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The Means of Grace:  Where God meets us

10/6/2015

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Most Tuesday evenings, I attend a community dinner hosted by my local church. It’s one of five, offered weekly in town, all with the intent to provide a free warm meal. And that’s where I met Stephanie.

Stephanie never misses Tuesday’s Table. That I will see her in the fellowship hall of Winfield FUMC on Tuesday evenings is as close to a guarantee as it gets. I know that if I want to be with Stephanie, I can go to Tuesday’s Table.

Which reminds me— if I want to be with God, I can go to the means of grace.

Grace is God’s power for our growth, and the means of grace are the ways by which we experience it. I like to think of the means of grace as spiritual meeting places—locations we go again and again because God is there. Tuesday’s Table is a space prepared by volunteers to nourish bodies. The means of grace are spaces created by God to nourish souls. I don’t know about you, but both my stomach and my spirit growl when hungry.

Wesley divided the means of grace into two categories:  works of piety and works of mercy. The works of piety are practices of devotion that encourage personal holiness. These are things like prayer, the study of Scripture, theological conversation, and worship. The works of mercy are practices of service that contribute to social holiness— visiting the sick, feeding the hungry, and clothing the naked, to name a few.

Don’t get hung up on that word: works. There is no magic spell that conjures up God’s presence, no performance that earns us God’s grace. It’s already been settled that God initiates this relationship and extends grace without condition. Perhaps, if he were here, we could ask Mr. Wesley’s permission to substitute places for works—the places of piety and the places of mercy. Because, in as much as they are things we do, they are also places we go. This upholds God as the agent of salvation while also acknowledges our call to participate.

We participate by showing up. If the means of grace are places, and if God is already there, then all that’s left to do is show up. Going to the places of piety is showing up for ourselves, receiving God’s grace. Going to the places of mercy is showing up for others, extending freely what we’ve freely been given. Commitment to both is what faithful discipleship looks like. It’s collaboration with God to transform ourselves and the world around us. It’s working out our salvation with fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12).

Just like Stephanie at Tuesday’s Table, God is there, in the means of grace, whether we go or not. We don’t have to, but what a waste when we don’t! God has named the places—the means of grace. It’s up to us to make the time. When we do, we communicate that we know our need of God and we want grace for today.

Let’s show up.

This post was written by L.E. Hartman of Seedbed.  You can find the original post here:  http://seedbed.com/feed/the-means-of-grace-the-places-god-meets-us/


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Party time!!  (a short story about grace)

6/23/2015

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It was a beautiful house. The most welcoming of houses. A stunning house. A house like no other. The house where Grace lived.

A home like this was destined to be shared, so as she often did, Grace prepared a meal. No, no, no, it wasn’t just a meal – this was a FEAST! The kind of cuisine reserved for castles, princesses, and fairytales. No expense was spared. She decked out her oversized, antique table with the finest china and the most elaborately embroidered tablecloths. The smell of exotic, culinary delicacies hung thickly in the air.  It was time for a party.

Right about then, a man came struggling along the path in front of the house. He was obviously agitated. Jumpy. He talked out loud to the air with a phobic paranoia. And to make matters even stranger, behind him he dragged a large metal cage full of the ugliest black birds you have ever seen. It was attached to his waist with a massive steel chain, and he dragged it through the dirt with a strained shuffling gait. Whenever he stumbled or wobbled, the cage would shake and the birds would let out the most horrifying chorus of shrieks. The man would instinctively crumble in terror, balling himself into a fetal position, clawing at the air, as he begged in agony for them to stop.

Grace could see this awful unfolding scene from her dining room window and rushed outside to his aid.

“My friend,” she said in the most soothing of tones, “please relax, you’re not alone. I’m here to help, I have the answer. Let me cut these heavy chains and remove this hideous cage. You don’t have to drag these fears around with you anymore. Come inside, I’ve made the most splendid of meals and I want you to be my guest. I can do things for you that you could never possibly do for yourself.”

But the man shrieked all the louder. “Get away! Get away! These fears may be hideous, but they’re all I know. I’ve dragged them for more miles than you can imagine. I got them from trusting, trusting people like you! So leave me alone and let me get on with it. If there is freedom from these fears it will have to be of my own doing. And amidst the ever growing sounds of terror, he trudged into the darkness and disappeared from the warm glow of the house. The house where Grace lived.

Not more than a few moments later a new figure appeared on the path. Unlike the first, this man didn’t seem to be struggling much at all. In fact, cloaked in a massive oversized white fur coat, he actually looked to be…strutting. He paused every few steps to gaze at his reflection in the adjacent pond until he was frozen dead in his tracks by the almost mirror-like qualities of Grace’s massive dining room window. Absolutely gorgeous!

