Month: January 2022

Dear Church,

‘Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.’  (Matthew 8:1-4)

For me, these are some of the most poignant words in all of scripture.  They were spoken by a man who was known, not by his name, but by his disease–leprosy.  His disease defined him and divided him from his community.  This Sunday we look at the final piece of our church’s mission statement–coming alive in Christ–and this story is particularly relevant because in Jesus’ day, people who contracted leprosy were considered spiritually dead.  Lepers were the original walking dead.  They still existed, but they could never belong.  Once you were identified as a leper–that was it.  You could never come back.

This man knew that Jesus could change his life, but he wondered if he would.  Many of us are living this story.  We know Jesus is able, but we too wonder if he is willing.

Friends–I hope you’ll join me as we consider what it means for us that Jesus is still able, and still willing to heal and restore the walking dead to life and community. What does it mean to be a community that doesn’t just read that story–but lives it?  What does it mean for us to join our brother, the no-longer-leper, walking in new life in Christ?

Peace,

Pastor Kate

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The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King taught that ‘everybody can be great because anyone can serve.”

It makes sense that Dr. King thought this way–because he was a follower of Jesus, and Jesus taught that ‘the greatest among you shall be servant of all.’   In the Kingdom of God, greatness comes from serving, not being served–and that’s why serving is the heart center of our mission and life together at the Grove.  

But it’s not enough that we choose to serve–we must serve with mutuality, humility and deep, deep love.  We must serve like Jesus (John 13:1-17),

Peace,

Pastor Kate

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Dear Church,

Ever since you took my hand, I’m on the right way.  (psalm 16:11, the message)

We stand on that glorious promise as we begin a new year together.  We stand with courage and hope–not because we’re confident about what’s going on around us or what’s within us–but because God has taken our hands and is leading us on the right way.  We can joyfully renew our commitment to our mission (inviting all to serve and come alive in Christ) because we’re not on our own.

Jesus is leading us (maybe sometimes dragging us) by the hand.  

This Sunday, we start at the beginning–inviting all.  

One of the most beautiful things about our life together is the love we have for one another.  But we must never forget that all who belong are not here yet.  The family hasn’t fully gathered.  Our mission is to always search the horizon to see how the Lord is leading us–not just to welcome, but to invite into the joy and belonging we find in Jesus.  

I hope you’ll join us as our friend Cedric Lundy preaches from Ephesians 2:11-16, to show why we are called to create a culture of inviting all–and how to do it!  

Peace,

Pastor Kate

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Scripture: Matthew 7:7  & Jonah 2:1-3:2

I have no resolutions for this new year. 

What I do have is a tremendous well of gratitude for the gift of being church with you all, a defiant hope in all that God is doing in our midst and a fierce resolve to partner as fully as I can with God and all of you in the days to come.

This Sunday, we begin a new worship series called “re:”. It’s a nod to all of those words we throw around in the month of January–recommit, renew, refresh, reclaim.  As is our tradition, we’ll be walking through the three parts of our unique mission at the Grove (inviting all to serve and come alive in Christ).  But first, this Sunday I’ll be sharing with you a word of the year that I hope will give us common focus and purpose for life together in our next season of being the Grove.

Curious?

I’ll leave you with some of the beautiful lyrics from the new songs Edmond and the team will be sharing with us–new songs for a new season, eternal truths that will anchor us for whatever lies ahead:

I’ll never be more loved than I am right now
Wasn’t holding you up
so I can never let you down…
Going through a storm but I won’t go down
You’ve never been closer than you are right now…

The song is holy because it’s true. 

Let’s learn to sing it–and live it–together with the Holy Spirit in the year to come!

Peace,

Pastor Kate

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Dear Church,

It’s a new year, and something wholly new lies before us.  This is true every day, but most of the time we don’t know it.  We don’t notice.  Because of Jesus, we are always standing on the threshold of a new season, a new revelation, new possibilities with God–but often we are too blinded by fear, stress and familiarity to cross over.

This Sunday, we look at the story of Epiphany--where everyone receives the revelation that the messiah has come.  And most people do… nothing.  They are invested in the life they have.  They aren’t interested in participating in the new thing God is doing in their midst.  Or worse–they actively oppose it with deception and horrific violence.  The story of Epiphany shows us the gamut of human responses to God–we can participate in what God is doing, we can ignore it or we can actively oppose God’s will.

Every day we choose how we respond to the coming of Christ into the world.  Christmas is our celebration of the revelation that God is for us and here with us saving us.  But with revelation comes responsibility.  Now that we know, now that we have rejoiced–will we allow God to lead us to step into the new life Christ brings?  Or will we pack up our decorations and pick up where we left off?

Peace,

Pastor Kate

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