Responding To God's Grace

Dr. James Mayfield

Tarrytown United Methodist Church

October 10, 2004

Text: Leviticus 23:9-10, Proverbs 3:9, II Corinthians 9:6-8

The theme of this year's financial stewardship campaign is “Responding to God's grace with first fruits.”

But how can we respond to God's grace, if “grace” is merely a word we say in church rather than a reality we recognize in our living? To be able to respond to God's grace we must be aware of God's grace at work in our lives.

Each of us experiences God's grace to some degree -- whether we are aware of it or not, whether we believe it or not. Just as a parent is involved in the work of loving the child long before the child is able to define what love is, or even say the word “love,” just so God's love is at work in our lives long before we are aware of the grace of God..

Certainly the grace of God was at work in my life long before I was aware of it. For example, one of my childhood memories is mother hanging clothes on the line to dry, singing: “What have I to dread, what have I to fear, leaning on the everlasting arms?” or “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine.” To me, as a child, the songs were only songs; I heard the melody but the words flew by unnoticed and undigested. But even unrecognized, God's grace was all around me in the atmosphere and environment of our home -- not in the hymns that were sung as much as in the lives that were lived, lives that were shaped by the reality those hymn lyrics pointed toward.

I am told that before I was 3 years old, I almost died twice. I have been told about my mother standing up to the head nurse and refusing to leave my side when it was hospital policy in the 1930's not to allow a mother to stay with her child. In her tenacity to be constantly at my side, the grace of God was at work, whether she was aware of it or not and long before I was capable of knowing it.

“Oh, that's just a mother's love,” some may say. And that is an almost correct statement. It is a mother's love; but not “ just a mother's love.” God's grace is at work through appropriate love wherever it is expressed. God's grace does not have to be labeled, identified or experienced as a specific type of emotion in order to be valid grace. Whether we are aware of it or not, whether we believe it or not, God's grace is at work in our lives -- quite often through the love we receive from family and friends.

Some of you have heard me talk about a difficult and painful time in my life when as a young adult I was unable to sense any meaning or purpose in life. At one point I even planned my suicide, but the conscious reason I gave myself for not going through with it was I knew my death would devastate my parents and grandparents. I loved them too much to cause them that kind of anguish. Years later when I told this story to Claus Rohlfs, Claus said: “Yes; that is the way God's grace works even before we are aware of its presence. Through love we do not associate with God, God's love offers the possibility of life.”

I went seminary not to become a pastor but in the hope of finding hope. There I began to understand something of the profound Truth the Bible proclaims. I began to discover the rich wisdom in our Christian heritage. And through the acceptance and support of friends with whom I shared a house, and through others with whom I worked, I experienced a fellowship of grace, a community of faith. At some point the fog lifted; the sunlight of hope broke through the dark clouds of doubt and the gloom of hopelessness. I received the gift of faith; the gift of trusting God and trusting God's love.

I would like to be able to say the day and hour it happened. But I cannot. I do remember being in a discussion group and realizing I had much more than a grudging belief in a first cause. I did believe in God as revealed in the Christ proclaimed in the Scriptures. I trusted God loved the world and loved me . I embraced God's grace with a trust, a faith that was far beyond what I could objectively prove.

How did my faith come? My most accurate response is, it came as a gift of grace. But didn't I go to seminary? Yes. That was my route. But seminary was itself a gift of grace. Was it not my study that reclaimed my life? My journey was a journey of study; but even the opportunity to study was a gift; My ability to study was and is a gift -- a gift of grace.

And with the gift of faith, came the ability to discern grace in my rear view mirror. When we begin to live trusting the love of God, we begin to see signs, symptoms of God's love at work in our yesterdays -- even our yesterdays before we were able to trust God and God's love.

