Paradoxically, we come to know God best not by looking at God exclusively, but by looking at God and then looking at ourselves—then looking at God, and then again looking at ourselves. This is also the way we best come to know our selves. Both God and self are mostly fully known in relationship to each other.
David Benner, The Gift of Being Yourself
Our wisdom, in so far as it ought to be deemed true and solid wisdom, consists almost entirely of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves.
John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion
Note: Christian Formation for all ages at 9:00 AM
In-person worship and live stream
Worship is at 10:15 AM on Sunday
Pre-register for worship nursery here
Dear Grace Family,
I have—literally—been waiting two years for this Sunday to arrive.
Back in 2019—it seems like so long ago; the earth was still cooling and dinosaurs roamed freely about the land—our elders, deacons, and pastoral staff finished a year-long effort to discern two things:
Who are we as a congregation?
What work has God called us to do?
The fruit of that time of prayer, reflection, and discussion was a re-articulation of our church’s vision, mission, and values.
When we finished that work in late 2019, we were eager to share that with you.The initial plan was to do that in 2020, but COVID put that plan on pause. So, we held off until we thought the time was right.
Now, by God’s grace, the time is right to share these with you.
In sharing our updated Vision, Mission, and Values—we just updated our website, so you may need to clear your cache and cookies to view it—know this is first and foremost an opportunity to tell stories about the work God is doing in and through our congregation. God is writing a unique history in our church, and we are prayerfully trying to trace his handiwork. As we share these stories, we are bearing witness to God’s transforming love and inviting each of you to join the unfolding of this narrative.
This Sunday we will be exploring our new vision statement:
To see the city of Seattle look more and more like the city of God.
For those of you who have been around for a while, you may recognize this, as it was our church’s original vision. For me it is exciting to go back to our past and reclaim part of our heritage even as we do so while embracing the newer ways God is at work in us.
I hope to worship with you on Sunday.
This Sunday: Joshua 1:1-9 (NIV)
Into the Great Wide Open
Here is the Order of Worship.
Warmly in Christ,
Pastor John
P.S. Christian Formation for all ages at 9:00 AM. Adults will begin our study of the book of Job, and Grace Kids and Youth Community Group will begin as well.
In-person worship and livestream will be at 10:15 AM (note new time!). Pre-register for worship nursery here. Masks are required for everyone, regardless of vaccination status.