Slideshow image

“...Or are you envious because I am generous?”
Matthew 20:15

Grace.

Radical grace.

God’s grace, by definition, is something we can never get, never earn, never deserve, but only be given. And sometimes that sticks in our craw.

In our gospel story for this coming Sunday, Jesus tells a parable. People are not getting what they deserve.

I invite you to read this parable sometime in the next few days. It’s found in Matthew 20:1-16. Then notice your initial feelings. Perhaps not your thoughts about it just now, but your initial gut-reaction feelings. And sit with those feelings for a time. Wonder about them. Ask God about them.

As Robert Farrar Capon put it in the introduction to his book Parables of Grace, “Like good poems, [Jesus’ parables] not only mean, but be; they have a sacramental effectiveness. Whether we “get” them or not, they remain first and foremost Jesus’ way of getting to us.”

A couple seeds for our Follow Me board this week:

Where in our society/our local community/your immediate social circle, are you seeing an example of God’s radical grace?

And/or,

In what way have you noticed God surprising you with grace? How is Jesus “getting to you”?

Jot them down, snap a picture, and post it on the board in the entryway at church. And if you’re not able to come in person, I invite you to call (520-744-2665) or email (office@beautifulsavior.net) them in to the church office. I love seeing the examples of Following Jesus that are showing up. Let’s keep them coming!