ASSURANCE OF GRACE God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. -- John 3:17 Dear friends, the gospel by which we seek to live states unequivocally that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. On the authority of this gospel I declare to all who truly repent: in Jesus Christ you are forgiven; in Jesus Christ you are forgiven Thanks be to God THE PEACE May the peace of the Lord be with you. And also with you BIBLE READINGS Genesis 9: 8-17 Mark 1: 9-15 This is the word of the Lord, thanks be to God. KIDZnGOD Today, let’s do a little exploring. We’ll start by thinking about one of the bible stories we just heard and then go on to discover why today is extra special to Christians. The story from the bible was about something Jesus really wanted to do. It happened when he grew up, but before he was famous. It was before he made any sick people better, before he told any amazing stories, before he did any miracles, before lots of people got to know him. What Jesus wanted was to go away by himself for a while. He wanted to be alone. Let’s think about this for a minute… Let’s imagine Jesus in biblical times. If you were in Sunday kids class last year, try to remember what the scenery would look like, what the locals wore, what the customs were.