"The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it." (Matthew 13:45-46) With these few words Jesus tells us a lot about God and about ourselves.

We have a lot in common with the merchant in this story: we're all looking for some elusive thing that will fill up what's lacking in our lives. We find things all the time, and we make them ours; sometimes they make us happy, and sometimes they don't measure up to our expectations. In any case, soon enough we find ourselves on the lookout again.

In this story, God-and the world God has planned for us-is like the pearl. It's immediately obvious, once you get a good look, that this one pearl is worth more than all the pearls you've pocketed in the past. And you get the feeling that you should take possession of this pearl before someone beats you to it, before you get distracted by some other shiny object. And once you have it, you realize that your whole life is different, better.

That's what a relationship with God through Christ is like.
· We don't earn it; we stumble across it, only to learn that God has been looking for us all along.
· We can't afford it, but it's available to us anyway, because Jesus paid the price for it.
· Sometimes we're uncomfortable with it, because having it means our lives will change, but God's Spirit helps us to grow into it.

Come join us at Community Presbyterian Church as we learn together what it means to be in a relationship with God through Christ.

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