Close to God

Our three-year-old grandson loves to find and look at the moon. He tells us when it is a crescent, an oval and a big round circle. When he’s at our house in the evening, I snuggle him in my arms as we go outside and look at and talk about the moon. Now, he also knows about planets and stars. With him in my arms, pointing and talking, we marvel at God’s creation of the lights of the sky, and I am close to God. When I draw close to God my heart is lightened, I gain strength and peace as I know God in and around me.

Holding a curious small child and being in nature are certainly not the only ways of drawing close to God. John Wesley talked about immersing ourselves in the “means of grace” – ways God’s love comes to us as we open our hearts and lives to God’s work through them. God makes means of grace available to us. We have the chance to open ourselves to them and draw close to God, receiving strength, joy, and much more.

John Wesley talked about two essential elements of Christian faith. Those are deepening and growing in our faith (drawing close to God) and serving God in the world because of our faith, because of what God has done for us. This Sunday, September 22, as we continue with Finding Our Way in Our United Methodist Tradition our focus will be on the first one of those, drawing close to God through the means of grace.

What are some of the means of grace, ways God gives us to draw close and receive strength?

See you in worship! Remember:  if you can’t be in worship you can watch the livestream at 9:45 a.m. Go the website www.umcstmarks.org and select the LIVE WORSHIP from the main menu. Or use this link.

This Sunday we’re also going to recognize the teachers and staff of St. Mark’s Early Childhood Center.

 

Blessings, Sharon