![[Sunday] Those Whos - Kingdom Way](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5852f18a20099e30cd2c01dc/1734706430827-PEGBX5Z9X6VP47NJQIK8/KW+5a.jpg)
[Sunday] Those Whos - Kingdom Way
This Christmas, let’s see Jesus as the one who came for us and is with us, and let our hearts grow—just like the Grinch’s—so we can go out, celebrate, and share this good news with all “those” people.
- This Christmas, let’s see Jesus as the one who came for us and is with us, and let our hearts grow—just like the Grinch’s—so we can go out, celebrate, and share this good news with all “those” people.
Questions for the Week: Kingdom Way: Those Whos
Why do you think it’s so easy to point at others and say, “Don’t be like those people?” Have there been times when you felt tempted to do this?
Read Matthew 3:1-17. What does John the Baptist seem to be doing? How do people respond? How does Jesus respond?
The sermon talked about hearts "growing three sizes," like the Grinch. What would it look like for our hearts to grow in love toward others this Christmas? Who are the “those people” in your life that you might need to love or celebrate with?
What Had happened at Grace this week.
![[Photos] Mother’s Day, New Members, and Graduation](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5852f18a20099e30cd2c01dc/1747428594160-54FTOXEZS4I6Q7C3X5YO/PXL_20250511_160718495.jpg)
![[Sunday] Song of the Gardener - Resurrected Way.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5852f18a20099e30cd2c01dc/1746820023029-M49V8PRFENX18UQFJSTO/2.jpg)
![[Sunday] Amazed - Kingdom Way - Mark 16](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5852f18a20099e30cd2c01dc/1746065673689-DFOUX7U71BCXL4N2XOAH/RW+1a.jpg)
![A Loo in Haiti [Photos]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5852f18a20099e30cd2c01dc/1734841213607-V90F35T05B68E5TYBXNR/IMG_6795%281%29.jpeg)
A Loo in Haiti [Photos]
a Loo in Haiti
On July 4th weekend we head a fundraser to build a bathroom in a very rual area of Haiti.
Here is that bathroom, we hope it blesses the church and the poeple in its vicinity.
![Christmas Boxes in Haiti [Photos]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5852f18a20099e30cd2c01dc/1734839684218-8490XT8KC0KHK3OZ4QCT/IMG_6682.jpeg)
Christmas Boxes in Haiti [Photos]
We passed out the Christmas Boxes!
We passed out all of our Christmas boxes.
we used Habitat for Children’s Clinic and care center for our comunity outreach.
and we used our mission house for a christmas party with our sponser children.
![Christmas at the Movies [Photos]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5852f18a20099e30cd2c01dc/1734715621100-SC7YG5BCLVJOUKNCRXLT/PXL_20241215_210319577.NIGHT.jpg)
Christmas at the Movies [Photos]
Check out the photos from Grace at the movies!
Best Christmas Pageant Ever.
On December 15th 2024 we rented an auditorium at Sabel Palms 6 to watch the new
Best Christmas Pageant Ever!
![Crafters Finishing up Christmas [Photos]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5852f18a20099e30cd2c01dc/1734710557665-PM59DQONZ5B6Q96XGJOH/PXL_20241218_154420824.jpg)
Crafters Finishing up Christmas [Photos]
Crafters finishing up Christmas Crafts
"Our dedicated crafters at Grace have been working tirelessly to create heartwarming Christmas gifts for the children at Good Samaritan Ministries."
![Christmas Dinner! 2024 [Photos]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5852f18a20099e30cd2c01dc/1734708994288-K2M68Q82KCB54C3MN7Z0/PXL_20241218_225656774.jpg)
Christmas Dinner! 2024 [Photos]
Photos of Christmas dinner!
Every year, we gather for Christmas dinner on the Wednesday before Christmas. This year, we celebrated at Cheddar’s in St. Lucie West.
![[Sunday] Bells On Christmas - Kingdom Way](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5852f18a20099e30cd2c01dc/1734099772571-8RJ2AT9SECGMA7R3QR6Q/KW+4a.jpg)
[Sunday] Bells On Christmas - Kingdom Way
Listen to the bells being rung, God’s promise of peace, hope, and salvation breaking into the world, even in the midst of suffering.
- Listen to the bells being rung, God’s promise of peace, hope, and salvation breaking into the world, even in the midst of suffering.
Questions for the Week: Kingdom Way: Bells on Christmas
Have you ever experienced a moment in your life when you felt like you could hear "bells" breaking through a time of pain or despair? How did that moment impact you?
Read Matthew 2:13-23 (See also Exodus 1:1-13). What similarities do you see in Matthew to what God’s people went through in Exodus? How is God always at work saving His people in both accounts?
