Welcome to Grace!

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Current Worship Series​ - "Pressing On" - September 20 - October 11, 2026​

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Series Summary:

Fall is a busy time in many churches with lots of programming for all ages. It can feel overwhelming. It could be time for encouragement. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians can be that stimulation to keep going and a reminder of the joy and fellowship that is part and parcel of being the church. Or as St. Paul reminds us, we are to press on to the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. Join us in “Pressing On."

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Striving Side by Side - September 20 - Philippians 1:21-30 - One of the key points to remember throughout this series is that we are not called to wear ourselves out. Pressing on is not about throwing ourselves against brick walls with no regard for our own well-being. In today’s passage, Paul chooses to set himself aside so that he can continue encouraging the church and building up the body. Writing from prison, Paul reminds us that a life worthy of the gospel is a life lived in community, in shared mission and ministry. Striving side by side is not a byproduct of the gospel; it is in the very design

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In Full Accord - September 27 - Philippians 2:1-13 - How do we press on together? What does it take to live well as a community? Paul invites us to “be of the same mind” – this is an invitation to think as Christ does. The thought process he is particularly interested in is humility: Set aside your need to be right. Set aside your need to have it your way. It means that love always trumps prejudice. It means that sacrifice always wins over selfishness. It means giving always triumphs over hoarding. This is what being in full accord means. It means thinking, acting, and being as much like Christ as we can day by day.

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The Heavenly Call - October 4 - Philippians 3:4b-13 - For Paul, faith is a deeply embodied journey that calls us into the present, embodied reality of loving and living with God, self, neighbor, and all creation. We press on together here and now by the grace through which Christ saves us. Through his story, Paul issues an invitation to partner with the Spirit in working toward the vision that Jesus the Christ gave to us. That heavenly prize is — as we regularly pray — the kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. The invitation is to come along for the journey of discipleship. The invitation is not “look at me,” but “walk with me as we look to Christ.” This is how we press on towards our heavenly call in Christ Jesus.

 

Rejoice in the Lord! - October 11 - Philippians 4:1-9 - Joy gives us sustenance to maintain life, hope, resilience, and perseverance, even in the most impossible circumstances. Joy isn’t an escape. In our passage, Paul says, let joy spill out because that joy in the Lord is not just for you, not just so that you get a boost, a lift, a skip in your step. And when joy is hard to find, Paul says, get on your knees. Don’t worry but pour it out. Don’t worry but beg and plead and pound on the doorways of heaven with both fists. Through prayer, we sense that we do have a place, a home, an identity, an existence right here and right now that is meaningful, useful, transformed, and transforming. From here, joy is not far away.

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