Sermon Archives
Missed a sermon? Don’t sweat it! We’ve got many of our previous sermons archived right here. Don’t forget you can get our weekly sermon as a podcast as well! Subscribe in iTunes
Wondering what's coming Next?
Click here for an outline of our Current Sermon Series
Recent Sermons
December
25 Christmas Sunday
With help from the children of Pearl, we consider the moral imagination of Christmas by exploring three stories.
18 Sealing and Standing
Revelation chapter 7 interrupts the opening of the seals and reveals suffering stopped. It is in this moment that God works his salvation.
11 The Four Seasons
The seals are open and what do we see? Suffering and judgement. Can we please close the seals? No we cannot. God is at work in brokenness making all things new.
04 Weeping for Resolve
"God is in his Heaven. All's right with the world." Not yet for sure! But Revelation 5 points toward the day when the Lamb--slain and glorified--opens the book to begin making it all right with the world.
November
27 Conquered Crowns
In the seven letters to the seven churches we are exhorted to conquer. But how? What do we need to know to be the conquerors Jesus wants us to be?
20 Refined By Fire
We often use the wrong measurements to assess how we are doing. Jesus challenges our assessment and offers another way to evaluate. He offers himself as the reward
13 Afraid
We try so hard to grow-up. We want to mature. We think this means having all the answers; we think it means never being afraid. To those of us who think and feel these things, Jesus has a word for us.
06 Comatose or Overcoming?
We may look lively, but from Jesus’ viewpoint, some of us are spiritually comatose. And yet, even when the church is about dead, there are those whom Jesus commends as overcomers.
October
30 My Need to Live
Our desire to live is so strong. At times, it is the very thing that leads us to death.
23 Your Name
We live in a world that has bestowed many names upon us. Some stick. Some don't. The name that truly matters is being tempted right out of us, but it doesn't have to be that way. It must not be that way.
16 Encouragement for Poor/Rich People
If you were to be classified according to your material and spiritual status would you be Poor/Poor, Rich/Poor, Rich/Rich, or Poor/Rich? Only if you are spiritually rich can you receive the encouragement Jesus speaks in the face of persecution--assurance of Jesus' identity, awareness, and promise.
09 Lost Love
The Ephesians are faithful, but they've lost love. In so doing, they risk losing their identity as a lamp stand.
02 Alive
In the spirit on the Lord's day, John sees the son of man in all his glory. John's vision is our hope: Jesus waking. Jesus present. Jesus speaking.
September
25 Apocalyptical Blessing
Revelation promises to be a blessing to anyone who reads, hears, and keeps what is written in it. Yet, the most common response to Revelation is confusion; conversation about the book often results in debate. How is Revelation a blessing? What is Revelation revealing?
18 Justice Sunday
Moses' words to the people of God challenge our tendency to dehumanize people in need of help. He exhorts, "Establish cities of refuge."
11 The Bible Story
It is easy to get caught-up in our own stories, or to have minor stories become major stories. The reality is that one story, the story of God, is that which deserves preeminence in our lives and our hearts.
04 God’s Love for His Children
As children of the Father, God loves us so much! This incredible love gives his children a present identity and a future hope.
August
28 Practicing Liturgy
We all practice liturgy and the liturgy we practice kindles our passions. How might liturgy at Pearl Church kindle your passion as a follower of Jesus?
21 A Sinful Woman and Simon the Pharisee
Jesus explains his preference for the company of an emotional, sinful woman to that of a quiet religious leader.
14 The Lord Builds the House
We often think that the work we do is our work. This poem challenges such thinking and offers a better perspective to living our lives.
07 Getting to know Reilly
As we continue to know be known by our Associate Pastor, Reilly Gibby, we take a Sunday to hear his story and learn about a few of the values that he holds dear.
July
31 Parable About Tenants
It is easy, over time, to begin believing that we own something when in reality what we have has been given to us on loan. Jesus addresses this issue head-on in a parable meant to re-imagine life itself.
24 Parable about Talent
Jesus speaks about how life today impacts eternity tomorrow. The eternal kingdom is not retirement, prepare now.
17 Parable about Shrewd
Using a confounding story about a shrewd thief, Jesus exhorts his disciples to urgently prepare for eternity.
10 Parable About Lost and Found
One of the most famous parables challenges our notions of being safe at home; it encourages a welcoming and celebrating heart that is our Lord's.
03 Parable About Treasure
Seeking and celebrating are words that describe heaven breaking into this world. They are also words that demand rejoicing.
June
26 Parable About Banquet
Jesus goes by different etiquette than most when he feasts at a table. Who will inform our table manners? Our answer to this question shapes the meals we eat and the meals we share.
