A New Start to Our Children's Ministry

When many of us think of kids and church, we think of wiggly, little toddlers that call our attention away from the worship song, the prayer, or the sermon. Parents of little ones think of the power struggle every Sunday morning from 10:30. You're just trying to manage without a meltdown until children's classes start. We often have a deeply rooted impulse that children, whether ours or others, are a distraction that keeps us from paying attention.

The Christian ethicists Stanley Hauerwas and Will Willimon, write "Interestingly, Jesus put a child in the center of his disciples, 'in the midst of them,' in order to help them pay attention . . . The child was a last-ditch effort by God to help the disciples pay attention to the odd nature of God's kingdom. Few acts of Jesus are more radical, countercultural, than his blessing of children" (Resident Aliens, 1989, p.96)

Listen to Jesus in Matthew 18:1-5: At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.”

Few things reveal the heart of a church than their response to children.

Do they have the heart of Jesus?
Do children get the feeling that they're welcome?
Do they have a sense that the God their parents are worshiping cares about them?
Are they shuffled out of service with relief so that now the adults can do real church and their fun hangout time with friends can begin?
Are their classes haphazardly put together?
Is it glorified babysitting?
Do they see their parents hanging out at the back of the class chatting with their friends, rather than hearing the sermon?

All this forms our children's view of God and the gospel.

The Bay Area has long been a national leader in education. WalletHub has designated the San Jose area the #2 most educated area in the country and the San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley as #4. Several of the school districts where Indelible Grace members live and send kids to school are some of the highest ranked in the state of California. Our culture values education, sometimes even idolizes education.

But what kind of education is it? It might create kids that perform well on standardized tests or have a better chance at admission into the UC's but most of that education is at best neutral to the Lordship of Christ or at worst outright antagonistic to Christian doctrine and ethics. We live in this intellectually-rich area where Christian claims are increasingly implausible and even viewed as immoral.

If we just wing our children's ministry, we are setting our kids up for confusion and a weak formation. The powers of cultural formation are undeniably in the hands of the tech and media companies. I was talking to an area pastor who was born in Africa but moved to the US in junior high years. He said one of the primary anti-Christian and secular influences is public and college education.  I know many of us have kids in public schools. I'm not saying that's bad. Where our kids go to school must be a conscienced, prayerful, and discerning decision. But I am saying that we should not be naive about the power of that formation and we as a church have a primary mandate from the Lord to provide an alternate education that is rooted in a different kind of power, the Spirit of power, love, and self-control.

That's why we're starting this children's ministry study committee. We do not want to just put a band-aid on. We want to pray first of all. And we invite you to pray for us. But then we will do the hard work of biblical study. We want our vision of children's ministry to be rooted in God's Word. Then we want to apply wisdom as constructing a vision and plan for children's ministry we believe God is calling this particular church to put in place.

While this committee gets to work, the session approved some immediate changes for the summer.

We're going to end our regular children's programming this May for an alternative pilot program to be tested this summer. The pilot is going to be a children's worship service that will be concurrent with the sermon for our preschool and early grade school kids. Grades 2nd - 5th would remain in the service for the sermon with resources to help them process and attend to the sermon in an age appropriate way.

You might ask, why? Why not just wait?

There is lots of evidence that the crucial years of childhood development are the early years, especially for linguistic, cognitive, and emotional capacities. Preschool is actually a spiritually crucial and formative time - I'd be so bold to say even more so than grade school. One prominent Christian psychologist has described the first seven years of a child's life as "prime time" for spiritual formation. 

At Indelible Grace Church, we believe our children are in covenant with the Lord from the beginning. John the Baptist was moved in the womb when his pregnant mother came near to Jesus in the womb of Mary.

One final note. Our confession begins with this beautiful question: What is the chief end of man? We could replace man with children.

What is the chief end of children? To glorify God and enjoy him forever.

Notice, it does not say to know Bible stories. Surely knowing the Bible is the primary way we know God. But you can know about God without ever glorifying and enjoying him. Our models of religious education too closely follow the Enlightenment paradigms of modern education that's more about information than formation, more about data than character, more about facts than love. I remember in my Sunday school, I could school all the rest of the kids because I had a good memory. I still remember this arrogant superiority I felt by knowing who was the youngest of Jacob's children. Paul says that if we understand all mysteries and all knowledge, but have not love, we are nothing.

