With the Lord there is mercy and fullness
of redemption…
(Psalm 130:7)
..all have fallen short and all are
justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:21-30)
Grace. What an awesome gift! How wonderful that God gives far beyond what
we could possibly deserve. Today—any day,
really—is a good day to reflect on the wonderful gifts of grace that Jesus so
freely grants. St. Paul’s letter to the
Romans includes many familiar verses that discuss this awesome love of our God
and the amazing depths of God's mercy.
For many, the verses provide familiar and meaningful images of the
mystery of atonement that deserve a second, slow, reflective reading. For others, the reading may become more
meaningful if images of redemption that resonate with our culture are substituted
for the images of blood sacrifice and atonement that seem much more remote to
us. What are modern images of redemption
that can help us reflect on this awesome grace of God? Maybe debts paid in full? A chance to redo an assignment or project
with no penalty? A purging of all
records of past mistakes?
Jesus offers
redemption and grace and makes it clear that we’re to go and do likewise. The gospel I read today offers one of His
many warnings of the dangers of failing to do so. We are to offer reconciliation or redemption
to others. We’re to offer grace by
giving of ourselves above and beyond that which is "deserved" by
others (Luke 11:47-54). When we fail to
do so, we become judgmental, self-righteous, and harsh. We set up unreasonable standards and withhold
reconciliation, love, knowledge, or hope from others who fail to meet those
standards. We forget the many ways in
which we have received grace and opportunities for redemption and come to
believe that we have every reason to boast and to remain firm in keeping out
all whom cannot meet these standards. The
assurance of grace and redemption in Romans and in Psalm 130 can give us the
courage to consider the ways in which we may be withholding grace and
reconciliation from others today.
Gratitude for the grace and redemption of Jesus can renew our commitment
to find ways to offer grace and redemption to others in the busyness of our day
today.
One last closing thought: Our lives are God’s gift to us, what we do with our lives is our gift to God.
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