St. Paul's Church - Willington, Ct

In light of Earth Day 2019, this week we asked: is caring for the environment something the Church should be concerned about? The Bible presents us with a worldview that answers YES. We identified four characteristics of the Biblical worldview and why they remind us of the value of creation care. We also considered how they relate to the controversial subject of global warming.

This Easter we considered how Jesus's resurrection is an incredible victory over three formidable enemies we all face.

Jesus said "if you've seen me, you've seen the Father." In light of these words, this Good Friday we asked the question: What do we learn about God by looking at the crucified Christ? Pastor Ryan offered four reflections.

This week we concluded our series on Abraham with what might be the most famous (and challenging) story from his life. After waiting for 25 years, Isaac - the promised child - had finally arrived. But before Isaac had any descendants, the same God who promised to build a nation through him also called Abraham to sacrifice him as an offering. We wrestled with the challenging questions raised by this story, and sought to identify what God wants us to learn.

This week we took a break from our Genesis 2 series to hear from Scott Thomson, the director of Cru at the University of Connecticut. Scott talked about why the Gospel message should set us free from fear.

You may be familiar with the story of God's judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah, but did you know that Abraham asked God to spare the city before the judgment came? In a bold exchange with God, Abraham repeatedly asked if God would spare the city for the sake of fewer and fewer righteous people within it. We considered what this fascinating exchange can teach us about God's mercy, His judgment, and our relationship with Him.

This week we continued our series on the life of Abraham with another story that showcases the flawed nature of our spiritual ancestors. Abram and Sarai tried to bring God's promise to fulfillment by using an ugly Ancient Near Eastern tradition. We talked about what we can learn from the results of their misjudgment.

This week we took a break from our Abraham series to hear from guest speaker Carrye Burr. Carrye shared how the moon can serve as a metaphor for our relationship with God.

This Sunday we looked at one of the strangest parts of Abram's story: a smoking firepot and a blazing torch pass through a bunch of cut up animals. We identified what this means, and why it's surprisingly beautiful.

Last week Abram gave us an example of faith. This week he gives us an example of faithlessness. We considered the problem at the root of Abram's sin, and how we can avoid making similar mistakes.

God called Abraham to leave nearly everything that was comfortable to him and go to an unknown place in the hope of seeing a seemingly impossible promise fulfilled. We identified three questions this challenging story should inspire us to ask about our own lives.

In a message originally intended for MLK weekend (snow led us to cancel the service), we talked about the problem of racism. We asked the question: How can those of us who are white show love to people of color? All of us are called to love all, but this specific question is important to ask in light of our country's history of discrimination. We identified four particular things we can do: LISTEN. LEARN. REMEMBER. SHARE POWER.

This week Pastor Keith spoke on why worshiping in community is important. In today's world, we can find good Biblical teaching online, but that should never lead us to think that we can get what we need without being part of a church. We identified four major reasons why.

This Sunday Lucas Dourado, the campus minister for Reformed University Fellowship at the University of Connecticut, joined us to speak more on a theme we've been emphasizing a lot so far in 2019: grace. The letter to the Ephesians was written to encourage unity in the church, but before the Apostle Paul said anything about what the Ephesians should or shouldn't do, he spent a lot of time talking about the grace of God. This morning Lucas identified four aspects of God's grace that should encourage us and form a solid foundation for our unity as a church.

No church "tune-up" is complete without talking about the (often dreaded) subject of giving. At least 2,350 verses in the Bible have to do with how we handle our money and our possessions, so we can't neglect the subject - whether we want to or not! What does the Bible teach about giving?

This week we continued to introduce our new vision slogan (Truth. Grace. Life.) by focusing on the second word: grace. John 1:14 says Jesus came "full of grace and truth." What does it look like when our church is "filled with grace," like Jesus?

We've decided to start 2019 with a new vision slogan: Truth. Grace. Life. This week we talked about the reason for the change, and the first word in the new slogan. What does it mean to be filled with truth? We identified six characteristics of what it looks like when we are filled with truth, like Jesus

The angels' announcement of Jesus' birth was actually a subversive political statement. This Christmas Eve, we considered its significance.

Christmas is a time when we want everything to be in place; a time where we want it to feel like all is right with the world. But often our experience of Christmas falls far short of our hope. This morning we talked about how Mary and Joseph's first Christmas must have fallen far short of their hope as well, and what we can learn from their messy first Christmas.

This week we started our three-part Christmas Reflections series by reflecting on Mary, the mother of Jesus. Some branches of the Church give a lot of attention to Mary, others hardly any. What should we think?