A couple of weeks ago, we announced that Seeds of Grace would be having its first worship on Sunday, October 1st at 5:30 PM. We even talked a bit about what seeds mean to us as Christians… But what about grace?
Grace is one of those words used so often in church it has become jargon, insider language that everyone pretends to know what it means without actually knowing. This isn’t to say we don’t see grace outside of church. In our daily lives, we sometimes use it to describe a prayer before meals or someone who moves with agility and beauty. There might be a “grace period”, when we can act to rectify a situation that might otherwise be against the rules.
But when we typically hear about grace in church, we usually mean something different. In Christian thought, grace, is the expression of God’s love that is unmerited; that is, it happens not because of any of our actions, but rather because we abide in the love of God known as faith. Grace happens not because we are good enough, because we donate to NPR, or have the correct political views, but because God loves us and wants us to abide with and in God’s love. (Galatians 2: 15-21) Likewise, God’s grace does not leave us if we think bad things, don’t do the right thing, or if we feel God is mad at us. It is there, waiting for us, whenever we are sad, lonely, anxious, depressed, joyous, laughing uncontrollably, or anything in between. Furthermore, God’s grace is not a limited resource. God’s Grace does not dry up, get stingy, turn away, or become unused. It is abundant as the meals that God sets before us in the presence of our enemies. (Psalm 23)
One of the hardest things about being a Christian is learning how to recognize God’s Grace and love for us, especially in down times in our lives. We hope that this Seeds of Grace worship service will help (re)connect people to love of God and each other. We hope it lets them become people of courage and hope, resting assured that they live in the abundance of God’s grace.