One thing have I desired of the Lord... that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life...Psalm 27:4
Pastor Mary Stein-Webber leads us through another astonishing passage in Acts. It’s the familiar account of Paul and Silas being thrown in prison by the Romans.
But what may seem like a simple story of God’s power is actually far more curious. God, the great disrupter, has a deeper message to offer about captivity, liberation, and love.
Place Finders: Word 10:25 Sermon 17:52 Prayers 38:53
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Paul is out on his second missionary journey when he arrives in Philippi. Meet Lydia and celebrate the everyday, ordinary people that ground the church and ensure its future.
Place Finders: Word 10:25 Sermon 16:06 Prayer 26:44
Sermon Notes: For a great roundup on Paul’s early career and life in the early church, check out as usual, The Bible Project podcast. This especially informed my summary of Paul’s first missionary journey. Listen to Saul and Subversive Christianity here.
Amy Jill- Levine and Marc Zvi Brettler have one of the best resources to contextualize accurately the New Testament tradition: The Jewish Annotated New Testament. Tremendous study notes and essays.
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Take a whirlwind tour with Paul on his first missionary journey. Then return home with him where he finds a heated dispute in the church. See how the early followers of Jesus knew how to do some things we are rapidly forgetting as a contemporary culture: interrogating our own beliefs and living with humility in our identities.
Place Finders: Word 12:23 Sermon 24:45 Prayers 37:25
Sermon Notes: For a great roundup on Paul’s early career and life in the early church, check out as usual, The Bible Project podcast. This especially informed my summary of Paul’s first missionary journey. Listen to Saul and Subversive Christianity here.
Amy Jill- Levine and Marc Zvi Brettler have one of the best resources to contextualize accurately the New Testament tradition: The Jewish Annotated New Testament. Tremendous study notes and essays.
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Luke’s literary genius strikes again in Acts 12. We come to our final scene with Peter. Experience how his jailbreak coheres with promises made across scripture and what it means for the shape of our life in Christ.
Place Finders: Word 10:22 Sermon 19:13 Prayers 28:35
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Who should be baptized? That’s the question of Acts 10. It’s also the core issue organizing the New Testament. Ponder together the power of this question with Pastor Amy’s own reflections on how the early Christian commitment to radical community still influences her travels and encounters today.
Place Finders: Word 14:18 Sermon 22:46 Prayers 38:15
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After a two-week break, Pastor Mary Stein-Webber returns to our summer study of Acts. Today’s passage is a classic Bible story about a “good guy” and “bad guy.” But God has a different ending in mind than the typical Hollywood blockbuster. The outcome has such a profound effect on the early Christian church that its impact continues to this very day.
Place Finders: Word 13:25 Sermon 20:39 Prayers 44:25
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Today’s worship service offers a message from a special Sunday nearly two years ago. Press play! Pastor Amy will explain…
Place Finders: Word 13:04 Sermon 17:04 Prayers 33:03
Service Notes: The sermon includes a quote and commentary about the heart from Dr. Anathea Portier-Young. You can read her entire commentary at Workingpreacher.org. Also, the prayers of intercession include a quotation from Sister Joan Chittister in Bishop Murrary Fink’s October 23, 2020 weekly letter. Read the letter HERE.
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Today we take a pause in our journey with the Book of Acts. We’ve reached a natural break in the action so let’s take a deep breath and look at what we’ve gathered so far in the first eight chapters. Is there any wisdom for us to apply to our current time? Yes. And the key to unlocking next steps? Start small and don’t over manage the outcomes.
Place Finders: Word 10:51 Sermon 19:22 Prayers 36:09
Sermon Notes: If you hadn’t noticed, I like to listen to podcasts, and long ones that feature deep dives on philosophy and personal narrative. I try to listen to a variety of perspectives. I keep the beat on old school conservatism through Jordan Peterson’s podcast. That’s where I heard the discussion on lying.
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We continue our journey with Acts 8. In the wake of Steven’s death, the Spirit has broken out of Jerusalem and carries Philip into unlikely encounters. Hear Pr. Amy deep dive into these stories and challenge us to join the ongoing mission of Jesus.
Place Finders: Word 14:34 Sermon 25:26 Prayers 37:40
Sermon Notes: Discover an amazing resource for personal and group study and inspiration with Kristi McLelland’s The Gospel on the Ground. She’s the one I quote on the challenge of for and against. We will likely study her work in church this September.
