Hi friend–

We invite newcomers at Grace to fill out a first impression survey, and one of the clear takeaways is this: we receive consistent reminders how many people attend for the first time as a result of a simple invitation.  You never know what impact the Lord might bring when you invite a friend or colleague to attend a service! And, Christmas Eve is one of the highest-attended services of the year.  You can send the graphic above to friends, or post it on your social media, or pick up invitation cards at Grace anytime.

Also, if you’d like to participate in the multigenerational worship choir in our Christmas Eve services at either campus, you can sign up here:

MH Choir or OF Choir.

This Sunday is one of the few times that our campuses will have a different worship experience. I’ll be giving the message, with communion, at our Olmsted campus (same message I gave this past Sunday at Middleburg), and Middleburg will have the Christmas special that Olmsted enjoyed this past Sunday. Whichever campus you attend, I trust that you’ll encounter the Lord in a fresh way!

Just a reminder: Christmas Day falls on Sunday this year and our team has prepared a special worship experience which you can watch anytime and share with anyone you want. The link will be available early Christmas morning on our website. Again, we will not have onsite services on Christmas Day since we’ll be worshipping together onsite for Christmas Eve.

Thinking in advance about your spiritual growth plan for 2023: we’d love to have 100% participation in the Bible Reading plan that we’re starting as a church family on January 1…that is foundational to personal spiritual growth. And, to stay connected with various ministries at Grace, you can click on this link to sign up for any of the available Grace newsletters.

Our Scripture reading for today has a remarkable section that tells us how the Lord responds when we look to him: he “turns to us, hears our cries, lifts us up, sets our feet on a rock, gives us a firm place to stand, and gives us a new song” (Psalm 40:1-3). He’s active like that, even today. What a great Redeemer and Friend he is!

Looking to Him,

Jonathan