Celebrating God’s Grace!
It’s been said that the word GRACE stands for “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.” That’s actually a pretty good definition. God is gracious, good, and merciful to us through the person of Jesus Christ who came to live and die and rise again from the dead for you and me. That’s the core of the gospel. That’s the core of our faith. Yet, sometimes we forget this central truth. Sometimes we get distracted or dissuaded. Sometimes we focus on “the minors.” It’s not always easy to keep the main thing the main thing!
On this first Sunday of Advent, December 3, we at Grace Church are returning to “the main thing.” Advent is a time of anticipation, preparation, and celebration for the arrival of Jesus into this world and also our lives. We remember the fact that Jesus our Savior was born into humble surroundings to save ordinary people like us from our sins. My new Advent sermon series, Journey to Bethlehem, invites us all to set off on a journey to meet this newborn King for ourselves. May you personally discover Jesus and God’s love anew!
This celebration of God’s grace begins at 10:00 AM with a combined service of worship. We’ll sing some favorite Christmas carols as we prepare our hearts for my inspiring message describing how the prophets of old show us the way to Bethlehem. We’ll also receive two new members by profession of their faith in Jesus Christ, and two new children of this same family into the family of Grace Church as baptized members. Oh, how God continues to bless Grace Church with new growth and beautiful people!
Following the worship service, we’ll roll right in to our annual congregational meeting, continuing the celebration of God’s grace. All members are asked to attend as we seek to confirm two new elders and one new deacon to our 2024 consistory, approve a proposed 2024 budget and mission-giving goals, and hear reports from our Next Generation Ministry Leader and myself. Then, we’ll open the floor for anyone to share a praise or thanksgiving as we look back upon God’s favor and highlights from this past year.
It’s going to be a Spirit-filled Sunday morning at Grace Church. God is alive and working mightily within Grace Church and our ministry. And, we are going to celebrate that this coming Sunday. Please plan to join us. Feel free to invite your friends and family members to join us for worship. And, may God’s grace and love pervade our gathering!