A Venti Caffinated Grace

In Luke 6 Christ teaches that:  "someone takes your cloak (or coffee pot--Carol Translation), do not stop him from taking your tunic. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you."

Grace:  a cornerstone of Christian faith.  The unmerited mercy and kindness God shows us through the work of Christ.  But what about small doses of uncommon grace, granting favor that which we don't deserve, a gift or even a gesture, beyond our ability to earn or repay?  The power to bless the recipient with a freely given act from the giver.

You shall NOT (Carol emphasis) steal.  Exodus 20:15

I stole a pot of coffee.  At church.  Stealing is wrong, but at church it seems particularly wrong.  Ms. B  had provided coffee for her council meeting, and in typical Ms. B. fashion had left the unused portion in a gathering spot for all the classes to enjoy.  Flash to my classroom, where the coffee pot and coffee can sit empty.  Once the class hour began I tip toed to the main area, snagged the coffee and returned victorious to my group.

About 5 minutes later, Ms. B. slipped into my class to retrieve the pot, I was caught red handed. I muttered a lame apology--you know the one that is packaged in an excuse and wrapped with an explanation about normally having it, but running out...also muttered without making any eye contact, like a puppy who is caught.   I am sure she did not hear any of my ramblings, and I returned to my teaching on temptation--file under irony. 

About 3 minutes later Ms. B. was back with the coffee pot, full of fresh coffee for the to enjoy a second hot cup.

Uncommon, common grace.  I deserved a scolding, or a stern look or at the very least a pursed lip and exasperated sigh.  I receive a hot fresh pot of joe for my class with a smile and a word of encouragement about the growth of the group.  Unearned and much more than I deserved.  Uncommon grace.

A simple act left a strong impression. 

What if that was the rule of Christian expression, not the delightful exception?

Pausing to Consider: Where Did That Come From?

Forgiveness:  typical of many truths, we all agree on its merits and very few agree to fully express it.  We all love to be on the receiving end of it, we often hesitate to be the deliverer.  That lack of balance creates some real daily tension in my mind and heart.

The word resentment means to feel again.  It is to recover, review, repeat and relive again and again an old hurt or disappointment.  I came across in reading today this quote from Martin Luther, "Think of all the squabbles Adam and Eve must have had in the course of their nine hundred years.   Eve would say, 'you ate the apple, ' and Adam would retort, 'you gave it to me.'"

Forgiveness:  to release, excuse and not pursue any kind of compensation for an offense or perceive offense.  It's the only escape hatch for the pit of resentment. 

Lewis Smedes concludes  in his work, The Art of Forgiving, that God seems to move through stages to forgive humans.  Initially, he sees the humanity of the person who wronged him, but removing the barrier created by sin, then he gives up his right to justice, and a fair response (he takes the punishment) and last he changes his feeling toward humans so that when he looks upon us he sees his own adopted children, restored.

That is insightful, but only helpful if we can assume that posture when confronted with real rejection, real violation or even the real irritation.  What does that first stage really look like?  Considering the humanity of the person who launched at me or you?  

Rather than reliving the moment, what about reconsidering the context--what makes that person tick or ticked off?  Why did his or her brokenness come crashing down on me--what is that brokenness?  How can I help them, or what would help them? 

Instead of trying to just love the unlovable,  maybe a first small step of pausing to consider his or her humanity (the comment of Christ on the cross...forgive them for they know not what they do).  Why did he say that?   The second part?  That we did not know we were killing the Son of God, yes.  But was there more to that comment?  We act poorly in ways we don't fully appreciate--unintended consquence or underestimated consequence.

Can I consider that the one who hurt me has no full understanding of that hurt, just as an intial step in the pursuit of gracing others?

This, of course is not to dismiss the necessity of boundaries or the wisdom of creating some space with people who are destructive in ways that I am not equipped to engage--but I started with resentment.  Snake nibbles, not bites, that are an all to common occurrence.

What do you think, what do you think it means to consider the humanity of the offender?

(Luther and Smedes quote pulled from What's So Amazing About Grace by Philip Yancey--an incredible book).

Highlighting both Grace and Truth

The Grace of God, written by Andy Stanley (senior pastor of Northpoint Church) is an excellent book which goes far to grasp the depth and consequence of grace in the relationship between God and believer. It would be an effective tool for a small group or class as a study guide, or for personal growth.

The practical application of Biblical lives and circumstances-- to understanding the principles which come out of that truth, and then working all of that into a personal faithful response is the great takeaway of Stanley’s work.

It is packed with story after story from the scriptures and carefully reasoned so that it makes not just an impression but a difference in the life of a believer. It’s simply really effective teaching, not burdened with clichés or legalism.

Stanley has a great sense of humor, and strong sense of why people struggle in accepting grace and really struggle with giving grace, which makes The Grace of God an enjoyable as well as edifying read.

Grace, when believed and lived out is powerful and Stanley’s work captures that reality. If the reader is familiar Stanley’s sermons from Northpoint Church, a lot of the writing will be recognizable. However, the compilation of so much work into one piece, more than accounts for this duplication.

The Grace of God will be time well invested, and would also be a great gift for another.

That's not fair!

Matthew 20: Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard.  You know the story, the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work.  He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sen them into his vineyard.  ...The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour cam and earth received a denarius.  So when those came who were hired firs the expected to receive more.  But each one of them also received a denarius.  When they received it,they began to grumble against the landowner....But he answer them, Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money?   Or are you envious because I am generous.  So the last will be first and the first will be last.

Two wonderful friends of mine just received a big gift for a job I did years ago.  Upon completion of my work, I received essentially nothing.   My first reaction was rationalized resentment, yes they did great, but must we be so extravagant?  My next reaction was self pity--I worked hard too and all I got was a cute coffee mug.  

This morning I considered my pride and envy for what it actually is--self centered and small.   I read the parable in Matthew 20 a couple of times.   I always "related" to the workers who arrived early, worked their tails off and felt unfairly compensated for their effort.  What if I am the guy that shows up as the sun is setting and collects a full day's wage?  What if I am really blessed not only more than I deserve, but actually I have not put much effort into the work of the day but am receiving full wages?  It never occurred to me that based on the kingdom work of others, I am late to the game and overpaid in contrast to their effort.

Perspective is a simple remedy for petty envy, next step--celebrating the bounty others receive, not just dodging my one jealously.