Even though the man’s ego was nearly as ugly as his coat, Grace rushed to the front door and warmly greeted this new opportunity with her usual warmth and charm. ”Hello friend! I’ve prepared a feast, will you come join me? I’ve planned a great party and I’m expecting many guests. I would love to add you to the celebration!”

“Eat with such plebes?” he replied with a smirk. “I’m sure they’re far beneath the class of a specimen like me. But I am hungry after this long walk.” And so he brashly sauntered up the stairs, brushing Grace to the side and heading straight for the front door.

“Oh, there’s just one thing,” Grace interrupted as she politely stopped his progress. “Your coat. It stays out here. In my house, all the warmth and covering you’ll ever need has already been provided for you. The only way we dine together is if we see the real you. No coats. No pretense. All that stays out here.”

“But this coat is my pride!” the man violently hissed. “If it stays outside then so do I!” And he stormed back down the front steps (with much less of a swagger this time), onto the path, and back into the woods (only pausing at a few leftover rain puddles for a quick peek at his reflection). His choice was made, and his egocentric silhouette quickly faded into the forrest near the house. The house where Grace lived.

As Grace reached for the doorknob to return to her preparations, she caught a glimpse of yet a third weary traveler struggling up the path. The woman appeared to be carrying a large sack, easily twice as big as she was, and was painfully doubled over under its incredible weight. Grace ran quickly down the front steps and up the walk to offer the poor woman her assistance.

“Dear friend, you can hardly walk! Here, give me your sack, we’ll leave it here. Come in and rest. Let me tend to you. I’m preparing a huge feast and expecting many guests. Join us! The food and drink is overflowing!”

The woman never looked up. Her voice was so soft and shaken she could barely be understood. “This bag is my shame, full of unspeakable sorrow and regret. Skeletons and memories I’ve carried so long they’ve become a permanent part of me.”

Sure enough, the sack had been on her back for so long it had quite literally attached itself to her skin!

“My dear,” Grace replied in her comforting tones, “please come inside and let me help you. I have just the tools to set you free, you only need to trust me. I’ve already done all the work to ensure you don’t have to carry a bag of shame like this anymore.”

“Thank you kind lady,” came the woman’s trembling reply. “But many have tried to help me do just that on the course of this painful journey, and to no avail. Freedom is an illusion I’m afraid. This sack of shame is who I am. If you cut it off I’ll most certainly die. Now let me on my way. I can manage this burden on my own. I’ve been doing it for quite some time now.” And so she slowly set out, following the same lonely path that fear and pride had forged just a few short moments earlier, and leaving the warm glow of the house as nothing more than a distant memory. The house where Grace lived.

The party was a smash! The house was filled with every kind of person you could possibly imagine. Princes and paupers. Businessmen and beggars. Aristocrats and commoners. They came from near and far for this feast of the ages!

No one left unchanged. Grace made sure of it. Cages and coats and large empty sacks littered the front walkway like a graveyard of self-salvation projects. And yet even as she relished in the joy of her miraculous work, Grace couldn’t help but wonder why three exhausted travelers chose to miss the celebration and continue alone. It was so unnecessary. The work had already been completed. All they had to do was come inside.

But the Good News for all weary wanderers is that the warm, inviting, transformational doors of this house always remain open. The house where Grace still lives.


This post was written by Erik Cooper.  You can find the original post here: http://beyondtherisk.com/2013/06/11/the-house-where-grace-lived/

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.
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Bono on Grace and how it is different from Karma

6/22/2015

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“It’s a mind-blowing concept that the God who created the Universe might be looking for company, a real relationship with people, but the thing that keeps me on my knees is the difference between Grace and Karma…

You see, at the centre of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you; an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or in physics – in physical laws – every action is met by an equal or opposite one.  Its clear to me that Karma is at the very heart of the universe.  I’m absolutely sure of it.

And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that “As you reap, so will you sow” stuff.  Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I’ve done a lot of stupid stuff.

That’s between me and God. But I’d be in big trouble if Karma was going to finally be my judge. I’d be in deep s***. It doesn’t excuse my mistakes, but I’m holding out for Grace. I’m holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the Cross because I know who I am, and I hope I don’t have to depend on my own religiosity.

