First Church Family:
I missed being with you in worship this past Sunday, but I was in dire need of
some vacation days. Often when I’m away for several days, I still preach when I
return. This past Sunday though, a friend and fellow pastor, the Rev. Leo Fair,
filled our pulpit beautifully. Many thanks to him and also our Marable Southall-
Vess, who led the services.
This Sunday we will complete our summer worship series on John Wesley’s
theology, which centered on God’s grace: the unmerited, undeserved love of
Almighty God.
In past weeks we explored all types of grace, including: prevenient grace, which goes before us, softening our hearts to God and preparing the way for us;
justifying grace, in which God saves (or justifies) us through the life, sacrificial
death and resurrection of Jesus Christ; and sanctifying grace, in which God leads us to maturity as we move toward Christian perfection.
This coming Sunday we will learn about what Wesley called: the means of grace–the ordinary channels by which God gives us the type of grace we need.
During the sermon I will share the individual practices that Wesley believed were ways God uses to offer us grace on a regular basis. I’m excited to be reminded of them myself, and I believe you will find them both challenging and fulfilling.
I look forward to seeing you in church on Sunday.
Pastor Dave