First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ
Getting Started...
How to Recognize Grace
It takes you by surprise
It comes in odd packages
It sometimes looks like loss
Or mistakes
It acts like rain
Or like seed
It's both reliable and unpredictable
It's not what you were aiming at
Or what you thought you deserved
It supplies what you need
Not necessarily what you want
It grows you up
And lets you be a child
It reminds you you're not in control
And that not being in control
is a form of freedom
(Marilyn Chandler McEntyre)
The best and only place to start is right where you are. Grace is something that wants to happen to us, if we open our eyes to receive it.
One of the best ways to open yourself to this grace is to take the risk of doing something. Take a step. Take a risk. Attend a Sunday morning worship service. Phone Pastor Cheryl. Offer a prayer. Listen to a stranger.
We develop our spirituality not by thinking our way to it, but by living our way towards it. Christianity is not a faith of doctrines, but a web of relationships. Your spiritual journey can start the instant you make a step to enter into a new relationship--with God, with a church community, with an openness towards grace.
Faith :: Christianity :: Getting Started