16th Sunday After Pentecost
September 9, 2018
Holy Communion at 8:30 and 11am


Prayer of the Day
Gracious God, throughout the ages you transform sickness into health and death into life. Open us to the power of your presence, and make us a people ready to proclaim your promises to the whole world, through Jesus Christ, our healer and Lord. Amen.

Scripture readings
Isaiah 35:4-7a
Psalm 146: 1–10
James 2:1-17
Mark 7:24-37

Sermon 

Hymns

In our prayers we remember the schools of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land.

Backpack Blessing
Bring your backpacks to church this Sunday, September 9, as we pray for the start of the school year! We will ask God's blessing on our learning and our friendships, and all backpacks will receive a special blessing tag to remind us of God's presence everywhere we go and learn this year.

Education hour at 9:45am

Sunday School  and Pre-Confirmation students and their families are invited to the Welcome Back Pancake Breakfast in Fellowship Hall.

Confirmation classes meet in their regular classrooms.

Adult Education

September 9 and 16
Comparing the Bible and the Qur’an
, with Mark Swanson
Learning about the role of the Qur’an for Muslims can help Christians better understand their own scripture and its place in the life of faith. This class will compare the sacred scriptures of Christianity and Islam and explore points of similarity and difference. Mark Swanson teaches Christian-Muslim studies and interfaith relations at the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago. Yasir Bilgin, a leader of the Turkish-American Muslim community in Chicago , joins Swanson on September 16.

September 9 and 16
The Gospel in Black and White, with Pastor Dave Kluge
Born in 1899, the son of a textile worker, the German artist Paul Sinkwitz depicted the Gospel lessons from the historic one-year Lutheran lectionary in a series of woodcuts. This slide presentation of his work covers Advent through Pentecost Sunday on September 9 and what was once called the Trinity season through the closing Sundays of the church year on September 16. Dave Kluge is a retired pastor and a member of Grace.

 Fall Adult Ed schedule

The Sunday morning Bible study group meets in the conference room.

The Grace Church Library is open and staffed on Sundays from 8:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Look for books related to Adult Ed topics as well as many other subjects. The library is also open for self-service during the week.