Think about the times you have been at someone’s house for a meal and the host asks you to say “grace”. In that simple act you are asking the omnipotent Creator of the universe to bless the food you are about to consume!
How about after a particularly wonderful dinner party, plates full of food, cups overflowing, the host and hostess through an introduction here and there, a drink poured, a coffee offered, are busy making sure that everyone feels comfortable. At the end of a very pleasant evening, as you drive away, you turn to your partner and say, “now, aren’t they a gracious couple.”
Your doctor walks into the waiting room, sits down, opens a file and mentions that for now she is pleased to report your cancer is in remission. As you utter a silent prayer of thanks, there is only one word that can describe how you feel: grateful.
Grace... Gracious... Grateful… There is perhaps no more a remarkable word in the English language than grace. But what does it mean, exactly?
Perhaps the first thing that comes to mind when we think of grace is that old hymn “Amazing Grace”…great hymn, but what is so amazing about grace?
What does grace really mean?
At a comparative religions conference, the wise and the scholarly were in a spirited debate about what is unique about Christianity. Someone suggested what set Christianity apart from other religions was the concept of incarnation, the idea that God became incarnate in human form. But someone quickly said, “Well, actually, other faiths believe that God appears in human form.”
Another suggestion was offered: what about resurrection? The belief that death is not the final word. That the tomb was found empty. Someone slowly shook his head. Other religions have accounts of people returning from the dead.
Then, as the story is told, C.S. Lewis walked into the room, tweed jacket, pipe, and an armful of papers, a little early for his presentation. He sat down and took in the conversation, which had by now evolved into a fierce debate. Finally, during a lull, he spoke saying, “what's all this rumpus about?”
Everyone turned in his direction. Trying to explain themselves, they said, “We're debating what's unique about Christianity.” “Oh, that's easy,” answered Lewis. “It's grace.”
The room fell silent. Lewis continued that Christianity uniquely claims God's love comes free of charge, no strings attached. No other religion makes that claim. After a moment someone commented that Lewis had a point, Buddhists, for example, follow an eight-fold path to enlightenment. It's not a free ride. Hindu's believe in karma, that your actions continually affect the way the world will treat you; that there is nothing that comes to you not set in motion by your actions. Someone else observed the Jewish code of the law implies God has requirements, and Islam’s code of love does the same.
At the end of the discussion, everyone concluded Lewis was right. Only Christianity dares to proclaim that God’s love is unconditional. And that unconditional love is what we call grace. We who call ourselves Christians can boldly proclaim that grace really has precious little to do with us, our inner resolve, or our lack of inner resolve. Rather, grace is all about God and God freely giving to us the gifts of forgiveness, mercy, and love.
And the Word became flesh, and tabernacled (lived) among us. And we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and of truth.
John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, This was He of whom I spoke: He who comes after me has been before me, for He was preceding me. And out of His fullness we all have received, and grace for grace. For the Law came through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. John 1:14-17
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