This blog contains the thoughts of those serving on the pastoral staff of Grace Anglican Church. We are an Anglican church following Jesus and trying our best to obey his commands, especially the Great Commission (Mat. 28:18-20) and the Great Commandments (Mat. 22:37-40).
Over the next six weeks, we'll be looking at topics related to things "Coming Alive." In selecting our preaching texts from the lectionary, I noticed topics related to "Coming Alive" as a recurring theme. Lent is perfectly positioned on the calendar to help us think about life coming through death. Winter often feels harsh and cold and barren, but spring is full of glimp...
Keep ReadingAdvent: Centering the Season Around Christ...
Keep ReadingWe worship in the Anglican tradition, a denomination that we call "liturgical." You may have heard that the word "liturgy" comes from the Greek word leitourga which roughly means "work or service of the people." The term was used for many public works of service, and was a cultural word that was used by Christians and eventually took on a fully Christian meaning. The Chris...
Keep ReadingIt may be splitting hairs, but have you ever noticed that the first day of existence for mankind was a day off? For six days God created everything, with people being made on day six. Then, God rested the Bible tells us (see Genesis 1:31 2:3). I once heard someone make that point that while God rested from his work, mankind ought to work from their rest. I like the point ...
Keep ReadingThis past weekend I spent about nine hours under the hood of my car. I received the bad news that my A/C compressor needed to be replaced a month or so ago, and rather than pay the thousand or so bucks they wanted to do the repair, I decided I would buy the parts and do it myself to save a little money. People do crazy things to save a little money. Summers here are hot, ...
Keep ReadingLent is a season of preparation for Easter. Historically, it was used as the final time of fasting and preparation for baptism by new converts to Christianity. Many of these new believers had been in catechism (instruction and preparation for new Christians) for one to three years! Their preparation climaxed in the Saturday night prayer vigil and the baptismal service just...
Keep ReadingIn this Sunday's sermon I closed with a prayer written by Charles Wesley. I have actually never heard this hymn, "O Thou Who Camest From Above," set to music. I heard it years ago quoted by another preacher and it made such an impact on me that I decided to memorize it so that I could pray it regularly. It has been a very stabilizing and encouraging part of my prayer life ...
Keep ReadingWhat a great Sunday to have been in church this past week! There was one big service combining elements from our usual 9AM 11AM formats. The service felt packed and there was an electric feel in the room. It was a combination of God's presence and a full house. The communion count was 530 people, which is about 50 more than a usual Sunday. A large attendance alone does no...
Keep ReadingYou may know that our name changed on December 15th from New Grace Church to Grace Anglican Church. I am excited about this for several reasons: It's time to update our website, logo and signage. It could help build on the great momentum we have right now. It's helping us clarify our identity for ourselves and others curious about us. It's a step of obedience to God's ...
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