We find ourselves singing these words from “Amazing Grace” with meaning and conviction: “Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come. ‘Tis grace hath brought me save thus far ….” More and more this becomes our song as we grow in our awareness of ways God's grace has been at work in our yesterdays, providing us with love of family and friends, and giving us abilities and opportunities far beyond what we truly deserve. And as we realize that it is God's grace that has brought us save thus far, we grow in our capacity to trust God with our future. Because we are aware God's grace has been at work in our yesterdays, we are not only able to sing: “'Tis grace hath brought me save thus far” but also the next line as well, “and grace will lead me home.”

Having an awareness of God's grace at work in our yesterdays, we are able to face our tomorrows confidently trusting the grace of God to see us through. What a great gift of grace is the gift of faith, the gift of trusting God and God's love, so that regardless of our situation, we are able to face whatever must be faced knowing by faith, God is with us; we are not alone. God's grace will lead us home.

I remember a time as a parent, being in deep agony because of the destructive choices made by our teenager. It was a situation far beyond my ability to remedy. It was a time of midnight sleeplessness and stomach churning grief, disappointment and fear and agony of wondering: “Have I been a complete failure as parent?” I remember in the midst of agonized prayer sensing a voice from beyond yet from deep within, a voice I am able to hear only when my pretended self-sufficiency is shattered. And the message was an ancient promise: “Lo, I am with you, always.” It was a message from the One who knows what it is to feel all alone and who even cried out: “My God, why have you forsaken me?” It was a message from the One through whom we have come to know crucifixion is not the last word in life. There is resurrection; And the resurrection described by Paul, what is raised up is not what was buried; it is a new creation; a new and different possibility. And because of faith in the God of grace who overcomes all sorts of death with the resurrection of new live, I knew there was hope, real hope even though I did not know what form the new life would take.

“Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come: ‘tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.” In the midst of the darkness of that experience I grew in my awareness of God's amazing grace. My appreciation of the love God at work in my life deepened. The proclamation from the Gospel of John, was not mere words for Christmas Eve, but a profound declaration of hope for all seasons of life. The amazing light of God's grace does shine in the darkness; and the darkness has not, will not, cannot overcome it.

To respond to God's grace, we not only have to experience it, we need to be aware of having experienced it. The question is not : “Has the grace of God been at work in our lives?” The question is : “Are we aware of the ways God's grace has been and is at work in our lives?”

The theme for our stewardship campaign is: “Responding to God's grace with first fruits.” I suppose it is possible for some in their defensiveness to hear this theme as a subtle way of laying some sort of religious, legalistic burden on them, but that is not what is intended. What is intended is not a command from some sort of religious drill sergeant. This theme is meant to be a joyful declaration by those who are aware of the grace of God at work in life and in their lives. It is invitation to celebrate God's love by responding with our first fruits by joyfully responding with our best rather than grudgingly responding with the leftovers of our time, energy and money.

God, enable us be so aware of the ways your grace has been and is at work in our lives that the joy of gratitude fills our hearts and we give our first fruits rather than our leftovers for the ministries serving and proclaiming your love, the grace made known in Christ. Amen.

Pastoral prayer:

God, it is easy for our fears of what might happen or our desires for what we want to shove aside our gratitude, but when we pause to think, we are aware of your generosity and embarrassed by our lack of gratitude. We are especially grateful for the gifts of people to love, because without people to love our lives would be barren and lonely. We are grateful for having things to do, because otherwise our days would be dull and lifeless. And we are grateful for something to look forward to because that provides us with the joy of hope and anticipation. We are grateful for the ways your love works in us and on us, prodding us to be the persons you see we can be. Thank you for not abandoning us when we ignore you, walk away from you and defy you. Thank you for coming into the midst of the mess we have made and offering us the opportunity and the ability to be faithful to you, even in the midst of our mess. We are grateful you transform crucifixions into resurrections and bring life from tombs and take light into the midst of darkness. For the many ways your love, your grace, comes into our lives, we give you thanks - especially for your Son who was teaching us to live when he taught us to pray: "Our Father ...."