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P. Solomon Raj, Luke 4: The Lord Remembers the Hungry, 2016. It's in the context of all the everyday people with everyday problems gathered around Him that Jesus begins to speak about the good life in Matthew 5:3-12. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (5:3) Contrary to appearances, the …
Continue reading "Guess What? You’re Blessed: Exploring the Beatitudes in Matthew 5"
Sadao Watanabe, The Sermon on the Mount, 1963. As the Sermon on the Mount begins, Jesus offers a series of sayings that begin with a simple phrased "Blessed are the poor in spirit…Blessed are those who mourn...Blessed are the meek..." This pattern continues over the course of nine sayings as Jesus offers insights into what …
Continue reading "The Beatitudes and What it Means to be “Blessed”"
This coming weekend at Eastbrook Church we begin a ten-week preaching series entitled "Becoming Real," walking through the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew, chapters 5-7. This is the third part of our longer journey through the Gospel of Matthew, building upon "Family Tree" and "Power in Preparation." This series explores Jesus’ teaching in the …
Continue reading "Becoming Real: The Sermon on the Mount – a new series at Eastbrook"
This past weekend at Eastbrook Church, we concluded our annual MissionsFest. As we celebrate God's faithfulness to us as a church for forty years, we heard from two of our long-term, international ministry partners on the theme of "Hard Places." This second weekend, Rev. Canon Francis Omondi from Kenya spoke to us about the nature …
During Lent at Eastbrook Church, we continue to explore the soul-deep hungers in our lives planted there by God in order to lead us to Himself. The series, "Hungry for God," parallels the season of Lent, and has a companion daily devotional that you can access here. This weekend I explored the hunger for peace. …
Matthew Erickson 