Rooted in Grace, Moved by Love: Beginning Again

This is a time of beginning! We begin with our new focus for the season: Rooted in Grace, Moved by Love. From now until Advent we will explore what it means to be grounded in God’s grace - growing, reaching, and moving in love. We will reflect on faith, service, and sharing God’s love through connection and transformation. And next Sunday in worship, we return to the very beginning in scripture—the opening verses of Genesis. In these familiar words, we hear the story of creation: God bringing light and darkness together, shaping land and sea, calling life into being. “And God saw that it was good,” echoes throughout the story—a reminder that even in the messiness of the world, God’s presence shapes and sustains all things.

Living in tumultuous times, and navigating transitions in our lives and in our church, it can feel hard to believe in beginnings—or even to notice them. The world feels fractured, and our hearts are sometimes heavy with uncertainty. Yet Genesis reminds us that creation’s chaos has purpose. God’s hand is steady, cultivating possibility and care. Each day of creation is a kind of rootedness—a firm foundation in love and intention.

What does this mean for us? Even when we feel disoriented by change—within our church, our communities, or our nation—we are invited to root ourselves in God’s grace. Love is not passive; it moves us to act, to care, to build something good in the world, even in small ways. On September 7, we’ll live this out together at our annual God’s Work Our Hands event—a powerful time of community, service, and joy. Few things shape our hearts like coming together to serve one another. Growth happens not when we cling to comfort or the status quo, but when we ask bold questions and step into the work of love with attention, care, and courage.

As we gather this coming Sunday, we’ll explore how the story of beginnings invites us to trust in a new start—holding our griefs, anxieties, and hopes together, and listening for God at work. May we come ready to be grounded in God’s grace and stirred by God’s love, finding courage to live faithfully, even when the path forward feels uncertain.