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Petaluma, CA 94952
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Devotion From Pastor Kathryn: March 11, 2021

3/11/2021

 
​“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing;
it is the gift of God . . . “ (Ephesians 2:8)

I’m preaching on Ephesians this Sunday. (Ephesians 2: 1 -10) 

I’m preaching on the grace of God. Lutherans speak so much about the grace of God because Luther felt it was the lens through which we view all our theology. 

I want to share the following words from The Rev. Frederick Buechner, a Presbyterian pastor, who I enjoy reading. It comes from his book Wishful Thinking.  Interesting fact: I bought my husband this book for our wedding. Romantic – I know!!  

“A good sleep is grace and so are good dreams. Most tears are grace. The smell of rain is grace. Somebody loving you is grace. Loving somebody is grace. Have you ever tried to love somebody? 
 
A crucial eccentricity of the Christian faith is the assertion that people are saved by grace. There's nothing 
you have to do. There's nothing you have to do. There's nothing you have to do. 
 
The grace of God means something like: "Here is your life. You might never have been, but you 
are because the party wouldn't have been complete without you. Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid. I am with you. Nothing can ever separate us. It's for you I created the universe. I love you." 
 
There's only one catch. Like any other gift, the gift of grace can be yours only if you'll reach out and take it. 
 
Maybe being able to reach out and take it is a gift too.” 


May God’s grace be with you, sisters and brothers in Christ. 
Pastor Kathryn

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    Pastor Kathryn Gulbranson

    Interim Pastor

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