ETERNAL THINKING

Can you quantify the amount of suffering humans experience?

Forgive me if it feels like I’m beating a dead horse (or bat?) here but the past month has been unprecedented. The way this global pandemic is affecting the church has spurred so many new (all mostly helpful) perspectives about the intersection of our faith and the world. And our perspective on suffering might be one of the most important and all-encompassing. So, to the question above . . . is it even possible? Can we say with utmost certainty that humans alive today are experiencing a quantifiable degree of more suffering than they were before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic?

At first glance we might answer that last question with a resounding “Yes, of course!” Millions of people have lost their jobs, families are losing loved ones, people are experiencing anxiety and fear, front-line workers are being pushed to their limits.

Isn’t it obvious?

It’s obvious, now.

And maybe that’s why we would say humans are suffering more, now. The truth is there’s always suffering, but have we just been oblivious to it?

Some thoughts on how we deal with suffering:

Whether it’s intentional or not, we don’t do a great job of recognizing the suffering of our brothers and sisters. We’ve all been there. Sometimes we’re actually afraid of having some of those feelings of despair and sorrow rub off on us. Yet, the best way to care for someone who’s suffering is to sit with them . . . to meet them in the midst of their suffering. Instead, we say a prayer from a distance (not knocking prayer) or we “give them space.” But, are we willing to weep with them? Are we willing to feel their pain? Before you call this overly-emotional, just remember what Jesus did. On the cross He bore all our sickness, sin, disease, and pain. Incorrectly, we sometimes take that and use it as an excuse to avoid addressing the reality of sicknesses, and sins, and diseases, and sufferings. One of the most overlooked comforts of the cross is to know that Jesus experienced what we experience in our sufferings, even to a greater degree. He identifies with our suffering, and that transforms our perspective. It creates Hope. So by sitting with someone who is suffering and seeking to identify with their pain, we are being Christ-like to them.

This pandemic has spurred a lot of thoughts about God and His sovereignty. Did God bring this disease upon the world to teach us a lesson? At first thought we might say absolutely not. But when we look at Exodus we see God bringing plagues upon a nation. The important distinction is that in Exodus, God was rescuing His people. So it’s right to say that God could do this, but Jesus himself makes a clear statement to show that God wouldn’t do this:

“Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” Luke 13:2-5

We are eternal beings. We were created to live forever. Life here on earth is simply not ‘the point.’ That sounds harsh, but what Jesus is saying here [“But unless you repent, you too will all perish”] is that the eternal perishing of Hell is far worse than any suffering here on earth, but if our hope is firmly rooted in the cross and the hope of Heaven, then we can rest knowing that the eternal joy we experience there will far outweigh the temporary pain and suffering we experience here.

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Remember to join us this Sunday at 8:30am online for CHURCH AT HOME Vol. 6!

We encourage you to continue your commitment to giving as we focus on meeting the needs of those in the Grace Church community and those in the community at-large especially at this time. You can continue giving your tithes and offering by:

1. Mail to 622 Old Lancaster Pike Shillington PA 19607

2. Text the amount you want to give to 84321

3. Click below to give securely online

OUTSIDE THESE WALLS

When we think of church almost all of us think of a regular Sunday service. We think of going to a building filled with people, singing worship songs together, listening to a sermon, and greeting/talking to each other. The purpose of a typical corporate church service is to strengthen community, encourage and equip believers, and reach the lost. But, the reality is that reaching the lost can sometimes be difficult within church. For us, it’s in one location, on one day, at one time. And why does an unsaved person just come to church? It’s usually connected to a personal invitation that happens outside of the church.

Can you count the number of ways in which someone can be reached for the Gospel?

A lot of us have had Gospel ‘encounters’ with co-workers. That tends to be a place where conversation can happen freely, at least in some occupations. I would imagine those of us who work in funeral homes or zoos aren’t doing as much talking. If you are, please reach out to us. 😉

Perhaps a similar number of people have had meaningful and important discussions with family gathered around a meal or at a family function.

Many of us who are more extroverted may have found an opportunity here or there to reach the grocery store clerk or the local pharmacist.

I’m sure some of us have been able to make an impact once in a while on the postal worker who visits our residence.

This list could go on forever, but the point is:

The work of the Church to save the lost largely happens outside of these walls.