The point of the death of Christ is that Christ took on the sins of the world so that what we put out did not come back to us, and that our sinful nature does not reap the obvious death. That’s the point. It should keep us humbled….its not our own good works that get through the gates of heaven…

If only we could be a bit more like Him, the world would be transformed.  All I do is get up on the Cross of the Ego; the bad hangover, the bad review. When I look at the Cross of Christ, what I see up there is all my s*** and everybody else’s. So I ask myself a question a lot of people have asked: Who is this man?  And was He who He said He was, or was he just a religious nut?  And there it is, and that’s the question.  And no one can talk you into it or out of it.”


This post was written by Jon Kuhrt.  You can find the original post here:  
http://resistanceandrenewal.net/2014/01/26/bono-on-the-difference-between-grace-and-karma/


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Chasing Him together

10/21/2014

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I have learned that maintaining my relationship with God takes a lot of work -- as does any relationship -- work that at times I do not have the motivation for chasing after God and the things of God. While I know full well that God is at work within me, enabling me "both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13), I also remember that He has commanded me to work out my salvation "with fear and trembling" (Phil. 2:12). But I recently noticed a statement of Paul's that I overlooked for so many years. 

Prior to commanding the believers in Philippi to work out their salvation with fear and trembling, noting that God Himself is granting them the ability to do so, the apostle writes: "just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence" (Phil. 2:12, emphasis added). I wondered if the believers found exercising spiritual disciplines easier when Paul was with them, but, perhaps, a bit more difficult apart from him, or, more to the point, when he was away. 

I know from my own experience that when I am spending a lot of time with a spiritual leader, like a pastor or a visiting evangelist, I am much more inclined toward spiritual truths than when I am on my own. Perhaps many of us experience the same. Could this be a primary reason we are encouraged and commanded: "But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today,' so that none of you [believers] may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin" (Heb. 3:13); "And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching" (Heb. 10:24)?

Though I have been writing this truth for quite some time now, I think that I am just now beginning to feel the weight of it: brothers and sisters in Christ need each other for their spiritual well-being. Not one among us can say, "I have no need of you" (1 Cor. 12:21, 22, 23, 24); but, rather, God has "so arranged the body . . . that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another" (1 Cor. 12:25). We suffer together and we rejoice together (1 Cor. 12:26). We also pursue God together, as a unit, intent on one purpose and one goal.


I think that God has so arranged our unity in the Body in an effort at encouraging each of us to the chasing of Himself -- seeking not merely for what He can do for us, or give us, but just to live our lives in His presence and enjoy His love and grace. Sadly, I think many today have forgotten what the church is for, and what it means to be the church. While some people in our culture are frustrated with "church-as-they've-come-to-know-it," thereby forsaking the assembling of themselves together with other believers, they are unknowingly robbing themselves of not only developing rich relationships with others but also experiencing the one, true and living God. Robert E. Webber writes:


"The church, like a tribe, is a cultural community defined by the story of God. This story and shared vision is taught and communicated primarily as a lived experience. When a convert enters into the Christian community and becomes a disciple of Jesus, the person confesses that life is defined by the story of Israel and Jesus. Therefore it is important during the disciple stage to experience the biblical nature of the church. The church is not a mere voluntary society of like-minded believers, but a continuation of the presence of Jesus in and to the world."[1]


Many in the early Church believed, with Cyprian (d. 258), that a person "cannot have God as his Father who does not have the church for his Mother." This does not mean that one must attend church in order to "be saved" -- as though salvation can be earned by church attendance -- as though all God requires of someone in order to experience His salvation is to belong to a local church -- but that anyone who claims God as Father would also, very naturally, mind you, desire the Church for one's Mother. The Church is, after all, the Body of Christ Jesus, God's Son. If someone wants to claim union with the Father, he or she needs to go through the Son, and through the Son enters the Body, which is the Church universal.

The Church as the on-going and tangible presence of Jesus often appears a foreign concept in our post-postmodern age where selfishness, individualism, and narcissism is commonplace. Being Jesus to and for others takes a great bit of intentional work; it does not happen by accident. Yet, in and through the Church, we often experience the manifest presence of our faithful God. Charles Ringma underscores the fact that our appreciation of God "seldom comes by way of doctrinal formulation."[2] We do not experience God's grace, mercy, love and faithfulness merely by reading words on the pages of a book. We read about His ways; we understand and glean from them; but we experience Him in real-time -- in real-to-life relationships with other brothers and sisters.

Can each one of us experience God's presence and goodness while being alone? Yes, we certainly can, while in prayer and praise and study of His word. We are called to quiet solitude at times. But Anglican John Donne (1572-1631) was also right when he noted, "No man is an island entire of itself." Remember how the early believers conducted their lives at the birth of the Church: "Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people." (Acts 3:46, 47, emphasis added)
__________

[1] Robert E. Webber, Journey to Jesus: The Worship, Evangelism, and Nurture Mission of the Church (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2001), 106.

