What is the Sunday School definition of Grace? I've heard "what you say before meals." "A girl's name." And "the unconditional love of God revealed through Jesus Christ." That last one is usually given by the teacher reading from the leader's guide.
Those are all right answers! What impressed me today as I attended worship at the Divinity School Chapel at Duke was how God wants grace to be seen. Grace isn't just an idea or a definition in a Sunday School class. Grace is alive and real and among us in this world. At least that is the great proclamation of Easter.
These days we live in a world of hyper visual stimulation. I'm sure some poor soul has researched the average number of visual images we are bombarded with on a daily basis. Those images tell us about who we are and what is important to us - images like beautiful spring flowers, magnificent architecture, dying loved ones, nameless victims of crime, video games and pornography.
Some of these things cause us to weep or sigh or sing. They stir feelings of peace, anger, numbness, fear, awe or joy. Images are powerful in the feelings they evoke and the stories they tell. And though not always, we have the choice many times about what we look at. What story will we choose to look at?
The church offers an alternative story to the world's consumption and despair. The church offers "Visual Grace." The story of the " bread and the cup"? The story of "empty grave clothes"? The story of "the weeping turned to joy"? Where will we turn our eyes for the grace we need?
"But my eyes are turned toward you, O God, my Lord; in you I seek refuge; do not leave me defenseless." Psalm 141:8
1 comment:
Sweet. Love the Grace stuff. Unfortunately I never heard about grace growing up. Was not until I started attending Morrow UMC right after getting married, did I start learning about grace.
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