Grace Helps Us to Be the People We are Called to Be

In each and every moment, God is extending grace to us.  Grace is God's unconditional love to help us be the people we were created to be.  This is probably one of the most foundational concepts of the Christian faith, but one that we either take for granted or forget about too often.

Imagine this. Every second of the day, God's grace is available to us.  This  means that in every moment, I can know that God loves me, that I'm not alone, that I can make appropriate decisions, that I can resist temptation, and that I can do the right thing in the situation I'm facing.

Every time someone joins a United Methodist congregation, they respond to these three questions:

Do you renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of this world, and repent of your sin?

Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves?

Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Savior, put your whole trust in his grace, and promise to serve him as your Lord, in union with the church which Christ has opened to people of all ages, nations, and races?

The first membership question reminds us that sin and evil are very real in our world.  We don't have to look too far and we will quickly see the presence of sin.  We don't just have to read about it in the news.  We can also see it lurking within our own lives. This is why meditation and confession are important.  These spiritual disciplines remind us of our brokenness and our need for God.

The second membership question reminds us that even though sin and evil are very real in our world, we don't have to be their victims!  We can accept the freedom and power God gives us to resist them.  This tells us that in any given moment, God's grace is available to help us identify and resist sin.

The third membership question reminds us that God's grace comes to us through Jesus Christ and to put our whole trust in his grace.  This is probably the most difficult part of the three membership questions.  It's not always easy to place our whole trust in God's grace. How do we nurture a faith in which we are constantly open to God's gift of grace?

The spiritual disciplines of meditation and confession are a good start.  They help us to not "pull the wool over our eyes." They help us to confront the reality of sin in our own lives and turn toward Christ for forgiveness and support. Whether it be dealing with unbridled anger, impatience, pride, cynicism, laziness, or some other sin, these need to be revealed to us so that we can allow God's grace to help us overcome them.

Participating in a small group with people who also want to trust in God's grace moment by moment is another helpful way. When people share about how they are trusting in God's grace in their everyday lives, it encourages us to do the same.

Making it a priority to be open to God's grace each day can help us respond to situations from a faith perspective.  Maybe a short prayer in the morning asking God to help us be more aware of the gift of grace throughout the day can help open our eyes and hearts to God's presence.

Sometimes, we won't think about God's grace during the day, but that doesn't mean it's not present to us.  We call this prevenient grace which means the grace that is present for us even when we're not aware of it.  Not all is lost when we don't recognize God's grace.  God's grace is always working on us and preparing us to respond.

There are other times when we are very much aware of God's grace and we have an "Aha!" moment and we say, "Now, I get it!  All along, God was reaching out to me and now I see it.  Thank you, God."  We call this justifying grace and sanctifying grace.  Justifying grace is when we accept the relationship God is offering us in Jesus Christ and sanctifying grace is when we continue to respond to God's grace through acts of devotion and outreach.

The exciting thing is to know that in any given moment, God's grace is available to us.  We just need to receive it and be the people God has called us to be.

A Cafe Epiphany

A couple of days ago, I was in a cafe enjoying my vanilla steamer.  By the way, this hot drink is a great deal compared to the expensive mochas and lattes! 

Across the room was a young mother with her newborn.  I commented that her baby looked like he was only a few weeks old and that he was adorable.  She said that he was only weeks old and his name was Colten.

In the course of our brief conversation, I discovered that she and her husband had moved to this area from Michigan.  I shared that my church was experiencing a baby boom.  We've had several births and baptisms lately.  She smiled and asked which church I attend.  I gave her the name and invited her to join us some Sunday.

As our quick exchanged came to an end, I continued to read my bible at my little table.  A few minutes later, I heard the sounds of a mother playing with her pride and joy.  You know those sounds of delight.  "Hi there.  You're mommy's little boy, aren't you?  You're so handsome! I'm gonna get you!"  She was speaking these words to her smiling newborn as she was holding him up with raised arms there at her table. 

It was in that moment, that I had my cafe epiphany.  I felt God saying to me, "This is how much I love you, Robert.  Like the love and joy of a loving mother who is delighting in her newborn, you are secure in my arms and I will always love and delight in you."

There are many images of God in the bible, some that are masculine and some that are feminine.  This epiphany reminded me of how God's unconditional and everlasting love is like the joy of a mother holding her newborn baby.

As she was putting her baby back into the cushioned carrier, the mother looked my way and thanked me one more time for the church invitation. Turning toward the door to leave, she said, "God bless you."

Thanks to this cafe epiphany, I have felt blessed all week.

Grace in My Pocket

On my day off last week, I took my car in for an oil change.  Fortunately, I had a 10% off coupon that had recently come in the mail.  I placed the coupon on the kitchen counter so I would remember to take it with me.  Believe it or not, I remembered to pick it up!  I usually forget to do things like this, even if it will help me!

I tucked the coupon in my shirt pocket, but thought to myself, "What if I don't remember it's in my shirt pocket when it's time to pay for the oil change?  Nah.  I'll remember to check there when it's time to pay," I said to myself with an air of confidence. As I sat in the waiting room, I did some reading and thought about things I needed to do that day.

"Your car's ready.  Let's ring you up.  Go ahead and swipe your card.  Choose debit or credit and then confirm the amount, and we'll have you out of here in no time," the nice oil change man said to me.  So I pulled out my card and swiped it. 

