"Grace Abounds" Series 2025

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“Grace Abounds” Series Summary (February 2025)
In a world that focuses on greed, anxiety, and hostility, our faith invites us to a different way of living that is rooted in the abundance of God’s grace.  John Wesley described grace as an unconditional gift that is “free for all and free in all.”  Walter Brueggemann recommends five practices to help us experience God’s grace and foster grace-full relationships.  By keeping Sabbath, practicing praise, bestowing blessings, extending forgiveness, and risking reconciliation, we can learn to trust in God's sufficiency and live as signs of hope.  Join us in February as we explore practices that help us become a community that reflects God’s abundant grace in the world.


Feb 2. | Third Sunday after Epiphany
KEEPING SABBATH: In the hustle of busy lives, we often think of Sabbath as an imposition on our personal freedoms.  In the Bible, the Sabbath is not a random restriction but a sign of freedom and replenishment for our souls.  In Exodus 31:12-17, God gives the people the gift of Sabbath as a reminder of God’s life-giving covenant with them.  Is life a gift or an accomplishment?

Feb. 9 | Fifth Sunday after Epiphany
PRACTICING PRAISE: In a world of selfies, praising God is a counter-cultural act of imagination and faith that sees God as life’s main character.  It invites the “exuberant abandonment of self over to God,” much as lovers withhold nothing from their beloved.  In Psalm 146, the worshiper responds to God’s faithfulness by praising with their whole self.  What are your reasons for praising God?

Feb. 16 | Sixth Sunday after Epiphany
BESTOWING BLESSINGS: Many of us are tormented by a fear of not having enough.  But such fear often ignores the Creator’s generosity and the creation’s abundance.  In Genesis 12:1- 6, God’s blessing to Abraham extends to “all the families of the earth.”  Like Abraham, we are blessed to be a blessing.  What public policies might bless whole communities?

Feb 23 | Seventh Sunday after Epiphany
EXTENDING FORGIVENESS: In a moral universe, good deeds are rewarded, and bad deeds are punished.  But when such a world collapses in fear, despair, and failure, God’s mercy supersedes divine justice to create a new beginning.  In Isaiah 55:6-13, the prophet declares that God’s generous forgiveness allows us to get back on track with God’s intention.  What makes forgiveness possible?

Mar. 2 | Transfiguration Sunday
RISKING RECONCILIATION: We hold grudges and rehearse old hurts because we do not know how to break the cycle of anger.  The path to healing requires truth and reconciliation.  In Matthew 5:21-26, Jesus teaches the necessity of righting a wrong with a neighbor.  What hinders reconciliation with others?

 

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