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On this page, you can read selected Grace Notes articles from the Pastor from past months and study them in closer detail. Enjoy!
February 2026
During a Pastoral Transition
Remember that God will be with this church at all times.
You are not forsaken. God is with us. “I will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5).
God is in control.
God “works all things according to the counsel of His will” (Ephesians 1:11). This pastoral transition is not happening outside of the will of God, He is working this according to the counsel of His will. We need to rest in Him by trusting Him.
Ministry must go on.
“Go therefore and make disciples” doesn’t only mean the Pastor, but all who are in the church. We are all in this together and will keep going to continue to make this a great congregation so that we are ready for the new pastor.
The church must not scatter.
Resist the temptation to scatter. Work more diligently to stay bound together in unity and love. This may be a season of testing, but we will endure. Uphold one another in love and prayer. Come to worship, Bible study and fellowship events.
Reinforce our mission and vision.
We are rooted in Christ. We will keep our ministry aligned with the church’s vision and keep that focus during this transition.
Maintain hope and expectation.
As Romans 8 reminds us, “God works in all things to bring about good.” Remain hopeful that we will carry on the work of God and that He will, in His time, have a Pastor to lead us. In the meantime, He will provide a temporary Shepherd and we will be fine.
Pray.
Pray as Jesus did in Matthew 26:39, “Not my will, but your will be done.” Pray for God’s guidance, for unity and for joy.
Sincerely yours,
Pr. Grant Bode
During a Pastoral Transition
Remember that God will be with this church at all times.
You are not forsaken. God is with us. “I will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5).
God is in control.
God “works all things according to the counsel of His will” (Ephesians 1:11). This pastoral transition is not happening outside of the will of God, He is working this according to the counsel of His will. We need to rest in Him by trusting Him.
Ministry must go on.
“Go therefore and make disciples” doesn’t only mean the Pastor, but all who are in the church. We are all in this together and will keep going to continue to make this a great congregation so that we are ready for the new pastor.
The church must not scatter.
Resist the temptation to scatter. Work more diligently to stay bound together in unity and love. This may be a season of testing, but we will endure. Uphold one another in love and prayer. Come to worship, Bible study and fellowship events.
Reinforce our mission and vision.
We are rooted in Christ. We will keep our ministry aligned with the church’s vision and keep that focus during this transition.
Maintain hope and expectation.
As Romans 8 reminds us, “God works in all things to bring about good.” Remain hopeful that we will carry on the work of God and that He will, in His time, have a Pastor to lead us. In the meantime, He will provide a temporary Shepherd and we will be fine.
Pray.
Pray as Jesus did in Matthew 26:39, “Not my will, but your will be done.” Pray for God’s guidance, for unity and for joy.
Sincerely yours,
Pr. Grant Bode
January 2026
O little town of Bethlehem,
How still we see thee lie
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep,
The silent stars go by
Yet in thy dark streets shineth, The everlasting Light,
The hopes and fears of all the years,
Are met in thee tonight
"O Little Town of Bethlehem" is a Christmas carol based on an 1868 text written by Rev. Phillips Brooks. Rev. Brooks was born in Boston, Dec. 13, 1835, graduated from Harvard College 1855, and was ordained in 1859. Successively Rector of the Church of the Advent, Philadelphia, and Trinity Church, Boston, he became the Epis-copal Bishop of Massachusetts in 1891 and died at Boston in Jan. 1893.
His Carol, "O little town of Bethlehem," was written for his Sunday School in 1868, the author spent the season of Christmas in the village of Bethlehem (1866).
The Organist Lewis Redner wrote his recounting of the story:
“As Christmas of 1868 approached, Mr. Brooks told me that he had written a simple little carol for the Christmas Sunday-school service, and he asked me to write the tune to it. The simple music was written in great haste and under great pressure. We were to practice it on the following Sunday. Mr. Brooks came to me on Friday, and said, “Redner, have you ground out that music yet to "O Little Town of Bethlehem"? I replied, 'No,' but that he should have it by Sunday.
On the Saturday night previous my brain was all confused about the tune. I thought more about my Sunday school lesson than I did about the music. But I was roused from sleep late in the night hearing an angel-strain whispering in my ear and seizing a piece of music paper I jotted down the treble of the tune as we now have it, and on Sunday morning before going to church I filled in the harmony. Neither Mr. Brooks nor I ever thought the carol or the music to it would live beyond that Christmas of 1868.
It’s good to know and learn something of the hymns we enjoy and sing at Christmas and throughout the year. It adds to our appreciation and love of such hymnody. It grows in its meaning as we age and mature. And it is something of true value we can pass on to our children and grandchildren, future generations.
It is our Christian heritage.
So rich in meaning that in a “throw away” age here is something in our Church of “heirloom” val-ue.
O come, let us sing unto the Lord:
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. ~ Psalm 95:1
God’s Blessings!
Pastor Bode
O little town of Bethlehem,
How still we see thee lie
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep,
The silent stars go by
Yet in thy dark streets shineth, The everlasting Light,
The hopes and fears of all the years,
Are met in thee tonight
"O Little Town of Bethlehem" is a Christmas carol based on an 1868 text written by Rev. Phillips Brooks. Rev. Brooks was born in Boston, Dec. 13, 1835, graduated from Harvard College 1855, and was ordained in 1859. Successively Rector of the Church of the Advent, Philadelphia, and Trinity Church, Boston, he became the Epis-copal Bishop of Massachusetts in 1891 and died at Boston in Jan. 1893.
His Carol, "O little town of Bethlehem," was written for his Sunday School in 1868, the author spent the season of Christmas in the village of Bethlehem (1866).
The Organist Lewis Redner wrote his recounting of the story:
“As Christmas of 1868 approached, Mr. Brooks told me that he had written a simple little carol for the Christmas Sunday-school service, and he asked me to write the tune to it. The simple music was written in great haste and under great pressure. We were to practice it on the following Sunday. Mr. Brooks came to me on Friday, and said, “Redner, have you ground out that music yet to "O Little Town of Bethlehem"? I replied, 'No,' but that he should have it by Sunday.
On the Saturday night previous my brain was all confused about the tune. I thought more about my Sunday school lesson than I did about the music. But I was roused from sleep late in the night hearing an angel-strain whispering in my ear and seizing a piece of music paper I jotted down the treble of the tune as we now have it, and on Sunday morning before going to church I filled in the harmony. Neither Mr. Brooks nor I ever thought the carol or the music to it would live beyond that Christmas of 1868.
It’s good to know and learn something of the hymns we enjoy and sing at Christmas and throughout the year. It adds to our appreciation and love of such hymnody. It grows in its meaning as we age and mature. And it is something of true value we can pass on to our children and grandchildren, future generations.
It is our Christian heritage.
So rich in meaning that in a “throw away” age here is something in our Church of “heirloom” val-ue.
O come, let us sing unto the Lord:
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. ~ Psalm 95:1
God’s Blessings!
Pastor Bode