March 27, 2020
Luke 7
Have you ever experienced grace? It is a life changing event. During my softball career our team faced many difficulties. The greatest challenge for a team is when the all-star pitcher gets injured. That happened to our team. Bill Cahill was on the DL (disabled list) and we needed someone to step in. In a moment of weakness, I volunteered. The game went well until the last inning. We were up by several runs but then things quickly deteriorated. It is commonly called "the choke" and happens when the pitcher loses the strike zone and starts walking guys. Slowly the lead started shrinking until the winning run was on third base, with the bases loaded. I knew the situation, so I started pitching fat pitches right down the middle of the plate. Well, the last pitch of the night turned into a monstrous grand slam. The words "devastated, dejected, crestfallen" come to mind. So, there I was sitting on the end of the bench alone, knowing I had blown the game. Just then a little girl named Jenelle came and sat with me on the bench, hugged me, and said, "Daddy, it's ok. I still love you."
Those words of grace changed everything. We all need to have "grace-giving" people in our lives. That is why I am a Christ follower. Jesus is the most gracious person I have ever had a relationship with. The "Cliff Notes" of Jesus' message could be reduced to one word: grace. His message of grace is still very scandalous, outrageous, and even offensive.
We see the scandal in the story of the anointing of the sinful woman. The Jews in Jesus' day had their 613 strict rules to keep the lines clear between "good" people and "bad" people. If you messed up keeping those rules you were quickly sent to the bench. These rules made it clear that there was no room for failures. But then Jesus appeared on the scene with his radical message of grace. It moved undesirables from exclusion to inclusion. Instead of the message, "No undesirables wanted," grace gives the message, "come to me all who are weary, and I will give you rest."
Right now is the best time to share the radical grace of God with people who are sitting on the bench alone. As Pastor Chris has been sharing recently…. grace, grace, grace.
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