We all wrestle with anxiety. For some, it's obvious; for others, it's hidden well. At times, it's a mild uneasiness; at other times, it's a debilitating fear. However it manifests itself, experiencing anxiety is part of the human experience. And yet, the Apostle can write that we should be anxious about anything. What does he know that we don't? (note: Pastor Mike meant to credit Dane Ortlund for the backstory of "O Love That Will Not Let Me Go" at the end of the sermon.)

In the Beatitudes, Jesus declares, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy." In the first of two sermons on this Beatitude, we consider the connection between mercy and Jesus' declaration that He came not to call the righteous but sinners.

The Declaration of Independence includes "the pursuit of happiness" among the unalienable rights granted to every human being. And we are a people who relentlessly pursue happiness. Yet, study after study shows that we're not a particularly happy people. So then what is the key to happiness? Psalm 1 provides an answer.

According to Jesus, happiness is the result of hungering and thirsting for something more important than happiness.

Many of us wonder whether Jesus' teachings actually "work" in real life or whether they're just pie-in-sky, wishful thinking. And in our world where things like aggression and self-promotion are seen as keys to success, perhaps no teaching of His elicits more incredulity than Matthew 5:5 - "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." How can this be true?

We like to picture the journey of faith as a smooth upward progression of ever-increasing trust in God. But our journeys are more like roller coasters of faith and doubt. But the good news is that God meets us and walks with us through every up and down.

In a culture in which the pursuit of happiness is seen as an inalienable right, Jesus declares that mourning is a prerequisite for a blessed life.

In the Beatitudes, Jesus gives us a very unexpected, countercultural, and counterintuitive description of a blessed person. The first characteristic of such a person is that they're "poor in Spirit." What does that mean, and why is it the foundation of being a blessed person?

If someone were to ask us for our goals, how many of them would focus on what we're trying to achieve and how many, if any, would focus on who we're trying to be? And how does our answer to this question affect our happiness?

Genesis 2:25 tells us that when God created Adam and Eve, they were "both naked and were not ashamed." They were both known and vulnerable without shame or fear. But once they sinned, they experienced shame in their nakedness, which led to fear, which led to hiding. And ever since then, shame has been a central element of the human condition, causing us to hide from God, one another, and even ourselves. But the Good News is that Jesus meets us in those very hiding places.