Ask, Seek, Knock (Matthew 7:1-12)

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Ask, Seek, Knock (Matthew 7:1-12)
Ben Conachan

At the center of the sacred story we tell, week in and week out, is the mystery of Resurrection: life from death, light from darkness, creation from chaos. This story has occupied a central place in the Christian imagination because it points to a new way to live. In this series, we are exploring the way of life Jesus sets forth in his Sermon on the Mount. Resurrection speaks over every life, “You, whoever you are, whatever your circumstances, you are blessed because Divine Love is with you.” This vision of the resurrection life opens up new ways of being such as belonging, love and trust in community, and non-anxious relationship with one another and with the Divine. This series will suggest practices for living Christ’s wisdom within the texture of our ordinary lives.

Practices of Belonging (Matthew 6:1-8, 16-24)

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Practices of Belonging (Matthew 6:1-8, 16-24)
Ben Conachan

At the center of the sacred story we tell, week in and week out, is the mystery of Resurrection: life from death, light from darkness, creation from chaos. This story has occupied a central place in the Christian imagination because it points to a new way to live. In this series, we are exploring the way of life Jesus sets forth in his Sermon on the Mount. Resurrection speaks over every life, “You, whoever you are, whatever your circumstances, you are blessed because Divine Love is with you.” This vision of the resurrection life opens up new ways of being such as belonging, love and trust in community, and non-anxious relationship with one another and with the Divine. This series will suggest practices for living Christ’s wisdom within the texture of our ordinary lives.

Palm Sunday: Our Many Animations

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Palm Sunday: Our Many Animations
Jen Johnson

At Pearl Church, we seek to express a sacred story and extend a common table that animate—move, motivate, inspire—our lives by Divine Love. Very often we find ourselves animated not by love, but by all-too familiar counterfeits like shame, fear, guilt, duty, and control. In this sermon series, we look to the life of Jesus, who turns a gentle and compassionate face toward people caught up in these animations, creating space for us to listen for the voice of love that beckons even in our deepest wounds and darkness. For love is strong enough to embrace and integrate all these animations, making us whole.

Ecclesiastes' Light

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Ecclesiastes' Light
Mike Roth

The tradition of wisdom is expansive. On the one hand, conventional wisdom provides insights into living when life goes as it’s expected to go. On the other hand, radical wisdom provides insights into living when life takes surprising turns. Then there’s stages of wisdom—pre-rational, rational, and post-rational—which offer unique insights into our many phases of development. And of course, in our Christian tradition, there’s Christ, who is called, “The wisdom of God.” This sermon series will plumb the depths of wisdom’s complexity, seeking light capable of holding us, grounding us, and inspiring us, no matter the circumstance or stage we find ourselves in.