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day during the Civil War, a time of personal and national struggle. How can we find hope in difficult circumstances, even when it feels like there is no peace?
The sermon compared the despair at the cross with the hope of Jesus’ resurrection. How does knowing that Jesus was raised give you hope when facing struggles or brokenness in your life?
Notes for the Sermon
Information on Charles Longfellow
What Had happened at Grace this week.
![[Sunday] Seeing Emmaus- Resurrected Way](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5852f18a20099e30cd2c01dc/1747333324811-NDZWL1ZXTZHTKW5KPXWW/2.jpg)
Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Dec. 15th 4pm Sable Palm 6
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever – Dec 15th. Starring Lauren Graham, Judy Greer, and Pete Holmes.
Movie: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
4PM Start, 3:30pm Doors open.
Food is Good, Full Service from your seat. Menu below
2539 S US Hwy 1, Fort Pierce, FL 34982
In Between Publix and Staples.
I encourage you to get there early.
December 15th, Sunday
Event Starts at 4pm, Doors open at 3:30pm
Tickets are 10 Dollars, Only 110 Tickets Available
Address: 2539 S US Hwy 1, Fort Pierce, FL 34982
Theater gets Dark at 4pm
Doors Open 3:30PM
Sable Palm is a full service Theater.
Waiters will serve you from your seats and they have a full menu of food which you can eat at your seat.
Each Seat has a swing out table.
Each seat reclines.
Dicken's A Christmas Carol Study (Stave 4-5)
A Study of Dickens A Christmas Carol
Stave 4-5
We are reading through Charles Dickens’ a Christmas Carol
Christmas Variety Photos
See the photos of the variety show.
Played games, Sang Songs, heard some sweet stories, and ran around with some ribbons.
![[Wednesday] Christmas Variety - Mid-week Advent](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5852f18a20099e30cd2c01dc/1733924964327-I9YR743FVTOYQ86ZWMRY/Wed+2aaa.jpg)
[Wednesday] Christmas Variety - Mid-week Advent
Our Christmas Variety Show.
- Join us for some Fun and Game at our Christmas Variety Show
What Had happened at Grace this week.
![Kids Christmas Party! [Photos]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5852f18a20099e30cd2c01dc/1733928628392-N7477FH4B9A06TS1YAF5/PXL_20241208_175846459.jpg)
Kids Christmas Party! [Photos]
Kids had a great time exchanging gifts and learning about Christmas.
Our Kids exchanged gifts and learned about the Christmas Story.
Also big thanks to the Crafters Group for giving the kids some presents.
See also Kyler as santa in his School’s Christmas Play.
Grace LWML Decorates for Christmas!
LWML Decked the Halls for Christmas!
Big Thanks to our LWML for making Grace look so festive for Christmas!
![[Sunday] Guiding Light - Kingdom Way](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5852f18a20099e30cd2c01dc/1733503885800-F4KROQ9IYUMJNWO7F1XF/KW+3a.jpg)
[Sunday] Guiding Light - Kingdom Way
The Magi following the light of a star mirrors how God has always worked, giving a light to follow through the wilderness, away from the darkness that holds us down.
- The Magi following the light of a star mirrors how God has always worked, giving a light to follow through the wilderness, away from the darkness that holds us down.
Questions for the Week: Kingdom Way: Guiding Light
What do you have on top of your Christmas tree? A star? An angel? Something else? Why is that important to your household?
What do you think the star represented for the Magi in the story? How does it compare to the angels' role in other parts of the Christmas story?
Read Matthew 2:1-13. People often get too focused on the power of earthly rulers like Herod. What are some examples of times when we might be tempted to focus more on worldly power than on God's true power?
The sermon talks about how the Magi were “unlikely” people to be part of the story. How does this remind us of God’s ability to use anyone, no matter their background, for His purposes? Can you think of examples from your own life where God brought an unexpected person into His family?
What Had happened at Grace this week.
Dicken's A Christmas Carol Study (Stave 3)
A Study of Dickens A Christmas Carol
Stave 3
We are reading through Charles Dickens’ a Christmas Carol
![[Wednesday] Century of Gifts - Mid-week Advent](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5852f18a20099e30cd2c01dc/1733193276465-55WSP3L40ZUEL4QUY98B/Wed+1aaa.jpg)
[Wednesday] Century of Gifts - Mid-week Advent
Christmas expectations are often Joshed. Yet the name Emmanuel breaks all expectations as Jesus comes to be with us.
- Singing some classic Christmas Carols and talking about gifts over the last 100 Years
What Had happened at Grace this week.
