Welcome to Grace Notes! You can find an archive of my preaching and writing here. I welcome your comments and questions, as I always enjoy conversations about faith.
 
Grace notes are actually tiny notations in classical music that indicate a quick note decorating the melody. Grace notes always lead to the main thing. In my spiritual walk, the main thing is the grace of God in Jesus. This grace is God’s unequivocal gift of acceptance and love for you and me. That’s what fuels me, and that’s what I write about.
 
I look forward to sharing with you and hearing from you in this blog – and I hope you find the words and ideas here to truly be Grace Notes, filled with God’s grace. – PJ
Pastor Julie is a student of yoga and a lover of singing, a low maintenance housekeeper and a potluck foodie, a wife and proud mother of two young adults, and a passionate voice for connecting faith, daily life, and scripture. Born and raised in Columbus, she studied religion and music at Oberlin College and Conservatory, and received her MDiv from Yale Divinity School. Pastor Julie served four parishes in Connecticut before returning to her Ohio roots to become Epiphany’s senior pastor. 

Shepherd and Gate

John 1:1-10  

I have been through a full year at Epiphany, and it’s been a year of discovery. It’s a large and varied parish with so many ministries and people! It has been good to simply experience some of the ministries here and learn about you all.
 
One of my favorite experiences was the Harvest Party last fall at the Austin campus. It featured trunk-or-treat for the kids, and we had at least 20 vehicles parked on the lawn

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We Had Hoped

Luke 24:13-35 

Some years back, my dad planned his own funeral. My dad was a musician, so of course selected hymns – eight of them! And he chose this passage, from the Gospel of Luke, the Road to Emmaus, as the sermon text.

Many of you know that I had two reasons I moved here to Ohio, 1: being your pastor, 2: to be near my parents in their final years. My parents, brother, and I had hoped that when I moved to Ohio that we would have a few


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Peace Be with You.

John 20

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”

It’s quite an introduction to the story. We come off of Easter morning with Mary Magdalene’s proclamation, “I have seen the Lord!” and we think everything is celebration and joy.

But this introduction leads me to think it wasn’t so simple. It


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Lost Things

John 20
 

I had a favorite communion kit, an heirloom with tiny silver paten and cup that used to be Uncle Byron’s on my husband’s side of the family. Byron was a Lutheran pastor who had died at age 39 from cancer. His widow had held onto his communion kit, and when I entered the family 15 years later, she presented it to me.

I told that story every time I used the kit. I liked the way the communion kit itself was a resurrection story – the meal


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Gritar

John 11

Along the border of Mexico and the US, there is a competition called “gritar.” Gritar in Spanish means to yell, and that what the contest is about—yelling for as long and as loud as you can. The origins of the competition are foggy, but it is said that the grito

is the shout that started the Mexican Revolution of 1810. Most of the competitions are in bars or at country fair-type events accompanied by a decent amount of cervesa. Sometimes the competitions get downright rowdy.


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Put on Your Faith Glasses

John 9

A few years ago, both my husband and my son got glasses. Since it was a new thing for both of them, they had to learn to keep track of this new essential. In the rush of getting out the door, they were forever running back into the house yelling, “Where are my glasses???” They only seemed to notice they weren’t wearing them when they got behind the wheel to start the car. 

I don’t know about you, but I cannot identify with this phenomenon.


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Apostles of Living Water

John 4
 
“Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city.”
 

Getting water was women’s work. Early in the morning, the women would rise and meet at the well with their jars. As they collected water for the needs of their household, the sound of their laughter and conversation filled the square. They told jokes and folk stories and caught up on the news around town. They talked of their difficulties and supported each other.


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The Bible in a Nutshell

John 3
 
It’s the bible in a nutshell:  John 3:16, For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him, may not perish but may have eternal life. You see it on banners at sports events, on bumper stickers, greeting cards and refrigerator magnets. It’s even on my stole today, made by member Karen A! This verse from the Gospel of John has become almost ubiquitous.

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DIY Faith

Matthew 4:1-11
 
Deborah was a bright young woman, 20 years old. We were part of a Christian dinner and discussion group at college. One night we were talking about the growth of the church in third world countries. We commented on how people in poorer countries who live hand to mouth seem to exercise their faith much more than we did in our comfortable middle class American lives. We spoke of how we only seem to need God in a crisis, and how in good times we often forget about God.

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