NEWS FROM OUR SENIOR PASTOR

What are you afraid of?

Killer White Sharks headed to our beaches? Snakes in your yard? Sending your kids off to college? Going to college? Living through something? Dying?

The Bible has a lot to say about fear. Some count “do not be afraid” 365 times in the Bible – one time for every day in the year. I have found at least 188.   It’s safe to say that Do Not Be Afraid is a strong biblical theme. People need to hear that there is a God who is watching over them — because of God and his love and his plan, we don’t need to be afraid.

But, the Bible also is clear that there is one to be feared. God alone is to be feared.  Some count 300 times where the fear of God is held up as not only good but foundational to a relationship with him. The Psalmist writes… “the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord.”

Clearly, the fear of snakes or even evil is not the same as the fear of the Lord.  We’ll unpack both fears on Sunday.  I will be continuing our We Will… series with We Will… Fear.

I know some of you are finishing up the last of your vacation before the Fall schedule takes over.  But, I can’t wait to back all together as we look toward an exciting season at GRACE.

Speaking of exciting, I was at the Hecktown property this week doing a walk through with our team and the Barnabites team.  You may remember that the home of our new church campus has been a Barnabite Retreat Center.  At our meeting, I saw again the providential way God is guiding us. Father Peter Calabrese was the priest who was with us.  He graduated from Lehigh and was newly called to ministry when the retreat center on the Hecktown property was built.  Even more remarkable, Father Peter was a part of bible studies and the student ministry group whose faculty mentor was Doug Feaver. In that group, and in that season, Father Peter received his call to ministry.  Father Peter knows many of our church members from over the years. After our meeting, we prayed together – praying of course that we will continue on that property that long legacy of inviting people to meet and come closer to Jesus Christ.  What a beautiful story God continues to unfold right before our very eyes.