Grace is getting better than we deserve. Grace is getting what we don’t deserve at all. Grace is a gift. The most cynical among us will think that this life is a meaningless, futile struggle. The materialistic among us will perceive that this life is a competition. However, the wisest among us will recognize that life is grace.
The nature of God is grace. The character of God is grace. There are those who believe that God is mean and angry and waiting for us to step out of line so he can bring the hammer down on us. Not so. There are those who believe God is a neural observer, just a judge enforcing the rules. Not so. God is on our side. He is our Advocate. God is grace.
What do we need to do to access the grace of God? Nothing. We simply need to trust that God’s grace is sufficient for us. We don’t need to attempt to justify ourselves. We don’t need to attempt to earn God’s favor. We don’t need a back-up plan. We simply need to trust God.
Knowing we are in need of grace will do more for us than make us secure. Knowing we are in need of grace will also make this world a better place. It is the people who know they need grace who are best at building relationships and community. This broken, fractured world needs more people who understand that we all depend upon grace.
In our sermon this Sunday we will talk about our need for grace.