Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate. There s this great story in Luke 10 in which Jesus invites a disingenuous inquirer to offer his opinion on

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1 Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate The Weekly Newsletter of Grace Church View this in your browser May 6, 2016 Grace & peace to you, Grace Church! There s this great story in Luke 10 in which Jesus invites a disingenuous inquirer to offer his opinion on what was the central teaching of the Hebrew faith: the Mosaic Law. Listen to this interchange: 25 One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life? 26 Jesus replied, What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it? 27 The man answered, You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind. And, Love your neighbor as yourself. 28 Right! Jesus told him. Do this and you will live! 29 The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, And who is my neighbor? Luke 10v25 29, NIV

2 What does the law of Moses say; how do you read it? It s a pregnant and loaded question; wouldn t you agree? It seems to me that the question Jesus is essentially asking is, How have you understood and appropriated the Law of God given through Moses? Note that the answer that the man gave seems, at least at first blush, to be a good one, perhaps even the right one, but then he pushes it; doesn t he? Just who exactly is my neighbor? We always want to qualify what Jesus means; don t we? When we should have stopped at the right answer, we often attempt to modify it or qualify it. If you aren t familiar with the rest of Luke 10, Jesus goes into a rather long parable explaining just who neighbor is, and, let s just say, it s not exactly the answer that Jesus audience was hoping for. I came across an article this week in the April 27, 2016, issue of The Christian Century. In it, Anthony B. Robinson, writing in his article, What s Your Passion, talks about the ever present longing of the 21 st Century Church to reach the millennial generation: those who are ages It seems to me that the author contends that too often we are enamored with focusing on how we market our churches to particular people groups, instead of, as Robinson puts is, get(ting) a clear idea about what it is [the product] you are trying to sell. In other words: What does the Gospel say? How do you read it? Ok, so yes, I put words in the mouth of Jesus, but I think he would say the same thing to us. Much like the religious institution of Jesus day, the church has spent a great deal of time systematizing the Gospel into bite size chunks of moral behavioral morsels instead of seeing it in the light of the whole. In doing so, I fear that many times we try to make our churches sexier, our worship blingier, because we don t truly understand the nature of the Gospel. What exactly is the product that we are trying to offer? Because here s the thing: I think if we truly understood the nature of the Gospel, we wouldn t have to dress it up with sexy or blingy or attractive worship that is closer to a concert than a worship service. Now, DON T GET ME WRONG. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH ENGAGING IN WORSHIP IN

3 SUCH A WAY THAT WORSHIP BECOMES MORE RELEVANT TO CULTURE (sorry, not yelling, simply emphasizing)! The church has done this for centuries. What I am suggesting is that our life together and the expression of our worship should be born out of understanding of the Gospel what it means, what Jesus accomplished for us, and what our response ought to be because of what Jesus accomplished. Our worship should be joyful and free because Jesus has offered us his joy and set us free (John 15v11, John 8v26)! Our churches should be places of mutual forgiveness, reconciliation, and grace, because Jesus has forgiven us and reconciled us to the Father and to one another all in a spirit of grace (Romans 5v10; 2 Corinthians 5v18). Our Christian communities should be known as places of deep and abiding experiential love, because after all, God is love and love is patient, kind, not jealous or boastful or proud or rude, not demanding of its own way, not irritable, it keeps no record of being wronged, it doesn t rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance (1 st John 4; 1 st Corinthians 13). And on and on it goes At the heart of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the formation of a transformed humanity, rooted in Jesus Christ, that lives as a new covenant community of faith, hope, and love which is anchored in grace. So, people of the Grace Church community, I ask you: What does the Gospel say? How do you read it? Feel free to leave me your replies at eric.kieb@baycitygracechurch.org. Grace & Peace, Pastor Eric Pastor Eric's Bookshelf

4 A list of current reads Five Dysfunctions of a Team Multi Site Churches Paul and His Recent Interpreters Good Faith Devil in the White City How to Survive the Apocalypse Networking for Those Who Hate Networking Pathway Points Stepping Up for Jesus Monica Lebsack, Creative Ministries Director Do you want to start reading the Bible more regularly but don t know where to start? Check out the YouVersion Bible App! A free Bible with many versions to choose from for your phone, tablet, or computer, YouVersion is a simple, ad free Bible that brings God's Word into your daily life. There's even a Bible App for kids with videos, storybook Bible, and activities for young ones.

