Gracious is the Lord and righteous;
our God is full of compassion.
~Psalm 116:5
Pastor’s Thoughts:
What does it mean to be a generous person? Usually, I think of giving my time and resources to others when I think of being generous. I also think of using my gifts and abilities for the sake of others and the world.
But what inspires me to be generous? It does feel good to give, but it seems to be more profound than that. I think at the heart of generosity is trust: trust that I will have enough … trust that what I give will be replenished … trust that my giving will have an impact. I think this is true in all the situations in life when we have the opportunity to share with others—including our lives of faith and how we share our time, talents, and money as a response to God’s generosity.
This week, I am asking our Council members and committee chairs to begin reading a book called The Generosity Challenge: 28 Days of Gratitude, Prayer, and Faith by Scott McKenzie and Kristine Miller. The book invites the reader to consider how being grounded in gratitude, prayer, and faith can deepen our trust in God’s abundance and inspire us to be generous in our giving of our financial resources for the mission of our faith home. The book challenges readers to think deeply about how we use our money and how we might consider being more trusting and generous as we work together as Jesus’ disciples in the congregation and the world. We will be checking in each week with each other to see what we have learned through the reading and how it might affect us moving forward.
Once this group has considered the ideas in the book, we will be sharing some of those ideas with all of you and inviting you to think about how you might be inspired to renew your trust in God’s abundance and generosity and how it might shape the way you think about your financial stewardship at Grace.
Nearly 125 years ago, a group of people trusted in God so much that they took a leap and established a new community of faith. For a century and a quarter, through hard times and abundant times, the people of Grace Lutheran Church and their generosity have proclaimed the Good News of Jesus in our community. This is our legacy, and our generosity toward the congregation’s mission is one way we show how much we trust God. It is also one of the ways we help ensure that Grace’s mission to Bless the World: Be God’s Grace! continues in the next part of our story.
In Christ,
Pastor Brenda
The Readings for Sunday September 15, 2024
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 116:1-9
James 3:1-12
Mark 8:27-38
Please join us – Sunday Fellowship Time
In Fellowship Hall
September 15 – Praise Band
September 22 – Beth, Barb and David Charvat
September 29 – Mary Schneider and Carol Corbiere
Thanks to everyone for your prayers, calls and cards while Bob and I “enjoyed” recovering from our surgeries. We still have a way to go yet but knowing that we have such a supportive family has kept our spirits up and can now see progress.
You are all a blessing to us.
JoAnne and Bob Vernon
Behind the scenes at Grace…..by Gretchen
- What a great Sunday for Rally Day! The sun was shining, there was a little nip in the air reminding us that fall is around the corner (even with the predicted 90’s this week).
- We changed things up a little for the Flower Cross and had people put flowers on in the back of the church and then the kids helped move the cross to the front of the church after the Children’s Moment. The cross was absolutely gorgeous, and many more people brought flowers and added to! Thanks to all who brought flower. Many people were happy that there was limited sneezing due to ragweed!
- Have you checked the Community Board? It is fall and there are all sorts of Community programs starting back up. Did you know that our Bishop is a runner? He is training for the 5 K for the 50th Anniversary of World Hunger on Saturday October 19th at Swan Creek Metropark.
- Hold the date for the Fall Blood Drive -Tuesday November 11 – 12-6! See Gretchen for questions or to help make an appointment!
- Remember: Grace is not the building but the people of Grace carrying out God’s mission!
Meditation
by Vicar Dave
Have you ever worked with someone who always seems to get all the attention from the supervisors? Some people seem to get all the praise for doing the flashy things. They also like to point out all of their accomplishments and awards while other people continue to do their jobs everyday without ever being noticed. Most organizations wouldn’t be able to function without the contributions of these hardworking yet anonymous contributors.
The world tells us that we should be seeking the limelight, that we shouldn’t shy away from bragging about our accomplishments. This is the way to get promotions and achieve the type of success that this world values. I’ve heard it said that you can’t get ahead in life if you don’t draw attention to yourself. But that’s not what our faith teaches us.
We are cautioned about bragging in both the Old and New Testament. Proverbs 27:2 says “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; A stranger, and not your own lips”. And Psalms 75 warns us to “not speak with insolent pride”. St. Paul tells us not to boast about our selves and our qualities but rather to boast about Jesus.
The problem about boasting is that its origins are in our own pride. Pride is the source of many of our problems. It was pride that caused Adam & Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. They wanted to be just like God. Pride puts oneself before others. It causes us to think that we’re better that someone else. Remember the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector? The Pharisee in that story was proud of the fact that he was better than the Tax Collector. The Tax Collector on the other hand knew his sin and asked God for mercy. He went home justified while the Pharisee did not. “For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
God loves all of us, equally. Let’s not allow our pride delude us into thinking that we are better than anyone else.
Rally Day has come and gone and we have moved on to Sunday School year 2024- 2025. This year, we are challenging and reminding the children to act as a team; being kind, respectful and honest to/with each other I would also remind you that an offering is collected weekly and contributed to the Personal Needs Ministry here at Grace, then used to purchase needed items for this important ministry.
We will continue this year, to make the first Sunday of each month Mission Sunday for the children to donate personal need items in place of their offering if they choose.
This year, we will be adding a time for music (playing the bells) during Sunday School with Brenda Holderman and Kim Kondalski. Thank you to Kim and Brenda
for your contribution to the children’s Sunday School program.
Connie Thomas will continue to teach the group of youngest children, Nancy Lockard will be teaching second to sixth grade and Debby Fallon and Wendy McCall, those; high school age.
Thank you and bless you to all parents and grandparents and teachers for the many efforts made on behalf of children/grandchildren here at Grace.
Christian Life Formation Ministry Team
This is the day the Lord has made.
Let us rejoice and be glad in it!
~Psalm 118:24
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