Holy Communion at 8:30 and 11am


Prayer of the Day
Stir up the wills of all who look to you, Lord God, and strengthen our faith in your coming, that, transformed by grace, we may walk in your way; 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
Isaiah 35:1-10
Psalm 146:5-10
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down. (Ps. 146:8)
James 5:7-10
Matthew 11:2-11

Sermon
"What Did You Expect?"
Questions riddle through our Gospel today, from both John the Baptist and Jesus himself. This questioning follows a theme of expectation: is this who we expected to see? Expectations abound during Advent. Kids expect a grand Christmas morning, and adults expect to make it so. We expect the best from people, yet often find everyone stressed out. We expect to feel different; it's Christmas, after all! We expect Jesus, but we may not readily see him anywhere. The answers to the questions in our Gospel lead us out of our expectations to focus on what is actually in front of us. John the Baptist isn't some powerful and influential leader the people may have expected; he is a rather strange prophet with a message of preparation for new life in the Messiah. Jesus isn't doing what John expected, so Jesus points out what's really going on: the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, the dead are raised. This is what Jesus was doing and promises still to do. This is what the Messiah comes to reveal to the world--that right in front of us, the gifts of mercy, love, and light are found. Right in front of us, our expectations meet the holy reality of God's plan to save us from our sin and ourselves.


Hymns

In our prayers we remember New Moms. 

Education hour at 9:45am

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

2019-20 Sunday School, Pre-Confirmation and Confirmation schedule
Adult Ed schedule

Religion Books of 2019
Elizabeth Palmer, Book Review Editor, The Christian Century
Elizabeth Palmer will talk about her work and the important books in religion published in the past year.

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.