That's why we want to do a test program in children's worship. We want to instruct our kids in how to worship and who we worship. But we also want to worship! We'll have songs to sing together. We'll work on some scripture memory verses together. We'll read Scripture and hear a sermon catered to children. And we'll pray together. One of my favorite experiences was a worship night at my former church. We had a corporate time of prayer but all the children were invited up to the front for their own prayer time. I had 5-7 kids ages 3-8 and we went around the circle and prayed for each other and for our city.

Who will be leading this children's worship? We want to have a rotation of teachers that are particularly gifted with leading kids and teaching. I'm actually super excited to be in rotation. Weeks that I'm not preaching here, I'll be helping lead there. I’m looking forward to pastoring our children. 


Pastor Jesse

Why wine?

In our past worship services at Grace Lutheran Church, we’ve offered wine at communion in addition to the grape juice we typically offer at Creekside. I wanted to briefly explain why as we prepare to meet at Grace Lutheran again this Sunday.

Let me start on a personal note. I grew up in the Southern Baptist church which has a denominational proscription against all alcohol. I never partook of wine in communion (I still don't really like wine). There are many Bible-believing faithful Christians that view alcohol as inherently sinful or unnecessary. If that’s you, I deeply respect your conscience and conviction. That’s why I need to explain why we will offer wine at communion when we can (Castro Valley schools have a policy forbidding alcohol on the premises). I’ll first address the matter biblically, historically, and then pastorally from a view of conscience.

The main reason we will serve wine is a matter of simple obedience to Christ's command. The supper Jesus instituted involved unleavened bread and drinking wine. Jesus refers to the cup as the “fruit of the vine” (Matt 26:29, Mark 14:25, Luke 22:18). Regarding this term, a biblical scholar explains that “the Jews from time immemorial have used this phrase to designate the wine partaken of on sacred occasions, as at the Passover and on the evening of the Sabbath… The Christian Fathers, as well as the Jewish rabbis, have understood 'the fruit of the vine' to mean wine in the proper sense.” (Philip Schaff, ed. A Religious Encyclopedia, 1887, pgs. 2537-2538). Jesus then calls all his disciples to “drink of it, all of you” (Matt 26:27) as does Paul’s institution of the Lord’s Supper: “Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me” (1 Cor. 11:25). Jesus calls us to total and complete obedience as disciples and followers of him (“observe all that I have commanded you” Matt. 28:20). Jesus drank wine and calls us to drink that same cup in the Lord’s Supper.

When we zoom out to the rest of the Bible, it was natural for Jesus to use wine. Presbyterian pastor Ken Golden insightfully points out that in the Bible, wine was considered both a common blessing and a covenantal blessing ("Drinks and Concessions"). As a common blessing, wine is a gift from God to man that is for his joy (Psalm 104:15), his health (1 Tim 5:23), and for celebrations. That's why Jesus provides the wine at a wedding for his first miracle (John 2). But more importantly for the Lord's Supper, wine was used by God as a means of representing and sealing his covenants with Israel. Wine was offered as a drink offering to the Lord (Exod. 28:40; Lev. 23:13; Num. 15:5). And overflowing vats of wine were one of the preeminent symbols of God's blessing contingent upon Israel's obedience to the covenant (Deut. 7:12-14; Jer. 31:11-12). The prophets envision the restoration of all things to be marked by an abundance of wine: "the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it" (Amos 9:13-15; cf. Joel 3:18). Biblically, wine is a gift from God to man that is for his joy (Psalm 104:15) and symbolizes God's covenantal grace.

Like all gifts of creation, it must be stewarded well. Drunkenness is a state of foolishness and a sin. Drunkenness reveals a lack of control and an indulgence that is not proper of God's redeemed people. Proverbs 23:29-35 insightfully lays out the appeal and danger of alcoholism. Proverbs 20:1 calls alcohol a "mocker" and a "brawler" and can easily lead you astray if you're not wise. Paul similarly calls Christians to be wise and "do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit" (Eph. 5:16-18). Alcohol has its dangers, yes. But to forbid it is to go beyond Scripture. In fact, Paul warns against such a teaching in 1 Timothy 4:1-5: For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if is received with thanksgiving. There's an analogy to sexual union. Sex, like alcohol, has tremendous power to lead us astray. But within God's design and boundaries, it is a good and beautiful gift that points to greater spiritual realities (Eph. 5:22-33).

