GRACE This Week

I was planning to preach on the family this week and the lessons we have learned the past year with our enforced togetherness.

But what happened this week brought me to my knees and to another lesson I keep learning. This week, I have seen things I never imagined I would ever see. Coming off such a difficult year – with all that 2020 brought, I am sad to still be saying that. It was such a horrific image to see people move from protesting outside the Capitol Building… to breaking into the Capitol Building. There is a lot that has already been said about civility and our country, as well as leadership and democracy.

But, as followers of Jesus, I want to remind you of something more powerful than ideas or speeches or dreams or aspirations. Something you can do right now – PRAY.

One of the good lessons that we learned from last year, and we must keep learning is that PRAYER MATTERS.

When you are at the end of your rope, when you can’t think of anything else to do, when you are away from a situation physically, when you are helpless and hopeless, prayer is available to you. Prayer is one of the most underutilized and powerful tools for those who follow Jesus. When you pray, God is listening, and your prayers have power.

In these days that keep bringing things, we have never experienced before….God invites us to him… to pray. I hope you will join me this Sunday for worship (8:30 & 11 – modern, and 9:45 – Classic) where we will turn our attention to prayer and how to pray in the most difficult moments.  As a reminder, this week our services will be ONLINE only.

As a part of our service, we will spend time praying for our nation and our leaders.

Dana Allin, the Synod Executive of our ECO Denomination, has invited all the churches in our denomination to make today a day of PRAYER and FASTING for our country. So, let’s not wait until Sunday, as we join with our sister churches and people around the country to pray for our nation.

With a heavy and praying heart,