Jordan Memorial UMC

Journeying in the Footsteps of Paul

What if this summer, instead of just reading about the Apostle Paul, we could walk where he walked? This summer, we invite you to join us on an extraordinary journey; one that spans continents and centuries, ancient cobblestones and modern questions of faith. Over the next 13 weeks, our sermon series, Journeying in the Footsteps of Paul, will take us deep into the heart of Greece, tracing the paths of one of Christianity's most passionate and complex figures. And the journey is more than historical. It is deeply personal, spiritually alive, and meant for each one of us.

This past spring, Jaidy and I had the extraordinary privilege of making a pilgrimage to Greece where we were able to walk the very ground where Paul preached, debated, was imprisoned, and transformed lives. Throughout the summer, those experiences will come alive in our worship through stories, reflections, and photographs from the journey. But this series isn't just our story to tell. It's an invitation for every one of you to journey alongside us.

Here is the road that lies ahead:

Philippi — We begin in the north, where Paul first set foot on European soil. Philippi was a Roman colony, a city of power and politics, and it was here that the Gospel took its first fragile roots in Europe. It is where a businesswoman named Lydia opened her home, where Paul cast out a demon from a young slave girl, and where Paul and Silas sang hymns in a prison cell. It is where a community of faith was born that would hold a very special place in Paul's heart for the rest of his life.

Thessaloniki — From Philippi, we travel south to one of Greece's great cities, ancient and modern at once. Paul's time in Thessaloniki was brief but electric. It is marked by both powerful response and fierce opposition. The church he left behind would receive two of his most urgent and tender letters.

Berea — Just down the road, the Bereans earned a reputation that still echoes through the centuries — for receiving the Word with eagerness and searching the Scriptures daily to see if what Paul said was true. There is something here for all of us who want to engage our faith with both an open heart and an open mind.

Meteora — We pause here for something breathtaking. Meteora was not a place Paul visited, but it stands as one of the most remarkable results of the faith he carried into Greece. Perched impossibly atop soaring rock pillars, the ancient monasteries of Meteora were built by monks who sought God in solitude and in stone. To stand there is to see the long reach of the Gospel, how a message carried by one man into a foreign land became a faith that shaped civilization.

Delphi — Here we step into the world Paul was entering. Delphi was the spiritual center of the ancient Greek world — home of the Oracle, site of the famous Pythia, and a place where kings and generals came to seek divine guidance. It was a world saturated in religion, superstition, and hunger for meaning. Understanding Delphi helps us understand the extraordinary challenge Paul faced in every city he entered: not a world without religion, but a world with a great deal of it and the Gospel had to find its way through and beyond all of it.

Athens — Few moments in the New Testament are as intellectually thrilling as Paul standing on the Areopagus, looking out over a city "full of idols," and addressing the philosophers and thinkers of the ancient world. Athens invites us to think about how we speak of faith in a skeptical age, how we find the bridges between the Gospel and the culture around us, and what it means to proclaim an unknown God to people who are already searching.

Corinth — Our journey brings us finally to Corinth, a city of commerce, diversity, complexity, and considerable moral chaos. Paul spent more time in Corinth than almost anywhere else, and the letters he wrote to the Corinthian church address some of the most enduring human struggles — pride, division, love, death, and resurrection. It is a fitting place to anchor ourselves as we consider what the church is called to be in the world.

On our final Sunday of the summer, we will circle back to where it all started, the letter to the Philippians. What makes this so moving is that Paul wrote to the Philippian church not from a place of triumph, but from prison. Years after that first visit to Philippi, chained and uncertain of his future, Paul wrote what many consider his most joyful letter. These are not the words of someone for whom everything has gone according to plan. They are the words of someone who has been transformed by the journey.

On that last Sunday, we will also do what Paul did, reflect. We will look back over our summer journey together: the places we've explored, the questions we've wrestled with, the moments of unexpected grace. Where have we seen God? What has shifted in us? Who have we met along the way that has helped us see Jesus more clearly?

At its heart, this summer is about learning to see. Paul didn't just carry the Gospel into Greece — he received it back, again and again, through the people he met. Through a jailer whose life was upended in the middle of the night. Through a young woman whose chains were broken. Through tentmakers, merchants, philosophers, and seekers of every kind. Paul experienced Christ through the people he encountered along the way.

That is our invitation this summer as well.

We will be asking ourselves: Where is Jesus in the places we go? And where are we called to carry Jesus?

One of the ways we want to explore this together is through our Journey With Jesus Activity, a fun and creative way for all of us, families and individuals alike, to carry Jesus into our everyday world. You can find the details for this in the Journey With Jesus section in this newsletter! We hope you'll jump in and share in the joy of it.

Whether you have traveled to Greece or never left your hometown, whether you are deeply rooted in your faith or quietly wondering what you believe, this series is for you. Paul's journey was not a neat, triumphant march. It was full of detours, opposition, exhaustion, and surprise. It was also full of beauty, friendship, and the persistent, disruptive grace of God showing up in places Paul never expected.

The same God is still moving. The same roads are still open. Come journey with us this summer.

"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now." — Philippians 1:3–5

 Pastor Chris