A Show of Good Grace

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3:18a

In chapel today the preacher read from the end of second Peter and asked how you know if you’re getting the scriptures right. They can be confusing, sometimes even contradictory, other times they are downright weird! Everyone has a different interpretation and it can bend the idea of truth into knots. So how do you know if you’re getting it right?

The answer is blessedly simple: You are growing in grace.

This week it seems that this concept is popping up everywhere, so maybe it’s best I pay attention! It all started with a friend of mine posting an article on Facebook. I made a comment that, I will admit, was unnecessarily glib. I over-exaggerated my point, both for emphasis and for humor. A guy I do not know reacted rather defensively in response. I let it go because not everyone has a sense of humor and that is his own problem ok. But I was pleased that my friend, the original poster of the article, called him out for his bad behavior and gently invited him to be a more positive contributor to the discussion.

The guy said something that really struck me: “I’d like a little more of a show of good faith before I bothered…” I don’t want to make too many assumptions about a perfect stranger, but I would hazard a guess that he has had several negative experiences with non-Christians attacking his faith and now requires proof that you are in the club before he’ll engage.

But this kind of bunker mentality has no place in the church.

My point here is not to bash this guy. I understand where he’s coming from and sympathize deeply – it’s hostile out there! Nor is he any kind of an anomaly. We all do this; I know I do it all the time! What I want to share with you is that this was a moment for me when the Holy Spirit whispered in my heart, “this is not what we do.” Christ did not wait for me to prove or even acquire some credentials before he showed me grace.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

In Colossians[1] Paul again points out that while God was doing his redemptive work, we were busy being his enemies. God does not need a show of good faith; he freely extends grace. Hostile, bitter, broken people who dish out nothing but hostility and bitterness to break those around them are who grace is actually for.

If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. Luke 6:32

If you’re anything like me, those words of Jesus often end up in the file of Things I Wish He Hadn’t Said. I would so much rather just be nice to people who are easy to be nice to! Can I get an Amen? No? Yeah, you're probably right. But this is HARD!

This came up again in the Nehemiah study my evening ladies bible study is working through. One of the homework questions to reflect on was “what is the Spirit prompting you to change?” And the Spirit did less gentle whispering and more insistently flicking my ear saying, “this! Grow in grace!”

So this is my prayer, that God will give me his eyes to see past people’s crusty, unfriendly exteriors and to give grace no matter how little I may think they deserve it. And although right now my grace is a weak and puny little sprout, I know a guy “who makes things grow.[2]”

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[1] Colossians 1:21

[2] 1 Corinthians 3:7b

Meet Me in Saint Louis

Recently, I read an article that St. Louis is listed as one of the worst cities in the U.S. We came in fourth, ahead of (behind?) only Detroit; Birmingham, Alabama; and Flint, Michigan. Illustrious company, that ain't.

The list, released by 24/7 Wall St., ranked us so low due to factors such as a high poverty rate and "the highest violent crime rate in the U.S." (we're #1!!) It also noted that "Decades of manufacturing decline, white flight, and exclusionary zoning in St. Louis have led to some of the worst urban decay, racial segregation and income inequality of any major city today." If you've seen any news lately, this will not come as a huge shock - but it's still fairly jarring to see it laid out so starkly.

That very same day, I also read an article, "Why is it so hard to make friends in St. Louis?". It's a question I've felt ever since I moved back here but have been unable to really articulate. I chalked it up to my age group, or my busy schedule, or perhaps my lack of willingness to talk to strangers. The fact is, it's really hard to make friends when you're an adult in a new city. Apparently, it's especially difficult here in STL where "everyone is friendly but no one wants to be your friend."

You know what I feel when I read all those articles? Excitement.

I'm not crazy, stick with me here!

I'm excited by this because of the third thing I've been reading lately: a book called "Joining Jesus on His Mission: How to Be an Everyday Missionary" by Greg Finke. The book focuses on a simple mindset change that turns mission work from something that certain people do on the other side of the globe to something we do on the other side of the street.

