Day 1
The wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).
The ear-splitting shrieks of the sirens pierced the silence of the Saturday morning. I had raced up the stairs as I smelled the smoke, trying to do damage control but it was too late. The fire alarms were already screaming at me with unrelenting condemnation while the sprinklers chimed in with their hissing accusations. I was mortified. I couldn’t believe I had been so careless!
For many years, we had been closing out our "ladies’ prayer breakfast" year at my local church. My mom had started the group many years ago, and I had taken over the leadership when she died. Because Mom was a teacher, the group’s schedule followed the school year—we started each new year in September and ended in June to allow for a few months of rest and summer vacations.
We met once each month on a Saturday for breakfast, fellowship, and prayer in the home of a different volunteer “hostess” from the group. Over time, we gained permission from the two churches that represented most of our members to host the beginning and the close-out sessions each year. We met at my mom’s church in September, and at mine in June.
That June day had started like any other prayer-breakfast Saturday through the years. Until I used the wrong cord for a small appliance and created a fire-scare! Now I stood among the blur of personnel—responders, our church custodian, our pastor, trying to stammer my apologies.
And, oh, yes, this was our brand-new pastor—Welcome, Pastor! Did they not tell you? Didn’t you hear the song Darlene Zschech sang about us, “This is a church on fire, this is the Holy Spirit flame…” It’s easy to be factitious now, but it certainly wasn’t funny at the time!
In different ways, at one time or another, we all find ourselves in need of grace. Sometimes because of costly carelessness—careless actions, careless words, broken trust. Or a deep and searing offense. Wounding a friend. Abandoning loyalty. Denying your Lord.
Somewhat unfairly, we probably think immediately of Peter in that list of offenses. The disciple who had vowed to stand by Jesus to the point of death (Matthew 26:33), later denied his Lord three times before the rooster crowed (Matthew 26:69-75)—just as Jesus had told him.
But perhaps Peter “takes a bad rap”—he was not the only one. To Peter’s bold declaration, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you” the gospel writer adds, “And all the other disciples said the same” (Matthew 26:33). Yet, they too, deserted Jesus in the moment of crisis.
But after the resurrection, Jesus singled Peter out, not for reprimand, or retribution, but for amazing grace. The gospel writer tells us, (Mark 16:4-7), that when the women who were followers of Jesus came to His tomb at their very first opportunity, very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they encountered a young man dressed in a white robe. He gave them a very pointed message:
“You are looking for Jesus...who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee.” (emphasis added). Later, we see Jesus fully reinstating Peter, (John 21:15-24), by drawing out a declaration of love for each instance of denial.
We too, have experienced God’s amazing grace in the face of the wrongs, the transgressions, and the human rebellion that have made us “God’s enemies.” In the midst of enmity with God Jesus entered our desperate reality so that we could be reconciled to [God] through the death of Hs Son. (Romans 5:10).
As I think of my mishap that June day, and the fact that I had absolutely no “collateral” with my new pastor, I think of a Savior’s grace for which no “collateral” could ever be enough (Psalm 49:8). I think of the staggering truth: that God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).
And I think of a Savior who, after being betrayed, deserted, and denied, still loved His own who were in the world… to the end (John 13:1). I think of His specific intentional grace as He moved a mortified disciple past bitter tears, and entrusted him with a three-fold mission, “Feed My lambs;” “Take care of My sheep;” “Feed My Sheep” (John 21:15-17).
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