U-turns Permitted

Today is Palm Sunday. Yesterday was the March for our Lives around the nation and world. What do Palm Sunday and the March for Our Lives have in common?

We look today at the 4th Beatitude, traditionally read as "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness". What does it mean to hunger and thirst? And what is righteousness? What does it mean to be filled? And how does that help us move out of the closet into the world?

Today we connect the Beatitude "Flourishing are the humble, because they will inherit the earth" with Psalm 37. Jesus most likely directly quoted Psalm 37:11 when He spoke this Beatitude. And the humility called for is a humility born in a situation where it looks like evil has won the day.

Today we discuss the avalanche of sexual abuse (proven) accusations of the last months. We read John 7:53-8:11, a classic story of sexual abuse of the Harvey Weinstein/Larry Nassar caliber. What does the Bible teach us about how we should treat each other? We do not avoid asking ourselves the hard questions. For a visual portrayal of a piece of the story recorded in John, which was used in the sermon, click here.

Today we are on the 2nd Beatitude: Flourishing are the Mourners, because they shall be comforted. The second video, the Greek couple who help refugees, is subtitled. You can see it here.

Today we look at the first Beatitude, using Pennington's translation: "Flourishing are the poor in spirit, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs." And we spend time talking about how, in God's economy, it is in the crucible of struggle that we can flourish.

Today we begin our series on the Beatitudes with an introduction: into what context were these words spoken, and what can we learn from that context that will sharpen our understanding of them?

John wonders whether the Messiah has really come. Do you sometimes wonder if He has really come?

Gain a perspective for 2018 from Psalm 8.