What would happen if the church created a rule of like that said “Grace Comes First: You Start with Your Place”? Keep reading to see how Pastor Hartman addressed this question or go to our YouTube channel and watch Sunday’s livestream. Sunday, May 31, 2026 – Grace Comes First: You Start with Your Place.
30-Second Summary: On Holy Trinity Sunday, Pastor Hartman preached on New Spirit’s first core value: Grace Comes First. Drawing from the longing to be known by name, the body of Christ, and the Trinity’s life of love, the sermon proclaimed this good news: you do not earn your place in God’s family. You start with it. The Holy Spirit creates belonging, and the church is called to welcome people as beloved children of God, especially those who have been hurt or pushed aside.
Sermon Thread: You don’t earn your place here. You start with it.
This week, help one person feel known. Learn and use someone’s name. Wear your own name tag so others can know you too. Use a person’s correct pronouns. Reach out to someone who may feel unseen. Let grace go first before you ask anything from them.
Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name. That line from Cheers stays with people because it names something true. We want to be seen. All people want to be known for who they are. We want to walk into a place and know we are more than one more body in the room.
That is where Pastor Hartman’s sermon began this week as New Spirit started walking through our core values. The first value is simple and deep: Grace Comes First. Before we serve on a committee, before we give, before we know all the songs, before we have our life figured out, God’s grace is already there. You don’t earn your place here. You start with it.
That kind of welcome begins with small, holy acts. Names matter. Pronouns matter. Identity matters. When we ask visitors to wear name tags, we are saying we want to know them. When members wear name tags too, we are saying they get to know us as well. Hospitality is not one-way. It is shared. It is a sign that everyone in the room matters.
The sermon named something many people already know: not every church feels that way. Some communities make people feel like they have to earn their spot. They may need to give enough, serve enough, dress the right way, come from the right family, or stay long enough before they are treated as if they truly belong. Grace does not work that way. It is not a reward for people who pass the test. Grace is God’s gift that meets us first.
Paul’s image of the body of Christ helps us see this more clearly. Every part of the body matters. Not everyone is the eye or the hand. Some of us may feel more like the little toe. But even the little toe matters. It helps with balance. It reminds us where the furniture is in the dark. The church does not need everyone to be the same. The church needs every person to be received as a beloved part of Christ’s body.
This is especially important for people who have been hurt by the church. Some people come carrying stories of rejection, exclusion, shame, or spiritual abuse. A grace-first church does not ask those wounds to disappear before welcome is offered. A grace-first church says, bring what you are carrying. You are loved. We will walk with you. You do not have to serve on twenty committees to prove that you matter.
Holy Trinity Sunday gave the sermon an even deeper shape. The Trinity is a mystery, but it also shows us a pattern of relationship. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct, yet united in love. They do not erase one another. The different parts of the Trinity do not compete with one another. They live in holy relationship. That is a beautiful image for the church. We do not all have to match in order to belong together.
Pastor Hartman also shared about finally settling into his office after almost four years at New Spirit. The office now shows his real self: theology, coffee, food, Martin Luther, and a whole lot of professional wrestling. That may sound like a small thing, but it points to something bigger. Sometimes people need time before they feel safe enough to put down roots. Sometimes it takes a while before a person trusts that they really are welcome as they are.
Grace makes room for that. It gives people time. Grace does not rush people into performance. Grace says, you can show up fully and authentically. You do not have to hide who you are. No one has to earn their place here. You start with it.
Weekly Spiritual Practice: This week, help one person feel known. Learn and use someone’s name. Wear your own name tag so others can know you too. Use a person’s correct pronouns. Reach out to someone who may feel unseen. Let grace go first before you ask anything from them.
