Lessons in Grace Pt. 3

Grace 3: Grace Doesn’t Cost a Thing, Jer. 28: 5-9; Romans 6: 12-23

            Years ago, I was talking with an old World War II veteran. He said to me that he was always taught the saying, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.” He said, instead, they give you a discount lunch. You can get the veterans discount, military discount, over 65 discount, and if you’re like my friend Bob and complain all the time, they give you the hateful discount. He finished with, “I ain’t never got a free lunch, but I know God’s love and God’s grace ain’t never cost me a thing. And that’s a good deal, kiddo.” Independence Day is a reminder to us that God’s love and grace are a free gift, but rights, freedoms, and the concept of all being created equal bear a cost and come with a price. Let’s consider three ideas from the scripture today: using our whole selves for God’s glory, peace as proven in our lives, and what this free gift of grace means for us.

            First, we are told to use our whole selves for God’s glory. We read in verse 13, “So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.” This is often a hard one for us because it does require sacrifice from us at times. We may know we need to call and check on our neighbor, but we hesitate because it will be an unending conversation. We may want to snuggle down in the bed instead of coming to serve the church. If you’re like me, you may want to cuss the fool out of every single driver on I-75 North…and usually only North.

            But we are told to use our whole bodies for the glory of God. That means we listen and do God’s calling. That means we tell the goodness of God to souls in distress. That means we stand up for the poor, the oppressed, and the suffering. That means we befriend the lonely and love the difficult among us. We live in one of the richest nations on earth in terms of money, ability, education, upward mobility, and general resources. And yet, we often still see a strong sense of selfishness. Instead of using the entire self for God’s glory, we see too many using all their gifts and abilities to help themselves and themselves only.

            I think of my grandfather as an example. He was 17 when he enlisted in World War II. We often talk about the sacrifices of his generation fighting for what they thought was right. He went to war as still a child. He got an education after and provided for his family. He sang in church, played guitar, and was devoted for his whole life. And when he was diagnosed with a terminal cancer, he took up playing the ukulele because he’d always wanted to. He may not have changed the world, but he had a tremendous positive impact on those of us who knew him.

            That’s what it means to live your whole life for the glory of God. Every single day and moment is a gift—a gift of grace and love for us and from us for others. It’s an opportunity to use the resources God has blessed us and this country with to inspire and help someone else. God’s grace should be so overwhelming in our lives that love and service flows from us so that all may know this amazing grace. May everything we do be for the glory of God.

            Next, we must let peace be proven in our lives. Jeremiah, known as the “weeping prophet” in part for his words of doom and woe to the people, talks about prophets who predict peace. And he says bluntly, they must show they are right and be proven true in verse 9 of the Jeremiah passage. I often struggle with faith and patriotism together, not because I don’t believe in faith, and not because I don’t love and value my country. But too often we celebrate and encourage fighting and war when we are called to be ambassadors of peace. Paul talks about it. He writes of being entrapped or enslaved to lawlessness over righteous living. He talks of sin in terms of us feeling no obligation to do what is right. And he says that in serving and living for God, we become encouraged to do what is holy and brings eternal life.

            The Bible speaks specifically about us living in peace and being ambassadors of peace over 100 times between the Old and New Testament. Right at the top is Matthew 5:9, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” Part of accepting the free gift of grace, part of accepting this idea that we are to live for God with our whole selves is remembering that we are peacemakers. This weekend we acknowledge that war is a reality. We acknowledge that many brave souls, including my own two grandfathers, served to protect our country. We acknowledge that at times we must defend ourselves. And we give thanks for those who have served to protect us. Grace is free, but freedom and security are not.

            But we must also acknowledge of God-given calling to work for peace. That starts in our own lives and homes. It extends to the places we go. It includes our community which suffers from violence and murder. And it includes us saying, to quote the old spiritual, “Ain’t gonna study war no more.” Love thy neighbor also means living at peace with one another. And the proof of our call for peace is whether or not we live it in our own lives—our whole selves.

            Lastly, what does a “free gift” of grace mean for us? Paul could often be very harsh in his wording. He was a skilled orator and knew how to really rile up an audience. He finishes this part of the scripture with this very pointed statement, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Sometimes we try to take the sting of that phrase out. It falls hard on the ears and bruises our feelings a bit.

            Instead, think of grace, and Paul’s words, in these terms. A friend of mine is a therapist. She said sometimes her clients come in and they yell and fuss, shout and cry, and she has to find a way to take none of it to heart. She said, “When they get most upset, I sit and remember that it’s their trauma shouting at me or their past pain sobbing uncontrollably. It’s not them, and it’s not me.” Now, obviously, that is does not mean you should ignore accountability, boundaries, and abuse. None of that is acceptable. But we are still called upon, in our faith, return the free gift of grace we have received.

            A wise friend once said that the phrases, “You’re not allowed to speak to me or treat me like that,” and “But I recognize that you are God’s created and beloved,” can exist at the same time. That is when we need to pray for others the most. In the Anglican tradition, there is a prayer that talks about loving both the unloved and the unlovely. The wages of sin are in fact death: addiction, violence, hatred, abuse, war, fighting, letting your past be unresolved…all of these things can lead down a road to our demise. But it only takes an ounce of grace to heal the wounded soul, if they are willing to truly have the faith. And the truth is that it may be us who have to offer that ounce of grace while using boundaries to create peace within.

            A wise old veteran once told me that there’s no such thing as a free lunch. You only get discounts. But in that same breath he reminded me that God’s love and grace are free to us and free for us to share. So, this Independence Day we give thanks for those who fought to protect our freedoms. We give thanks that we can continue to work for freedom, rights, and justice. But we also must remember that we work for peace and we offer grace because we have committed to serving God with our whole selves. So may we live out our call to be Christ-like here, ambassadors of peace, and the living testimony of God’s love and grace.

           Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/969235970863257