It was when the nice oil change man was handing me the receipt that I remembered the oil change coupon in my shirt pocket.  Knowing that I was too late, I still pulled it from my pocket to show it to him.  All he did was smile and say, "Just bring it with you next time." 

As I drove off to head home, I quickly figured up how much extra I spent by not handing the nice oil change man my oil change coupon in a timely fashion.  When I thought of how much I didn't save, I began my really bad habit of negative self-talk.  In the course of trash talking myself, I took the coupon out of my pocket and tossed it in the back seat area, sarcastically thinking how I will surely remember to look back there when my next three month oil change is due.  Not!

Reflecting on this recent oil change coupon forgetfulness episode, I am reminded that we sometimes treat God's grace in the same way.  We know it's there to use and that it will help us, but somehow, we still forget to incorporate it into our daily living.  The truth is, God's grace is always there for us.  The good news of our faith is that there is never a moment when God's grace is inaccessible.  God's grace is as close to us as our own shirt pocket, yet we tend to forget that it's there.  So we end up depending on our own efforts and resources when all along, the creator of the universe was reaching out to us with grace and mercy.

Being conscious of the grace of God in our lives takes discipline and attentiveness on our parts.  Having a good mentor friend and/or small group of Christian friends can really help along with attending worship, reading the bible, receiving communion, serving, and praying.

God's grace is as close to me as the pocket on my shirt. I just need to remember that it's there!

Dear Lord, thank you for your grace.  Remind me that your grace is always available in any given moment. In Jesus' name.  Amen.
.

Deception Pass & the Christian Life

One of the highlights of our recent vacation to the Pacific Northwest area was driving from Seattle to Whidbey Island. We could have taken the ferry but we heard that we would enjoy the scenery more by actually driving on to the island via the Deception Pass Bridge.

The bridge gets its name from the 18th century explorer, George Vancouver who was misled into thinking that Whidbey Island was a peninsula. It was quite a view to drive on this bridge while overlooking the water and the beautiful scenery.

George Vancouver certainly isn't the only person to have been deceived. All of us can think of times that we have been fooled. Sometimes, we deceive ourselves! In our walk with Christ, we sometimes deceive ourselves by not seeing the areas of our lives which are broken and in need of God's healing love. We deceive ourselves when we think that we can face sin and evil without the power and help of God's grace.

Thankfully, God is always extending grace and mercy to us to help us navigate through life. We don't have to pretend to be somebody we're not. We don't have to be victims of temptation because God has promised to empower us in any given situation.

Some of the ways to help us not be deceived is to receive God's grace by practicing the means of grace such as weekly worship, a daily devotional life of scripture and prayer, and participation in a weekly small group experience. By utilizing these means of grace, we are less likely to fall into temptation and be deceived about who we are and to whom we belong. We are sons and daughters of God who have been redeemed through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is the bridge that leads us from all deceptions and empowers us to be the people we were created to be. 

"Do not be deceived, my beloved." - James 1:16
.

A Taste of Summer & a Sign of God's Grace - Strawberries

As I was traveling from Columbus to Lancaster  yesterday afternoon, I drove past a strawberry stand along the road.  This was one of those moments when my taste buds were saying, "That's exactly what I would love to eat right now, strawberries!"

The problem was, I was on my way to a retirement celebration of a church member.  I was being held up by an elementary school bus.  At each stop, it took a while for the five or seven children to get off the bus.  To stop at the strawberry stand would put me back another five to ten minutes.

BUT I WANTED THOSE STRAWBERRIES SO BADLY!!!!

No, no.  There will be other days for strawberries.  Just keep driving the car.  Being ten minutes late is bad enough.

So I arrive late to the retirement celebration.  The program had already started.  I scan the room to see who is at the event.  And then I notice two long tables with all of my favorites: cheese and crackers, vegetables and dip, and cake with lots of icing.  "That will be good to eat after the program."  But then my eyes saw something that reminded me why our God is an awesome God.  In the middle of the table was a huge bowl of luscious strawberries sliced and ready to be served.  Those strawberries were calling out my name as I continued to listen to the program. 

After the final speech, I made my way to the table, and dished up a healthy serving of strawberries.  My tongue vibrated with goodness as I tasted each strawberry with great delight.  I said a brief prayer of thanksgiving to the God who created this marvelous taste of summer.

With my taste buds happily satisfied, I was ready to leave the party to go home when I suddenly realized - I still hadn't congratulated the person who was retiring!  "Congratulations!  What a wonderful thing to have all of your friends here with you to celebrate your special day.  What a testimony to your many years of faithfulness.  And by the way, thanks for the strawberries."

God is good!
.

Check Out My New Poem!

When I was walking along one of the nice beaches during my recent Bahama's mission trip, I looked behind me and noticed one set of footprints in the sand. This gave me the inspiration to write a new poem which I have entitled, "Footprints in the Sand."

It's so good that I'm thinking about putting it on coffee mugs and calendars and marketing it.

But seriously, I did think of this poem when I saw my footprints behind me. In the Wesleyan tradition, this poem reminds us of God's prevenient grace, the grace that goes before us. Even when we are not aware of God's presence, we can know that God is indeed with us extending grace, mercy, and love and inviting us into a covenant relationship of love.

Here's the poem:

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there were one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed
that during the low periods of my life,
when I was suffering from
anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.

So I said to the Lord,
“You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life
there have only been one set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most, you have not been there for me?”

The Lord replied,
“The times when you have seen only one set of footprints in the sand,
is when I carried you.”
.