In a chapter called "What does the Kingdom of God Look Like?" Finke distinguishes between what the presence of God's Kingdom looks like for people who already have the good news (love, joy, peace, patience - stop me if you've heard this one) and people who don't have it yet. Just because people aren't Christians doesn't mean God isn't present and active in their lives. What does that look like? "It will usually look like human need."

When people need safety,
jobs,
food for their families,
access to education;
when people feel marginalized,
helpless,
desperately lonely;
Where there is injustice,
inequality,
violence,

Right there, THAT is a blazing neon sign saying God is Working Here. St. Louis so clearly is filled with human need, which means we have this amazing opportunity to love our neighbors like never before. God's Kingdom is bursting through right here where we live! That's kind of exciting, don't you think?

A Tale of Two Mountains

“But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day.” – 2 Peter 3:8

For all my liturgically-bent friends, I hope you are having a blessed Lenten season of spiritual (and possibly literal) house-cleaning in preparation for the Resurrection of our Lord. And greetings to the rest of you who may or may not have even realized that we are eye-ball deep in Lent.

I know it’s supposed to be a solemn time of reflection, ashes and repentance, but I must confess, I love me some Lent! And it’s not just my joy in Fish Fry, or the good excuse to give up an unhealthy habit; I love the regular rhythm of Seasons in the church year. I don’t know if you also find this to be true, but my life has a tendency to spin out of control after a while and I need a fixed time and space to push the reset button and refocus on what really matters. After the craziness of Christmas but before the victory dance of Easter, there’s a deep breath in. And out. The Peace of Lent.

This year I need this peace more than ever. Everywhere I look, the world is worse and everyone is angry and afraid. Each day seems to bring less and less justice for the poor and marginalized.

One of the passages we read every year during this season is the Transfiguration of Jesus. Basically, Jesus, Peter and John go up on a mountain, Moses and Elijah appear, and then Jesus gets his glow on.

I have always thought this particular story was, well, pretty weird. I mean, I kind of get why Elijah shows up. To this day, the Jewish Seder meal includes a whole section on sending the youngest child to the door to look for him. Elijah is like a giant billboard announcing “Hey guys! The Messiah is here!”

But why is Moses there?

I’ve always been told that he’s there because he’s an important figure for the Jews but that answer isn’t particularly satisfying. Why not Abraham or Jacob? Or even King David? Those were all pretty important figures too.

So really, why is Moses there?

Well let’s talk about Moses for a minute. This was God’s chosen guy, Called and Sent to deliver the Hebrews out of slavery with signs and wonders. For forty years he had the unenviable job of leading the aggressively whiny people as they wandered the Wilderness while God forged them into a nation. The Bible tells us there has never been a prophet like Moses, “whom the Lord knew face to face.” And after all the dangers, miracles, and countless pairs of replacement sandals, Moses gets right to the edge of the Promised Land… aaaaaaaand then screws up one time and doesn’t get to go. What?! That’s just…so… monstrously unfair! Moses knew God better than anyone except Jesus and he doesn’t get to set one foot in the Promised Land?

In my evening ladies Bible study, we’ve been going through a study on Mark’s Gospel by Lisa Harper. As she taught through the portion containing the Transfiguration, she pointed out that in Matthew's version of the Transfiguration, he tells us that the mountain Jesus went up on was in Caesarea Philippi, north of the Sea of Galilee, well within the borders of the land God promised to Abraham and his descendants. 

Moses makes it in.

He died on a mountain within sight of the land across the Jordan and that seems like a terrible ending to his story. But that isn’t the end of the story. God authored this and He isn’t bound by our limitations of time and space or even of life and death. God is much, much bigger. The next time we see Moses he has both feet planted firmly on a different mountain – one in Israel, in the presence of the Deliverer.

I love that!

When we try to limit God by our own expectations and our own time, the world does seem so unjust. Why is He waiting so long to come back and fix everything? But Peter tells us not to forget that God doesn’t deal with time the same way we do and His Day of Justice IS coming.

Peter, who, incidentally, was also there on that mountain, watching Moses finally enter the Promised Land.