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Costly Grace
Read: Ephesians 2: 4-10
 I have not preached a single sermon during my interim at First Baptist Church of Greeley, CO, that wasn’t, in some way, about God’s grace. Grace is what I know most about God, and cherish so deeply. From Genesis to Jesus, the scriptures are filled with story after story about “grace upon grace” (John 1:16). God’s grace, I am convinced, was the central “issue” that made Jesus’ presence and ministry untenable to the religious and political leadership of that time and place.
While we can identify many attributes that Jesus brought to that scene and to the world, I think that “grace” is the quality of soul that most characterizes Jesus and Jesus’ ministry. Jesus is the ultimate expression of God’s grace – God’s unconditional love and care for the human family. As Brennan Manning states in his book, The Ragamuffin Gospel, Jesus turned that world upside down by bringing God’s grace to all ragamuffins… which then and now pretty much includes all of us. (Ragamuffins are defined as anybody who doesn’t “have it all together.”) Do you know anyone who isn’t a ragamuffin?
Throughout the Gospels we see that leaders, both religious and political, didn’t relate to Jesus’ emphasis upon God’s grace. Religious leaders objected to the spiritual “reforms” demonstrated by Jesus as he ministered to persons and their needs and proclaimed a gospel of Grace. The political leaders were simply very uncomfortable with the way Jesus “incited” the masses with this “good news,” because these officials feared a loss of control and influence. They had no particular investment in religious matters.
To the authorities then, Jesus’ behavior was “over the top.” He was the ultimate expression of God’s grace, and thereby a very disruptive influence. And that got him into real trouble, and of course, changed everything. God’s grace was a real threat to the way the world operated. What a radical concept this biblical notion of grace! As the court’s decision was rendered, their response to Jesus’ ministry certainly wasn’t all that creative…but it sure was malicious and brutal.
And so, it is important to recognize that we are not talking about “cheap grace” at all. The last days of Jesus’ earthly life tell us that grace is costly and there is risk. Sometimes, over the centuries, lives have been given up for the cause of grace. Lutheran pastor and prisoner, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, from his cell in Nazi Germany, referred to that kind of love as “costly grace.” God’s grace costs God everything!
Prayer: God of grace, as we journey through these days of Lent and approach the celebration of the divine drama that most defines our faith journey, we acknowledge that it is our story, too. We honor You for loving us endlessly, and we cherish the grace that holds us close both in the painful and in the joyful times. May we truly appreciate the cost of Your amazing grace! Amen.
Read past thoughts
- January 09, 2006
- January 16, 2006
- January 23, 2006
- January 30, 2006
- February 6, 2006
- February 13, 2006
- February 20, 2006
- February 27, 2006
- March 6, 2006
- March 13, 2006
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