Scripture: Matthew 5:1-4
Dear Church,
Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. (Matthew 5:1)
Jesus was in the middle of a crowd. And then he left. He climbed up a mountain and once he was there, he sat down and began to teach the passages of scripture we’ve come to know as the sermon on the mount.
Isn’t that strange?
Jesus was already in the middle of a large group of people. If he’d stayed put, many more would have heard his words. But instead, he went out of his way…to make people go out of their way to hear him. And presumably, many did not.
As is our custom, we set aside the first weeks of each new year to focus on our mission as a community. We are a community that runs on grace, but sometimes we misunderstand it. As the great Dallas Willard liked to say, ”grace is opposed to earning, not effort.”
There are things we believe in putting effort into at the Grove. Inviting folks into community. Serving our neighbors. And finding abundant life in Christ. We believe this mission is God’s will for us. And we want to embrace our mission ‘On Purpose.’
The choices we make, individually and as a community, matter. The promise of grace is that God will infuse our small acts of faithfulness with the purposes of the Kingdom.
Peace,
Pastor Kate
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