November 16, 2024
Happy Saturday, Grace Vineyard Family and Friends!
It’s time for a Saturday evening edition of our Weekly Update.
Tomorrow morning is our Sunday worship gathering, so I’ll start by letting you know where will be in the Word tomorrow. Cornerstone. I’m thinking that’s not a word that has a lot of meaning to us today, but it shows up as a metaphor in the Bible several times, and it’s’ certainly on Peter’s mind when he is thinking about Jesus. And you couldn’t have been to Jerusalem in Peter’s day without seeing the massive Jewish Temple. Check out this photo:
This is a corner stone from the Temple Mount, and it is so large it’s hard to imagine. This one is 39 feet 4 inches long by 7 feet 10 inches wide and 43 inches high, and it’s weight is estimated at 80 tons!
You might remember the story told in Acts 3 and 4 where Peter and John see a man who had been crippled from birth who was being carried to the Temple gate where he was put to beg every day. Peter says those famous words, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!” The man had never walked, yet he miraculously jumps to his feet and begins walking and jumping and praising God. A huge crowd gathers to see the commotion, and Peter tells them all about Jesus. Well, the Jewish leaders are not happy, especially when Peter boldly proclaims that they had Jesus killed, but that Jesus is the Messiah, raised from the dead, and it was by faith in His name that the man was healed. When Peter and John are arrested and questioned before the leaders, Peter says, “It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.’
quoting from Isaiah and Psalms.
The cornerstone of a building was really important for the building, and all that rest of the construction is built in reference to that chief cornerstone. I suspect Peter had a giant stone like the one in this picture in mind when he was talking to those Jewish leaders. Later on, in his letter that we’ve been reading on Sunday mornings, Peter uses the cornerstone/capstone metaphor again to encourage followers of Jesus like you and me:
1 Peter 2:4-8
4 As you come to him, the living Stone — rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”
7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone,”
8 and, “A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.”
That’s where we’ll be reading tomorrow, and I’m simply calling the message, “The Cornerstone”. As we unpack the meaning in these verses, we’ll discover that when Jesus becomes precious to us, we become precious to God the Father, and as we build our lives on Jesus like a cornerstone, we find our value, our identity, and our purpose built on the solid foundation of Jesus Himself. I hope you’ll be able to join us in the morning. If you can’t be with us in person, here’s the link for the Zoom channel: Zoom Meeting ID 153 112 432, Passcode 684814, and here’s where you would go for the Facebook Live channel: facebook.com/gracevcf.
And of course, tomorrow’s message is just a continuation of what we were learning last week. For reference, here’s the Youtube link for last Sunday’s message:
If you ever want to just listen to one of our Sunday sermons, you can go to www.gracetalks.org. I’m pretty sure last week’s message will be posted very soon.
Newcomers Luncheon Sunday, November 17
A number of you are new to Grace Vineyard in the last 6 months or so. We’d love to have a chance to get to know you better, so we’re planning a luncheon after church tomorrow (November 17th). If you’d like an opportunity to learn more about our history, our vision, our staff, or anything else, please join us. I’ll share a little bit about our story with you, and give you an opportunity to ask any questions you may have. If you’d like to join us, please text “lunch” to 760-237-4393, or send us an email at info@gracevcf.org.
Loving Our Neighbors at Thanksgiving
Our friends from Convicted For Christ are loving our unsheltered neighbors in a practical way for Thanksgiving, and all of us are invited to participate. Brandi will be in the lobby after church with information and a signup sheet. Together, we will be putting on a Thanksgiving Feast on Friday, November 29th, at 11am at Fireside park. There are lots of ways to get involved, including cooking Turkeys (that will be provided for you if necessary). So, definitely find Brandi Mitchell this Sunday and see how you can get involved!
Operation Christmas Child Last Day November 17
If you’ve been in our lobby the last few weeks, you’ve seen our Operation Christmas Child table. It’s that time of year again, when we box up Christmas presents in shoeboxes to be sent around the world. Many of you already know about this program, but if you don’t, check out all the info at samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child. They have a very complete website with everything you would want to know about the mission and history of this great ministry as well as instructions for how to pack a shoebox. Also, stop by the booth in the lobby and pickup a shoebox and get more info. The last day to return your shoeboxes at Grace Vineyard is tomorrow (November 17th) so if you miss tomorrow, you’ll need to find the nearest drop off location by going to the Operation Christmas Child website I just mentioned.
Decorating the Church for Christmas
Every year we decorate our church for Christmas. We’ll need women and men to join us on Saturday, November 23rd at 10am. For more details, please contact Jeannie Isbell 760.419.1887.
Ladies Christmas Luncheon December 14
Women of Grace, you are invited to celebrate Christmas with a beautiful luncheon beginning at 11am. Margy Hill will be our speaker. The menu is soup, salad and dessert. If you’d like to bring a soup or dessert or host a table, please sign up in the lobby. Tickets are $15. For more information, please call Jeannie Isbell 760.419.1887.
That’s all for now! I’ll see you when we get together tomorrow morning for worship!
With love and blessings to each of you,
Ron Ohst
Tithes and Offerings Online
THANKS for taking ownership in the life and ministry of Grace Vineyard! And thanks to all of you who are stepping into a lifestyle of generosity with your tithes and offerings. It really does take all of us doing our part with the income God has entrusted to us for His church. If you’d like to give your tithe or offering online, click the donate button below.