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?

Bryant Anderson preaching.

Referenced in this sermon:

• L.S. Dugdale, The Lost Art of Dying (2020)
• Bobby Jamieson, Everything Is Never Enough (2025)
• Byung-Chul Han, Saving Beauty (2017)

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 immeasurably since these texts were written, the concerns they voice and the challenges they pose are just as relevant today as they were then. The books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job have much to teach us—even today—about what it means to live well in a complex world.

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 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 immeasurably since these texts were written, the concerns they voice and the challenges they pose are just as relevant today as they were then. The books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job have much to teach us—even today—about what it means to live well in a complex world.

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.

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 he directs the Center for Theology and Contested Publics and is lead professor for the Master of Theology degree. His most recent books include Christian Pacifism for an Environmental Age (Cambridge UP, 2019) and Modernity, the Environment, and the Christian Just War Tradition (Cambridge UP, 2023).

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 this sermon:

• Bobby Jamieson, Everything Is Never Enough (2025)
• Byung-Chul Han, The Scent of Time (2017)

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 immeasurably since these texts were written, the concerns they voice and the challenges they pose are just as relevant today as they were then. The books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job have much to teach us—even today—about what it means to live well in a complex world.

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 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 joy.

Bryant Anderson preaching.

Referenced in this sermon:

• "Taylor Swift's Fairy Tale Is Over" by Spencer Kornhaber

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 immeasurably since these texts were written, the concerns they voice and the challenges they pose are just as relevant today as they were then. The books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job have much to teach us—even today—about what it means to live well in a complex world.

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 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 immeasurably since these texts were written, the concerns they voice and the challenges they pose are just as relevant today as they were then. The books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job have much to teach us—even today—about what it means to live well in a complex world.

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 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. In the midst of all our potential pursuits in this busy life, where does wisdom fit in?

Bryant Anderson preaching.

Referenced in this sermon:

• David Brooks, The Road to Character (2016)

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 immeasurably since these texts were written, the concerns they voice and the challenges they pose are just as relevant today as they were then. The books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job have much to teach us—even today—about what it means to live well in a complex world.

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 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 this sermon:

• "The First Elegy" by Rainer Maria Rilke

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 immeasurably since these texts were written, the concerns they voice and the challenges they pose are just as relevant today as they were then. The books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job have much to teach us—even today—about what it means to live well in a complex world.

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.