Austin Mustard Seed » Gatherings

Ephesians 2:1-10 Revisited

John Chandler — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 15:47:57 +0000

As we talked about a few weeks ago, Ephesians 2:1-10 is one of the central texts of the Christian faith, and so we will revisit again this Sunday. These ten verses tell the story of what following Jesus means as well as anything else found in the Bible. Take some time this week to read them over a few more times and bring your own comments and questions with you to our gathering on Sunday.

Ephesians 2:1-10

John Chandler — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 16:00:21 +0000

This week, we’ll soak in one of the classic texts of the Christian faith: Ephesians 2:1-10. These ten verses tell the story of what following Jesus means as well as anything else found in the Bible. Take some time this week to read them over a few times and bring some of your own comments and questions with you to our gathering on Sunday.

Ephesians 1:15-23

John Chandler — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 17:35:09 +0000

“For this reason…” These are Paul’s own words as he transitions his train of thought from Ephesians 1:1-14 (our passage last week) into Ephesians 1:15-23. We’ll continue our study of Ephesians this Sunday with verses 15-23, building on what came before it. So, let’s keep last week’s text in mind even as we move into this week’s. I hope you can take some time this week to read the entire chapter a few times and bring some of your own comments and questions with you to our gathering.

Ephesians 1:1-14

John Chandler — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 16:26:14 +0000

This Sunday, we continue our trek through Ephesians. With the back story in mind, we’ll begin to work through this letter that Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus. Take some time this week to read Ephesians 1:1-14 a few times and bring some of your own comments and questions with you to our gathering.

As I mentioned this past Sunday, I will be gleaning wisdom each week from Eugene Peterson’s book on Ephesians, Practice Resurrection. For those of you who are readers, I encourage you to pick up a copy of the book as well. It will serve as a great companion as we work through Ephesians this summer.

Ephesians: The Back Story

John Chandler — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 15:24:54 +0000

This weekend, we begin our journey through the book of Ephesians. But before we get into this letter that the apostle Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus, we’ll take a look at the time Paul spent in Ephesus. Understanding the city and Paul’s relationship with the people there will offer a rich texture and backdrop for our study of the letter itself in the weeks to come.

Paul’s time with the people of Ephesus is recounted in Acts 19 and 20. Specifically, this Sunday we’ll look at Acts 19:8-41 and 20:17-38. Take some time to read these passages this week, and bring your observations and questions from the text with you to our gathering on Sunday.

Ephesus Yesterday, Austin Today

John Chandler — Fri, 28 May 2010 15:52:52 +0000

Ancient Ephesus was a cosmopolitan city with visitors from around the known world. As they came and went, they left behind many ideas about life and philosophy. Sounds quite a bit like Austin!

In our gatherings this summer, we are learning about the city of Ephesus, and the letter written to the young church there, known as Ephesians in our Bibles today. How were they encouraged to understand and live out life as followers of Jesus? And in learning that, we pray we’ll find that we’ll find grace and a new way of living in Austin today too. Ephesians is a rich text, and I’m eager to get into it with everyone.

But I hope our studies can extend beyond Sundays as well. Throughout this summer, spend some time reading and re-reading Acts 19, which tells the story of the apostle Paul’s experiences in Epehesus, and the letter to the Ephesians as well. Bring your questions and learnings from the text to our gatherings as we learn from one another.

Looking Toward Pentecost

John Chandler — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 16:02:05 +0000

The image to the right comes from an 11th Century book called the Bamberg Apocalypse. This page portrays the day of Pentecost in Acts 2 — the arrival of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the church.

We will remember and celebrate Pentecost on Sunday, May 23. As we anticipate and expect Pentecost in the coming weeks, we will sit together in some key texts that describe how the church was anticipated and then enacted by Jesus and the Spirit through the disciples and other early followers.

Easter Gathering

John Chandler — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 14:40:21 +0000

On Easter Sunday, we will switch up our schedule, shifting our gathering time from the usual 5pm to 10am. Our time together will be a family gathering to celebrate the most meaningful of Christian days. We will begin with the reading of the Easter story from Luke 24, reflecting on that together. As we celebrate together, we will also enjoy some Easter activities together to involve the kids, and wrap up with a potluck together. If you will be joining us for the first time, you can find directions on the Gatherings page.

Moving On Toward Easter

John Chandler — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 16:27:09 +0000

Sarcophagus with Scenes from the Passion of Christ (probably from the Catacomb of Domitilla), mid-4th century A.D.

We are moving on in the annual cycle and rhythm of Christian holidays. Easter is April 4, and for the six weeks prior, we will be reflecting on Lent. This is a season of intentional reflection on the cross, but always yearning for and anticipating the resurrection that lies beyond.

Lent begins on Wednesday, February 17. We will move into the season by preparing for Lent together on Sunday, February 14, and continue our reflections each Sunday as we move toward Easter.

A Brief Christmas Break

John Chandler — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 21:00:31 +0000

We’ll take a break for the Christmas holiday with no gathering on Sunday, December 27. Everything will be back to normal the following week with our regular gathering schedule on Sunday, January 3.

Enjoy the time with friends, family, and other loved ones as you reflect on God’s arrival on earth in the form of a helpless baby.