I'll keep my historical observations brief. The replacement of wine with grape juice is an American novelty and an innovation from the centuries and centuries of Christian practice at the Lord's table. After the Civil War, a temperance movement gained a lot of momentum and the support of many Christian pastors who thought total abstention from alcohol to be necessary. A teetotaling Methodist Thomas Welch was determined to replace communion wine, which he believed to be the "cup of devils" rather than the cup of our Lord. Remember, this was before the time of electric refrigeration. He applied the pasteurization process to grape juice to prevent fermentation into wine. Welch's grape juice would take off as many churches, especially Methodists, Baptists, and liberal Christians, replaced wine with juice. The temperance movement culminated in a federal ban on alcohol in the passing of the eighteenth amendment to the American Constitution which started Prohibition. After the 21st Amendment reversed the eighteenth and ended Prohibition, conservative evangelicals, especially those of the fundamentalist and Baptistic traditions, maintained alcoholic abstention as a hallmark of Christian living. Many of you, like me, came from churches in those traditions.

So what do we do? Paul in Romans 14 lays down some relevant principles. The presenting issue seems to be differing convictions in the church about eating meat. The issue was not merely about the validity of vegetarianism but probably had deeper theological stakes since much available meat came from animals who had been sacrificed to idols. The principles Paul lays out are as follows: (1) Don't quarrel over matters of relative indifference, and food and drink qualify; (2) You are fully entitled to your own opinion. In fact, follow your conscience as long as it does not violate God's Word; (3) Don't judge your brother or sister who disagrees with you. God is the judge; and (4) Rather, love your brother or sister and do not grieve their conscience. The practical application of this to communion for many churches is to provide both wine and grape juice to accommodate those who have conscienced objections to wine. In my view, this is a wise and loving solution that honors Scripture, our particular context and history, and the diversity of conscience present in our congregation.

So in conclusion: any time that we can serve both wine and grape juice, we will, both in obedience to Christ's command to drink his cup and to his command to love one another. Because that is, let me remind us, the meaning of the Lord's Supper. It is an expression of our unity in Christ. We have all been saved by Jesus and welcomed to feast at his table, where the wine will never run out. In fact, it is making us one even as we eat and drink it. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?...Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. (1 Corinthians 10:16-17).

Pastor Jesse

A Recap of 2023

 “You are good and do good; teach me your statutes.” (Psalm 119:68)

God was good to Indelible Grace Church in 2023. After a season of without a senior pastor, God was gracious in providing one for us this year. And though that may have been the most notable thing to happen, it is not the only thing. In fact, there is a long list of things The Lord has done in IGC in the past year: members were inducted, children were baptized, new community groups were formed, new friendships were established, difficult conversations were had, the community was served, people came to faith in Christ, the sacraments were administered, the gospel was preached, and Jesus was worshiped.  For many of us, this year was one in which the renewed hope we had for the life of the church came to life. We are thankful for 2023 and looking forward to what God will do this year.

In Psalm 119:68, the psalmist praises God for his goodness. He’s referring to the moral purity, kindness, generosity, and faithfulness of The Lord. In light of the character of God, he expresses his desire to learn the law of God. His experience of God’s goodness drives him to know God and his word all the more. Our prayer is that this would be true of IGC - that we would continue to experience and recognize God’s goodness, and that this would instill in us an even deeper desire to know and worship him. 

2023 & 2024: Praying God’s Immeasurably More

I don’t know how you’re closing out this year. Maybe you’ve crushed this year. Maybe it feels like you’re limping towards the finish line. Maybe you’re hopeful for 2024. Maybe you’re not. You could be relaxing on vacation right now. Or perhaps you’re just trying to survive home life until the kids go back to school.