It’s with your co-workers, your family, the grocery store clerk, or the postal worker. Unfortunately, right now even these interactions feel like they’ve been put on hold. It feels like there’s no space to have these crucial conversations about Jesus. It feels like it’s not okay to even talk to other people in public places for fear of breaking a social distancing rule.

So, here’s some encouragement, and this is what we’ve been believing throughout our Church At Home series: The power of the Holy Spirit is not confined to face-to-face interactions. God certainly moves in a unique way in a corporate setting, but by no means is He incapable of working through a video, a text/call, or even a smile. What would happen if God’s people embraced our radical eternal hope of Heaven in the midst of these dire circumstances? What if the hope we have is not just to make us feel better, but to be a light to the world?

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Remember to join us this Sunday at 8:30am online for CHURCH AT HOME Vol. 5!

We encourage you to continue your commitment to giving as we focus on meeting the needs of those in the Grace Church community and those in the community at-large especially at this time. You can continue giving your tithes and offering by:

1. Mail to 622 Old Lancaster Pike Shillington PA 19607

2. Text the amount you want to give to 84321

3. Click below to give securely online

EMPTY CHURCH // EMPTY GRAVE

Today is Good Friday. Today’s the day we specifically remember Jesus’ death and crucifixion. We remember the pain and torture He suffered on our behalf. We remember how He was mocked, spit on, and beaten beyond recognition. To be clear, we should always be remembering these things, but it is uniquely important to remember the day of His crucifixion. But why?

Do you ever wonder why we call it ‘Good Friday’? What could possibly be ‘good’ about what Jesus experienced? It was, in every way, the worst thing a human could experience. No doubt. And still, it was Good. As Christians we believe that good things can come out of bad situations. The Resurrection story is one where the BEST thing came out of the WORST situation.

It is important to note that Jesus’ disciples and followers did NOT call it Good Friday on that original sad day. Although they had been told by Jesus himself that He would rise again after 3 days, they could not look beyond the physical reality of Jesus’ dead body. How many of us would have done the same thing? This was Bad Friday for them.

Today things aren’t going the way we expected them to. We’ve been forced to celebrate Good Friday and Easter apart from each other, but we know how the story ends! There is no need for confusion or hopelessness or worry. Jesus is risen and nothing could ever change that. It has been sealed in history and it is our continual hope going forward.

CIRCA 1987 // 29 E LANCASTER AVE - GRACE FELLOWSHIP CHURCH

Speaking of history, this photo was taken just before we moved into our old building at 29 E Lancaster Ave. Our church has a lot of history, but THE Church (the body, not the building) has even more history. Like, a lot more. The early Church endured tremendous persecution. Jesus’ disciples were also crucified and continued preaching the Gospel until their last breath. Yet, the Gospel spread like wildfire. Martin Luther fought against indulgences and fought for worship in the vernacular. Today the full Bible has been translated into 698 languages all over the world. At least some portions of the Bible have been translated into 3,384 languages. 😮

This gives us great confidence. Jesus himself spoke to Peter saying "and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:18,19 Did you know that shortly after speaking this to Peter, Jesus reveals to his disciples that he must die and rise again after 3 days?

The work of the body of Christ is inextricably bound to the power of the Resurrection.

So maybe more than the fact that the church is "still around", what gives us confidence is that Jesus was faithful to His word and to the Father, and he fulfilled His promises to us. And so while the church this Sunday will be empty, so was the grave. We rejoice!

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Remember to join us this Sunday at 8:30am online for CHURCH AT HOME Vol. 4!

We encourage you to continue your commitment to giving as we focus on meeting the needs of those in the Grace Church community and those in the community at-large especially at this time. You can continue giving your tithes and offering by:

1. Mail to 622 Old Lancaster Pike Shillington PA 19607

2. Text the amount you want to give to 84321

3. Click below to give securely online

FEAR, LOVE, AND LINE GRAPHS

Depending on how informed you choose to be, you have probably seen more line graphs (unless your profession calls for looking at them) about the status of the pandemic in the past few weeks than you have in the past few YEARS! I love line graphs. Like I love vacuuming my apartment. So I guess love isn’t the right word.

