Grace United Methodist ChurchFebruary 16, 2020

OUR WELCOMING STATEMENTGod’s love is for all and God’s grace is present in all creation. God’s spirit draws us into community. We are filled with genuine care and love for one another.

Honoring the diversity of our faith journeys, our welcome is extended to all – people of all races, sexes, ethnic backgrounds, generations, physical and mental abilities, economic conditions, sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions. No matter who you are, no matter where you are in your life, you are welcome here.

We are all invited to bless this church with our love, our presence, and our participation.

MUSIC FOR GATHERING 8:00 10:15

WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

MUSICAL INVITATION FOR WORSHIP

CALL TO WORSHIPCome, let us delight in the ways of God.When we abide in Love, our cup overflows.Though hate and violence bring destruction,Love builds us up.When we are made to feel small,Love calls us to courage.When cycles of wickedness trap us in despair,Love sets us free.

OPENING PRAYERForgive us, O God, when we contribute to a spirit of destruction. When we grow weary from pain and injustice, we often betray our neighbors and our own spirits. But you are our refuge in times of trouble. When we are tired, draw us close. When we feel hopeless, rescue us. Do not let us separate ourselves from Love. Amen.

OPENING HYMN (please rise in body or in spirit) TFWS 2236 (Black Hymnal) "Gather Us In” CHILDREN’S MESSAGE (10:15) As the children come forward, please join in singing “Jesus Loves Me” Jesus loves me! This I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to him belong; they are weak, but he is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me!The Bible tells me so.

SCRIPTURE READING Acts 2:42-47

MESSAGE “Our Shared Life ” Pastor Nate Nims

OFFERING

OFFERTORY 8:00 10:15 DOXOLOGY (please rise in body or in spirit) UMH 94 (Red Hymnal) “Praise God, From Whom All Blessings Flow" TUNE: LASST UNS ERFREUEN

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; praise God, all creatures here below; Alleluia! Alleluia!

Praise God, the source of all our gifts! Praise Jesus Christ,whose power uplifts! Praise the Spirit, Holy Spirit!

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLETHE PRAYER JESUS TAUGHTOur Father (Creator, Mother)†, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, they will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

CLOSING HYMN TFWS 2222 (Black Hymnal) “Servant Song"

BENEDICTION

POSTLUDE "8:00 10:15 ❄ ❅ ❆ ❄ ❅ ❆ ❄ ❅ ❆ ❄ ❅ ❆ ❄ ❅ ❆ ❄ ❅ ❆ ❄

Please join us for hospitality time in Fellowship Hall immediately following the 10:15 service.

Articles for the weekly worship bulletin and Beyond the Red Doors email are due each Wednesday at noon. Articles for the Chimes Newsletter are due the 15th of each month.

Send complete articles to Charlene Hjort at charlenehjort@gracedesmoines.org or drop them off in the church office.

**********************************************************************I would like to receive the monthly Chimes Newsletter: via US Postal Service via email

**********************************************************************Subscribe to the Beyond the Red Doors weekly email for information on upcoming events by going to www.gracedesmoines.org. Scroll toward the bottom of the page until you see the “Beyond the Red Doors” section and follow the instructions to subscribe. I would like to receive the monthly Chimes Newsletter: via US Postal Service via email

**********************************************************************ALTAR FLOWERS FOR 2020

I/we will provide altar flowers on: Feb 23 Mar 15 Mar 29 Apr 19 Apr 26 May 10 May 17 May 24 May 31 Jun 21 Jul 5 Jul 12 Jul 26 Aug 2 Aug 9 Aug 16 Aug 23 Aug 30 Sep 13 Sep 20 Sep 27 Oct 11 Oct 18 Nov 15 Nov 22 Nov 29 Dec 27 Cost is $40 per week. Please submit payment when you turn in your form. Flowers will not be ordered if payment has not been received by the Wednesday prior to the date for which you signed up.

Dedication: _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Name: ____________________________________________________________

Phone:____________________________________________________________

Email: ____________________________________________________________

Please print clearly and place in the offering plate or return to the church office.

Sunday, February 168 am Worship8:30 am Chorister Choir Rehearsal9 am Sunday School10:15 am Worship11:15 am Hospitality Time1 pm Anugrah Church Worship4 pm Chapel Choir Rehearsal5 pm Youth Group6:30 pm Dinner Drama Rehearsal

Monday, February 171:30 pm Mary Circle at Chamberlain Mansion4:30 pm Justice for Our Neighbors Legal Clinic6 pm Wolf Den7 pm Boy Scout Troop 617 pm Des Moines Diversity Chorus

Tuesday, February 182:30 pm Free Clinic Meal Prep5 pm Free Clinic Meal & Registration5:30 pm Free Clinic7 pm Des Moines Community Orchestra Rehearsal

Wednesday, February 192 pm Mental Health Clinic6 pm Confirmation6 pm Grace Chimers Rehearsal7 pm Chancel Choir Rehearsal7 pm Dinner Drama Rehearsal