In Ephesians 3:20 Paul nods to the Lord who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. This benediction has long been a favorite prayer. God’s creative power extends beyond our imaginations, which is both comforting and confounding all at once. It is comforting because God’s capacities for good in our lives are beyond our wildest dreams. We put limitations on what God could do. We doubt that God can really change our life or our loved ones’. We hedge on hope and joy, stoically grinning and bearing it. We doubt that God can really restore that ruined relationship. We doubt that God transcends our life circumstances. Yet God is not limited by our doubt, our failure of imagination. He is able to redeem and restore beyond our wildest imagination.

Yet it is also confounding because God is doing more than all we ask or imagine. He’s the author of our story. Wouldn’t we love to take the pen from his hands? “Lord, I know how this part should go: the new job, the fulfilling marriage, the rich community.” But we are not able to do immeasurably more. That’s God’s role. In fact, growth in wisdom is coming to terms with the considerably limited agency we indeed have. That’s humility. And growth in faith is trusting the Lord with the pen. Let him write it. He’s a way better author than you.

Don’t we see the same in the cross of Christ? None of us would have written a story where God gives himself for us in suffering, in sacrifice, in servanthood, and in death. It is confounding. But it is infinitely comforting because, as Paul says in Romans 8, if God was willing to give us Christ, will he not give us everything else (Rom 8:32)? And the death of the cross is followed by resurrection and power and life and glory.

At the risk of being autobiographical, my being at Indelible Grace is one of these places where God did more than all I asked or imagined. I could not have guessed at the end of 2022 that I’d be writing this a year later in the Bay Area for a church with a unique name I had never heard about. But I’m profoundly thankful to the Lord. He outperformed my imagination. I am not and will never be omniscient, however much I might pine after it or pretend I am. But every now and then I catch a vision of what God’s doing and why he’s doing it. And it’s compelling and convicting. It’s a better story than I could or would write. And unlike the stories we’re all tempted to write, the hero is not me, but the Lord. It is his power and imagination that is immeasurably more. And perhaps most comforting is also his love that is immeasurably more. Indeed, that’s really what Paul is praying in Ephesians 3:14-21. He says, “I want you to have the strength and gumption and boldness to see and know the breadth and length and height and depth of Christ’s love for you.”

So Indelible Grace, let’s pray that we would have the strength to know the endless dimensions of his love. And let’s pray that we would know God’s immeasurably more in 2024. May we know it as a church. May we know it as families and households. May we know it as God’s beloved sons and daughters. And may he do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to hm be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Pastor Jesse

On Daily Bible Reading

I began to believe the lie some time in the boom-and-bust spirituality of my teenage years. I thought that if I could read my Bible every morning, I might make it spiritually. Like, if I could just wake up a little early and maybe get some time in with those census lists in Numbers or the divine imprecations on Edom (whose geography still escapes me), I might be able to kick sinning altogether. The Lord just might honor my daily Bible reading with a perfected nature. Spoiler alert: it didn't ever happen. The perfectability, that is. I did succeed eventually in a regular daily Bible reading. But I discovered that I was still thoroughly sinful afterwards. So much for my spiritual hacking of my life.

It might seem strange to start an exhortation for daily Bible reading with what it will not do for you, but here we are (one particular day this Christmas break, I woke up earlier than my young children, a pious feat, to read my Bible and pray before the day started. And then I proceeded to sin against every family member serially before lunchtime). Sometimes our evangelical tradition can treat the Bible like it's a talisman, a kryptonite to our sinful nature. God's Word IS powerful. Indeed, just this morning in my daily Bible reading, I read Hebrews 4:12: For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. God's Word is like a searchlight, a surgeon's scalpel, and splint all in one. It has a magic but it does not work magically. There's a difference. It takes active work, thoughtful prayer, and conscious meditation to let the magic/divine power of Scripture transform you.

So here are some reflections for you as you enter the new year.

Why should I read the Bible daily?

  1. Reading the Bible is an important means of grace. That's a fancy way of saying that God communicates his grace to us through the Bible. I do not know any mature and grace-filled Christians who got that way without some sort of regular Bible reading. And the most compelling Christians I know are those in whom Scripture just comes out of their hearts as their regular meditation.

  2. The Bible is where we hear God speak to us. It would be strange if we never listened to our roommate or spouse speak to us. That would evidence something unhealthy in the relationship.

