What is in your heart this week? When we come to worship, we often bring with us a jumble of feelings including: fear, anger, doubt, jealousy. God promises to help us in our weakness by filling us with gifts of the Spirit. As you pray today, can you close your eyes and visualize Christ holding a pitcher filled with the love of God? Can you imagine this love and the Spirit’s gifts being poured into your heart? This love gives us strength and joy for daily living.
The apostle Paul mentions nine fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are all gifts that the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, pours into us. We are infused with the Spirit’s gifts!
In the beginning, God speaks the Word. The preexistent Word present at the beginning of time is Christ. Christ sends the Spirit, the very same Spirit who hovered over the face of the deep when the earth was a formless void. This Spirit bears witness to God who was in the beginning. This is the dance of the Trinity. This dance shines life and light into the hard places of our hearts.
Meister Eckhart wrote, “When the Father laughs at the Son and the Son laughs back at the Father, that laughter gives pleasure, that pleasure gives joy, that joy gives love, and that is the Holy Spirit.”
When we hear the word and celebrate the sacraments, the life of the Trinity becomes our life. The love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit becomes the love we share with one another. As a community, the love of God is poured into our hearts. This is the gift of the Trinity.
Week at a Glance Wednesday, May 18 5:00 pm 7/8 Grade Confirmation 7:00 pm 3rd Gear @ Grace
7:30 pm Women's Small Group
Thursday, May 19 Pine Ridge Mission Trip Leaves
12:00 pm Distribution Committee meets
7:00 pm Church Council
Sunday, May 22 8:00 am Worship 9:15 am Something Else Wrap-Up in the Youth Center
9:15 am Senior Recognition Brunch
10:30 am Senior Recognition Worship/Baptism 11:47 am Urban Immersion Mission Trip meeting Pine Ridge Mission Trip Returns
Tuesday, May 24
8:30 am Staff meeting
Wednesday, May 25 6:30 am Men's Bible Study
9:00 am Stewardship for All-Seasons Meeting in Owatonna
5:30 pm 7/8 Grade Confirmation Wrap-Up Picnic @ Clear Lake Park
7:00 pm 3rd Gear @ Grace
3rd Gear tonight: 6:45pm – 8:30pm: Planting "Garden in the Box Kits" Dress to get dirty!! 5/22 - 11:47 am in Grace Social Hall-Urban Immersion Mission Trip meeting 5/25 – Grace - 7pm – 8:30pm - Assembling Homeless Care Kits
For instant 3rd Gear updates, text “Follow @3rdgearwaseca” to 40404.
Listen! Click on the 'Sermons' link to listen to this Sunday or any previous Sunday's sermon from Grace's website.Sermons
The church directories are in! If you haven't picked yours up yet, stop in the church office anytime during the week.
Summer Worship Times at Grace begin on
Sunday, May 29th at 9:00 am!