Line graphs are great. We live in a world driven by data and statistics, and it is absolutely incredible how we can forecast situations based on the global resource of data available to us. And right now, scientists and statisticians around the world are teaming up to produce as accurately as possible a continuous stream of data (both interpreted and uninterpreted) to the masses. In all, this is a wonderful thing and it will ultimately save lives. But as individuals, and particularly (most of us) individuals who are not infectious disease scientists we have to ask ourselves one question: What is this doing for me?

Other questions that we don’t necessarily have an answer to:

In our attempts to better understand the pandemic, are we setting ourselves up to forget the MAGNITUDE of God. Is the need to fully understand the data concerning the pandemic and spends hours researching an expression of fear? In our attempts to deny the reality of the pandemic, are we still doing the same thing? How many line graphs are too many?

This is a situation that we’ve never faced before and, simply put, it’s complicated. Each of us will respond differently to this situation, and so our encouragement is really to take the time to evaluate how you are responding. It’s so easy to become “inactive” during this season, letting yourself be fed information from anywhere and everywhere, or letting your day be consumed by self-seeking pass-times. Staying “active” might look like limiting your media intake, pausing your deep dive researching, and turning your attention to God in prayer and worship. Those seem kind of backwards, don’t they?

The issue at the root of a self-seeking response is fear. We waste time . . . or we overwork. We stop communicating . . . or we can’t stop talking. We hoard, we lie, we hurt. When we’re afraid, we close ourselves off from God. BUT

“God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness

in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There

is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear,” 1 John 4:16-18

So run to Him. In the midst of your fears, turn to God and remember His love for you displayed through Jesus on the Cross. In that love, all fear is cast away. Someone should make a line graph about that!

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Remember to join us this Sunday at 8:30am online for CHURCH AT HOME Vol. 3!

We encourage you to continue your commitment to giving as we focus on meeting the needs of those in the Grace Church community and those in the community at-large especially at this time. You can continue giving your tithes and offering by:

1. Mail to 622 Old Lancaster Pike Shillington PA 19607

2. Text the amount you want to give to 84321

3. Click below to give securely online

In the waiting, In the silence ...

As we are preparing for Church At Home, Vol. 2 there’s a marked stillness and contentment at work in our hearts. We’ve been continually asking ourselves the same question: “God, what are you going to do through this situation?” One the greatest things about church, and one of the most important pieces of God’s design of creation has been put on hold in the way we’re familiar with it. Community. Community is the life of the church. Knowing each other, seeing each other, hearing each other. Laughing together, crying together, seeking the presence of God together. It feels wrong that we can’t do most of those things face-to-face right now, but more than ever it seems that we all agree on how important those things really are. You don’t know what you have until you don’t have it anymore.

God, what are you going to do through this situation?

This question is not a new one. All throughout scripture the people of God wandered and wrestled with their situations, wondering where God was and what He was going to do.

How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
    and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
    How long will my enemy triumph over me? Psalm 13:2

But there is always a promise of restoration! And with that restoration we’re believing a greater appreciation and a deeper connection within our community and other Christ-centered communities around the world is on the horizon.

Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
    and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary
    and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:28-31

NOW AVAILABLE: CHURCH AT HOME, VOL. 2

If you need prayer or help let us know:

CHURCH AT HOME, Vol. 1

Today was our first Sunday of CHURCH AT HOME! It feels odd, really. Most of us are not where we would normally be right now. Most of us haven’t been where we normally are all week. There have been a lot of changes to our daily life lately, but one thing that remains the same is God’s Word and His love for us. “Seasons come, and seasons pass but always You remain the same.” In this time it can feel like what we do (as a church) is inconsequential, but the reality is that what we do this matters more than ever. The way the Church responds in this moment will significantly impact the way this generation sees God. We have tremendous hope that God works all things together for our good and His glory, so in the midst of these circumstances we know we don’t have to worry. God is sovereign over this. He’s capable and powerful and He is good.

We encourage you to continue your commitment to giving as we focus on meeting the needs of those in the Grace Church community and those in the community at-large especially at this time. You can continue giving your tithes and offering by:

1. Mail to 622 Old Lancaster Pike Shillington PA 19607

2. Text the amount you want to give to 84321

3. Click below to give securely online

Enjoy VOLUME 1 of our CHURCH AT HOME Series:

Update - CHURCH AT HOME

Grace Church Family, 

Here are some things we’re doing to bring “Church” to you. We’re calling it CHURCH AT HOME!

