Grace’s Latest Messages
The Unveiled Life | Jason Ricafranca | 2 Corinthians 3:12-18
What gives us true boldness in our faith? In 2 Corinthians 3:12–18, the Apostle Paul describes how Christ removes the veil from our hearts, freeing us from the pressure to earn God’s acceptance through our own effort. For many of Paul’s original listeners—and for many of us today—the temptation is to believe that our actions can somehow make us more acceptable to God. This passage points us to a better way. Instead of striving to save ourselves, we are invited to turn to Jesus. And as we behold Him, something remarkable happens: we are gradually transformed into His image by the work of the Spirit. Join us as we explore how the gospel replaces guilt, shame, and self-effort with true freedom, lasting hope, and a bold confidence rooted in Christ.
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2 Corinthians 3:12-18
12 Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, 13 not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. 14 But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. 15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. 16 But when one[a] turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord[b] is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord,[c] are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.[d] For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
In Search of Glory | Bob Wriedt | 2 Corinthians 3:7-11
What drives our desire for glory? From the Olympic podium to everyday life, people naturally long for recognition, achievement, and significance. While most of us will never stand before a global audience with a gold medal, we often pursue our own versions of glory through success, relationships, reputation, or personal accomplishments.
In this message from 2 Corinthians 3:7–11, we explore how the Bible reframes our understanding of glory. The Apostle Paul contrasts fading, temporary glory with the lasting, life-giving glory that comes through the Spirit of God. This passage invites us to consider where we seek significance and how the gospel offers something far greater than anything the world can provide. Join us as we discover how God’s unfading glory reshapes our identity, our purpose, and the way we live each day.
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2 Corinthians 3:7-11
7 Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses' face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? 9 For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. 10 Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory.
Is this all? | Bob Wriedt | 2 Corinthians 3:1-6
Since this Sunday is the Super Bowl, it’s fitting to start with a football story. After winning his third Super Bowl, Tom Brady reflected on his success in a 60 Minutes interview and admitted, “I have three Super Bowl rings, and still I think there’s got to be something greater out there. This can’t be what it’s all cracked up to be.” Some might point out that he went on to win even more championships—but the deeper question remains. Can more success of the same kind really satisfy the soul? As Christians, it’s easy to hear a quote like that and think, He needs Jesus. And that’s true. But it’s also worth asking whether we quietly share the same feeling. Even in church life—even in ministry—what once felt vibrant and life-giving can slowly begin to feel routine or hollow. That quiet sense of spiritual dissatisfaction matters. What we do with it shapes our relationship with God. This week at Grace, we’ll be in 2 Corinthians 3:1–6, where Paul points us away from performance, achievement, and external validation, and toward the true source of life and transformation. Let’s talk about it together this Sunday.
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2 Corinthians 3:1-6
3 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or from you? 2 You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our[a] hearts, to be known and read by all. 3 And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.[b]
4 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
Called Together | Dr. Dave Guiles | 2 Corinthians 8:1-7
What does it mean to confess belief in “one holy catholic church”? For many Protestants, that phrase can feel confusing or uncomfortable. But in the Apostles’ Creed, “catholic” simply means universal—a confession that all believers, in all places and at all times, are united in Christ. In 2 Corinthians 8, the apostle Paul presses this belief into action. He calls Christians in different regions and cultures to care for one another, showing that unity in Christ is not just something we confess, but something we live out through generosity, partnership, and love. This week at Grace, we hear from Dr. Dave Guiles, president of the Charis Alliance, as he helps us consider what Christian unity looks like in a global church. Today, the vast majority of Charis churches worship outside the United States, reminding us that the body of Christ is far bigger than any one nation or culture. Together, we’ll reflect on how the gospel calls believers to mutual care, shared responsibility, and deeper faith through interdependence in Christ.
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2 Corinthians 8:1-7
8 We want you to know, brothers,[a] about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 4 begging us earnestly for the favor[b] of taking part in the relief of the saints— 5 and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. 6 Accordingly, we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace. 7 But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you[c]—see that you excel in this act of grace also.
