Sermon - "From Peter to Paul" (Acts)

On Sunday, Rev. Joshua Patty preached on the Acts of the Apostles.  This book is a companion to the Gospel of Luke and describes the history of the early church after Jesus' resurrection.  From a small group of faithful (numbering 120 people at the beginning of the book), the church spreads throughout the entire Roman Empire.  At the conclusion of the book, Paul is openly and freely preaching the gospel in Rome.

Like the Gospel of Luke, this is a story about the power of the Holy Spirit.  The main people are guided by the Holy Spirit, given words to speak -- even in the hardest situations -- by the Holy Spirit, and sometimes even given the ability to heal and resurrect people through the Holy Spirit.  When people are aware of the spirit and open to being guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit, amazing things happen again and again.  As such, the underlying message is for Christians to be open to the power of the Holy Spirit, which can still guide us in surprising ways and transform the world.

Click here to listen to the sermon.

You can also listen to the related Communion meditation and benediction.