Sweetest Grace

For nearly twenty years, I have been serving as a licensed lay minister in the Church of England, regularly leading worship services, preaching, bringing Communion to those with limited ability to leave home, and using my writing skills to encourage and inspire. From the outside I may appear calm and capable, but I still get nervous and wonder whether I have anything worth sharing with others. I rely on the time I spend in prayer and stillness each day as a way to rest in God’s presence, hear God’s word, and receive God’s resources and inspiration.

When I pray, I often imagine coming to Jesus with a box filled with all the mess and complications of life. I empty this out before him and wait, knowing that I can’t sort out all the jumbled issues myself. Then I lift up my empty box and ask God to fill it instead with the riches of God’s grace—the undeserved gifts and blessings that I need both to live and to reach out to others.

In Ephesians 2:4-10, Saint Paul tells us that God sent Jesus into our world not out of wrath or vengeance, but out of kindness and love for us. Grace means that we don’t have to do everything perfectly in order to keep God happy. Jesus has done all that is needed. If we can accept this gift and humbly follow Jesus, we will gradually come to know the “incomparable riches of [God’s] grace” (v. 7) and become more like Jesus himself.

Jesus said that God is the giver of good gifts to God’s children, so we can always ask God to cleanse and renew us, to pour out wisdom, insight, and patience, and to give us loving hearts and gentle spirits. These gifts can make a difference in our churches, families, and workplaces.

Grace is a gift far bigger, tastier, sweeter, and more wholesome than any mega ice cream you can possibly imagine. It truly is amazing.

Father God, here I am.
You know me through and through.
You know my gifts and my weaknesses.
You know when my spirit lifts
and when my emotions plummet.
Thank you for the grace you pour out upon me
so kindly, generously, and abundantly.
Breathe your breath in me;
sing your creation song through me.
May I be a versatile instrument,
responding to your touch,
filling my world with the music of
encouragement, compassion, and care.
Holy Spirit, flow through me in the days ahead,
bringing life and joy to those I meet,
those I love, and those I try to serve.
I ask this in the name of Jesus,
my Savior and my friend.
Amen.