Palms Presbyterian Sermons

The Great Exchange (Part 1) Isaiah 9:2, 6-7 & 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 Sunday, December 14, 2025 In the incarnation, God exchanges power for weakness, taking on the frailty and limitations of human existence. This is not pretend weakness, or temporary weakness; it is a wholesale rejection of qualifies as power in this world, so that we can discover the power that is made perfect in weakness. Brya...

Isaiah 2:1-5 & Matthew 24:36-44 Sunday, November 30, 2025 Beverly Dempsey preaching. Referenced in this sermon: Seamus Heaney, The Cure at Troy (1991) Palms Presbyterian Church is a church of the Presbyterian Church (USA) located in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. To learn more about us, visit us at palmschurch.org .

Wisdom (Part 11) Job 38 & Job 42:1-6 Sunday, November 23, 2025 The Book of Job ends with a bracing monologue from God, who berates Job from a whirlwind, followed by Job's humble submission. Job was sure that if he could get an audience with God, his case would be vindicated. In the end, God says nothing that might help Job better understand his suffering. What does this tell us about our own s...

Wisdom (Part 10) Job 1:1, 6-22; 3:1-4, 20-26 Sunday, November 16, 2025 The Book of Job is a fable of an innocent sufferer—but it is unlike any other fable you've ever read. It is a poetic masterpiece that wrestles with the deepest conundrums of human experience, giving voice not only to the great pain of suffering, but also to the outrageous yet undeniable reality that suffering so often befalls t...

Wisdom (Part 9) Luke 10:25-37; Proverbs 1:1-7; Ecclesiastes 12:13 Sunday, November 9, 2025 Pastor Emeritus Tom Walker preaching. Referenced in this sermon: Philip Hallie, Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed (1994) Current Series: Wisdom Some of the most intriguing texts in the Bible are those belonging to the genre known as Wisdom Literature. These books explore some of life's deepest, most pressing, and...

Wisdom (Part 8) Ecclesiastes 12:1-14 Sunday, November 2, 2025 The Book of Ecclesiastes cannot be understood in its fullness without an honest appraisal of death, which looms large in the mind of Qohelet, its author. But the same could be said of life: Life cannot be understood in its fullness without an honest appraisal of death. What does it mean to live well in light of the fact that we will die...

Wisdom (Part 7) Luke 7:11-17 Sunday, October 26, 2025 Beverly Dempsey preaching. Current Series: Wisdom Some of the most intriguing texts in the Bible are those belonging to the genre known as Wisdom Literature. These books explore some of life's deepest, most pressing, and most unanswerable questions—questions of meaning, happiness, fulfillment, and suffering. While the world has changed immeasur...

Romans 12:1-13 Sunday, October 19, 2025 Guest Dr. Mark Douglas preaching. Palms Presbyterian Church is a church of the Presbyterian Church (USA) located in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. To learn more about us, visit us at palmschurch.org . About Dr. Mark Douglas Mark Douglas is an ordained PCUSA minister and the J. Erskine Love Professor of Christian Ethics at Columbia Theological Seminary , where...

Wisdom (Part 6) Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 Sunday, October 12, 2025 The Book of Ecclesiastes points to a poignant contradiction that exists in every human heart: we have a longing for eternal, abiding things, but the world we inhabit just can't satisfy that longing. It is only by recognizing the limits of our existence in this world that we can find fulfillment. Bryant Anderson preaching. Referenced in t...

Wisdom (Part 5) Ecclesiastes 1:2-9 & 9:7-12 Sunday, October 5, 2025 The Book of Ecclesiastes has a very different take on traditional wisdom—rather than extolling wisdom's virtues, it candidly explores its limits. The author of this unique text tries to zero in on what really gives life meaning in the midst of all of life's uncertainties, and determines that it ultimately all revolves around j...

Wisdom (Part 4) Matthew 13:18-23 Sunday, September 28, 2025 Beverly Dempsey preaching. Current Series: Wisdom Some of the most intriguing texts in the Bible are those belonging to the genre known as Wisdom Literature. These books explore some of life's deepest, most pressing, and most unanswerable questions—questions of meaning, happiness, fulfillment, and suffering. While the world has changed im...

Wisdom (Part 3) Matthew 13:44-46 & Proverbs 3:13-18 Sunday, September 21, 2025 We are always in pursuit of something. We have lower goals—the day-to-day tasks and targets—and we have higher goals—the big plans and ideals that give definition and purpose to our lives. We don't always think about the higher goals, even though they tend to shape how we spend our time, our energy, and our money. I...

