Embrace God's Grace

The economy of grace doesn’t add up in human terms, because grace is based on who God is, not because of who we are.

A New York Times travel article on English pubs commented, “a good pub is a ready made party, a home away from home, a club anyone can join.”  Having visited my fair share of pubs across the UK, I can honestly say this is certainly not “fake news.”
 
Now I can imagine Jesus sitting in a smoky pub, eating greasy food, and having a pint with his mates.  Lifting up his voice over the loud Celtic music he talks with those around him…much to the chagrin of the puritans who poke their heads in before walking away in disgust. 
 
I remember asking a friend if he thought Jesus would ever buy a round of beers at a bar. Before he could answer a stranger began to shout at me, calling me heretic for even considering such a thought. Standing proudly in his own Christian piety, he forgot one important point that Jesus always made: love others; don’t judge them.
 
Like the Pharisees in Luke’s story, this young man had a hard time understanding the power of God’s grace. As such, he couldn’t see that the beauty of God’s kingdom is “a ready made party, a club that anyone can join.”
 
Luke does not tell us if Jesus was in a pub or a house, but he does point out the people around him; sinners and tax collectors. And of course, the Pharisees and scribes who are grumbling about the company Jesus keeps.
 
Sensing their disgusts, Jesus stop talking about  being able to turn water into wine to tell a couple of parables about how all people are important to God; not just goody-two shoes, but the dishonest tax collectors, unclean shepherds and even irresponsible women.
 
Using a language they all could understand, Jesus speaks about God’s love in economic terms, about the things we humans put value on.  For example, a shepherd values his flock and a woman values her hard earned money.  The parables invite us all to think about the things we put value on. For me, it’s my family. For you it might be a relationship, or a material object, or a way of life.
 
Imagine you’ve lost that one thing you love more than anything else. Maybe because of your own carelessness, or someone’s intent, or it was taken from you. Whatever the case, it’s gone. What length would you go to find it, and to ensure nothing bad ever happens to it again?
 
I suspect those around Jesus understood that a flock is a shepherd’s source of income and each sheep has an actual monetary worth. Say you have five sheep; losing one means taking a 20% loss on your investment. If you have a 100 sheep, it’s not that big of a loss…if in fact you even notice one is missing. But Jesus says every sheep is valuable. So the shepherd will leave the other 99 behind where they are vulnerable to theft, harm, or even the natural desire to bolt free.
 
Rich or poor, the shepherd will take whatever risks are necessary to protect his investment.  So too does God.
 
Now if you’ve ever misplaced or lost a paycheck, you can sympathize with the plight of the woman, who values the hard earned money she has saved to pay her rent and feed her family. You probably know what a relief it is when you recover the lost treasure. You rejoice! So too does God.
 
These parables remind us of our worth as God’s children. Hidden inside is the treasure so valuable it’s impossible to buy.
 
Now it’s easy to see God as the shepherd who values each sheep, or as the woman who accounts for every silver coin in her purse. But for many of us it’s hard to fathom that we are ones whom God treasures the most. We are worth something in spite of what others might think.
 
Jesus says even the most fiercely independent or most ornery lamb is worth chasing after. No matter the cost. From a copper penny to a gold doubloon, every coin is worth hunting for.  One needs to look no further than the cross to understand the length God will go to rescue us. This is the nature of who God is.
 
But the economics of God’s grace don’t add up. Certainly a murderer or a child predator must pay for their crimes, right?  
 
In his book “What’s so Amazing about Grace,” Phillip Yancey writes that “grace solves a great dilemma for God; on one hand, God loves us; on the other hand our behavior repulses him.”  Grace is that rope that pulls the sheep out of the ditch and brings her back safely into the shepherd’s arms. Grace is the shine on the coin that reflects the bright light, which can penetrate the darkest hiding spots.
 
We are the runaway sheep. We are the coin lost in the cracks, the prodigal child, the broken and battered sons and daughters of a parent who loves us no matter what. In us “God sees shattered fragments of his image…and cannot – or will not – give up on us.”  No wonder heaven rejoices when we are returned. We have value.
 
Best of all, this amazing gift is undeserved. We can’t buy it or earn it. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul writes, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.  Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it” (Eph. 2:8-9 NLT).
 
In a tit-for-tat world, the economics of God’s grace don’t add up…but just the same, it can’t be subtracted from life either.  
 
Paul knows what could happen if we thought we had to earn God’s love and approval.  Think about a time when perhaps you felt unloved, or completely weak or lost, or that you had failed so badly that you have no other recourse but to put your tail between your legs and take the beating you think you deserve.  
 
Where do you go, or to whom would you turn, if you feared that God might stop loving you when he discovers the real truth about you? 
 
In those bleak moments of life, you need God more than ever. It doesn’t take us long to realize that like a bleating sheep hiding in the thicket from predators, we cannot save ourselves.
 
God’s grace reminds us that God believes in us. We are important and worthy of this divine, all-encompassing love. And when we come to God, he doesn’t condemn us or beat us down.  Instead a party is thrown in our honor! And God invites everyone to the celebration to rejoice.  We have value in spite of what others might think.
 
The economy of grace doesn’t add up in human terms, because grace is based on who God is, not because of who we are.
 
Despite all our faults and messiness, God has found a way to love us. Through Jesus, God came to us. And walked on the wrong side of town and talked with the wrong kind of people. He sat in pubs and fed nachos to the hungry; bought drinks for the thirsty. He went into back alley and healed the dope sick. And he looked into the dark eyes of the unlovable and did the unthinkable…he loved them.
 
Jesus is the proof that God loves us so much that “he would rather give his Son up on a cross than give up on humanity.”
 
This is THE GOOD NEWS. From the pub-crawlers and drunks to the pious priest and the pure of heart, God’s love and grace is shockingly personal.  There is no catch. There are no loopholes. There is nothing that disqualifies you from being the beloved child of a beloved God, whose ears are always listening; whose eyes are always searching; and whose arms are always extended to welcome you home.
 
Let us pray: Cheers to you God, for all the love and grace you give.
 
 
Work Cited
Bible. Luke 15:1-10  (NRSV).
Bartlett, David and Barbara Brown Taylor, ed. Feasting on the Word: Year C, Vol. 4. Westminster John Knox Press. (Louisville, 2010). pp. 68-72.
Yancey, Phillip. What’s So Amazing About Grace? Grand Rapids: Zondervon, 1997. pp. 59, 64-67.

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