The Beatitudes

At the center of the sacred story we tell, week in and week out, is 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. The Resurrection speaks over every life, “You, whoever you are, whatever your circumstances, you are blessed because God is with you.” This vision of the with-God life opens up resurrected 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.

Loving Resurrection

The season of Eastertide is the fifty day celebration between Resurrection Sunday and Pentecost. The once barren lenten altar is dressed in gold and white to symbolize Christ’s triumph over darkness, sorrow, sin, and death. The freshly cut flowers represent our joy of new life as we celebrate Jesus’ victory over the grave. The vibrant colors of the stained glass surrounding the cross remind us that the power that raised Christ from the dead is still at work redeeming and renewing this world and each of our lives.

Jesus is Laid in the Tomb

The Stations of the Cross are a fourteen step Catholic devotion that commemorates Jesus’ final day on earth, which culminates in his death and burial. The fourteen devotions, or stations, focus on specific events of his last day, beginning with his condemnation. The stations are commonly used as a mini pilgrimage as individuals move from station to station. The stations are commonly found in churches as a series of fourteen small icons or images. They can also appear in church yards arranged along paths. At each station, individuals recall and meditate on a specific event from Jesus’ last day, specific prayers are recited, and then individuals move to the next station until all fourteen stations are complete.

This sermon series invites us into pilgrimage with Jesus. From his condemnation to his being laid in the tomb, we will sit before pictures—painted by words—that invite us to ponder Jesus’ last hours. Sitting, observing, and ultimately feeling, we will be encouraged to more deeplyexperience Jesus’ suffering, which we hope will evoke sorrow, compassion, and gratitude. Ultimately, it is our desire that by entering into the depths of Jesus’ despair, that longing for resurrection will be aroused and burst forth from within us as we begin to look past death to the hope of Easter life.

Jesus is Taken Down From the Cross

The Stations of the Cross are a fourteen step Catholic devotion that commemorates Jesus’ final day on earth, which culminates in his death and burial. The fourteen devotions, or stations, focus on specific events of his last day, beginning with his condemnation. The stations are commonly used as a mini pilgrimage as individuals move from station to station. The stations are commonly found in churches as a series of fourteen small icons or images. They can also appear in church yards arranged along paths. At each station, individuals recall and meditate on a specific event from Jesus’ last day, specific prayers are recited, and then individuals move to the next station until all fourteen stations are complete.

This sermon series invites us into pilgrimage with Jesus. From his condemnation to his being laid in the tomb, we will sit before pictures—painted by words—that invite us to ponder Jesus’ last hours. Sitting, observing, and ultimately feeling, we will be encouraged to more deeplyexperience Jesus’ suffering, which we hope will evoke sorrow, compassion, and gratitude. Ultimately, it is our desire that by entering into the depths of Jesus’ despair, that longing for resurrection will be aroused and burst forth from within us as we begin to look past death to the hope of Easter life.

Jesus Dies on the Cross

The Stations of the Cross are a fourteen step Catholic devotion that commemorates Jesus’ final day on earth, which culminates in his death and burial. The fourteen devotions, or stations, focus on specific events of his last day, beginning with his condemnation. The stations are commonly used as a mini pilgrimage as individuals move from station to station. The stations are commonly found in churches as a series of fourteen small icons or images. They can also appear in church yards arranged along paths. At each station, individuals recall and meditate on a specific event from Jesus’ last day, specific prayers are recited, and then individuals move to the next station until all fourteen stations are complete.

This sermon series invites us into pilgrimage with Jesus. From his condemnation to his being laid in the tomb, we will sit before pictures—painted by words—that invite us to ponder Jesus’ last hours. Sitting, observing, and ultimately feeling, we will be encouraged to more deeplyexperience Jesus’ suffering, which we hope will evoke sorrow, compassion, and gratitude. Ultimately, it is our desire that by entering into the depths of Jesus’ despair, that longing for resurrection will be aroused and burst forth from within us as we begin to look past death to the hope of Easter life.