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Dear San Marco Church Family: We have now completed three of the five Sundays in our series entitled “Wesleyan Rooted.” I have heard from many of you that the topics we have covered have offered new insights into our rich faith tradition. Our United Methodist tradition offers a broad understanding of grace as well as an emphasis upon our responsibility to serve as Christ’s hands and feet on earth. We respond to God’s grace in our lives by serving as Christ’s ambassadors of grace to the world. This Sunday, September 29, our focus is on what it means to “Embrace Widely.” The scripture passage is from Luke 15, and specifically the parable of the prodigal son. I encourage you to read Luke 15 this week and consider the meaning of the father’s embrace. I imagine that most of us have felt like a prodigal at one time or another (I know that I have!), and I hope we all remember that sweet feeling of acceptance that comes from knowing we are loved and forgiven, regardless of our past. In Luke 7:47, Jesus tells us that “…whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” The inverse of this statement is that whoever has been forgiven much knows how to love extravagantly. I love this statement because it describes how God’s grace washes over our lives and inspires us to love others as God loves us! When I consider every selfish mistake that I have made in my life, I am filled with gratitude that God does not hold any of it against me. May I strive to extend that same grace to everyone I encounter! Friends, I am encouraged that we are seeing new faces in worship each week. Please consider inviting a friend the next time you come to worship. I am still learning names for some of you, so please bear with me if I have to ask your name yet again. My goal is to know each of you by name. As always, reach out to me anytime via email (stevehart100@gmail.com) if there is anything I can do to serve you or your family. I look forward to seeing you Sunday! Steve Hart
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