  3. We have lots of Biblical evidence for the necessity of daily communion with God. When the exiles regathered in Ezra, one of the first things they did was rebuild the altar so they could offer burnt offerings morning and evening as well as the daily burnt offerings (Ezra 3:3ff). That's why the Christian tradition developed daily morning and evening prayer.

All right. So how do I read the Bible every day? What should I do?

Well the MOST IMPORTANT TENET of daily Bible reading is to keep the goal of listening and communing with the Lord. Your motive and prayer in Bible reading must remain centered on communion. Everything else will fall into place if you keep Jesus central to the Bible.

  1. That means there's grace when we fall short. Perhaps the worst thing you can do when you miss a day (or more) of reading is to give up. The goal is not about getting it perfect. That's Phariseeical. That's more about your religiosity. When you fail to read, whether one day or several, just jump back in. Keep coming back. That's the important thing. There are still days that I miss, even as a pastor. Sometimes, it's my sin or laziness. Sometimes it feels like I had no control. But the truth is that the Lord IS gracious with us, always pursuing us even when we are missing him.

  2. Meditation and prayer are what set the Word at work. You can read the Bible without ever really engaging God. But it's actually meditation and prayer that gets the Word acting in your heart. Pray before you read that the Spirit will give you a word or phrase you can carry with you throughout the day as a prayer. The goal should be less completing your reading and more on carrying a word or passage with you to meditate and pray on.

  3. Read a Psalm first and daily. The Psalms are perhaps the most accessible piece of daily Bible reading. Most spiritual discipline traditions of daily prayer start with a Psalm. The Psalms orient you to that listening and communing.

If you've never read the Bible daily, shoot for just reading one chapter of Psalms a day this next year.

Or add a chapter of Proverbs. There are 31 chapters of Proverbs, easy to do 1 chapter a day every month.

For you more ambitious who want to read the whole Bible in a year, there are lots of reading plans out there. Do your research on what plan would work for you. It's a transformative thing to read the Bible in a set time, and I've found that the shorter the time, the more formative (I will always remember the time when I read the whole Bible in 4 months. It was like seeing God's redemption in technicolor for the first time!). My only warning for you is that however noble a goal it is to read the whole Bible, see the MOST IMPORTANT TENET up above.

So let's start this year with prayer that God's Word would be planted deep in us, that we might commune with him. Lord, may the word of Christ dwell in us richly, as we teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God! (Col 3:16.)

Pastor Jesse

A Note About Family Services

Brothers and sisters,

This Sunday is our family worship service! This is one of my favorite things about IGC. Every six weeks (give or take), we have a worship service where all our covenant kids remain with the adults for the entirety of the service. This not only gives our children's ministry volunteers a much-needed break, but it also is a fantastic opportunity for our kids to learn how to worship the Lord Jesus! Here at IGC, we believe our children BELONG to Jesus, even before they ever express faith. Indeed, we believe the church is THE family of God, where singles, married, parents, children, empty-nesters, and grandparents are bound together by a baptismal water that's thicker than blood.

Even though this service will have all the usual elements, it will look a little different. During service, there will be some extra explanations of the things we do in worship. And if you're a parent, please note these other changes and ways you can prepare your kids:

  1. Worship. We've picked songs and elements that are simplified and easily engaged in by kids, so you can encourage and help your kids to sing.

  2. Offering. Unlike most Sundays, we'll be taking up a physical offering. This is a great opportunity to have kids give. Encourage them to go through their piggy bank or allowance to give from their own money. Or consider letting them give your family's offering.

  3. Sermon. We'll only have one sermon this family service, but rest assured, it will be a shorter sermon - more of a homily, tailored to a younger child's vocabulary level.

    • It will be my goal to preach a sermon that can engage four-year-olds AND forty-year-olds. We believe that regardless of age, what we all need is the same: to see and hear Jesus in his Word!

    • Also, we won't be giving out handouts as we've done in the past. We want to encourage our kids' full attention to the service.

  4. Communion. We will observe communion together. Even though communion is only for those who have been baptized and publicly professed faith in Jesus, we still want our covenant kids to see us partaking in the Lord's Supper. This is an opportunity to talk to your kids both about what communion is and what they believe. When they come up with you to receive communion, we as elders will pray a blessing over them.

