Before we get started lets talk about our Winter Warm Up
Saturday the 23rd July, Laurel Room,
Ribbonwood Centre, Dapto.
12.30pm
We are continuing our theme of “find yourself amongst friends” so please invite a friend, relative, neighbour or anyone who might enjoy a warm and welcoming reprieve on a winter afternoon that includes some yummy wintery soups and desserts and some good inspiration.
Speaker: Cherry Scott
Topic: On Loneliness – the Pitfalls, the Promise.
Invites will be available this Sunday.
What’s your thing?? ~ there are lots of ways you can be involved in making this a beautiful afternoon so please let me know if you can do any of the following.
~ Bring along a favourite soup or a delicious dessert
~ Help spread the word via your social media
~ Help with set up and decoration
~ Help serve and look after our guests during the event
~ Help with pack up
You can reply via this email.
Even When – – –
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:4-7
Because of His great love
Not because of who we are or what we have done, not because we deserved or earned it or showed ourselves good
But because of who God is.
Full of love, filled up with mercy, overflowing in grace. That’s who He is.
He gave us Christ
Made us alive in the place we had been dead.
Dead – right within the middle of us and that deadness seeping into every other part, ruining the beauty that he created.
Yet we have been made alive in Christ, forgiven, redeemed and that redemption seeping into every part of us, still seeping, still doing its work, still transforming us. Raising us the same way Christ was raised.
All of it a miracle
He did this for us even when we were lost and full of our sin.
Before we knew anything much of Him, before we had learned a thing or understood or could comprehend how amazing He is.
Before we had anything to offer at all, before we had done a thing in service of Him.
His mercy reached us, His love overflowed towards us.
Because He is full of love and filled up with mercy.
And nothings changed.
Not His mind, not His mercy, not His love
There’s not some point where He says – now it’s your turn, now it’s time to do it yourself, time to earn this love. Now it’s gonna be about how much you give and how hard you work, now it’s about getting it right, now it’s about knowing better, now it’s about could of and should of and would of.
It’s always and forever and will for eternity be – – – – about the enormity of His love, the richness of His mercy, the outpouring of His grace. On the day we said yes to Him and still today.
It’s a practical redeeming love that changes every part of us.
That redeeming starts and ends with Christ – not our doing, God’s doing. Not our work, God’s work. God’s mercy, God’s richness. God’s kindness. Not ours.
Grace upon grace upon grace, Enough for a life time.
Thank God.
And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus
Christ – a kindness to us. A beautiful and sweet and eternal kindness.
Lets stay there, let’s live in His grace, in His mercy, in His eternal kindness. And that will change us. That will compel us, that will flow out of us. Let’s let that seep into every part, into every fibre and layer of us. Right into our thinking to do its good redeeming work. Better than we can do.
God – full of love, filled up with mercy, gives us Jesus – – – – – even when.
Lets start and finish there.
Love to you all today.
Lv Tracey
Thank you to my sister Jen for sending me this beautiful song this morning just in time to share it with you. Just beautiful. I See The Seed – Amanda Cook – Bethel Music