19 Parable About Neighbor
Jesus challenges our definitions about neighbor and offers a better framework to extending his love.
12 Parables and Soil
The parable of the soil orients us to read parables well. It also forces the question: "What work will God's word have in your life?" As we head into Ordinary Time, may the Spirit of God cause great growth as we surrender our lives to His.
05 Outreach Sunday
Money is not enough to build God's kingdom. Instead, by manifesting Jesus' love in deeds we embody his life in practical ways for this world to see.
May
29 Showing Colossians
Paul concludes his letter to the Colossians with two imperatives and multiple greetings. His greetings reveal his words to the Colossians worked out in the lives of people, and they call us to declare the mystery of Jesus with our own lives.
22 The Elixir
How does the mundane become divine? Paul writes about just that to the Colossians.
15 The salvation experience
The revolutionary life of discipleship is manifested in daily decisions to act out the kingdom of heaven.
08 The Tradition of Jesus
Too often, we live in a tunnel, afraid of being found out that we are weak and imperfect. Jesus breaks into this darkness and rescues us with unfathomable love.
01 The Servanthood of Paul
Paul provides an example of servanthood for the Colossians as he hopes to see them grow in Christ.
April
24 Infinite Jest
"I am a servant of the gospel." These words transform infinite jest into infinite life. Life, real life is birthed through Jesus, the cosmic king of Easter.
23 Stuck Between Death and Life
Easter Vigil speaks to that place between crucifixion and resurrection. It's a moment that occurs more than just once a year. Maybe many, many times in a year.
17 Tragedy in Judges
The last three chapters of Judges force us into some of the darkest places in this world, and in our hearts. This makes sense, for when there is no king, everyone does what is right in their own eyes.
10 Babel
Our focus goes from looking at the judges to looking at the state of Israel during the time of the judges. How is Israel tempted as they get deeper into sin? And can we learn from their example?
03 The Heroic Nazarite?
Samson's story is actually many stories combined to paint a picture of a man set apart at birth to serve God. Does he serve God? How is Samson used? What are we to learn?
March
27 Jephthah’s Story
God's sovereignty stands over Jephthah's maneuvering for control.
20 Barak’s Tragedy
There are many missed opportunities in life. What are we to do about them? How do we recover from them? What are we to learn from Barak's tragedy in Judges 4 and his song in Judges 5?
13 Judges Introduction
In this introduction to the book of Judges, we come to see a people lost in the cycle of sin who are in desperate need of a king to come.
06 The Son of God
Mark's son of God isn't the son of God we often find ourselves meditating upon and seeking after. Yet, it is clearly the son of God that Mark holds up for us to see, reflect upon, and seek after with our whole hearts.
February
27 Seasoned with Suffering
The disciples are lost in greatness and exclusivity. Jesus tells them such living should be cut off, poked out, and thrown away. He then suggests a better way to live: hospitably and inclusively, the result of lives seasoned with the salt of suffering.
20 The Heart of Worship and Service
The difference between a spirituality that flourishes and one that fades is not simply the presence of godly deeds. Rather, the Lord desires more. He desires all; all our heart, our mind, our soul.
13 Double Healing
Identity and mission are similar but also very different. In this passage, Peter understands one but not the other. The result is a double healing and two rebukes, that lead to Jesus' clearest mission statement yet in the gospel of Mark.
06 Amazing
A calmed storm, a healed demoniac, and a girl raised from the dead reveal Jesus' power and human fear. One of these stories shows us how to follow our amazing Lord.
January
30 First Impressions
The first five stories in Jesus' public ministry leaves us with the impression that He is a healer. Could this passage be telling us even more about His identity?
23 Introduction to Mark Sermon Series
What do we mean when we say that Jesus is Messiah? Mark's gospel unsettles our expectations of Messiahship.
16 Bless Us
A story beginning with David deciding to build God a house ends with David praying, "Bless me." At first glance, this might seem like a selfish prayer, but it is actually the prayer of those who realize that God alone builds.
09 Framing the Story of Epiphany
It is easy to get lost in stories. It is easy to get lost in the story of church. Looking at John 1, we go to the beginning of the church story to help frame the middle of the story we find ourselves in today.
02 2010 Pastoral Reflections
At Pearl Church, we have an annual tradition of hearing from our pastors on the first Sunday of the new year. Our hope for this tradition is three-fold. 1) Assists you in knowing our pastoral staff better. 2) Makes clear how you can support and pray for our pastors. 3) Encourages you to reflect upon and share about your past year with others in our community so that we might better know and better care for one another.
Older Sermons
Choose a year to browse the archived sermons from that year:
All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that all God's people may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. – I Tim. 3:16-17