The general rule for this family service is we expect kids to engage and for parents (and friends) to help kids engage. That's because we believe that Jesus IS engaging and does engage kids. Likewise, we will be actively trying to engage them. I think kids generally rise to the level of expectations. That said, there is so much grace and patience extended to parents and kids! This is a new thing. Some kids are going to be more wiggly, and that's ok. 

Looking forward to this Sunday!

Pastor Jesse

Session Update

I can't believe it's already been two months since I started here at Indelible Grace! It has been a delight to serve you, to work beside you, and to get better acquainted with you all!

I want to update you about the good work your session has been doing (The session is the total number of pastors and ruling elders). Let me first say that your ruling elders are extraordinary men of God. Pastor Wade and I are in a unique role to see how much these wise men have sacrificed for you and this church, how much they love you and the Lord. It is beautiful.  

As we enter a new season at IGC, we are discussing our culture as a session, asking aspirational questions about the kind of leadership body God has called us to be. What work has God set before us as elders? How do we as a session become a body that listens to the Spirit together? How can we better shepherd each other as well as you, the congregation?

One result is the decision to strive to communicate more clearly to you about our work as a session. We are committed to a posture of transparency and openness the Bible calls the church to manifest. The kingdom Jesus brings is one of light, not darkness, of uncovering what was once in the dark and secret (Luke 12:2-3). The apostle Paul renounces "disgraceful, underhanded ways" and instead commits himself to the "open statement of the truth" (2 Cor 4:2). In addition, we believe openness respects the Reformational principle that all believers are priests (1 Pet 2:9, stay tuned for our sermon next week!). The Spirit lives among you all, and we want to listen to the voice of the Spirit in the congregation. Our system of Presbyterianism presumes this. That’s why elders are nominated and voted on by the congregation. The Spirit works through you, church members, to accomplish his will.

In light of this transparency, we want to invite you to attend a session meeting! Stated meetings, our regularly scheduled session meetings, are open to any church member in good standing. Our next stated meeting will be on November 7, 2023 at 8 pm at Pastor Jesse's house. Come on, all who are curious! Come join us! If you can’t make this stated meeting, there will be future meetings.

Of course, key parts of eldering require confidentiality. Thorny pastoral issues, church discipline matters, big picture vision, or personnel matters require discretion. The Book of Church Order (the policy guide of the PCA) provides two tools. Executive session, the first tool, is a section of a stated meeting where only session members are allowed. We reserve any discretionary matters for executive session. The other tool is a called session meeting. Called meetings are for a specific purpose and only session members are thus invited.

At the session’s request, we are using several called meetings scheduled for the fall to rethink and potentially restructure ministries around IGC. For instance, our next called meeting will be working towards a philosophy of worship. There are many biblically faithful ways to do worship, and we as a session have a responsibility to determine how IGC's worship should be structured and guided. We will also commit other called meetings to address discipleship, children and youth ministry, mercy ministry, and outreach at IGC.

So, stay tuned! There will be much more communication to come. We are thrilled and thankful to the Lord for this new season. We believe that God is guiding us on this great adventure of being his exile people. He is at work among us!

If you have any questions or concerns about this, please reach out to me or any other elder. Again, we are your servants for the sake of Christ and his glorious gospel! And please pray for us and these exciting discussions. We need your prayers. In his exposition on eldership, the apostle Paul warns that the devil has it out for elders (1 Tim 3:6-7). So please pray for our preservation and perseverance in Christ’s joy.

Yours in Christ,
Pastor Jesse

New Sermon Series: 1 Peter

This week, we're embarking on our fall sermon series in 1 Peter.

We believe that all Scripture is God-breathed, which is reason enough to attend to this book. But I believe there are especially compelling and timely reasons for our church to look at 1 Peter. The apostle Peter writes to encourage a church that has endured hardship. It faces misunderstanding and ostracism from the surrounding culture.

Peter holds out exile as a ruling metaphor for the church. We are an exile people. Yet the Lord promises grace "in abundance" to his people. Indeed, it is in the midst of suffering and hardship that God ministers his grace to needy saints. And 1 Peter constantly holds up the hope of glory for the Christ-follower who endures. It is my hope that we, as a church, might be encouraged in hope and grace for our own exile.