![[Sunday] Named Expectation - Kingdom Way](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5852f18a20099e30cd2c01dc/1732674628275-BT5YOQCW9FVYUE1GCROF/KW+2a.jpg)
[Sunday] Named Expectation - Kingdom Way
Christmas expectations are often Joshed. Yet the name Emmanuel breaks all expectations as Jesus comes to be with us.
- Christmas expectations are often Joshed. Yet the name Emmanuel breaks all expectations as Jesus comes to be with us.
Questions for the Week: Kingdom Way: Named Expectation
Can you think of a time when you had high expectations for something, only to be disappointed? How did you feel? How did you cope with the disappointment?
Read Matthew 1:18-25. Joseph faced a situation that completely shattered his expectations. Can you think of a time when your expectations were not met, but looking back, you saw how God worked through that situation?
Jesus was an ordinary name in the days Matthew wrote his Gospel. Emmanuel was not an ordinary name. How does the idea of the ordinary connected to the extraordinary of God coming to be with us (Jesus & Emmanuel), change our understanding of how God works?
What Had happened at Grace this week.
Thanksgiving and the Human Family
This short Thanksgiving Day devotion comes to us from Paul Walker: Virginians, being Virginians, like
This short Thanksgiving Day devotion comes to us from Paul Walker:
Taken From Thanksgiving and the Human Family - Mockingbird
Virginians, being Virginians, like to claim that the first Thanksgiving took place not at Plymouth Rock, but at Berkley Plantation in Virginia in 1619. The ships that arrived from England had a charter that required that the day of arrival be observed yearly as a “day of thanksgiving” to God.
“We ordaine that the day of our ships arrival at the place assigned for plantacon in the land of Virginia shall be yearly and perpetually keept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God.” So, on that first day on Virginia soil by the James River, Captain John Woodleaf held the first service of thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving, of course, has become an annual celebration of food and family. Many families have longstanding traditions. When I was I child, my family traveled every Thanksgiving from Richmond to the Eastern Shore of Virginia, where both my parents had grown up. The undulating rhythm of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge brings back the anticipation of arrival. We rushed to get out of the house, because my Aunt Mary Hamilton held a High Noon Champagne Cocktail Party for all her family and friends on the Shore. This part of the day became more interesting to me as I became an older teenager.
After the friends had departed, we gathered together for the meal. Sometimes we ate at Winona, my Uncle Herman’s home overlooking Hungars Creek. Winona was built in the late 1600’s, just 60 or so years after Captain Woodleaf’s first Thanksgiving service. Aunts and great aunts, uncles and great uncles, cousins and second cousins were seated around the table (or the children’s table) together. Uncle Jim always said the blessing. Neenie’s Pecan Pie always finished the feast. And, the meal was always followed by the annual backyard football game.
There was much that was wonderful about our Thanksgiving gatherings. And yet, no family is immune to the difficulties that beset us all. Divorce, disease, death and estrangement disrupt even the most hallowed traditions. My own parents divorced after I graduated from college. There are cousins I haven’t seen in years. I officiated at my Uncle Jim’s funeral 2 years ago. Such is the nature of life.
Families break apart because people are broken. Most families are no different than this priceless description of William Faulkner’s family by his niece, Dean Faulkner Wells:
“Over the generations my family can claim nearly every psychological aberration: narcissism and nymphomania, alcoholism and anorexia, agoraphobia, manic depression, paranoid schizophrenia. There have been thieves, adulterers, sociopaths, killers, racists, liars, and folks suffering from panic attacks and real bad tempers, though to the best of my knowledge we’ve never had a barn burner or a preacher.”
Sounds like my family and I would guess, your family, although now my family does have a preacher. But Dean Faulkner Wells is just describing the human family. We’re pretty much all the same. Just think about God’s family as described in the Bible. Noah was a drunk, Jacob was a liar, Rahab was a prostitute, David had an affair and was a murderer, Elijah was suicidal, and the Samaritan woman was divorced 5 times and shacking up with her current boyfriend!
So on this “day of Thanksgiving to Almighty God”, no matter what permutation of friends or family we find ourselves in, what old traditions we maintain or what new ones we forge, or whether we’ve decided to bypass the whole affair and enjoy a quiet day alone, we might pause to give thanks that we are a human family, all connected to one another. And the comforting news is this: the God to whom we give thanks is the God who, on account of his son, accepts us exactly as we are.
His forgiving grace will outlast any tradition and is stronger than any divorce, disease, death or estrangement. And even if you are alone today, or feel alone in the midst of difficulty, you are not alone. He is with you.
I’ll close with a prayer from the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer. It’s called a Prayer for the Human Family.
O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen and Happy Thanksgiving.
On the road to Emmaus the disciples realized that Jesus saved them from so much more than their small vision could ever see.