2022.01.02 | A Culture of Grace
“A Culture of Grace”
Nadia Tavera
Eden United Church of Christ
Hayward, CA
Jan 2, 2022
Jn. 1:(1-9), 10-18 | Juan 1:1-8
Good morning, this Sunday at Eden Church we are celebrating Dia de los Reyes or Epiphany. The visit of the Magi to Baby Jesus.
Today's Scripture links theology with poetry to reveal the greatest manifestation of God to humankind:
“In the beginning was the Verbo, and the Verbo was with God, and the Verbo was God.”
As you can see, I’m using the word Verbo, which is the traditional Spanish translation of the original Greek “Logos” that is translated as Word in most English versions.
For some reason the Spanish translators decided to use the Verb instead of the Word.
“En el principio era el Verbo, y el Verbo era con Dios, y el Verbo era Dios.
I don’t know if the “Verb" makes sense in English as it does in Spanish. We can use Verb, Word, Logos, or any other translation of the many languages we have the Scripture. The point here is that for any language the meaning remains the same. Jesus Christ is the revelation of God incarnated.
Scholars agree that John is a gospel written for a specific purpose, that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ.
Chapter 1 is a profound portion about the core of Christianity. Our God came to us in human form, a baby born from a woman.
Let’s explore one of the most controversial questions among Christian traditions. What did Jesus come into the world for? Some say: to save the world from sin, the substitutionary atonement, to give eternal life, to fulfill the law and the prophets, to reveal God’s glory, and we can do a long list collecting people’s beliefs. Some may agree in most or in some. Let us focus on verse 17 where John emphasizes that the law was given through Moses, and grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. I believe that one of the many reasons that Jesus came to us was to pour out his grace over us.
II
What is this grace? Based on the Scripture, Jesus never defined grace. However, he told several stories about people considered undeserving of God’s favor according to the law but received God's grace through Jesus Christ.
An exegetical fact is, the word Grace (Χάρις in greek) appears 140 times in the N.T.
The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible defines grace as God's unmerited free, spontaneous love for sinful humanity, revealed and made effective in Jesus Christ.
When the Christian writer Philip Yancey was asked what grace is, he responded:
“Grace means there is nothing I can do to make God love me more, and nothing I can do to make God love me less. An infinite God already loves me unconditionally, and if we can understand that, then we have a little glimpse of what God’s grace is.” [1]
In an increasingly secularized world, we as faith leaders strive to proclaim this grace to people outside the church, being aware that people outside the church have their own ideas and theology about pleasing God. Many people still believe that God’s favor is earned by obedience to the commandments and through good deeds.
Isaiah 64:6 says that all our righteous deeds are like filthy cloth before God. The Apostle Paul developed his theological thinking based on the concept of grace. A clear example is the text of Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Today more than ever, people need to know that grace is absolute freedom from receiving the love of God.
I remember my former years serving at Compañeras Ministry. It was a Comida day, and some moms were arguing about who hadn't completed two hours volunteering and complaining about one mom who came late and only worked about one hour.
Without denying the equity principle we promote in the church; I explained the concept of grace to them. I said that the church valued everyone’s work and commitment, and the primary purpose of this Ministry is to provide food for all who need it. Eden Church is not expecting anything in return and encourages them never to lose the purpose of serving one another.
I’m not sure if moms agreed or not, what I know is that these mothers have influence in their children's faith education. The idea to fulfill commandments to please God continues to pervade from one generation to another.
Notice the difference between fulfill commandments and justice actions. As I always assert, the core of this lies in the intention of the heart.
III
I believe that the challenge of the current church, we as faith leaders, and you as the body of Christ, is to foster a radical culture of grace to survive the next generations.
Some weeks ago, I went to a church to support a friend who was the preacher that day. I prefer not to say the name of the church to keep confidentiality. After the service, my friend received feedback about her outfit. Some church members felt offended that a thirty-year-old woman wore jeans in the pulpit. Can you believe that? My friend and I were outraged about this. It’s not my business to talk more about that church but the point is:
Can you see the legalism of the law embedded in some actions in your life?
I confess that sometimes I need to appease the Pharisee's actions that are still nailed in my being/mind or subconscious. Isaac Newton was right by saying, "It is harder to crack prejudice than an atom."
We are part of a culture resistant to change. Let me remind you, change is the only constant these days.
I wonder what the members of that church need to change to see my friend through the grace of God instead wearing their legalistic glasses. I pray they, the moms of Cherryland, and you and I can embody the grace of God poured through Jesus over us.
A culture of grace begins with the individual and has a collective impact.
The questions are, what do you need to foster a culture of grace with others? What actions that are right to me, that don’t make sense to others? Am I able to accept the change?
May God help us to foster a culture of grace with all people, by renewing our minds through the grace we received from Jesus Christ.
Amen.
[1] Philip Yancey, What's So Amazing About Grace?