Grace in the World

A couple of weeks ago, I boarded the Way Back Machine.  Now you may not remember the reference which, itself was from way back in the 1960’s.  The Way Back Machine was a time machine in the episodes of ‘Peabody’s Improbable History’ which was a recurring segment on the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show.  In any case, I journeyed in the Way Back Machine to use the and approach to preaching I learned studying theology at Huron University College.  It is the four pages of the sermon.  In this method we look at the passage of scripture from the perspective of the four pages:

1.      1. trouble in the bible,

2.      2 .trouble in the world,

3.      3. grace in the bible, and

4.      4. grace in the world. 

This can be quite a good way to examine any bible passage and I plan to return to it again.  In my sermon last week, I didn’t use that method but ended by suggesting that in the next week, the congregation consider where there was grace in their lives.  I believe that that is something we all can benefit from.  To do that. I realize it would be helpful to delve into the concept of grace.  To do that let’s look first at the dictionary definition of grace.  The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as:

Definition of grace

1a: unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification

b: a virtue coming from God

c: a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine assistance

There is a lot we could unpack from this definition including regeneration and sanctification.  However, I want to focus on the concept that grace is unmerited.  God’s grace is given to us regardless of our merit or what we have or haven’t done to earn it.  The idea of receiving something which we haven’t earned, or even despite what we haven’t done to earn I , seems to go against our natural sense of justice - devine or otherwise.  It can also lead to believing that divine assistance can include such things as material success and wealth as proof that I cam leading a Godly life.   The misplace theology of the Prosperity Gospel is a distortion of the idea of grace. 

So, how then can we identify God’s grace in our lives if it is not in the form that the world thinks of as success or good fortune such material prosperity?  It is very easy to think of God’s grace when good things happen to you such as winning the lottery in whatever form that might take.  However, what happens when bad things happen to you?  Can we find God’s grace in those circumstances? 

I believe that one way is to first take a broader view of God’s grace and see where it is in the world as the fourth page of the sermon suggests.  I found a quote form a 4ht Century theologian Pelagius (c. 354–418) which can be of assistance here:

Look k at the animals roaming the forest: God’s spirit dwells within them. Look at the birds flying across the sky: God’s spirit dwells within them. Look at the tiny insects crawling in the grass: God’s spirit dwells within them. . . . Look too at the great trees of the forest; look at the wild flowers and the grass in the fields; look even at your crops. God’s spirit is present within all plants as well. The presence of God’s spirit in all living things is what makes them beautiful; and if we look with God’s eyes, nothing on the earth is ugly. 

This can give us an idea of how God’s grace works in the world and is present in the world.  Once we have done that for a while, we can look at our own lives and bring grace closer to home in our own lives.  Today’s Daily Meditation by Richard Rohr give us an example of how this can manifest:

Suddenly, I knew that God’s love did not depend on me following all these laws and mandates or being worthy. I knew I wasn’t worthy, and yet here I was experiencing absolute grace and absolute acceptance. The whole system I’d grown up with had implied that God will love us if we change. That day I realized God’s love enables and energizes us to change. Richard Rohr Daily Meditation August 30, 2021.

To know and understand that God loves us unconditionally is the true understanding that we do live in God’s grace every day.  We are all flawed and imperfect but God’s grace is still there for us.

May you know God’s grace on your journey.