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Our journey through the book of Acts continues. Pastor Amy Beveridge takes us through the brief but remarkable life of Stephen, a disciple charged to feed widows. Instead, he sets fire to the community with his witness and martyrdom. Discover an unexpected redemption through his story.
Place Finders: Word 11:47 Sermon 20:58 Prayers 32:55
Sermon Notes: On the question of balance between hospitality and Word, read this short commentary by Niveen Sarras.
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Our journey through the book of Acts continues. Pastor Mary Stein-Webber marvels at the surprising, spirit-infused community of the early Christian church. But suddenly, the passage takes a dark and terrifying turn. (It’s a matter of life and death.)
Place Finders: Word 10:27 Sermon 18:57 Prayers 38:05
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Continue through our series on Acts. Pastor Amy responds to the healing at the Beautiful Gate, recounting the consequences for those disciples who so boldly acted at the gate to the Temple. The Holy Spirit stirs up trouble for all of us, then and now, insisting we confront the power of God to transcend our worn out expectations.
Place Finders: Word 14:09 Sermon 25:31 Prayers 36:54
Sermon Notes: The background for this series continues to be informed by the work of the The Bible Project. Great conversation about Christians as culture disruptors: Listen HERE.
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Continue through our series on Acts. Pastor Mary Stein-Webber explores the miraculous healing of a lame man just outside the Temple in Jerusalem. What life is this that has raised up this man? Who did this and by what power? For whom is our faith for? All these reflective questions and more as the Holy Spirit moves from the upper room of a house out into the public squares of the ancient world.
Place Finders: Word 14:59 Sermon 21:25 Prayers 39:20
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Due to the marvelous demands of Vacation Bible Camp, we are reposting a worship service from a year ago for this weekend. It was one of the first Sundays together after Pastor Amy returned from sabbatical. We appreciate how far we have come as a church. Enjoy this revisit of one of her favorite sermons!
Place Finders: Word 10:48 Sermon 16:46 Prayers 31:51
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Who is the church in times of immense disruption? We begin a summer series on the Book of Acts, hoping we get to know our ancestors better. And all the more, we hope to find ourselves in their struggles and triumphs. The day of Pentecost is here. Holy Spirit, rain down!
Place Finders: Word 12:17 Sermon 25:22 Prayers 38:27
The following two podcasts are immensely informative and give us a great groundwork to begin our journey through the Book of Acts. They both inform this sermon. Thank you to The Bible Project!
The Startup of Christianity: Episode One
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After a week of national tragedy, Pastor Amy shares a word of hope for this time of despair. And Intern Deacon, Laura Salazar Krueger offers a close reflection on Jesus’ final gift for us before his death: our unity.
Place Finders: Word 10:57 Sermon 16:47 Prayers 30:08
I highly recommend this article featuring an interview with two criminologists discussing the shifts we need to make as a people in order to meaningfully address the gun violence epidemic. The answers they come to are date driven, and may surprise both right and left alike: Two Professors Found What Creates a Mass Shooter. Will Politicians Pay Attention?
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This week, we slow down to savor the dream of unity in Revelation and the departing words of love Jesus left us. With these words, we re-root in our own wholeness and health.
Place Finders: Word 11:18 Sermon 17:49 Prayers 30:45
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We welcome Pastor Mary Stein-Webber this Sunday to explore just how non-partial Jesus’ love truly is. What happens when our rules clash with God’s intentions for us? She names the hardest challenge of the Gospel.
Place Finders: Word 5:45 Sermon 12:38 Prayers 34:54
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On Good Shepherd Sunday, let’s slow down together and reflect deeply on both the threats to our faith and the life of abundance God seeks to work through us. Dwell in the Word richly today as we embrace the call of John 10, Psalm 23, and more.
Place Finders: Word 7:00 Sermon 13:50 Prayers 28:48
Sermon Notes: This message was inspired from the Sermon Brainwave podcast and the WorkingPreacher commentary. Check them out HERE. Special thanks to the scholarship of Elizabeth Johnson.
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Pastor Amy ran into a question recently: is following Jesus different after the resurrection from when he first showed up to call those fisherman? For all his shortcomings, Peter could be the key to unlock an answer, an answer we need for a church emerging from pandemic wilderness.
Place Finders: Word 7:25 Sermon 15:21 Prayers 31:41
Sermon Notes: This message was inspired from the Sermon Brainwave podcast and the WorkingPreacher commentary. Check them out HERE. Special thanks to the scholarship of Dr. Karoline Lewis.
To watch the gorgeous video, Your One Wild and Precious Life, visit The Work of the People.
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