded with silence. When she persisted, he said, "It isn't right to toss the children's bread to their dogs." For those of us reading this story today, Jesus comes across as non-empathetic, exclusive, and rude. When we look below the surface, though, we find a remarkable example of the radical inclusivity of God a...

Our Untamed Jesus series continues with a look at the incident where Jesus flipped the tables in the temple. We consider several things this incident teaches us about anger - it's value, how to express it, and what's worth getting upset about.

Guest speaker Bob McCoy continues our Untamed Jesus series by looking at one of Jesus' stranger parables. NOTE: We apologize, but due to technical issues last week's message by member Chris Crosby (The Untamed Jesus: Drastic Measures) on Matthew 5:29-30 was not recorded.

Jesus said that he did not come to "abolish the law" and that not the smallest part of it would disappear until "heaven and earth pass away." Does that mean we should be following all the Old Testament laws? If we are still eating shellfish, trimming the corners of our beards, and mixing our fabrics will we "certainly not see the Kingdom of Heaven"? This week we take a closer look at this confusin...

Our "Untamed Jesus" series continues: What do we do with the fact that the "Prince of Peace" said "I have not come to bring peace...but a sword?" Was Jesus advocating violence, or did he have something else in mind?

This week we started our Untamed Jesus series, where we're reflecting on places in the Gospels where Jesus does or says things that seem weird, harsh, or out-of-character. This week we looked for the practical wisdom in a strange saying from the Sermon on the Mount: "Don't give what is sacred to dogs; don't toss your pearls to pigs."

He is risen! (He is risen, indeed!) But is he, really? This Easter we consider four reasons to believe in the reality of Jesus' resurrection.

At our Good Friday service we looked at the last remaining saying of Jesus on the cross: "My God, my God why have you forsaken me?" We considered the question: what can we learn from God crying out, "God, where are you?"

This week we continued our reflection on the seven things Jesus said on the cross with another three sayings: "I am thirsty," "It is finished," and "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." What we should hear when we read these words is more than we might initially realize.

The Gospels record Jesus saying seven things on the cross. These are very significant insights into the character of God, since they are what "the exact representation of God's being" said while suffering extreme distress. This week we look at three of them: "Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing," "Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise," and "Dear woman...

Our values series finished this week with the value that ties them all together: worship. To live a life of worship is to live a life that reflects the greatest commandment: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. In our present culture, many would regard this kind of lifestyle as "fanatical." Depending on one's definition of...

Our values series continues with the subject of fellowship. The experience of God is an experience that is meant to be shared! We talk about why fellowship is so important and what to do if we're experiencing a feeling of disconnectedness.

This week our values series continues with service. We look at John 13:1-18 (when Jesus washes the disciples feet) for answers to the questions: (1) What does service look like? (2) Why should we value service? and (3) What do we have to do before we can serve?

Our series on our values continues with a look at Jesus' Great Commission (Mt 28:16-20). We hear from speakers from three outreach-focused ministries that we currently support: Scott Thomson from Cru, Jon Alumbaugh from International Christian Fellowship, and Rob Johnston from YoungLife.

Our series on Our Values continues this week with the value of Biblical Teaching. At St. Paul's we value the Bible very highly - this week we ask the question: Why? We explore some reasons for valuing the Bible highly, beyond the circular argument that "we should value the Bible because the Bible says so."

Our series on Our Values continues this week with the subject of prayer. We look at some of the patterns of thinking that can keep us from prayer and how to overcome them.

Guest speaker Bob McCoy joins us for the second-half of his series on the Book of Jonah.