Grace and Sacrifice
by Kelly Bowers Grace... Like
An Ever Flowing Stream
If you've been in Lutheran churches for more than, oh, 3 weeks, you've
heard the word "Grace" once or twice or maybe a thousand
times. It's the word we use for God's unrestricted, unmerited, and
unconditional free-flowing love. We may, as good Lutherans, be able
to define it but really being open to it is a life-long spiritual challenge.
When you are able to align your heart, mind, and soul to experience
God's Grace, it is a profound experience that can color the way you
view everything and everyone.
The other thing Lutherans can be hung up on is "works righteousness," that
is, earning God's love and our salvation. We, as inheritors of Luthers
teachings, can be quite adamant about the evil of works righteousness.
It's part of how we understand the legitimacy of infant baptism.
Yet, we do honor and respect good works. Where do good works fit in?
Luther (if I've read his massive works correctly) struggled with this
issue as well. His conclusion was this: when Grace flows in and through
you, good works will naturally result. You will not have to decide
to do good works. In fact, you won't really be able to stop yourself.
Grace just does that to you.
Note that I said "flows in and through you." In my experience, Grace is like a river. It flows without our help
or intervention and
it must flow. It should not be dammed up.
While it is a blessing to receive Grace, we cannot simply store it
up in ourselves like pennies in a jar. We must let it flow through
us like water. We must pass it along. Christianity calls us to live
in and for the people around us. Grace, God's enormous unmerited love,
gives us the energy and inspiration to do that.
Accept, today, the flow of God's Grace and see where it takes you.
And most definitely enjoy the ride.
Sacrifice,
The Most Unloved Noun (and Verb!)
There's really nothing attractive to most of us about the word "sacrifice".
Our cultural images associated with it are not encouraging -- death
on the battlefield, poverty, loss.
When I "sacrifice", I have less and someone else has more.
We are about having more, not about having less! When we give time,
energy, or money to anyone, including (especially?) the congregation,
we have less time, energy, and money, don't we?
Bummer.
Well, perversely enough, that's the gift we get from sacrifice. Less
is, in fact, more.
Being a Christian, being an Augustanan, is not just about what is given
to us through the worship, the hospitality hour, the fellowship, and
the ministries. Being a Christian, being an Augustanan, is also about
growing and becoming more through our time here on earth and in this
congregation. Sacrifice -- giving away -- is key to that growth. You become more
by giving more. You become more through (sigh) sacrifice.
"
Sacrifice" is really just another word for offering up what
is valuable to us. We don't call it a sacrifice when we give something
that's not important to us. We call it cleaning out our closets!
We definitely value time, energy, and money. I know I do. It's what
I think I never have enough of.
So, it's the thing I have to offer up because it will have the most
profound effect on me. It's the thing I simply must give away if
I really want to grow as a disciple of Christ because it's what matters
to me most.
Bummer. But, oh!, the joy...........
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