Thursday, February 209:30 am Ruth Circle1:30 pm Art Group6 pm Open Table6 pm Movie Night with Nate6:30 pm Dinner Drama Rehearsal6:30 pm Girl Scout Troop 2717 pm Foundation Meeting7 pm Into the Fying Pan Liturgical Study, Walnut Hills UMC 12321 Hickman, Urbandale7 pm Anna Circle

Friday, February 21No scheduled church activies

Saturday, February 22No scheduled church activities

Guide to Prayer and Study: February 17 - February 22

MondayRead – Matthew 5:13-16Notice – Jesus didn’t specify that those who follow him should “go” to a certain place. He called them to live in a certain way for God. In Jesus’ day, with no refrigerators, people used salt to preserve food as well as to flavor it. Jesus called his followers to be “the salt of the earth,” living in ways that add flavor to our world and “preserve” life’s God-intended goodness. As one teacher put it, Jesus did not say, “You are the vinegar of the earth”! In what ways are you living out your faith in ways that flavor life positively, and preserve its goodness?

Pray - God, if I forget, remind me that “we the people” ARE the church. By your Spirit, help me to live as your salt and light, your physical presence, right here in my hometown. Amen.

TuesdayRead – 1 Peter 2:5-10Notice - Peter’s description of what it means to belong to God’s people, the church, showed how New Testament Christians found Jesus’ work and its effects all through the Old Testament. Verse 6 quoted Isaiah 28:16; verse 7 drew on Psalm 118:22; verse 8 used Isaiah 8:14. Verse 9 took language that first applied to Israel in Exodus 19:6, and verse 10 played off the sadly symbolic names of Hosea’s children in Hosea 1. Peter’s point was that God’s mercy draws and shapes us all into a community in order to bear witness to God’s marvelous light. How can we as a faith community show God’s grace and light in ways we can’t do alone? How can a sense that together we are God’s hands in the world help us better understand the meaning of “church”?Pray - God, I often fail you, yet you call me chosen, holy, a part of a royal priesthood. Help me each day as I seek to live into the amazing titles with which you honor me. Amen.

WednesdayRead – 1 Corinthians 12:4-11Notice – The apostle Paul explained to the Corinthian Christians that God gives each Christian gifts and talents that empower us to join in the divine mission of changing the world for the better. No one person receives all the gifts and talents needed for the job. There aren’t “good” and “bad,” or even “important” and “unimportant,” sets of abilities and gifts. God wants each believer to fill a place. In what ways are you already using your gifts and talents to bless others and bring glory to God? Have you ever seen your gifts become more effective when they work together with other people’s various gifts?Pray – Generous God, you’ve given me a portion of your divine power. You’ve called me to use that power in carrying out your mission in the world. I offer you the gifts you’ve given me to be used for your purposes. Amen.

ThursdayRead – John 4:19-29Notice – Jesus met a person with three strikes against her in the eyes of the religious leaders of his day: a) she was a Samaritan, b) she was a woman, c) she’d had multiple husbands. To his disciples’ surprise, he treated her as valuable. The woman expected Jesus, a Jewish man, to despise and avoid her. But he spoke to her seriously, asked her help and treated her with dignity. He refused to argue about whether Jerusalem or Gerizim was the true holy mountain. He said the key was that people worship “in spirit and truth” (verse 24). What makes it necessary to honestly open your whole inner life to God’s love and grace in order to worship in spirit and truth?Pray – God, open my heart and mind to your word. Bless me with your vision and let me enter into a state of harmony with your divine will. Amen.

FridayRead – Luke 19:1-10Notice – Zacchaeus was so eager to see Jesus that even as a wealthy public citizen he climbed a tree to offset his shortness. Jesus was so eager to reach Zacchaeus that he very publicly invited himself to a meal at the house of one of the town’s most despised “sinners.” Are you willing to set aside worries about your social dignity and status to “see” Jesus more fully, and to reach others with Jesus’ love? How might that spirit shape our congregation’s choices?Pray – Jesus, you didn’t reach out to Zacchaeus grudgingly. You cared deeply about the good, generous person he’d nearly forgotten to be. Give me, and our congregation, your eye for the good possibilities in everyone. Amen.

FridayRead – Luke 19:1-10Notice – Zacchaeus was so eager to see Jesus that even as a wealthy public citizen he climbed a tree to offset his shortness. Jesus was so eager to reach Zacchaeus that he very publicly invited himself to a meal at the house of one of the town’s most despised “sinners.” Are you willing to set aside worries about your social dignity and status to “see” Jesus more fully, and to reach others with Jesus’ love? How might that spirit shape our congregation’s choices?Pray – Jesus, you didn’t reach out to Zacchaeus grudgingly. You cared deeply about the good, generous person he’d nearly forgotten to be. Give me, and our congregation, your eye for the good possibilities in everyone. Amen.

