Every Sunday in Lent gives us an opportunity to look back over where we have been in the previous week. Throughout this series, each Sunday will focus on a particular aspect of the grace of God. It can be easy for us to think about God’s grace, and think that we understand it. The truth is God’s grace is always more profound than we can imagine.
Therefore, each of the Sundays we’re striving to make sense of one characteristic of God’s grace. By focusing in this way maybe we can deepen our appreciation for what God has provided for us. The sacrifice of Jesus is more than just a “get out of hell free” card. The redemption purchased by the shed blood of Christ is the restoration of our relationship with God himself.
Today we’re going to focus on the wonder of God’s grace.
I think it’s helpful to take the time and ask: what does the word wonder mean?
The sacrifice of Jesus is more than just a “get out of hell free” card. The redemption purchased by the shed blood of Christ is the restoration of our relationship with God himself.
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A cursory search for a definition of the word wonder provides this from Merriam-Webster’s dictionary.
- 1. “A cause of astonishment or admiration: Marvel”; miracle.
- 2. The quality of exciting amazed admiration.
- 3. A. Rapt attention or astonishment at something awesomely mysterious or new to one’s experience; B. A feeling of doubt or uncertainty.
These are interesting flavors of the word wonder. The one that stands out as being most closely described in Scripture is the second one. “The quality of exciting amazed admiration.”
When we think about God’s grace, it should elicit in us excitement, amazement, and admiration. Not in some sequential way but all at once. Like the crashing of a wave on the shore. Were sound and effect occur at the same time.
God’s grace is something that cannot be adequately defined. There are many who have tried. And at best those could be described as approximations of the truth. That is not to say those attempts have no value. As a matter of fact, they help us to get closer to what we should know and understand about God’s grace.
What I think is challenging when we try to define God’s grace is that we try to make a connection between what grace is and what we have learned through our experiences in life. And again, there is nothing inherently wrong with that. But these attempts only give us the impression that we know what God’s grace is.
In recent years, instead of trying to describe grace as something we can know, I’ve done my best to talk about it as something we must experience. It’s not something that can be simulated. It’s not something that can be shared with others through words or images. It’s not something that we can approximate.
The best we can do is invite them to journey with God just as we are doing. And to trust that God will remain faithful, not only to his word and promises but also to those who come to him honestly and with a genuine desire to find him.
The longer we live, the longer we walk with the Lord, the less concerned we should be with convincing others of the wonder of God’s grace. We should do all we can to live our lives according to what we claim to have experienced of God’s grace.
In this season of Lent let us rejoice not only in God’s grace but also in that he has been gracious to us.
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