This week we are in Jonah 3:1-10. Everyone loves grace, right? Actually, most of us in our more honest moments would confess a sort of mixed relationship with grace. We certainly love it when we need it, but it can anger us too if it is being applied to those who have wronged us. Sometimes we want to see justice far more than we want to see mercy. What does God do with this? How can he be both a God of justice and at the same time a God of mercy? And what can that teach us about being people of grace?

This week we come to the pivot point in Jonah, where he begins to move from being a person of non-grace to a person of grace (Jonah 2:1-10). We see in his process a roadmap of our own: an awakening to the depth of his own need, a longing for restored relationship with God, and a renewed devotion to following God.

This week we are zooming in on Jonah 1:9-10, which gives us some insight into loving “the other,” whoever that might be to us. One factor we find with Jonah we find was that how he understood himself – his various layers of identities – were not properly ordered. This leads to a distorted view of ourselves, other people, and ultimately God.

As we roll into the season of Lent, we are starting a series in the book of Jonah we’re calling Becoming a Person of Grace. This week we are in Jonah 1:1-17, which is all about running from God. Anyone who has decided to follow God seriously has come to a point where that commitment is challenged – where God commands something that we would rather not hear, and we are confronted with the choice to obey or to run. How do we become people who trust enough to run towards God rather than away? That will be our focus for this Sunday.

This is our last week in vision and values, and this week we will be talking about giving, out of Exodus 35:1-10. Here we find the first “church offering!” And it isn’t marked by high pressure appeals to give what the people don’t have, but God’s desire that those with “generous hearts” would look at what they have been given and give from that.

This week the value we are highlighting is church planting! It will be a few minutes from me, and then Pastor Eneas will be giving the message, translated by one of his sons. The topic is mission, and his text is Mark 16:15.

This Sunday we will be talking about one facet of multiethnic life that has become quite charged in recent times: the idea of “privilege” – what it is, how we should think about it, and what one should do if they discover it is something they have. To address these, we will be looking at the example of Jesus in Phil. 2:1-11, who rather than using his advantage for his own gain uses it to serve others.

This week is going to be a fun one as well, as we are talking about the Bible’s view on women in leadership. Short version: we believe that the best read of Scripture is that leading and teaching is based on gifting and calling, regardless of one’s sex. We will be all over the Scriptures, but our jumping off point is Acts 2:17-18.

Our text is Matthew 28:20, and we will be focused on God’s power and presence with us. Specifically, we will be looking back at some highlights from 2021, and looking ahead to 2022 as well.

This week in vision, we are covering “for the good of the world,” out of John 3:22-30. How do we, in the midst of all the demands of navigating our busy lives, can we continue to live as people on mission? John the Baptist steers us toward the right heart posture with these four words: It’s not about me.