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The Place of Grace
"But while he [the prodigal son] was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him." (Luke 15:11:20)
During a British conference on comparative religions, experts from around the world debated what, if any, belief was unique to the Christian faith. They began considering possibilities. Incarnation? No, other religions have different versions of gods appearing in human form. Resurrection? Again, other religions have accounts of return from death. The debate went on for some time until C.S. Lewis, the noted religious author, wandered into the room. “What’s the rumpus all about?” he asked, and heard in reply that his colleagues were discussing Christianity’s unique contribution among world religions. Lewis responded, “Oh, that’s easy. It’s grace."
After some further discussion, they had to agree. The notion of God’s love coming to us free of charge, no strings attached, seems to go against every instinct of humanity. The Buddhist eight-fold path, the Hindu doctrine of karma, the Jewish Covenant, and the Muslim code of law; each of these offers a way to earn God’s approval. Only Christianity dares to make God’s love unconditional!
Jesus was and is the definition of grace, God’s unconditional love. He was also keenly aware of our inbuilt resistance to grace; hence, almost all of his parables and all of his actions are about God’s grace. The truth of the matter is we have a very hard time receiving anything unless we believe that we have truly earned it, and even then it is difficult for some of us to simply accept the gift grace-fully.
In a world of un-grace, where is the place of grace? Is the Church a haven of grace? Is the Church called to be different than our culture when it comes to the matter of grace? Are we, Christ’s followers, instruments of God’s grace? All the gospel accounts tell story after story of Jesus battling for grace with the religious authorities. There seems no doubt that grace was not only Jesus’ very being and nature, it was his priority. We know He was willing to die for it!
Prayer: Lord of Grace, make me an instrument of your love and grace. Help me, Lord, to carry your grace to the broken and lonely and lost, in your name. Amen.
Rev. Larry VanSpriell
ABCRM Interim
Executive Minister
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