“Grace” (Ephesians 2:1-10)

Twice in our reading this morning we are told that we are saved by “grace”.  After a thorough description of our lives being pretty worthless we read the apostle’s words: “--it is by grace you have been saved.”  Then later, to emphasis that it is the free and unmerited favor of God, the apostle writes: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast.”  Simply put, “grace” is the unearned, unpaid for, undeserved, unmerited, favor of God offered to each and every one of us for free . . . that is “grace”.

As simple as “grace” sounds, it is hard to describe . . . hard to understand . . . difficult to receive . . . and, not easy to live up to.

It is no wonder then that the ex-slave trader turned poet and clergy, John Newton, proclaimed that God’s “grace” was “amazing” when he reflected back upon his past life when he wrote the hymn Amazing Grace in 1779.  God’s “grace” is so amazing that mere words cannot describe it, though Newton tried: “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.  I once was lost, but now am found, t’was blind but now I see.” 

In our scripture reading this morning, the apostle paints a pretty good picture to show us that none of us is worthy of God’s “grace” . . . that we are are despicable and disobedient people focused on caving into our sinful nature.  Because of this, says the apostle, we are dead.  Yet, despite this ugly picture the apostle paints of us, God loves us . . . God desires us . . . and, God shows us mercy through “grace” by welcoming us back into the family.  Plain and simple, God forgives us though we do not deserve to be forgiven.  Why?  Because God loves us.

So what is the problem?  Well, first of all . . . we don’t deserve it.  Second of all . . . it’s free.    

Therein lies the rub, I think . . . nothing in life is “free”.  We have been told this our whole lives . . . nothing is free . . . there is always a cost hidden somewhere . . . a price to be paid.  Everything has to be earned or paid for . . . yet, God’s “grace” is free.  Because it is free we have a difficult time believing and accepting it.  Surely there must be some fine print that we missed.  But the apostle tells us: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast.”  The bottom line is that there is nothing we can do to receive God’s “grace” . . . we cannot earn it, we cannot buy it, we cannot steal it . . . it is free.  It is God’s gift to us.  Nothing we do can ever change that.

All we can do is to receive the gift . . . receive the “grace”.  The first step in receiving the gift is to believe.  Believe that God loves us . . . loves us just as we have been created in the image of God . . . loves us as God’s children . . . loves us so much that God is willing to take us just as we are and welcome us into an intimate relationship . . . welcome us back into the family.  God knows that without us the family is not complete.  We have to believe this in order to receive this “grace”.

At the same time we know that no gift is ever truly received until it is used.  So it is with “grace” . . . once received it must be used . . . our lives, like Jesus’ life, must be lived in “grace”.  This is the response to the gift of God’s “grace”.  But, wait!  Works don’t produce “grace”.  The apostle even stated it in our reading this morning--”not by works”, but “grace” alone. Thus our response is not works, but life lived in “grace” as Jesus lived his life.  The apostle tells us: “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  Our response to the “grace” of God is to live our lives as Jesus lived his . . . full of love that shows mercy and grace as it was shown to us through Jesus by God.

Believe, receive, and live.  If we can get past the first two, we encounter the toughest part . . . living in “grace”.  The difficulty of living in “grace” come from, I believe, the fact that we do not experience much “grace” in our lives on a regular basis.  We don’t witness a whole lot of “grace” being practice in the world around us.  In the words that we hear . . . in the images that we see . . . there is not much “grace” being displayed.  This does not matter whether it is in the secular or sacred sectors of our lives . . . “grace” is rarely encountered and experienced in the world in which we live.

I think that this is because, as I said earlier, “grace” is difficult to describe, understand, believe, and live up to for all the reasons I stated earlier.  Free and unmerited favor . . . love . . . for our enemies?  That is a pretty tough row to hoe.  And, yet, the “grace” of God bestowed upon us through Jesus Christ is the same “grace” we are called to live each and every day of our lives . . . to love others as God has loved us.

That is hard work.  No doubt about that.  No where did Jesus say that it
would be easy.

As we continue through the season of Lent, we are now half-way through it . . . half-way through the examining, discerning, praying, and working to bring ourselves closer to God and one another by removing those barriers that separate us.  At this midpoint of the journey we encounter the apostle’s words on “grace”: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast.”  It is a stark reminder that we have been saved . . . not by anything we have done, not by anything we can purchase . . . but by the deep endless love of God who takes us for who we have been created to be.  We are saved!  Plain and simple . . . we are saved!

Here at the midpoint, we rejoice in this fact . . . we receive the respite it provides along the journey . . . and, in giving thanks, we return to the journey.  We return to the journey towards living our lives in “grace”.  It is only through “grace” that we truly live, and it is only through living “grace” that we show God that we understand.  As the apostle writes: “--it is by grace you have been saved.”  No matter what happens, may our lives reflect the “grace” of God as demonstrated in the life of Jesus . . . our Lord and Savior.  Amen.