Friday, August 29, 2025

Happy Friday, friends! Today's scripture comes to us from 1 Chronicles...

           Then King David went in, sat in the Lord's presence, and said, "Who am I, Lord God, and what is my house that You have brought me this far?"   
(1 Chronicles 17: 16 HCSB)     

David's humility wasn't just a string of pious words. He wasn't pretending to abase himself... while secretly basking in the glow of false modesty. No, he was genuinely baffled that God had chosen him, a small shepherd boy, as a king over Israel -- one whose offspring would impact the course of history! What did he ever do to deserve this, he wondered? 
   
As a Christian, it might be easy to take your status as God's child for granted. You've heard it ever since you came to know Jesus, so the true meaning behind these words might have lost it's initial force. But think: Why would God choose YOU to be His child? Were you born into a line of nobility? Are you gifted with superhuman abilities? Probably not. 
   
God didn't choose you because of your position. In fact, God chose us in spite of it. We were all sinful little creatures wallowing in the mud of our dirty passions ... but God reached down, cleaned us up, and placed crowns on our heads. When we truly dwell on the love our Father has displayed, we will join the baffled king in his cry: "Who am I?"  

               O God, guide my thoughts as I meditate on the depths of Your love. Help me comprehend just how incomprehensible Your grace truly is. Amen.  

+++ This Sunday is our last on our summer worship schedule with worship at 9:00am. This week we will go with Jesus to the house of a Pharisee for a dinner party and listen as Jesus instructs the crowd about table manners. Where will each of us choose to sit when invited to our next social gathering? Come and hear Jesus' suggestions for each of us to consider. If you can't join us in person, hop on to our Facebook page at 9:00am for the weekly "live-stream" or catch worship later on our YouTube channel. However you can, we hope you will join us for worship on Sunday!

+++ The church office will be closed on Monday as we celebrate Labor Day. The office will reopen on Tuesday morning at 9:00am.    

+++ Our Trustees will be meeting on Wednesday afternoon, 9/3 at 4:00pm in the Fireside Room. All members please try to attend as we do the business of the Trustees.

+++ Next Sunday, September 7th we switch back to our fall worship schedule with worship services at 8:30am in the Fireside Room and 10:00am in the Sanctuary. We will also kick off a new year for our KIDZ CLUB program at the 10:00am worship service on that day... as the kids and leaders show us the final installment of our Vacation Bible School program, ON THE ROAD WITH GOD. Navigator Jeff and his trusty pup, Scout will be here as well. Join us as we celebrate our Vacation Bible School program.  

+++ Remember to sign up for a work shift at our Sleep In Heavenly Peace Bed Build on Saturday morning, September 13th! See Shelley to get the link to the sign up process. All sign ups are done online. Shelley can assist you if you need it. We need lots of help that day as we work to make sure no child sleeps on the floor in our community.  

+++ If you have been thinking about joining the congregation, we will be welcoming New Members at each worship service on September 21st. Speak to me to get more information about this exciting time here at Immanuel. 

Make this day a great day and rejoice in the grace of our God!   
​Pastor Jack