Authentic Christianity | Bob Wriedt | 2 Corinthians 2:12-17
Smell is a powerful thing. Some scents draw us in instantly, while others push us away just as fast. Most of us agree on certain “pleasant” smells, but others are surprisingly divisive. What one person loves, another can’t stand. The apostle Paul taps into this exact experience in 2 Corinthians when he uses scent as a metaphor for the Christian life. He says that our lives carry an aroma to the world around us. And while many of us hope our faith will be received like a universally pleasant fragrance, the reality is more complicated. The gospel of Jesus Christ is welcomed by some and rejected by others—deeply attractive to a few, deeply offensive to many. This week at Grace, we’ll explore what Paul means by this metaphor and how it frees us from trying to manage everyone’s reaction to our faith. We’ll talk about what it looks like to live faithfully, even when the gospel doesn’t “smell good” to everyone—and how that truth can help us walk together as a church.
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2 Corinthians 2:12-17
12 When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, 13 my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia.
14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.
A Forgiving Community | Jason Ricafranca | 2 Corinthians 2:5-11
C.S. Lewis once wrote, “We all agree that forgiveness is a beautiful idea—until we have something to forgive.” It’s easy to admire forgiveness from a distance, but much harder when we’re the ones who have been hurt. Stories like the Parable of the Prodigal Son show the beauty of extravagant mercy—the father running to embrace a son who had wronged him. But would we be able to do the same? Or would we be tempted to hold back grace? In this message from 2 Corinthians 2:5–11, Paul calls the church to forgive someone who had sinned against them. We’ll explore what real, gospel-shaped forgiveness looks like in a community of believers and how the grace we’ve received from Christ empowers us to extend grace to others.
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2 Corinthians 2:5-11
5 Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. 6 For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, 7 so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. 9 For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything. 10 Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, 11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.
God’s Will and Our Plans | Bob Wriedt | 2 Corinthians 1:12-20
Have you ever been misunderstood in a way that really hurt? Not just a simple miscommunication, but a moment when people assumed the worst about you. When motives were questioned, rumors spread, or silence was interpreted uncharitably. It’s especially painful when those misunderstandings come from people you care about—and even more painful when they’re completely wrong. That’s the situation behind this week’s passage in 2 Corinthians. Paul writes to address false assumptions about why he hasn’t visited the Corinthian church. But instead of responding defensively, he models something far better. In correcting their misunderstanding, Paul shows us how the gospel reshapes the way we interpret others, speak truth with grace, and examine our own hearts. This passage invites us to consider how trust, love, and humility should guide our relationships as followers of Christ. We’ll explore all of that together this Sunday at Grace.
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2 Corinthians 1:12-20
12 For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity[a] and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you. 13 For we are not writing to you anything other than what you read and understand and I hope you will fully understand— 14 just as you did partially understand us—that on the day of our Lord Jesus you will boast of us as we will boast of you.
15 Because I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a second experience of grace. 16 I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and to come back to you from Macedonia and have you send me on my way to Judea. 17 Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans according to the flesh, ready to say “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time? 18 As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No. 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. 20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.
Comforted by God | Bob Wriedt | 2 Corinthians 1:1-11
This year at Grace, we’re beginning a new sermon series in 2 Corinthians, a deeply personal and pastoral letter from the Apostle Paul. Many familiar Christian phrases come from this book—phrases we often quote without fully understanding their context or meaning. Ideas like God’s comfort, joyful generosity, jars of clay, new creation, freedom in the Spirit, and the ministry of reconciliation are all woven throughout 2 Corinthians. In this series, we’ll slow down and explore what these expressions actually meant to the original church and how they shape a mature, resilient Christian life today. This isn’t just about learning theology—it’s about growing in faith, endurance, humility, and hope as followers of Jesus. Whether you’re new to the Bible or have read it for years, 2 Corinthians invites us into an honest, grace-filled vision of life with Christ.
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2 Corinthians 1:1-11
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
God of All Comfort
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.[a] 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.
8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers,[b] of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. 11 You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.