St. Paul's Church - Willington, Ct

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 know for certain which interpretation is best, it's valuable to study this passage so that we can understand why it should not lead to division in the Church.

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 to joy in our own lives.

This week we looked at the frightening description of "the bowls of wrath": ecological disasters, "impure spirits" that look like frogs, and a tremendous earthquake. We considered how to understand it all and how it should affect our perspective.

Revelation forces us to consider an important topic: God's wrath. This week we consider how Revelation 15 implies several things about God's wrath that we might not ordinarily recognize.

This week in Revelation: a vision of a harvest and a frightening, blood-producing winepress. What does it mean? We considered several possibilities, and what each means for us today.

This morning we continued our journey through the Book of Revelation. John had a vision of three angels declaring an "eternal gospel. We considered the significance of the word "gospel," and why the "eternal gospel" is both a source of joy and a warning.

With emotions in our country running high, we looked at one more passage to center us during election week: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. Without love, we are spiritually bankrupt.