January 15, 2015

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” John 1:1ff

David Livingstone (1813 – 1873) wrote this in a personal reflection:

“People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of life in Africa. Can that be called a sacrifice which is simply paid back as a small part of the great debt owing to our G*d, which we can never repay? Is that a sacrifice which brings its own blest reward in healthful activity, the consciousness of doing good, peace of mind, and a bright hope of a glorious destiny hereafter? I never made a sacrifice.”

Grace upon Grace. Grace upon Grace. The Greek word for Grace is “Charis” – and it means grace, favor, kindness, blessing. “In the great proportion of passages in which the word grace is found in the New Testament, it (Grace) signifies the unmerited operation of G*d in the heart of man (and woman), effected through the agency of the Holy Spirit.” Robert Girdlestone, Synonyms of the Old Testament

Do you consider that your life has been “graced”? Do you believe that you have not experienced any grace in your life? The heart of the teachings of the Lutheran faith is “Justification by Grace, through Faith”. We have been made right with G*d not because we have done the “right” things, but only because Jesus came at the “right time” to do for us what we could not do on our own. As we come to some knowledge of this wonderful gift, then the Holy Spirit fills us with the realization that we have received “Grace upon Grace”. This is faith – something that requires no sacrifice – only lives of love and service.

Pastor Dave