December 9, 2018
Holy Communion at 8:30 and 11am


Prayer of the Day
Stir up our hearts, Lord God, to prepare the way of your only Son. By his coming give to all the people of the world knowledge of your salvation; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Scripture readings
Malachi 3:1-4
Luke 1:68-79
Philippians 1:3-11
Luke 3:1-6

Sermon 
Text: Luke 3:1-6
In the great irony of Advent, scripture draws our attention to the grand and sometimes startling messianic prophecies of both the Hebrew prophets and John the wilderness preacher: far from a silent night. Malachi’s fuller grinds, presses, and stomps on cloth in order to cleanse and thicken it: far from being wrapped gently in swaddling clothes. Blazing heat separates impurities from that which is precious: far from the twinkle of a star light years away. A master metalsmith was once asked for how long he refined and purified the raw silver he used in his pieces. “Until I can see my own reflection,” he replied. Advent is the time when we wait for God in Christ to transform and renew us until God’s own reflection is seen in our lives. 

Hymns

In our prayers we remember Lutheran Social Services of Illinois.

Education hour at 9:45am

Sunday School,  Pre-Confirmation and  Confirmation classes meet in their regular locations.

2018-19 Faith Formation Calendar

Adult Education

The Crisis of Biblical Illiteracy
Timothy Larsen, PhD, McManis Professor of Christian Thought at Wheaton College
This session will explore the high and pervasive level of biblical literacy that was once a part of our national culture. The Bible was the common cultural currency for all Americans, an essential touchstone for thought and expression. Politicians, poets, social reformers - everyone - evoked scripture in order to communicate in resonant, powerful, persuasive, and effective ways. This session will then go on to examine our current level of biblical illiteracy as a society and reflect on how this impoverishes our culture as a whole.

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.