What do Valentine’s Day, Christmas, and this Sunday have in common?
On each of those days, we wear red.
Sunday is Pentecost Sunday. Often called the “birthday of the church,” Pentecost is the Sunday when Christians celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit and the beginning of the church’s mission to the world. This Sunday, Christians around the world will be wearing red, to represent the flame of the Holy Spirit at work.
I hope you will join me in wearing red on Sunday. The Holy Spirit certainly is at work at GRACE Church.
On Sunday, we are back in our “Running From God” series. Last we left Jonah; he was freshly spit out of the whale’s mouth onto land. This week, the word of God comes to Jonah a second time. And this time, he doesn’t run from God. He preaches to the Ninevites, and they turn back to God – the entire nation!
God is a God of grace. He’s the God of the second chance. He invites people to repent… that literally means to turn in a different direction. It was a surprise to Jonah, and likely a surprise to other Israelites too that people like the Ninevites would repent. But it wasn’t a surprise to God….
God’s grace is surprising… it’s inviting… it’s revealing…it’s convicting… it’s life-changing.
The next 2 weeks, we will be seeing God’s grace… this week to the Ninevites… and next week to Jonah, himself. After reading about God’s grace, we will take communion together, recognizing God’s grace extended to each of us.
Finally, immediately following the 9:45 service, we will have a brief congregational meeting. It is called for the sole purpose of hearing a recommendation from our Session and Trustees concerning the sale of the Locust Street Property.
This Summer, there are so many opportunities to grow in your faith and take steps closer to Jesus. One of my life-long favorites is coming soon. Vacation Bible School is June 13-17. If you haven’t signed your children up yet, do that today. It is a phenomenal way for them to grow and experience the love of God. And it will be a ton of fun. I am excited about all the volunteers and our Next Gen staff have done to bring this creative and faith-filled week to our kids. To get more information or to sign up, CLICK HERE.
Praying for the power of the Holy Spirit to be at work in us,
Dr. Marnie Crumpler
Senior Pastor