APRIL 5

10:15 I Facebook Live

WHAT SHOULD WE LOOK FOR?

There are some people you encounter in the midst of trials — stormy seasons — who take you in and give you secure shelter. Mike and Darcy Hansen are that kind of friends. The Hansen house was my home away from home during seminary, and Darcy jumped into her own program there as I was finishing up. She’s gone on and is currently working on her Doctor of Ministry degree in Leadership and Global Perspective. And I think we would all agree getting some perspective would be a good thing right now. See y’all on Sunday. Grace and peace.

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SPEAK UP/QUESTION of the WEEK

(type your response on the Grace Facebook Live page)

In our quarantined world, what’s one practical way you are loving your neighbors?

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MUS-IC

Ain't No Grave (Claude Ely, Molly Skaggs, Jonathan David Helser, Melissa Helser)

Shame is a prison as cruel as a grave

Shame is a robber and he’s come to take my name

Love is my redeemer lifting me up from the ground

Love is the power where my freedom song is found

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There ain’t no grave gonna hold my body down

There ain’t no grave gonna hold my body down

When I hear that trumpet sound, I’m gonna rise up out of the ground

There ain’t no grave gonna hold my body down

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Fear is a liar with a smooth and velvet tongue

Fear is a tyrant, he’s always telling me to run

Love is resurrection and love is a trumpet sound

Love is my weapon, I’m gonna take my giants down

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There was a battle, a war between death and life

There on a tree the Lamb of God was crucified   

He went on down to hell, He took back every key

He rose up as a lion and He’s setting all the captives free

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There ain’t no grave could hold His body down

There ain’t no grave could hold His body down

When He heard the trumpet sound, He rose up out of the ground

There ain’t no grave could hold His body down

There ain’t no grave could hold His body down

There ain’t no grave could hold my body down

There ain’t no grave could hold my body down

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If You walked out of the grave, I’m walkin’ too

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They Will Know We Are Christians by Our Love (Jars of Clay)

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
And we pray that our unity will one day be restored
And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
Yeah they'll know we are Christians by our love

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We will work with each other, we will work side by side
We will work with each other, we will work side by side
And we'll guard each man's dignity and save each man's pride
And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
Yeah, they'll know we are Christians by our love.

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Yeshua

Praise the One who has saved me from death

He is God, He is good, He is Jesus

Praise the One who has saved me from death

He is God, He is good, he is Jesus

Yeshua, I love You

Yeshua, I love You

​TEACHING: Find the passage here

The Big Idea:

The Big Idea: Only those who experience and rest in the abiding love of God can fully love God, others, and themselves.

This graph maps out the flow of church history.

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• In the quiet of the day, do you hear the whisper of God? What is God saying? What emotions does it stir within you? 

• What ideals/practices/things shape your Christian identity?

• In what ways have these identifiers hindered or helped your ability to love God, others, or yourself? 

• Which of these, if any, is God asking you to release so that you can receive and share more of God’s love? 

• Question for small-group discussion (you can facilitate a group conversation in the way that works best for you — Google hangout, Zoom or social media, for example): Take some time this week to share with your Grace Group what you have experienced during your time of personal reflection.

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MUS-IC

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Christ Has No Body/Of Good Courage
Christ has no body now but yours

No hands, no feet on earth but yours

Yours are the eyes by which he sees

yours are the feet with which he walks

Yours are the hands with which he blesses all the world

So be strong and of good courage

Fear not nor be afraid

For the Lord your God goes with you

He will not leave you won't forsake you.

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Your Labor is Not in Vain (The Porter's Gate)

Your labor is not in vain
Though the ground underneath you is cursed and stained
Your planting and reaping are never the same
Your labor is not in vain
Your labor is not unknown
Though the rocks they cry out and the sea it may groan
The place of your toil may not seem like a home
But Your labor is not unknown
I am with you, I am with you
I am with you, I am with you
For I have called you, called you by name
Your labor is not in vain
The vineyards you plant will bear fruit
The fields will sing out and rejoice with the truth
For all that is old will at last be made new
The vineyards you plant will bear fruit
I am with you, I am with you
I am with you, I am with you
For I have called you, called you by name
Your labor is not in vain
I am with you, oh I am with you
Oh I am with you, oh I am with you
For I have called you, called you by name
Your labor is not in vain

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COMMUNION/REFLECTION/OFFERING

• During this time, those gathered in homes should use the elements they have with them as we take communion together. We believe communion is an open table, welcoming all who seek Jesus. Use the elements you have at home as we take communion together. 

  • The link for giving your offering is here.

  • Use this time to reflect and commit to ask on what God the Holy Spirit is showing you during this time.

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BENEDICTION

Grace Church, while we may be separated physically, we are made one in the Spirit of Jesus Christ our Lord. May Christ dwell in your hearts through faith — that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. You are not alone. You have never been alone and never will be alone. Go in peace in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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FOR THE KIDS

When Jesus told us it is important to love our neighbor, who is he talking about?

Get a piece of paper, and draw a small circle in the middle of it. Draw a bigger circle around the first circle, and keep making circles until you reach the edge of your piece of paper.

Now, think: Who lives in your house? Write their names in the very first circle you drew, or summarize it to “family!”

In the next circle around the first one you drew, think about your closest neighbors. Write their names in that circle. Now think beyond your street … who are your neighbors down the road?  Keep going, filling in the people who live outside your own home, and out of your neighborhood to your city, state, nation, etc.!

Do you think Jesus wants our kindness and the kingdom of God to stop at our nation’s borders? Share your creation with us on our Facebook page, or email it here , and you’ll find a surprise in your mailbox next week!  

Enjoy this read-aloud to further inspire you!  

A famous artist, Wassily Kandinsky, created art that used concentric circles.  Create your own, and think about how connected we can all be as neighbors as you create your own concentric-circle art piece. You can use oil pastels and black paper, white paper, crayons, markers, or paints. Share your masterpiece with us on our Grace Church NWA Facebook page!

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FOR FURTHER REFLECTION

• Working Preacher commentary here and here, and podcast here

• As Women’s History Month draws to a close, author Natasha Moore celebrates “the unattached females who shaped the Church.”

• Dallas Willard reflects on what it means to love our neighbor as ourselves.

BONUS: Good Mood Food

Just smile and wave, boys.

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Explore our archive of  Worship Guides here