Blessed Part 1: The Poor in Spirit

Some years ago, I preached a sermon series through the Gospel of Matthew. The sermon series progressed well enough, and then I hit Matthew 5-7, Jesus’s “Sermon on the Mount.” I paused. The Sermon struck me in a way I did not anticipate. It cut straight through me and laid my life bare before the words of Christ. So, I slowed down the sermon series to allow space for the Spirit to do a work in me and in our church.

Since that time, the Sermon has featured prominently in my own spiritual walk....