Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.”
-Matthew 16:24-25-
A Call from Denial
When it comes to sport’s fans one of my biggest peeves is the guy or gal who can’t seem to commit to a team. You know all the derogatory terms… fence-sitters, fair-weather fans, bandwagons. They emerge from the shadows just prior to championship games. It doesn’t matter the sport, prior to the big game you might hear something like “I am a Broncos fan, but I’m also a Cowboys fan.” You might see these fans post “Go Packers'' online for the first time in their lives when you always thought they were a San Diego Chargers fan. Fairweather fans hedge their fanaticism by rooting for multiple teams, that way they are covered in case the team they are supposed to be loyal to fails.
We do the same in our own lives, don’t we? We actually think we are strong enough, powerful enough, hard-working enough to handle situations on our own, and in doing so deny the power of The Creator. But Jesus says something else, he says whoever wants to be his disciple must deny themselves and rely on Jesus.
Easier said than done as illustrated in our Gospel reading this week in Luke chapter 22. Peter boldly declared his loyalty and faith over and over again. He told Jesus he would never turn his back on him, even if it meant he would die. Jesus told him that is exactly what he would do. The sun didn’t even come up that very night and sadly that’s precisely what happened. Peter is swept up in the chaos of his Lord’s arrest in the garden and now the trial in the courtyard. But the flickering firelight betrays him when his familiar face is shown. Three times Peter is called out, and three times he denies knowing Jesus. The third time, the rooster’s screeching, affirms Jesus’ prediction. Peter knew this full well and was devastated. He chose to deny Jesus rather than himself. He felt tremendous sorrow and “went out and wept bitterly.”
In life, we must choose to deny …. Christ or ourselves. When we sin, we deny that Jesus himself is enough to satisfy our every need, our every desire, our every comfort. We deny Jesus when we sin. But He calls us to return to him, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.
I have good news for you today...those who believe in Jesus as their Savior are on the winning team! Christ chose the cross, he denied himself, gave himself fully and completely to the will of His heavenly Father and He did it for all people-- including you! Jesus is no wishy-washy Lord, no fence-riding Savior, no fair- weather King. He is Jesus and that is all we need.
See you Sunday. I can’t wait!
Austin
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Don't forget to set your clocks 1 hour ahead before bed on Saturday, March 13th! |
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Sunday Services
March 14th, 2021
9:00 AM + 10:30 AM
-or-
ONLINE
Due to physical distancing, please help us to plan by reserving your seat today!
Please sign up by 10 pm on Saturday night.
(overflow seating available in the lobby)
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MASKS
Face coverings are required at all times.
With the State’s mandate requiring face coverings in all indoor spaces, Grace Fellowship will follow Eagle County’s public health guideline which requires wearing masks in all public spaces, including outdoors when six feet of physical distance cannot be maintained. Face coverings are required during the entirety of the church service.
KIDS CHURCH SIGN UP (Ages 3 through 2nd grade)
Please reserve your kids’ attendance with Ms. Debra during the sermon at the 9:00 am service
Help us ensure that we properly adhere to Eagle County’s public health guideline of maintaining six feet of physical distancing by reserving a spot at Kids Church. Kids Church follows the kids sermon. We can’t wait to see them!
NURSERY
Nursery for Newborns – 2 year olds.
Nursery is open! Grace Fellowship continues to follow Eagle County’s public health guidelines, and nursery care attendants will wear face coverings while caring for your children. We are ready and excited to see your little ones!
NURSERY SIGN UP
Please reserve your child’s attendance in Nursery at 9:00 or 10:30 am.
Please reserve your child’s attendance at 9:00 or 10:30 am where our nursery attendants will lovingly care for your kiddos while you enjoy church.
*Please know that we are doing everything we can to keep our guests safe by following guidelines suggested by our health officials. If you have any concerns however, please plan to join us online every Sunday!
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Join us on Facebook Sunday morning at approximately 9:15 AM, or view the recording anytime on Facebook, Vimeo or YouTube.
Click the image below to connect.
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New Administrative Assistant |
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After a voter's meeting, we're excited to welcome Brookelyn Kraft as our new administrative assistant here at Grace Fellowship! She has worked with the church before in a similar position and has already helped to initiate many new projects. Welcome Brookelyn!
A word from Brookelyn...
"Thank you all for the opportunity to help serve our church and serve each of you! I am very excited to help us grow and focus on new ministry opportunities. I will be at church on Sundays between services, so please feel free to pull me aside for any questions or administrative needs. My contact information is also listed below. I am excited for the big things to come for our church!"
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LWML 2021 Projects
Dear Sisters in Christ,
That is ALL ladies of Grace Fellowship…AND every lady we know and don’t know! WOW…that is amazing to think about isn’t it!
This past year we have missed our hugs and smiles. We long to worship and study together. Lutheran Women's Missionary League has been working to communicate and provide news of all the needs throughout the world, in our communities and our churches. There still are our goals to provide grants promised to many needy projects and people.
We have not been able to meet or be together to talk about how Grace Fellowship LWML can help to serve Him with gladness. I feel we can now meet, maintaining social distance, and using masks to talk about what we want to do using the many talents and resources within our church to help in the mission field.
I invite you to come to Grace Fellowship on March 20th, 9:30-11:00a.m. for a light brunch as we take time to set goals for the rest of this year. Please join us as we Rejoice in this opportunity!
Bring your Mite box...OR come to get one!
Please call me if you have questions.
God’s got this…Nancy Kraft 303-870-3433
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The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9:6-7
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Would you like to submit your offering online? Thank you!
Simply click the link to securely give to Grace Fellowship.
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Would you like to submit your offering by mail? Thank you!
Please send offerings to
Grace Fellowship Church
PO Box 4280
Gypsum, CO 81637
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LORD JESUS, HEAL OUR LAND, OUR BODIES AND OUR HEARTS.
Please pray for . . .
- A doctor at Nancy's office, who is fighting for his life after a skiing accident.
- Those who are persecuted for their faith. May our comforting words "blessed are you" resonate in their hearts and minds.
- Janice who is recovering from heart surgery.
- Sue, Dave Carle's mother, who is struggling with her health.
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- Juan Marcez, who is recovering from COVID.
- all those in our church and community who are sick with COVID and other illnesses. We also pray for families who are quarantined.
- strength, comfort and support for Carol Proffitt who has been sick and is homebound, and her daughter Pam who is caring for her.
- Virginia Hurd, who is at Castle Peak and is very weak, and for all the residents and staff of Castle Peak.
- complete healing for Sal as he continues treatment for leukemia. Please continue to pray for strength for Lisa and Kathy as they care for them.
- everyone in our congregation and their families who are dealing with the pains and trials of cancer, including Connie Kerr; Pastor Sid; Keith; Chris; Sharon Hlavinka; Rance Ketterling; little Sal Marchetti; Amanda; Jonette; Jerry; and Suzanne.
- everyone affected by illness, surgery or accidents - wisdom for doctors, peace of mind for patients and loved ones, and answers and best treatments revealed.
GOD'S WILL BE DONE
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Contact Information
Phone: 970-445-3101
Staff and Volunteer Staff
Pastor Dan Rohlwing, Pastor Emeritus in Memoriam
Sunday Schedule during COVID-19
Worship Services: 9:00 and 10:30 am (nursery provided).
Kids Church: During sermon-time at the 9:00 am services.
Affiliation
Grace Fellowship is affiliated with the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (lcms.org).
Our Mission
Proclaim, Nurture, and Serve.
Proclaim Jesus as Savior.
Nurture faith in Jesus.
Serve in the name of Jesus.
Our Purpose
Embrace Christ!
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