All Saints Reflections

The Festival of All Saints celebrates the faithful women and men, known and unknown, past and present, whose lives have been marked by the love and grace of God. It is an opportunity for us, as a church, to thank God for them and to remember the roles they have played in bringing Divine Love into our lives and into this world.

This morning, we hear from Pearl Church members Keith Johnson and Megan Eales Monroe, who share about particular saints—Gene Robinson, and Rachel Held Evans—whose lives have been meaningful for them.

Self-Sufficiency, or Community?

If the Bible isn’t a rule book or a clear-cut moral guide for every decision that we need to make, how do we go about discerning what is good? Perhaps you’re in the midst of making a big decision, or perhaps you wrestle with knowing how to discern what’s best when making decisions, or perhaps, as you’ve come to realize that the Bible doesn’t definitively direct particular judgments that you need to make about life and godliness, you’re looking for a thoughtful way to make wise decisions. If any of these statements speak to where you’re at, then we’re hopeful that this sermon series, centering around a series of questions to guide our discernment, will inform, support, and encouragement your flourishing, especially now, when discerning goodness is increasingly important.

Covering, or Uncovering?

If the Bible isn’t a rule book or a clear-cut moral guide for every decision that we need to make, how do we go about discerning what is good? Perhaps you’re in the midst of making a big decision, or perhaps you wrestle with knowing how to discern what’s best when making decisions, or perhaps, as you’ve come to realize that the Bible doesn’t definitively direct particular judgments that you need to make about life and godliness, you’re looking for a thoughtful way to make wise decisions. If any of these statements speak to where you’re at, then we’re hopeful that this sermon series, centering around a series of questions to guide our discernment, will inform, support, and encouragement your flourishing, especially now, when discerning goodness is increasingly important.

Chaos, or Creation?

If the Bible isn’t a rule book or a clear-cut moral guide for every decision that we need to make, how do we go about discerning what is good? Perhaps you’re in the midst of making a big decision, or perhaps you wrestle with knowing how to discern what’s best when making decisions, or perhaps, as you’ve come to realize that the Bible doesn’t definitively direct particular judgments that you need to make about life and godliness, you’re looking for a thoughtful way to make wise decisions. If any of these statements speak to where you’re at, then we’re hopeful that this sermon series, centering around a series of questions to guide our discernment, will inform, support, and encouragement your flourishing, especially now, when discerning goodness is increasingly important.

A Trellis for the Animation of Divine Love

Pearl Church exists to cultivate three rhythms—Sacred Story, Common Table, and Divine Love. In fact, these rhythms work together. We often say, “At Pearl, we express a Sacred Story and extend a Common Table that animate life by Divine Love.” But how exactly do we cultivate these rhythms? And is it possible to cultivate these rhythms outside of Pearl? This sermon series will explore the metaphor of a trellis to help us thoughtfully discern the sacredness of our stories, commonality of our tables, and animations of our lives as we seek to cultivate robust living marked by flourishing.