When times are difficult we are prone to think that taking and hoarding are the best ways to protect ourselves. But the way of Jesus trains us to live with a generous spirit, looking for ways to give to those in need.

Walking with wisdom at Easter is about changing our perception and seeing things the way they really are under God’s care. The struggles in our world will not last because the new creation has broken into our world through Jesus.

There’s a lot to worry in our world, and there’s no magic formula for getting rid of our anxieties. But there is a way of wisdom that can help us. It has a lot to do with trust, birds, flowers, and the kingdom of God.

If we’re going to be people who walk with wisdom in these difficult times, we need to be the kind of people who elevate Jesus and value him above all. Practically we must give him more of our attention and practice doing what he teaches us. This is the way to walk with less worry and more wisdom in real life.

We all want to be the kind of people who are happy even in the eye of a storm, but it takes walking with wisdom to do this. This new sermon series will help us do just that: walk with wisdom in difficult times. We begin with the book of James where we discover a connection between trials and wisdom that has application for our lives now.

For the third time Jesus predicts his death and resurrection, but this time he expands his explanation to include new images and metaphors. His teaching had application for his students then and it has application for us now.

When Jesus told the wealthy man to sell everything he had, he was doing more than teaching about money. He was breaking the boxes people put him in; he was turning the values of this world upside down; and he was focusing on the renovation of the human heart. The application for us has everything to do with doing the next right thing and trusting God with the outcome.

This week we consider a sensitive passage and discover it’s about a lot more than we might have originally thought. Mark continues to develop the theme of humility, that the kingdom of God is open to the humble but closed to the proud. In this context, Jesus’ teaching on marriage, divorce, and remarriage is more about the heart and inner transformation than it is about establishing a legalistic rulebook for Christians to follow.

From a cup of water to a millstone to salt to cutting off body parts, Jesus teaches his disciples an important truth about the kingdom of God. And it has application for us today.

This week we return to a passage we walked through five months ago. It’s a message we still need. When Jairus came to the edge of hopelessness, Jesus invited him to fear not and believe. What he did next made all the difference, and it can for us too.