[2] Charles Ringma, Dare to Journey with Henri Nouwen (Colorado Springs: Piñon Press, 2000), 159.


This post was written by Credendum.  For the original post, go to:  http://www.credendum.net/home/chasing-him-together


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Grab my hand

7/12/2014

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“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

Imagine this scenerio for a moment. A man is walking along the 10th floor of a new office building that is in the middle of construction. The walls are bare and leave a lot to be desired, and the only functional way of going up and down is the few sets of stair cases on either end of the building. This man is going from room to room, imagining what the offices are going to look like, and he is hopeful that everything will come to reality soon.

This man is a business owner and knows that when this building is complete, his company will be housed in this brand new place. The 10th floor. He imagines where the desks will go, the colors that could be on the walls, and even where the outlets will best fit. He goes from room to room and sees such hope in this place. He is so excited about what could be, and what will come to pass.

As this man is walking, he gets distracted by his own daydreaming, and falls into the empty elevator shaft. Luckily, he is able to immediately grab a metal beam in between floors. There he hangs for hours, screaming at the top of his lungs. He wants to be safe again…he wants to be free. He is yelling for help, because he is afraid that he will drop to his doom any minute.

Suddenly, a construction worker on the 9th floor hears his cry. He runs to this poor man’s rescue. He is safe! “Grab my hand”, yells the construction worker. The remedy for this man’s fear and ultimate doom is only an arm’s length away. It is as easy as simply reaching out a hand. But wait…the man who is in danger of losing his life refuses the outstretched hand. “My dreams are on the 10th floor!”, he yells…referring to the business that will soon go into that space and the lifelong dream this man had while building this company. “I promise…I will take you to the 10th floor after I rescue you. Please trust me. Grab my hand!” the construction worker says. The man refused and  fell the rest of the building length to his demise.

This man had a choice…reach out his hand for the rescue being offered, or be so in love with his immediate desires that he loses his own life.

Each day, we have an awesome opportunity to choose life. We can choose to live our own life falling in love with our own goals, or we can choose to reach out and grab the hand of Jesus to give us life and more passion to live every day with our goals backed up by His power.

Grab His hand. 
Choose to live.


This post was written by Rev DeCrastos.  For the original post, go to: http://other-words.net/2014/07/07/grab-my-hand-monday-musings/


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Sunday Meditation

4/27/2014

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"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."  Hebrews 4:16

Many of us find it very difficult to feel confident in intimate relationships. If we learned early in life that the people most important to us were unapproachable, then confidently approaching others as adults may be difficult. There are many ways to learn that approaching other people is dangerous. It can come from abuse, or criticism, or disinterest.

One result of experiences of this kind is that we find it difficult to be confident when we approach God. This is particularly true when we are feeling fragile, weak or needy. The last thing we expect is mercy and grace in our time of need. We expect to be criticized. We expect God to say 'why are you still so needy?'  We expect to be abandoned. We expect God to say 'I'm busy now.' We expect to be rejected. We expect God to say 'If only you had more faith or prayed more or read the Bible more or trusted me more.' With expectations like this, it is no surprise that we lack confidence when approaching God.

But God offers us an invitation we long to hear. He invites us to approach. And, God invites us to come with confidence. God will pay attention. God will hear us. God will be interested in our well-being. God will respond with mercy, grace and help.

I don't have much confidence, Lord.
I don't trust other people very much .
I don't trust you very much.
I don't expect mercy and grace
from anybody, especially in times when I'm this needy.
I expect criticism, abandonment, and rejection.

Thank you for inviting me to come to you.
Thank you for providing good reasons to have confidence in you.
You are full of mercy and grace.

This is a time of need for me, Lord.
Give me confidence to approach you today.
I need your mercy and grace.

Amen.

Copyright Dale and Juanita Ryan
National Association for Christian Recovery

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Avoiding alligators

12/7/2013

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You played the game too when you were a kid. It was a terrifying game with fatal consequences. If you lost focus even for a split second then you were doomed. It is hard to imagine that we played games with such a high risk factor.

The game is simply explained. Walk and maintain your balance on a narrow beam, or appropriately placed landscaping without falling to your doom into the (gulp) alligators below. Some kids replace alligators with lava for increased difficulty.

In all honesty we adults know that the consequences were mere figments of our imagination. We certainly acted as if they were real….doing everything possible to not fall. It definitely required focus.

There are things we encounter daily that are distractions to us. Even the word “distraction” doesn’t really do them justice. These are things that, if we were to lose focus, we could fall. The long term consequences could be a negatively redirected life.

