Peter’s blessing for the church: grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus. Read 2 Peter 3:17-18. It’s been almost ten years since Wesley Chapel adopted “growing in grace” as part of our vision for our church. We also took Paul’s prayer from Ephesians 3 to "be rooted in the love of Christ". In the lobby of our church, we are greeted by the words, “Rooted in Christ, Growing in grace.” I have to admit that there was a time in my ministry I would not have understood what growing in grace even meant. I was on a bus with a group of pastors on our way to Promise Keepers in Atlanta in the 1990s, when one of the pastors took a poll asking each of us, “What percentage of people in the world do you think are going to heaven?” My answer was something like 4%. He looked surprised and responded, “You have a small view of grace.” A year or so later I was at a different gathering of pastors at a worship service when the speaker ended the message, “There will be times in your ministry when you will have to choose between law and grace. Those are the times to lean toward grace.” Although I was a seminary graduate, I had to admit to myself that I wasn’t sure how to do that. I could define grace. I could sing about grace. I could preach about grace. I went home and opened my Bible to explore what it really meant to live out a life of grace. I became determined to be a pastor who leans into grace and is growing in grace. The journey has been so important that I asked Wesley Chapel to make it part of its identity. Even though we adopted the words in 2013, we were still a long way from creating a culture of grace. Today, I look at the people of Wesley Chapel and can see faith, hope, love, and grace. We are still learning, but we are indeed growing in grace.

God of Grace, create a culture of grace in our homes, our churches, and our communities. Amen.