Service Recap; June 12
We had the privilege this Sunday of hosting guests from General Synod and installing new elders and deacons. It was a full Sunday! Bob preached from Luke 7, which tells the story of Jesus dining with a handful of religious leaders. During this dinner of the elite, a prostitute entered the house and bathed Jesus' feet with expensive ointment and tears. It was an act of absurd extravagance that crossed a variety of boundaries for the religious leaders. Bob suggested that God's love is on display in this story, not simply in Jesus, but even more so, in the reckless abandon of this woman.
God's love is lavish, even foolish. Bob painted the comical picture of that uncle that you have to keep an eye on lest he spends all of his savings on someone. Sometimes we behave towards God's love as if it comes with strings attached. We believe that God's love comes with conditions. We grimace and waiver. Our love is stingy. Bob searched for metaphors to explain the uncontainable love that God has for each person. He even made a flubber reference :)
He also reminded us of the point that Aaron Keucher made in his sermon a while back: that nearly every time the Holy Spirit speaks to someone in the book of Acts, the Spirit sends that person to share the gospel in barrier shattering ways. God's love doesn't respect any of the cultural, ethnic, or social barriers that we construct. Through Christ, we can experience God's uncontainable extravagant love, and through Christ's Spirit, we too can embody that love in a world that desperately needs it.
I really enjoyed watching this clip from Flubber after the reference on Sunday...
Prayer
- We mourn the mass shooting in Orlando. We pray for victims, families, and formal those affected by this senseless tragedy. We long for unity and peace and ask that you would bring solace and hope.
- We pray for our denomination and that your Spirit would be thick at the General Synod meetings.
Announcements
- Church starts at 9:30AM starting Sunday, June 19! No Sunday School for Adults or Children.
- Millennium Park Outing: Join us Wednesday, June 22nd, for an evening of music in Millennium Park. Bring a blanket, dinner and a drink and meet us on the lawn of the Pritzker Pavillion. The show starts at 6:30 p.m. and the event is free. We'll sit in the back southwest corner of the lawn.
- Jason Zielke gave a financial update. He shared that he is personally as hopeful about growth and momentum as he has ever been during his time worshipping with Grace. He also reported that giving in the last few months has been oddly low and he encouraged everyone to consider their giving habits. Questions about finances can be sent to finance@gracechicago.com
- Hunger Walk is June 25th. Email caleb@gracechicago.com or fill out this form to indicate when you can help out!
- Next Dinners with Grace is Friday, July 8th at PhD Pub.
Thanks to everyone who helped to put together such a lovely post-church picnic!