Church was never meant to be something carefully curated around our preferences. It is a community of imperfect people, brought together by Jesus and learning what it means to love, serve and belong to one another.

And sometimes, that’s uncomfortable.

It can be uncomfortable to introduce yourself, sit with someone new, join a group, pray with someone, serve where you’re needed, open your home or allow another person to see beyond the surface of your life. Our instinct can be to retreat toward what feels familiar and easy.

But what if discomfort isn’t always something to avoid?

This morning, Pastor Heath challenged us to consider whether the places that make us uncomfortable might actually be places where God is inviting us to grow. Christian community asks us to move beyond “What works for me?” toward “How can I love and serve the people God has placed around me?”

The church is a WE, not an I.

This week, consider:

What uncomfortable thing might the Holy Spirit be inviting you into?

Maybe it’s a conversation. A prayer. A meal. A ministry. An introduction. An invitation. Or simply choosing to stay and build relationship when pulling away would be easier.

Community doesn’t happen accidentally. We build it when ordinary people choose, again and again, to move toward one another.

This week, choose one small thing that takes you slightly outside your comfort zone and toward another person.

Sit with someone you don’t normally sit with. Send the text you’ve been meaning to send. Invite someone for coffee. Introduce yourself instead of waiting for them to come to you. Pray with someone rather than only saying you’ll pray for them. Sign up to serve. Stay a little longer and have the conversation.

It doesn’t have to be dramatic.

Just one intentional step from comfort toward community.

Then pay attention to what God might do with that small act of courage.

Embrace the discomfort. See what Jesus does.

The Prayer Covenant | Grace

This week in Kids’ Church, our kids began to learn about prayer and what it means to have a relationship with Jesus.

Through the Parable of the Lost Sheep (Luke 15:1–7), they explored Grace and were reminded that God loves each one of us deeply. Just as the shepherd went looking for the one sheep that wandered away, Jesus cares about every person and welcomes us into His care.

Their verse for the week was:

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!”
1 John 3:1

The kids also learned that grace is a gift. It isn’t something we earn. God offers it to us through Jesus, and we are invited to receive it.

Take It Home

Your child received a Prayer Covenant Prayer Card in Kids’ Church. Pull it out sometime this week and use it together! It’s a simple way to continue Sunday’s conversation and help make prayer part of everyday family life. (There's a link to this week's prayer card below)

Around the supper table, in the car or before bedtime, try asking:

Have you ever received something you didn’t earn? How did it make you feel?

Then talk together about what it means that God’s grace is a gift, and finish by praying the Grace prayer from your child’s Prayer Card together.

Little conversations can plant big seeds.