Grace for the Journey

Love in Truth and Action - Fourth Sunday of Easter

By Pastor Carolyn Hetrick, Deacon Sarah Kretschmann
April 21, 2024
The 4th century theologian Jerome tells a story about the Apostle John, who was old and frail and unable to walk. His disciples would carry him each week into worship, where his words to them were: “Little children, love one another.” This went on week after week,...

READ MORE

Christ Alone - Third Sunday of Easter

By Pastor Scott Schul
April 14, 2024
There are lots of ways to get an education. High School. College. Trade Schools. Graduate programs. But it seems like the most effective and lasting lessons we learn come from experience. Now, I hope that last Monday, in the midst of all the...

READ MORE

BELIEVE - Second Sunday of Easter

By Paster Carolyn Hetrick
April 07, 2024
So I wonder, which is harder to believe- that Jesus Christ rose from the dead or that peace can be among us in this world? Awhile back, Michael and I became fans of a series called “Ted Lasso.” If you’re not familiar, Ted is an American football coach hired to ...

READ MORE

One Holy Place - Easter Sunday

By Pastor Scott Schul
March 31, 2024
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! This is the Good News we joyfully shout and proclaim every Easter. But such was not the case on that very first Easter morning. Mark’s Gospel concludes with Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of J...

READ MORE

Not Ours in Cringing, Yours In Communion - Maundy Thursday

By Pastor Carolyn Hetrick
March 28, 2024
Way back in the wilderness, in the beginning of his ministry, Jesus was given three temptations. “All this can be yours- all of these kingdoms,” Satan says. “I can give them to you.” Then on Palm Sunday we remembered that people wanted to make Jesus a k...

READ MORE

Location, Location, Location - Holy Wednesday

By Pastor Scott Schul
March 27, 2024
If you’ve ever bought or sold a house, you’ve heard a real estate agent say that the three most important factors are “location, location, location.” Where your home is located has an enormous bearing on its value, because location dictates factor...

READ MORE

The Gift of Hopelessness - Palm Sunday

By Pastor Scott Schul
March 24, 2024
When the week began, Jesus of Nazareth rode into Jerusalem like a man ready to receive a coronation. Instead, by Friday, he would receive only a crown of thorns. When the week began, Jesus entered Jerusalem like royalty, riding a colt – the foal of a donkey - ju...

READ MORE

We Belong in God's Heart - The 5th Sunday in Lent

By Pastor Carolyn Hetrick
March 17, 2024
One of the rituals of going away to camp is marking all your things. Back in the day, Mom sewed cute labels into all my clothes so people would know they were mine. By the time our girls went to camp, a Sharpie took care of that. We would write onto whatever it was- clothes, ...

READ MORE

Until Every One is Found - Lenten Wednesday Worship Week 4

By Pastor Carolyn Hetrick
March 13, 2024
Recently I was hiking with a couple folks at the end of a work day in Rothrock. As we’re getting ready to start, one of them asked me if I’d brought a headlamp since it would be dusk when we finished. I realized I hadn't and before I could say anything more, she r...

READ MORE

Do we really know Jesus? - The 4th Sunday in Lent

By Pastor Scott Schul
March 10, 2024
In this digital world of ours, I fear we’re rapidly losing our ability to form meaningful relationships with people. We often hear that we’re all more connected now than ever before, thanks to the Internet and social media. But those connections are so...

READ MORE

The Prodigal Elder - Lenten Wednesday Worship Week 3

By Pastor Scott Schul
March 06, 2024
In my view, the Parable of the Prodigal Son is the greatest of all the parables, because of the astonishing picture it paints of God. It reveals our God as merciful, forgiving, compassionate, understanding, sympathetic, gracious, patient, and so very loving. This i...

READ MORE

The End of Marketplace Faith - The 3rd Sunday in Lent

By Pastor Carolyn Hetrick
March 03, 2024
Imagine seeing the Welcome Center and the entrances and the upper commons here at Grace full of cages full of birds and pens of lambs and goats and calves. Imagine people standing in line waiting to get money and another line to pay. And then a line to get into worship. If you're...

READ MORE

Jesus Simply Must Be With You - Lenten Wednesday Worship Week 2

By Pastor Carolyn Hetrick
February 28, 2024
It’s not a stretch for us to cringe at the word “taxes.” It was no different in Jesus day, but in areas ruled by the Roman Empire, contracts for collecting taxes were farmed out to wealthy foreigners. The people of Palestine were occupied by the Romans, whos...

READ MORE

Ascend the Cross - The 2nd Sunday in Lent

By Pastor Scott Schul
February 25, 2024
“If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” That was the standard Jesus set for those who wanted to follow him. It’s not the evangelism strategy most churches nowadays are willing to embrac...

READ MORE

Electricity, Memory, and Meaning - Lenten Wednesday Worship Week 1

By Pastor Scott Schul
February 21, 2024
Most of you know my father passed away on Sunday. Over the last few days, I’ve found myself taking a long walk down memory lane, remembering lots of things Dad did and said. As in any person’s life, some of those things he did and said were noble and ...

READ MORE

The Real Threat in the Wilderness - The 1st Sunday in Lent

By Pastor Carolyn Hetrick
February 18, 2024
I remember when my parents lived in Florida, the day the alligator stopped all play on the golf course in their development. Everything was well planned there- the sprinklers were programmed to run at just the right times, and the pesticides distributed in the right seasons to...

READ MORE

Regularly Scheduled Maintenance - Ash Wednesday

By Pastor Scott Schul
February 14, 2024
Today’s Gospel lesson reminds us of the importance of treasure. When I got married in December of 1988, I received two treasures. The most important one was of course my dear wife Linda, who remains my wife 35 years later. The other treasure was much le...

READ MORE

The Door to Healing is Hospitality - The 5th Sunday after Epiphany

By Pastor Carolyn Hetrick
February 04, 2024
Last Sunday I was watching the livestream on the Grace app and during the Ministry Moment, Susan Buda and Spunky were wondering what Jesus has to do with us and Susan said, “Jesus wants us to be well.” And as I was in bed with COVID, that was gospel goodness right ...

READ MORE

A Whale of Deliverance - The 3rd Sunday after Epiphany

By Pastor Scott Schul
January 21, 2024
Let’s play a little word game. I’m going to give you a phrase, and then you fill in the blank. “Jonah and the…” Whale, right? Of course. We all associate Jonah with that part of the story where he gets swallowed up by a...

READ MORE

Welcome and Wanted - The 2nd Sunday after Epiphany

By Pastor Carolyn Hetrick
January 14, 2024
Of all the moments in my life as a follower of Jesus, there is one outside of my baptism that I have come to see as perhaps the most important. I was new in town, and didn’t make friends all that easily, being skinny, awkward, not athletic and wearing glasses. But ...

READ MORE

Torn and On the Loose - The Baptism of our Lord

By Pastor Scott Schul
January 07, 2024
I’ve had the blessing three times now to visit the site along the Jordan River where John the Baptist baptized Jesus. It’s a very interesting place, situated where it is, on the border between Israel and Jordan. Soldiers with automatic rifles patrol the perimeter, but...

READ MORE

Grace Lutheran Church & Preschool
205 South Garner Street, State College, PA 16801
(814) 238-2478

Contact Church Contact Preschool

Top