It is time for a call for grace!
We need grace.
Have you ever seen the movie, The Great Debaters? It’s a great movie which tells the story based on 1935, of a troop of debaters, took on a group from Harvard. A David vs Goliath story. Or have you seen the debate between Nixon or Kennedy? We have forgotten what a civil discussion looks like. To engage in an intellectual discussion these days seems to be a lost art. We are in need of a little grace.
We live in a curious time. Click on the tv news, open a newspaper and it is all negative opinion. I am a little discouraged today, I am dismayed. Our society has lost all sense of civility and this behavior is leaking into the church. It is an inability to hear other’s and validate others. We are so focused on our own opinions, no longer do we care to hear the thoughts of others. We have to be right! There is such a divide among people that is truly heartbreaking.
I don’t live in a bubble
Now, I am a highly opinionated person. I watch the news, research topics of interest and am concerned about politics and such. Do not misunderstand me. I do not to live with my head stuck in the sand ignoring the troubles of the world as if they do not exist. Not the case. We live in a world where racism is still alive, violence is on the evening news each night and there are too many people are living in poverty.
Bob Goff tweeted, “See people for who they’re becoming; not for who they were.” This is such a nugget of grace. Jesus lived on earth during a time that was highly combustible. He walked among boastful, powerful religious leaders who spent a lot of time keeping others “in their place”. The political atmosphere was tense with the governing body seeking only to keep the peace by a heavy hand. Add to this, a social system based on strict religious rules and misunderstandings, the time was ripe for a grace overhaul.
Jesus never strayed away from other people who were different in any way. He sought out those that society discarded. Jesus befriended the outcasts and the sick. He saw the invisible and the discarded ones. As the promised Messiah, He could see who they are in the eyes of Yahweh, not as the world saw them. What would happen if we followed His example?
It is the time that the church rises up to extend grace instead of legalistic judgment. What if we spoke the truth, straight truth with grace and love? What if we lived out what we believe? It is time for a Call to Grace!