Every Sunday morning at approximately 7:30am we’ll post a Worship Service that we encourage you to watch from the comfort of your home. You’ll be able to watch this on our website or on any of our social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube), as well as access it through a weekly CHURCH AT HOME email sent out Sunday morning. This will include both worship and a message. While this is obviously not our favorite way to do church, we are confident in the power of the Holy Spirit to do a work in our hearts from wherever we participate. For families with children, we’ll also be including links to the Grace Kids curriculum which includes bible stories and worship experiences tailored for their age groups in these emails. Parents can also download the ‘Parent Cue’ app through the App Store or Google Play Store and engage with their children through conversations and activities that they’re familiar with when they come to Grace Church. 

This is all being done out of respect for our governing authorities. We know this situation may continue longer than just this Sunday but our FAITH is found in the Living God, and together we’re praying for a breakthrough so we meet together again soon!  We hope you’ll be encouraged throughout this whole situation to remember that the Church of Christ is not confined to the walls within which we normally meet. In fact, it is under similar circumstances such as this that the Church has historically exploded in influence and strength, all for the Glory of God. The Gospel will not be stopped by earthly circumstances. If you are really struggling and looking for something more than a digital experience, Pastor Ray and Nancy will be available at the Grace Church sanctuary 10am Sunday morning for any sort of prayer or encouragement you may need.

Follow our CHURCH AT HOME blog for regular updates and encouragement. Our current situation is rapidly changing, and the best way for us to keep communication clear and concise is to host all of our communications in one place. We recognize this is a challenging time and our hope is to bring encouragement and Godly perspective to you through our digital platforms. We’d LOVE to hear from you throughout this whole situation! You are always welcome to email any prayer requests or general questions and thoughts to hello@mygracechurch.com. You can also engage with us on any of our social media platforms as well as the blog posts in the comments section. 

You can continue giving your tithes and offering by mail to 622 Old Lancaster Pike Shillington PA 19607 and at mygracechurch.com/give or text the dollar amount you want to give to 84321. We encourage you to continue your commitment to giving as we focus on meeting the needs of those in the Grace Church community and those in the community at-large especially at this time.

Lastly and maybe most importantly, check in on each other. We were designed by God to be in community with each other, so having our regular methods of communication changed can be disorienting. Call each other, text each other, pray for each other!

God Bless You and Keep You,

Grace Church

Coronavirus Initial Update

We wanted to provide a quick update with all the news going on surrounding COVID-19 or Novel Coronavirus.

First and foremost, Grace Church has always worked hard to keep our facilities clean. When you come here there are a few different places where you can find hand sanitizer, our bathrooms have antibacterial soap, our Grace Kids program has a formal Health Policy in place to keep things consistently safe which you can actually view on our website under parent info.

This is what we’ve always done. We take health and safety seriously, and this is what we’ll continue to do. 

And second, our encouragement is that the life of a Christian is a marriage of the practical and the spiritual. We see this throughout all of scripture, maybe most notably in James when he says “faith without works is dead”.

So, what we know is that God’s word promises us protection. Psalm 91:9 says “If you say the Lord is my refuge and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you.” This is a fact.

We also know that the coronavirus is spreading all around the world and potentially will be soon in our community, and it’s something towards which we should take precaution. This is also a fact.

But these facts are not mutually exclusive. Meaning, you don’t have to pick one. You can pick both! Have faith, and wash your hands.

So please don’t believe the lie that practicing proper hygiene is somehow an admission of doubt about God’s power and protection over you. God, in His infinite wisdom, is at work through medical innovation and knowledge. And also, please don’t be overcome with fear and lose focus of our ultimate hope. Preparedness is biblical, panic is not. “For God did not give us a spirit of fear but of love, power, and a sound mind” 2 Timothy 1:7

We will still be holding church as usual and we encourage you to come if you feel healthy and comfortable doing so.

We also encourage you to inform yourself of some precautions you can take to help prevent the spread of this virus and therefore protect those of us who are vulnerable to it. Click here for some basic steps to prevent illness:

We love you all and we are praying Psalm 91 over you and your families!

God Bless You and Keep You,

Grace Church