Zechariah 12:10 “And
I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of
grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have
pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and
grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.”
John 1:14 The
Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the
glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and
truth.
The
older I get, the more I need God’s grace in my life. Decades ago, I thought it
would be the reverse. I believed then that I would by now have worked out all
of my flaws, failings, and mistakes because I would be older, wiser, and more
mature. The reality is a whole lot different: I get set in my ways, whine for
the good old days, and feel out of place. Ecclesiastical curmudgeonary and
dinosaurial drudgery can best describe me at times. I was born in the 1950’s,
raised in the sixties, and formed in the seventies. I’m a 20th century
man living in a 21st century world. I know how I would like things
to be but there’s no going back; in order to accommodate a new bold world, I
constantly need an old beautiful gift: grace.
The
two Bible verses for today were written hundreds of years apart, but they
express God’s remedy for a broken world in almost the same terms: ‘grace and
supplication’ and ‘grace and truth.’ In the Old Testament, God’s patience and
mercy were appealed to through the means of sacrifice and supplication. In the
New Testament, the Supreme Sacrifice had already been made, so the opportunity
of God’s patience and mercy were given through this truth: Jesus is the Savior
of our sins. In the past, grace was a means of being granted the permission to
approach God; now grace through Christ means that we can not only approach God,
but we may also abide with Him forever.
Grace: an ancient,
blessed, and beautiful gift from God granted to us today (and for all time)
through Jesus Christ our Lord and King.
Question for personal reflection
How many times
have I needed God’s grace this week?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You were given to us to
become the ultimate sacrifice and universal Savior of the world. By Your
obedience and death, we have been given God’s grace and life. We will always be
truly thankful for Your wonderful gift. In Your Holy Name, we humbly and
gratefully pray. Amen.
John
Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If
you would like to comment on today’s message or ask a question of him, please
send an email to Traqair@aol.com. John is
always delighted to read your comments and answer your questions.
Today’s
image is one of John’s latest Nativity drawing for 2012. It’s called “First Family”
and is currently being used by churches in the United States, Switzerland, and
England for their Christmas advertizing campaigns. If you would like to view a
larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8193/8132931651_2e0cee43a8_b.jpg
John
has signed 8x11 prints available. Contact him by email for details.
