December 2014

Grace Happened Here

 

For the past few weeks, we’ve been having a conversation on Sunday mornings about grace. One of the phrases that kind of serves as our point of focus during these discussions has been “Grace happened here.” We use it when we talk about our salvation experience – that time when we give our lives to Christ and we hear God say, “I know who you are, and what you’ve done, and where you’ve been in your life, and I love you anyway.” That’s the powerful, transformational grace that forgives our sins, even though we are completely unforgiveable. We also use this little phrase to describe the times in our lives when we’ve been too weak to continue, and God reaches down into our lives and lifts us up – whether it’s to give us additional strength, or an extra measure of peace, or an answer to prayer when we need it most. God knows what we need, every time, and His love for us compels Him to rescue us, time and again, in ways that are rarely expected, and always miraculous. It’s during those times we can look back and say, “Grace happened here.” I have to believe that this phrase was on Paul’s mind when he wrote to the Ephesian church about what happens when you are saved, when your life is changed, when your whole outlook is made new and different, when God enables you to totally reimagine your relationships, when you were dead in sin, and Christ, through His death and resurrection gave you a new birth. The entire book of Ephesians is a testimony to grace – over and over again, Paul talks about salvation by grace through faith, gifts made possible because of grace, unity demanded by grace, and protection provided by grace – marvelous grace! Surely, he had to be saying, “Look, church! Grace happened here!” There’s one other place I want us to think about these three little words, particularly at this time of year. It’s in a filthy stable in Bethlehem – barely a shelter from the elements. In that lowly, miserable place one night, grace happened. Jesus Christ, in that instant, left heaven’s halls and His Father’s side, to come to earth as a baby, to be born to die. He knew the price required of God in judgment of our sin, knew we were totally unable to pay that price, and offered Himself up as the only acceptable sacrifice. In that instant, when God became man, when infant Jesus cried for the first time on that lonely night – Grace happened here. Let us always remember the significance of that moment –that first Christmas. God entered history and, in His indescribable mercy, said, “My grace is sufficient for your sin. Come back to Me, and I will give you rest.” Merry Christmas!

 

In His Love,

 

Heath

 
 

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