Pastor Steve’s Weekly Letter For Thursday, February 2, 2012

A district leader in our church’s denomination made an interesting observation about our church this morning. In a conversation which Pastor Rick and I had with him, this leader said: “I’ve attended your worship services and Bridge groups several times over the past few years, and I’ve sensed a much more gracious spirit in recent days.” I hope that is true! I hope what this leader experienced is something that everyone – from visitors to members – notices about our church. I pray that we are a church that is growing in grace and becoming more gracious in the way we do life and ministry.

This is a vital issue because any church which is faithful to the gospel will be a church which understands and experiences and offers grace. Sadly, grace is often a rare and remarkable virtue in Christian communities. I remember a Christian leader telling me about a decade ago that most of the churches he knew with “grace” in their name were the most ungracious churches he had ever seen! Perhaps that’s a bit of an unfair characterization. Yet over the years, I have seen some very harsh, judgmental, unloving responses from people who attend the “Grace Church” in their community.

Now my purpose is not to rail against ungracious churches. That would reflect a most ungracious or non-graceful attitude! Rather, I’d like to think briefly about how we as a church can “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). Right here we find the first strategy: Grow in the knowledge of God. Yes, there is a link between growing and grace and growing in the knowledge of God. The more we know God, the more we see and savor his attributes or character qualities. One of these qualities is grace. We will never know grace, I am convinced, unless we know God. Jeremiah 9:23-24 urges God’s people to find their reason for boasting in the knowledge of Yahweh, the one who exercises and delights in kindness, justice and righteousness. While the word “grace” does not appear here, it does in the passage where God shares his “resume” and tells us that he is a compassionate, gracious, loving, just God (Exodus 34:5-7). John Calvin, in his Institutes, describes nature as “the straightedge to which we must be shaped” (Book 1, Chapter 1, section 2).

Another way to grow in grace is to pursue reconciliation. We encountered this idea last Sunday in Luke 17:1-10 where Jesus calls his followers both to rebuke sin and to forgive those who turn from it. Grace does not mean that we overlook sin or fail to speak out against it. But it does mean that we extend forgiveness like our heavenly Father does when people turn and ask to be forgiven and restored. Christians who cannot find it in their hearts to forgive are not growing and will not grow in God’s grace.

A third way to grow in grace is to practice gratitude, or what we sometimes refer to as thankfulness. We will encounter what Jesus teaches about this matter in Sunday’s message from Luke 17:11-19 on “The Grateful Samaritan.” In this Scripture passage, Jesus heals ten men who had skin diseases. One of them returned “and thanks him” (Luke 17:16). The word “thank” (eucharisteo in Greek is) is related to the word “grace” (charis). David Pao notes this in his book, Thanksgiving: An Investigation of a Pauline Theme. Then, he points out how both words point to the undeserved kindness God has shown us in bringing us back into relationship with himself and showering us with good things. The term “grace” focuses on this undeserved kindness, while “thanksgiving” focuses on expressing our thanks for this grace. In fact, Pao notes several passages in Paul’s letters where the term “grace” (charis) is used in the sense of thanksgiving. For example, see Romans 6:17 and 1 Corinthians 15:57 where the word charis is actually translated by most English versions as “thanks.” God’s grace, then, forms the basis for our thanksgiving! To say it another way, thanksgiving orients us to God’s grace. So, as the old gospel hymn says, “count your blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.” Or, take your cue from the song in the musical White Christmas and “fall asleep counting your blessings.” I look forward to celebrating God’s grace the next time we gather for worship. I’ll see you on Sunday!

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