Grace Presbyterian Church

06/05/2026

This Sunday, our Exultation Choir and Credo Bells are home from another wonderful trip of music and mission. They will lead an abundance of musical praise in our worship.

The theme of this worship service is the same as for the trip: In God’s Hands. They took this idea from Isaiah 64:8, which says that God is the potter, and we are the clay. Even during great difficulty because of their own disobedience, Isaiah is sure they are in God’s hands. We find a different reaction from the disciples in a storm on the Sea of Galilee in Mark 4:35-40. The disciples panic in the middle of the storm.

Who are we going to be? People of faith who trust that we are always in God’s very capable hands? Or people of little faith, who panic whenever something is wrong, or hard, or unexpected?

Join us for joyful worship on Sunday at 10:30am, as Exultation sings the truth of God’s great love and care.

Philippians 1:3,
Tracey

05/31/2026

05/29/2026

This Sunday is Trinity Sunday, when we attempt to learn more about who God is. When we know God better, we trust God more. When we trust God more, we can relax, take risks, and live confident, fruitful lives in a healthy relationship with God and each other. So, it’s a worthy pursuit.

But how can we truly know a God who is invisible? Holy? Omnipotent? Those who have been in the presence of the Almighty God know how overwhelming it is. Thankfully, God wants to be known by us, so it is not as impossible as it first sounds.

Based on their experiences of and inherited stories about God, the early church developed the doctrine of the Trinity. One God, Three Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We find this trinitarian formula in our earliest creeds and it is one of the two doctrines that cross all branches of Christianity (the other being the Incarnation). We find it heavy in St. Patrick’s thought as he introduced our great and loving God to a pagan Ireland, his confessed faith our call to worship on Sunday: I arise today through a mighty strength: The invocation of the Trinity; Through belief in the Threeness, Through confession of the Oneness, of the Creator of all creation.

God is One and God is Three we proclaim. But what does that really look like? Would it surprise you that Martin Short (yes, the actor and comedian) has taught me so much about what God looks like as a Holy Community?

Join us for joyful worship on Sunday at 10:30am.

Philippians 1:3,
Tracey

05/15/2026

This Sunday, we have the opportunity to celebrate with our graduates as we recognize a special milestone in their lives. We especially honor our high school graduates, and we joyfully remember the other milestones we have witnessed: Baptism, 4th-grade Bibles, and Confirmation. We recall the promises we made at their Baptisms to nurture them in the faith, and we respond with gratitude for how God has moved through our promises to grow their faith. We look forward with anticipation to where God will call them next on their journey. Two of our high school graduates, Uyai Thomas and Naomi Nana, will present their senior testimonies reflecting on the words of Jeremiah “For surely I know the plans I have for you….” and the wisdom of Proverbs, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart….” In addition, we will pray for all our graduates and award our Senior scholarships. It will be a Sunday of joyous celebration, so join us at 10:30 am in-person or online as we worship enthusiastically!

Peace,
Pastor Cara

05/08/2026

This Sunday we celebrate moms and all the women who have nurtured, supported, and sacrificed for us. This special day coincides with a lectionary reading from John 14, in which Jesus promises to send another Advocate to us (John 14:15-21). Jesus is referring to the Holy Spirit as our Advocate, Paraclete in Greek, literally someone who is called to our side. It is often our mothers who, like the Holy Spirit, are on our side as our constant supporters, biggest cheerleaders, and strongest advocates.

We don’t talk about the Holy Spirit very much in our tradition. I wonder how often we experience this Advocate working in our lives? How often do we ask our Holy Advocate for help, guidance or support? How often do we listen to Her wisdom and follow Her lead? My guess is that this great gift to us is underutilized and undervalued.

Join us this Sunday at 10:30am as we worship God in joy and gratitude, thankful that we have an Advocate on our side.

Philippians 1:3,
Tracey

05/01/2026

One of my favorite sites I’ve visited is the Duomo (cathedral) in Florence, Italy, officially known as Santa Maria del Fiore. Construction began in 1246 and was completed in 1436. When it was consecrated, it was the world’s largest church, able to accommodate 30,000 worshippers. Visitors are enthralled by its stained-glass windows; its ornate green, red, and white marble facade; its collection of paintings and sculptures by Renaissance masters; and especially its dome, designed by Filippo Brunelleschi. It is an architectural, engineering, and artistic marvel.

1 Peter tells us that God is in the building business (1 Peter 2:2-10). God is building Christ’s church in the world. Since the Resurrection, God has built the church on the cornerstone of Jesus Christ. But God is not using bricks and mortar and stone to build as we do. God is building a spiritual house using living stones. God builds using people. The stones in this cathedral are those who believe in Jesus Christ and it is a marvel to behold.

What does it mean to be called a “living stone” in God’s great cathedral? And how does that change how we view ourselves and our church?

Join us this Sunday at 10:30am as we worship God in spirit and in truth.

Philippians 1:3,
Tracey

04/24/2026

Sheep know the voice of their shepherd. Barbara Brown Taylor explains that different shepherds and flocks end up at the same watering hole at dusk, “so they all get mixed up together – eight or nine small flocks turning into a convention of thirsty sheep. Their shepherds do not worry about the mix-up, however. When it is time to go home, each one issues his or her own distinctive call – a special trill or whistle, or a particular tune on a particular reed pipe, and that shepherd’s sheep withdraw from the crowd to follow their shepherd home. They know to whom they belong; they know their shepherd’s voice, and it is the only one they will follow.”

Jesus uses this imagery to talk about our relationship with him (John 10:1-10). In this passage he compares himself to the gate for the sheep, the gatekeeper, and the shepherd. These roles indicate a relationship of great trust in experience together. Jesus proclaims that his sheep know his voice calling them by name. They follow the voice they know.

It is so very important that we hear and know Jesus’ voice. It is in our hearing and following his voice that wonderful things happen and abundant life begins. But how do we know if it is really Jesus talking to us, and not another voice or our own thoughts? How do we hear God speaking to us?

Join us this Sunday at 10:30am as we worship enthusiastically and celebrate the goodness of God.

Philippians 1:3,
Tracey

04/17/2026

On Sunday we continue to explore the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus. We’re in the Gospel of Luke this time around (24:13-35) and we’re looking at the time Jesus appeared on the road to Emmaus. This is actually the first appearance that the risen Christ makes in Luke’s gospel account. One of the interesting things that happens here, is that even though Jesus walks alongside two disciples and speaks with them, neither of the two are able to recognize him. It isn’t until Jesus breaks bread with them a little later that their eyes are opened. It makes you wonder, why don’t they recognize Jesus from the get-go? Why does the text say that their eyes were kept from recognizing him? What changes with the breaking of bread? What is the deeper meaning here? And what does this peculiar passage teach us about our faith today?

Join us this Sunday at 10:30 a.m. as we worship our God with great enthusiasm and hear about the time that Jesus appeared on the road to Emmaus.

Peace,
Wilson