There’s a moment in Luke’s Gospel when everything makes a decisive turn. It’s understated—easy to miss—but it changes the whole story: “When the days drew near for him to be taken up, Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem.” (Luke 9:51)
“Setting your face forward” sounds dramatic. But it’s not always a grand gesture. Sometimes it looks like zipping up a suitcase for the first time without your parents. Or saying yes to a calling that’s been quietly growing for years. Sometimes it means choosing kindness when you could just as easily scroll past.
Jesus sets his face toward Jerusalem. Around here, I’ve seen faces set forward toward camps, mission trips, service projects, and into ministry.
Forward in Faith
Our elementary kids head to PASSPORTkids! in early July. Camp shows young people that faith is walkable, that being a Christian is daily commitment to trust God again. Then, the next generation steps forward. Twenty-three youth travel mid-July to PASSPORTmissions. While they’re away, our church hosts a creative service project: making fidget blankets for dementia patients.
Holy Ground in Hard Places
Sunday, July 20, we set our faces toward Orange County Correctional Center to worship alongside the men there. Every visit leaves a mark. The Holy Spirit moves in that chapel in ways that are raw, real, and unexpected. Later this month, we ordain Jane Williams to ministry. Her calling has not been a lightning bolt, but a steady ember. This month, we fan it into flame.
Planted Here
In worship, we continue our Planted Here series with stories about setting faces toward grace. Each story asks the same question we’re asking this month: Where is God calling you to turn?
Freedom That Serves
Right in the middle of it all, the Fourth of July rolls around—our annual celebration of independence and freedom. While we give thanks for civic liberty, we remember that Christian freedom doesn’t shout, it serves. It’s less about fireworks and more about footwashing.
So pick up the thread. Lace up the sneakers. Pour the lemonade. Walk into July with your face set in the direction grace is already moving—one stitch, one step, one yes at a time.
Grace & Peace,