Grace – who needs it?

BY THE GRACE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH LEADERSHIP TEAM

Matthew 9:35-10:8

Perhaps God’s grace doesn’t seem like much. But have you ever looked at your children and wondered what will become of them? I want there to be a quality to my children’s lives, but how will I define it – to say nothing of insuring it? Where will the whirlwind of change and uncertainty take them? Is there any way to protect them, to guarantee their health and well-being? To any who know such fears, God’s grace is a gift, because it assures us that we belong to God no matter our fears, no matter the “changes and chances of life.”

Maybe God’s grace doesn’t seem like much. But have you ever hurt someone? A kind word that was never spoken? A harsh word that came easily to the lips? A careless decision made when evil seemed reasonable? A careful decision that turned out to be all wrong? The result: hurt and guilt. And there is no way to recover from it. To one who has known hurt and guilt, God’s grace is a treasure beyond price because it comes as a prelude to forgiveness and wholeness.

Perhaps God’s grace doesn’t seem like much. But have you had to make a hard decision in which right or wrong was not clear? Our prison system is terrible but society needs protection from some who are in the grip of evil. What to do? The economy needs to be brought into line. Should that be done at the expense of social programs? What to do? Situations like these do not lend themselves to easy answers. Maybe most moments are like that. And then it is good to know that grace is available, that God does not forsake us whether we are right or wrong.

Is the grace of God such a great thing? It is if you are afraid. It is if hurt and guilt touch your life. It is if you must make hard decisions. And I suspect these categories are familiar to all of us.

Jesus came to say that grace is available and that God would not abandon people. God would be with people. God’s gift of grace would be available to help people survive the whirlwinds.

But Jesus wanted to do more than say that grace was available. He also had in mind to call women and men who would “seek and connect with people” out in the world so that all might know and rejoice in the grace of God. “The harvest is great,” Jesus said, and he hoped for laborers in the fields. grace: it’s for me, it’s for you, it’s for everyone!