A pastor friend of mine says that the church may have an “Ascension deficit disorder.” By this he means that we typically ignore the meaning and significance of the Ascension of Jesus. After the resurrection, many witnesses encountered the risen Jesus during a forty day period. At the conclusion of the forty days, several biblical accounts describe Jesus’ departure from earth into…

Memorial Day weekend is considered the beginning of summer. The pace of life slows down as the end of the school year approaches. On the Sunday of Memorial day weekend, most churches offer some way of recognizing those men and women who have given their lives in service to their country. Of course, we must never confuse patriotism with Christian discipleship. However,…

In worship this Sunday, May 19, we will recognize our graduates from high school, college, and professional programs. We will also celebrate the fact that our preschool continues to thrive, as there are 38 graduates of our VPK program this year. The preschool has its VPK graduation next Wednesday, May 22, at 10:30 am in the sanctuary. We also look forward to…

Did you know that the modern holiday that we know as Mother’s Day was first celebrated in 1908 at a United Methodist church in West Virginia? The church, St. Andrews United Methodist Church, now holds the International Mother’s Day Shrine. Recognizing and honoring Mother’s Day in church is always a little tricky. While we want to honor the wonderful mothers in our…

During the next four Sundays, our messages at Grace will focus on the life of the early church as described in the book of Acts. After Jesus’ resurrection, there were many transforming events in the lives of communities and individuals. The Holy Spirit empowered the early disciples to perform miracles similar to the miracles of Jesus. Those disciples in the first century…