"When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?" Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them." -Matthew 11.2-5

     Wholeness. It is the mark of the Messiah. When John's nagging question was voiced, Jesus pointed to the lives around him who had been transformed and made whole by his touch. In the step of the lame, Jesus said, "I am the one sent from God"; in the vision of the blind, Jesus said, "I am the light of the world"; in the good news given to the poor, Jesus said, "I am sufficient for you." Christ brings wholeness to the lives that he touches.

     St. Iranaeus said it this way: "The glory of God is man fully alive." That's right, you and I are created to show God's glory through our lives that have been touched by Jesus. Our wholeness shows the wonderful nature of God.

     This is my vision for Grace Baptist Church. That God would empower us to be a place of creating wholeness in people's lives. To give hope to people with shattered dreams; to give love to people who have been pushed aside and declared unworthy; to dispense faith to people who have had their trust violated. My vision for Grace Baptist Church is that we are used by God to offer his wholeness to the people that we encounter in our lives. Will you join me in Christ's work of freeing people to be "fully alive"?

     See you Sunday,

  Pastor Dave

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