On that note, 1 Peter points to answers of how God's people should live faithfully in exile. What's our relationship to the government? Our employers? Our church leaders? Are we to abstain, abandon, or accommodate to our culture? What distinguishes Christian marriage?

In addition, Peter supplies a rich and Christ-centered ecclesiology - which is just a fancy way to describe our understanding of the church. The church is not merely a bunch of individuals voluntarily assembling together like any other social group. Rather, we are a "chosen race, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation." We are a people chosen by God, saved by God, and held together by God.

So let me invite you to both pray for our series and prepare to receive God's word. May God supply his grace to us. Amen.

Pastor Jesse

A Reflection from the PSC

At this time last year, our church was in a season of weariness, pain, grief, and uncertainty about what God’s plans were for IGC. Last August, when the Pastoral Search Committee (PSC) was formed, many of us were skeptical of what kind of success we’d have in finding a senior pastor — due to our own feelings of personal inadequacy, as well as what we felt was an undesirable work situation for someone to enter into.  

In many ways, being part of this committee was more than we imagined. It was definitely more work than we imagined. The weekly meetings, putting together a packet, and interviews kept us busy these past ten months. It was more unifying than we imagined. We came out of this season feeling like a community. The process required us to be a part of each other’s lives so that we could share opinions safely and respectfully with each other. And it was more sanctifying than we imagined. In describing what we desire in a pastor, we had to hold a mirror up to ourselves. We were forced to pray and seek God constantly because there were so many points in the process when we were unsure about how we were going to make a decision. This work was demanding, but God used it to grow and shape each of us. 

As we’re on the cusp of welcoming Jesse as our senior pastor, we look back at our perceived inadequacies as individuals and as a church, and how challenging of a situation any senior pastor would be stepping into. And we’re reminded of God’s desire to use what is weak and broken to show that he is the one who holds all things together. In this process God reminded us that when we are weak, he is strong; when we are faithless, he remains faithful. We hope this is also a testimony to the church of God’s faithfulness and that you share our excitement for what God will continue to do in IGC. 

Lastly, we want to thank everyone who has labored with us in this process: to our families, the staff, the session, and Josh Eby. We’re thankful for how God used each of you to minister to us.  

Nate Ong, on behalf of the PSC (Julie Gullman, Sini Robinson, John Ward, Elaine Wu, Tommy Wong, Anna Yang, and Tae Yook)

A note from our pastor-elect, Jesse Robinson

We had a congregational vote this past Sunday to approve the call for Jesse Robinson to become our new senior pastor. We are happy and excited to announce that the call was approved by an overwhelming majority. Now that the call has been approved by the congregation, he is now our pastor-elect. Next, Jesse will be examined by the Northern California Presbytery and will be transferred from the Blue Ridge Presbytery. Jesse and his family will then move to California. Lord willing, he will begin ministering at IGC later this summer. His start date will be determined by the IGC session in the coming weeks. 

Special thanks to the Pastoral Search Committee for the time and energy they spent, the thought they put in, and the prayers they prayed throughout the search process. You will hear directly from them in next week's newsletter.

Praise God for his provision for our church!
 
A note from Pastor Jesse:

Beloved brothers and sisters at IGC,

The peace of Christ be with you all! Jessica and I are so thankful for our brief time with you. It was such a delight to meet you, and we so enjoyed the meet-and-greet on Saturday morning, meeting and talking with you all. It left us wanting more time with you!

We're so thankful to the Lord for his mercy in leading us to the saints at Indelible Grace Church. We have been so encouraged in all our conversations. From the pastoral search committee, to the staff, to the session, to the members, we have experienced the presence and grace of our Lord Jesus among you all. It has been a living demonstration of the truth of 1 Corinthians 12:27: "Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it." 

Now finally, we rejoice in the Lord for the vote on Sunday! The Lord has been faithful to each step of this process, and we are grateful for this final confirmation that the Lord is calling us to come labor with and among you. Praise Jesus, the Lord and Head of his bride, the church! He is rich and generous to his people and always faithful!

Pastor Jesse Robinson