Grace upon Grace

Psalm 1, 2, 3 • Psalm 4, 7
Gen. 2:4-9(10-15)16-25 • Heb. 1:1-14 • John 1:1-18

"And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth." (14)

Our Gospel reading today is the beginning of the gospel of John. It is a wonderful and unique opening to the story of Jesus. If you think about it, John could have put any adjectives in there to describe Jesus' mission and approach. The ones chosen were grace and truth.

I think truth is the easier of the two to understand and tackle. I believe we all crave in one way or another to seek and live in truth. An authentic existence is the first step to wholeness and happiness.

Grace, on the other hand, is a more challenging exercise. Especially in these polarized times in our country. There are many definitions of grace, but the one I gravitate towards is sacrificially accepting and handling challenging circumstances. Life is full of challenging circumstances, and we have a choice on how we will approach them. I would say that by far the most challenging circumstances that require grace involve other people. When Jesus came to earth, he was bringing a message so advanced that he had to have boundless grace with those around him as he brought them a whole new perspective on the world. They didn't get it, but he didn't give up on them.

Grace is offering patience and acceptance to those who would be deemed to not deserve it. We in our sin did not deserve Jesus' sacrifice, but God offered him to us and for us out of love. We are then called to do the same, to sacrifice our selfish needs and ambition to serve and lead others to Jesus' path.

"From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace" (16).

May we find ways to offer grace upon grace to those around us today.

Written by Dan Robinson

Dan Robinson is the Director of Media Ministries at St Paul's, streaming services and events live online.