A Year of Gracious Living
God has richly blessed us! To celebrate His love for us we will devote the year of 2011 to better understand our blessings and learn how to become true and inspired stewards of God’s blessings. We’ll call it “A Year of Gracious Living”. Gracious Living will touch all aspects of our faith lives, including worship, education, small groups and community outreach. Look for more information about Gracious Living in upcoming Faith Weekly announcements, the church website and emails.
Tom Penningroth
Immediate Past Congregational President
What is Gracious Living?
Living graciously is living aware of the blessing we have received by God. It begins by placing our selves in the midst of a community that readily shares their own experiences of God’s grace. This sharing allows us to consider how it is that God has blessed us in our own lives. It also puts us in a position to receive God’s grace through the acts of faith community. It is strengthened when individuals name the way in which God has blessed them through us and encourage us to use the blessings we have known and the gifts we have received by God grace to bless others. As we bless others and name the gifts of others they respond in gratitude toward us and toward God. And the cycle continues.
In 1981, Don Abdon of Parish Leadership Seminars wrote a Bible Study that changed my understanding of discipleship. As I reflected on what it means to live graciously, Abdon’s principles came to mind. I went back and reviewed his Bible Study on 2 Corinthians 8 & 9, expanded it, and rewrote in light of this year’s celebration. Here are the principles as I presented them in our Bible Study on Sunday, January 30th.
- Gracious Living is proportionate to our perception of our blessings.
- We live graciously when we give ourselves to the Lord.
- Gracious Living tests the genuineness of our love.
- Gracious Living is based on Christ giving himself for us.
- Gracious Living is done eagerly.
- Gracious Living is a shared venture within the Body of Christ.
- Gracious Living is honest and needs no gimmicks.
- Sometimes, Gracious Living requires planning and intention.
- Gracious Living tests our trust in God’s promises.
- Gracious Living acknowledges God’s grace and proclaims the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Following Christ cannot be reduced to ten simple steps. No one would so foolish as to suggest that. But to consider how it is that we can reflect the grace we have known can be a helpful exercise. It certainly is not the end of the journey but it is at least ten steps in the right direction.
A Year of Gracious Living Presents
The Sound of Grace: Faith Friends Telling Grace Stories
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound!
The hymn, Amazing Grace has an interesting phrase: “Amazing grace how sweet the sound.” Grace has a sound. The sound of grace may be people sharing their grace stories – of how God’s grace has shaped their life and service. In 2011, people at Faith will be sharing their grace stories each week online as part of The Year of Gracious Living. I invite you to share your grace story with Faith.
What is Grace? Any person, experience, feeling, or thing that makes you feel deeply grateful and alive and which you experience as being a pure gift to you and others.See how members of Faith express how God's grace has touched them in their live. Each week of Lent, a new story will be added.
How has grace touched your life?
Read, Reflect, Give thanks!
On Grace by Diane Olson
My Daugther by Janine Young
From Explosions to Grace by Vicky Garrett
Grace by Melinda Littler
God's Grace -A Personal Perspective by Marshall Grabau
Grace by Tom Penningroth
A Definition of Grace by Frederick Buechner
Grace is something you can never get but only be given. There's no way to earn it or deserve it or bring it about any more than you can deserve the taste or raspberries and cream or earn good looks or bring about your own birth.