SaturdayRead – John 13:34-35, 15:9-12Notice – The night before his crucifixion, Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment that glowed with heaven’s light: “As I have loved you, so you must love each other. This is how everyone will know you are my disciples.” The command to love one another was not new, but “as I have loved you” took “love” to a whole new level. Jesus’ followers learned that they couldn’t love that way on their own, and identified love as a fruit of the Spirit (cf. Galatians 5:22). Spend time with Jesus, allowing his love to shape your view of yourself, so that by God’s grace your life of love certifies you as one of Jesus’ followers. Imagine you invite a non-religious friend to church. They ask, “Why should I go to your church?” Do you cite our big building, beautiful windows, volunteers, sermons, or music? How long would it take you to reach Jesus’ way of answering that question: “This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, when you love each other”?Pray - Jesus, I love because you, my creator, first loved me. Keep reshaping my attitudes and actions to more fully reflect your eternal, faithful love. Amen.

Red Doors Concert SeriesSaturday, February 22

7:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary

The Metro Brass Quintet presents "Iowa Grown"featuring music

written and arranged by Iowa composers.

Tickets are on sale at the table in theNarthex this morning.

The church bus is available to pick you up for Sunday School, as well as worship services. If you are interested in riding the bus, call the church office (515.255.2131) on Sunday morning starting at 8 to be added to the list. You may also call during regular office hours (M-F, 8:30-4:30).

Movie Night with Nate

Join us as we watch and discuss the movie, "Lars and the Real Girl".

We have spent the month of of February in worship discussing how we welcome and care for one another. The movie, 'Lars and the Real Girl' will give us a lot to think and talk about. In the movie, Lar is awkward and extremely shy. He finds it impossible to make friends or socialize. His brother and sister-in-law worry about him, so when he announces that he has a girlfriend he met on the Internet, they are overjoyed. But Lars' new friend is a life-size plastic woman. On the advice of a doctor,

his family, church, and the rest of the community welcome Lars and his friend into

their lives with open arms.

Hope you can join us!

COMING SOON!

Grace Youth PresentsRoald Dahl's

Charlie and theChocolate Factory

Friday, February 28and Saturday, February 29

Doors open at 5:45 pm,Dinner served at 6 pm

Show at 7 pm

Sunday, March 1Doors open at 11:15 am

Lunch served at 11:30 amShow at 12:30 pm

Order your tickets today!

Anti-Hunger Day on the Hill

Join DMARC on Tuesday, February 25, 8 am - 12 pm at the Iowa State Capital to advocate for policies that will reduce hunger and food insecurity in Iowa.

DMARC Breakfast Advocacy TrainingOn Tuesday, February 25 from 8:15-9:45 am at the Iowa State Capital in room G19, you can learn about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), DMARC's advocacy agenda for 2020, and receive information and advice on how to be an effective advocate with elected officials.

This week Grace Preschool received 2020 City View Award(s) as runner-up for the Best Preschool and Best Daycare inDes Moines.

Grace Preschool also not only passed their Department of Human Services suprise inspection, we passed with a perfect score!

Grace, in partnership with the Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center, offers free/low cost mental health counseling.

Short term counseling is provided by student therapists who are supervised by licensedclinicians from the Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center. Sessions are offered to individuals of any age, including families and couples. An initial screening will take place pri-or to counseling to determine whether this program is appropriate for your needs

Appointments available on Wednesdays from 2 – 6 pm

To make an appointment contact Nathan DeLange, L.I.S.W., at 515-577-0190.

WORSHIP LEADERS:Pastor Nate Nims; , Liturgist (10:15); Ann Gerdom, Director of Music, organist, and pianist; Michael Gookin, Chancel Choir director. Acolytes

RESOURCES USED IN THIS SERVICE: Call to Worship and Unison Opening Prayer from enfleshed (www.enfleshed.com.)All music used under OneLicense A-727197Guide to Prayer and Study modified from cor.org

† In hymns, prayers, and liturgies, use language that makes worship meaningful, enriching, and inclusive.

NURSERY CARE is available for children aged 3 and younger from 9 to 11:30 am. The nursery is on the second floor. Please ask an usher if you need help finding it.WORSHIP BAGS are available outside the sanctuary for children to use and enjoy during the service.

Grace United Methodist Church3700 Cottage GroveDes Moines, IA 50311gracedesmoines.orgphone: 515.255.2131

email: info@gracedesmoines.org Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter at GraceDesMoines

Services are held every Sunday at 8 am and 10:15 amCan't make it to church?

Watch the livestream of the 10:15 am service on the GraceDesMoines Facebook page.

Inclement Weather PolicyThe church office will be closed on any day that Des Moines Public Schools are closed as a result of inclement weather. On those days, all church programming will be canceled. If classes are dismissed early, all events at the church will also be canceled. In the event that Sunday morning worship is affected by weather or road conditions, a decision will be made by 7 am. Local television stations will be notified to publicize the announcement and the information will be posted on the Grace Facebook page and website (www.gracedesmoines.org). .