Wisdom (Part 2) Proverbs 8:22-31 Sunday, September 14, 2025 Wisdom, according to the Book of Proverbs, is not just a nice idea or an important value; it is a basic building block of the whole created order. So if wisdom is integral to creation, then we must be able to discover something of its shape simply by attending to the awe-inspiring world we inhabit. Bryant Anderson preaching. Referenced in...

Wisdom (Part 1) Proverbs 1:1-7; 3:1-7 Sunday, September 7, 2025 The book of Proverbs is full of chestnuts: little bits of wise counsel, sage advice, and sensible warnings that any of us would do well to heed. But it's at the book's very opening that we find what we are really looking for: the root of wisdom—its foundation and beginning—which is the fear of God. Bryant Anderson preaching. Current S...

Miracles (Part 12) Mark 12:11-25 Sunday, August 31, 2025 Beverly Dempsey preaching. Current Series: Miracles Some of the most memorable moments of Jesus's life and ministry are his miraculous deeds—actions that awed crowds and set people to talking far beyond the Galilean countryside. Sometimes we treat these events as mere spectacle: raw demonstrations of God's power and proof of the Christ's div...

Isaiah 65:17-25 Sunday, August 17, 2025 Beverly Dempsey preaching. Palms Presbyterian Church is a church of the Presbyterian Church (USA) located in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. To learn more about us, visit us at palmschurch.org .

Miracles (Part 11) Mark 2:1-12 Sunday, August 10, 2025 Four people lower a friend in need of healing through the roof of a crowded home in order to place their friend at Jesus' feet. The healing is presented here as a response to the friends' faith, not the faith of the one who is healed, which points to the transformative power of the care we show to one another. Bryant Anderson preaching. Curren...

Miracles (Part 10) Luke 17:11-19 Sunday, August 3, 2025 Jesus cleanses ten lepers, but only one turns around to thank the healer. All ten lepers were relieved of their particular affliction, but the story forces us to ask: were they all healed? Bryant Anderson preaching. Current Series: Miracles Some of the most memorable moments of Jesus's life and ministry are his miraculous deeds—actions that a...

Miracles (Part 9) John 11:1-44 Sunday, July 27, 2025 Craig Davies preaching. Current Series: Miracles Some of the most memorable moments of Jesus's life and ministry are his miraculous deeds—actions that awed crowds and set people to talking far beyond the Galilean countryside. Sometimes we treat these events as mere spectacle: raw demonstrations of God's power and proof of the Christ's divine ori...

Miracles (Part 8) John 6:1-14 Sunday, July 20, 2025 Bill Wildey preaching. Current Series: Miracles Some of the most memorable moments of Jesus's life and ministry are his miraculous deeds—actions that awed crowds and set people to talking far beyond the Galilean countryside. Sometimes we treat these events as mere spectacle: raw demonstrations of God's power and proof of the Christ's divine origi...

Miracles (Part 7) Mark 10:46-52 Sunday, July 13, 2025 A blind man approaches Jesus, and Jesus asks him a very straightforward question: "What do you want me to do for you?" It's an easy question for the blind man to answer; is it an easy question for us to answer? Bryant Anderson preaching. Current Series: Miracles Some of the most memorable moments of Jesus's life and ministry are his miraculous...

Miracles (Part 6) Matthew 9:18-38 Sunday, July 6, 2025 Beverly Dempsey preaching. Current Series: Miracles Some of the most memorable moments of Jesus's life and ministry are his miraculous deeds—actions that awed crowds and set people to talking far beyond the Galilean countryside. Sometimes we treat these events as mere spectacle: raw demonstrations of God's power and proof of the Christ's divin...

Miracles (Part 5) Mark 3:1-6 Sunday, June 29, 2025 When Jesus performs a miracle in the gospels, it is usually about much more than just the miracle itself. So when a man with a withered hand comes to Jesus for healing on the Sabbath, it very quickly turns into a question about what makes for faithful religious observance. As simple as the answer may seem as we look at this story, it is surprising...

Miracles (Part 4) Mark 4:35-41 Sunday, June 22, 2025 Craig Davies preaching. Current Series: Miracles Some of the most memorable moments of Jesus's life and ministry are his miraculous deeds—actions that awed crowds and set people to talking far beyond the Galilean countryside. Sometimes we treat these events as mere spectacle: raw demonstrations of God's power and proof of the Christ's divine ori...

Miracles (Part 3) Matthew 8:5-13 Sunday, June 8, 2025 A centurion—a leader of the hated Roman military—comes to Jesus to seek healing for his servant. Not only does Jesus heal the servant, but he also praises the centurion's faith, saying it's greater than any he has seen even in Israel. As is so often the case, a miracle becomes an opportunity for Jesus to demonstrate the nature and purpose of hi...