When we think about our faith life it is obvious that we cannot afford to lose focus. Our desire to know God more, and serve those around us is vital. The fact is, though, there are sometimes when we try to show off, get distracted or give up altogether. Many times we even discount the reality of our faith. This makes us fall. The good news (aptly named) is that grace puts us back on track. God’s grace gives us chances that we don’t deserve using resources we have no business taping into. For some reason, that still can’t be explain, He desires for us to access this gift.

Today, don’t lose heart….lean on grace and regain focus.

This post was written by Rev DeCrastos.  For the original post, go to:  http://other-words.net/2013/12/01/avoiding-alligators/

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Sunday Meditation

11/10/2013

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Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.  Hebrews 4:16

Many of us find it very difficult to feel confident in intimate relationships. If we learned early in life that the people most important to us were unapproachable, then confidently approaching others as adults may be difficult. There are many ways to learn that approaching other people is dangerous. It can come from abuse, or criticism, or disinterest.

One result of experiences of this kind is that we find it difficult to be confident when we approach God. This is particularly true when we are feeling fragile, weak or needy. The last thing we expect is mercy and grace in our time of need. We expect to be criticized. We expect God to say 'why are you still so needy?'. We expect to be abandoned. We expect God to say 'I'm busy now.' We expect to be rejected. We expect God to say 'If only you had more faith or prayed more or read the Bible more or trusted me more.' With expectations like this, it is no surprise that we lack confidence when approaching God.

But God offers us an invitation we long to hear. He invites us to approach. And, God invites us to come with confidence. God will pay attention. God will hear us. God will be interested in our well-being. God will respond with mercy, grace and help.

I don't have much confidence, Lord.
I don't trust other people very much .
I don't trust you very much.
I don't expect mercy and grace
from anybody, especially in times when I'm this needy.
I expect criticism, abandonment, and rejection.

Thank you for inviting me to come to you.
Thank you for providing good reasons to have confidence in you.
You are full of mercy and grace.

This is a time of need for me, Lord.
Give me confidence to approach you today.
I need your mercy and grace.

Amen.

Copyright Dale and Juanita Ryan
National Association for Christian Recovery



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Sunday Meditation

7/28/2013

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There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest . . .let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.    Hebrews 4:9-11,16

God rested from his work.

And God invites us to rest from ours. In our time of need God invites us to experience the rest-full-ness that comes from receiving mercy and grace.

But we resist. Rest is such a reversal of our expectations. We don't expect mercy and grace. We expect criticism. We don't expect to be invited to approach with confidence; we expect rejection. We don't expect rest, we expect to receive a list of demanding tasks to perform. Becoming the kind of people who are capable of rest will require us to change. It will require effort on our part.

First, we will need to change the way we see ourselves. We are attached to the illusion that we have no limits. We may not claim to be immortal, but if you examine our behavior, we act as if we need less rest than God. God rested. We don't. Clearly something is wrong. If we are to become the kind of people who are capable of rest, it will take some effort to change the way we see ourselves.

Second, to increase our capacity for rest, we will need to change our behavior. Rest is not an idea. It is a behavior. It will take some effort to change the way we live. We will need to learn the skills that make it possible for us to say no to over commitment. We will need to build rest into the rhythm of our lives.

God rested. We need to do the same.

Help me to acknowledge my need for rest, Lord.
Help me to make quiet spaces in my life
when I cease all my doing
and allow myself to be.
Help me to make the effort to rest today.

Amen.

Copyright Dale and Juanita Ryan
National Association for Christian Recovery

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Power:  Jesus' Way

7/16/2013

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When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick…So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere. (Luke 9:1, 6)

Now this is just extraordinary—Jesus has absolutely no need to be the center of the action. He sends his friends out to do the very things he does; he gives them a major role in his campaign. “You go do it. Do everything you see me doing.” This is humble and this is extraordinarily generous; Jesus is absolutely openhanded with his kingdom. There is no need for the whole thing to be always about him. He is absolutely delighted to share his kingdom with us. He later says, “Don’t be afraid little ones your father is delighted to give you the kingdom.”

Most men get power and then crave more; as their stars rise they can’t bear to have others in the spotlight; they typically abuse the power they have; and in the end, it winds up crushing them and everyone around them. You recall the expression “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” It was a lesson learned through the long soiled history of men and power. But then we have Jesus, who walks right through the snares as if they weren’t even there, handling immense power with casual grace.


This post is excerpted from the book, The Utter Relief of Holiness, by John Eldredge


BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

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