Baptist Church of West Chester

Sacred and the Screen: Knives Out, Wake Up Dead Man

"Start fighting wolves before you know it everyone you don't understand is a wolf." In this week's Sacred and the Screen message, we explore Jesus' encounter with the woman saved from stoning (John 8:2–11) alongside Knives Out: Wake Up Dead Man. Both stories challenge our instinct to judge, expose, and fight our enemies. Instead, we are invited into the difficult work of grace, repentance, and restoration.

Sacred and the Screen: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

What keeps us stuck? Fear. Self-doubt. The need to hold on to what feels safe. This week, we continue our Sacred and the Screen series by exploring Jeremiah's call alongside Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Like Miles Morales, Jeremiah doesn't feel ready for what lies ahead. Like Jeremiah, many of us wonder whether we're qualified, capable, or enough. But God's call has never depended on our qualifications. It depends on God's presence. Together we'll explore what God may be calling us to let go of, what needs to be torn down, and what God is inviting us to build and plant in our lives, our church, and our community. "You won't know you're ready. It's a leap of faith."

Digging In - Zach Lambert: Better Ways to Read the Bible

Pastor Zach Lambert joins us to talk about his book, Better Ways to Read the Bible.

Sacred & the Screen: Inside Out & Psalm 42

What do we do when God feels absent? In this message from Psalm 42, we explore one of Scripture's most honest prayers alongside Pixar's Inside Out. The psalmist cries out in grief, longing for God's presence while wondering where God has gone. Rather than hiding sadness or pretending everything is fine, Psalm 42 shows us a faith that makes room for lament, questions, and hope. Drawing on themes from Inside Out, we consider the role of sadness in our lives, why we often try to suppress difficult emotions, and what it means to bring our whole selves before God. Along the way, we discover a surprising truth at the heart of the Christian story: the places where God feels absent are often the places God meets us most deeply. Through the witness of the Psalms, the suffering of Christ, and the promise of God's presence, we are reminded that there is nowhere God is not.

Empowered by the Spirit to Meet the Moment - Acts 2:1-21 & Philippians 4:4-7

On Pentecost Sunday, Pastoral Resident Alicia Teet-Jeter reflected on what it means to be “Empowered by the Spirit to Meet the Moment.” From Acts 2 and Philippians 4, she explored how God meets us in seasons of waiting, fills ordinary people with courage, and offers peace in the middle of uncertainty. The same Spirit that empowered the early church still strengthens us today with joy, gentleness, prayer, and hope for the road ahead.