5 Have the app already or like reading a hard copy, but don t know where to go next? YouVersion has many week long reading plans with specific devotional focuses for individuals and families. Stepping up with you, in His strength! Monica Ask an Administrative Assistant Where Carol & Saralyn Answer your Questions Q: How do I reserve a room at Grace? A: It's easy! The building is available for church events like small groups and outreach suppers, as well as personal events like baby showers and piano recitals. Pick up a Calendar Request form and the Church Rental Guidelines from the office or download them from the website. Fill them out and return them to the office, and we'll make sure your date and room is secured on the church calendar.

6 ARE YOU A GRADUATE OF 2016? (High School or College) If you or a family member graduated this year or will be graduating in May or June 2016, please notify the Grace Church office by May 20th. We would like to celebrate this life event with you. Monday, May 9th 6:30 8p Stein Haus 1108 N. Water St. Retirement Celebration in honor of

7 UMW Sunday Rev. Dr. Jeffrey R. Maxwell May 15 May 22, p 5:30p At this annual event, we celebrate all United Methodist Women and the missions supported Bay Valley Resort throughout the year. This year we are pleased $15 per person to welcome Women of the Bible, a dramatic 4p Dinner presentation by Roscommon UMW, sharing the 3p Social Hour Word of God in a way that can bridge biblical 5p Celebration Tribute stories to contemporary struggles. Register on line by May 8th at Our Tuesday, May 24 evening general meeting will feature a speaker sharing about a relevant Gifts in honor of Jeff may be made to West social action issue. One of the goals of UMW is Michigan Ave. UMC (Saginaw) Youth Program or to discover, confront and respond to issues of travel gift cards. More information can be today, and we welcome all women who want to found on the website. learn about and discuss the current hot topics while enjoying time with friends. Golden Years May 12, 2016 Ruth Circle members: please bring your items for the health kits for United Methodist Committee on Relief to our next meeting on Monday, May 9, at 7:00 p.m. at church. As Potluck Please bring your own table service. We'll be entertained by some special 4 legged friends. usual, we welcome any ladies to any and all circle meetings! Questions, please contact Joy Clark or Sandy Mis. PRAYERTITIONERS Wednesday, May 11, 2016 at 10am Grace Church room A Hand Bell Choir Practice Wednesdays, May 11th & 18th, 6pm Performance on May 22nd The next New Membership Class will be held on May 22nd immediately following the 11:15 service. Time for Grace filled Hobbyists, Monday, May 16, 6:30 to 8:30 a fun evening. Come with your project, share your ideas, learn new techniques, get better acquainted. Call Kathy

8 Practices begin April 6p for the June Dewitt, , with any questions. Dance Presentation. Questions? Contact Stacey Goss at smgoss44@gmail.com. The Grace Sign Beautification Project We have an eye catching sign by 2 Mile Rd that needs curb appeal landscaping to enhance our welcome. Now is the time to purchase plant materials, river rocks, and decorative boulders. Project should be completed before the end of May. Sample shrubs will be displayed May 1 at the main entrance. If you would like to donate money toward this project or are willing to donate time or labor please sign up on the form located at the Welcome Desk. Life Line Health Screening May 17, 2016 Grace Church Five screenings will be offered that scan for potential health problems related to: blocked arteries which is a leading cause of stroke; abdominal aortic aneurysms which can lead to a ruptured aorta; hardening of the arteries in the legs which is a strong predictor of heart disease; atrial fibrillation or irregular heart beat which is closely tied to stroke risk; and a bone density screening, for men and women, used to assess the risk of osteoporosis. Register for a Wellness Package which includes 4 vascular tests and osteoporosis screening from $149 ($139 with our member discount). All five screenings take minutes to complete. In order to register for this event and to receive a $10 discount off any package priced above $129, please call or visit

9 Coming up this week at Grace... Go to our on-line calendar to see all of the Grace Church Events! All announcements should be received by the church office no later than noon on Wednesday to appear in the Sunday bulletin S. Two Mile Rd., Bay City, MI 48706

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