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The beatitudes are Jesus’ paradoxical blessings for those awaiting the Kingdom of God, contrasted to the lesser ‘blessings' the kingdom of this world offers. In them, we see the way to blessing is not through, but within, poverty of spirit, mourning, persecution, meekness, etc. As we look this week at mourning, we see the way to experience our poverty of spirit. Within the mourning of our sin, the suffering of others, and the curse of death, we see how the comfort of the full reality of God’s Kingdom pieces into the present realities of our shame, sorrows, and sufferings. In the second beatitude, we’ll look at the what, how, and hope of mourning and see the gospel promise of comfort for those awaiting the future hope of the world begun now in Jesus Christ.

This week, we begin a new series in the Beatitudes, which we’re calling “The King’s Speech.” The Beatitudes are pronouncements of blessing on Jesus’ disciples; but the reason we are blessed might seem counter-intuitive in a culture that celebrates strength, expertise, and accomplishment. For instance, when Jesus blesses those who are poor in spirit, he identifies their great need as a reason for their great happiness. That’s not the way we normally think about our need! Join us this week for the beginning of a new and important sermon series that grounds in the new creation realities Jesus inaugurated by his resurrection from the dead.

On Sunday, Christians around the world will celebrate Easter, the day when Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Over the years, the Resurrection has been a treasured belief, the subject of many songs and sermons, and the hope for Christians who mourn the death of friends and family. But it wasn’t always this way: at the very beginning, on the very first Easter, the Resurrection was too good to be true. The disciples themselves didn’t believe the initial reports. Why? Especially since Jesus told them many times that he would rise again? Why didn’t they believe and what are the challenges to our own beliefs in this good news? This Sunday, we’ll find our footing once again in the event that changed history—an event that changes you and me, too.

When Jesus rides into Jerusalem, the crowd of disciples and pilgrims respond to him as the king, the son of David returning to claim his father’s throne. Jesus refuses to quiet the crowd, telling the Pharisees that the rocks would cry out if no one else would acknowledge him. King Jesus and the kingdom he brings still summon you and me today. Join us on Palm Sunday to find out how.

It's hard to see our deficiencies and short-comings. Sometimes we never see them until we open our mouths and encounter others. Yet how we treat one another when our sins are exposed can make the difference between redemption and alienation. Despite James and John's request, Jesus hears them, instructs them, and providentially provides an example through Bartimeaus' healing of what true spiritual sight looks like which also pleases him. Join us this Sunday as we look inward at ourselves upward to Christ and forward to his will and future world of spiritual sight.

This Sunday, we turn to the well-known story in Mark 10 of the rich young man (he is called a “ruler” in Luke) who asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. There is much about this young man that is admirable: he is moral (having kept the commandments since his youth), he is wealthy (people often believed—then and now—that wealth was a sign of God’s favor), and he is interested in spiritual things. But by the end of his encounter with Jesus, the man is disheartened and sorrowful. He walks away from Jesus instead of following him as a disciple. Why? What kept this impressive spiritual seeker from becoming a follower of Christ? Join us this Sunday to find out about the explosive nature of Christianity and the unrelenting demands God makes of his people.

In Mark 10, Mark’s gospel turns toward Jesus’ teaching on the relational life of a disciple. This week, we will look at our most important human relationship: the union of man and woman in

the covenant of marriage. We will also look at Jesus’s teachings on what happens when this relationship needs an overhaul. Jesus’ interaction with the religious leaders of the day and their poor interpretation of Israel’s laws on Divorce gives modern readers insight into how God designed marriage from the beginning and that even in a sinful world, grace alone restores and repairs. As we turn to this difficult teaching and painful circumstances for nearly 50% of the population today, we will see how grace binds up what sin breaks apart and points us toward our ultimate union and marriage.

Who are the great men and women in history? What makes them great? Victory in war? Leadership in government? Fame? Service to humanity? At the end of Mark 9, Jesus identifies three different traits of Christian greatness. But be forewarned! There is also a shadow side to these traits exemplified in the person of Judas Iscariot, the one who will betray Jesus. In what direction is your heart pointed? We’ll explore all this and more together on Sunday.

Listen as Pastor Jon Herr continues our series through the Gospel of Mark. This week's sermon will highlight the story of Jesus casting a demon from a young, mute boy. Pastor Herr will walk us through the text and help us to discern the schemes of the Devil by way of prayer and scripture.

The Transfiguration is one of the accounts of the life of Christ that is found in each of the Gospels. The universal church has dedicated a Sunday each year to acknowledge it. And yet, its importance is probably missed by most of us who are dazzled by the unveiling of Jesus so that we see his divine glory. Is it just a cool trick? Are we simply supposed to be impressed? What’s the point of it all? This Sunday, we’ll travel with Jesus, Peter, James, and John up the Mount of Transfiguration to be confronted by the glory in our midst, a glory that enables us to persevere through suffering and hardship until we become partakers in it ourselves.