“I know nothing, except what everyone knows – if there when Grace dances, I should dance.” W. H. Auden Our family has enjoyed exploring the area over the past couple of months, and it’s been great trying out different restaurants across St. Louis. We are so thankful for all the gift cards we received on our first Sunday at St. Mark, and we are putting them to good use. Sarah’s aunt and uncle came up from Arkansas to take in a Cardinals game last week, and we headed to a favorite local Mexican restaurant with the whole family. The food was great, and it was wonderful to sit with extended family, if only for an evening, in our new home town. All meetings and meals come to an end, and as we sat among empty chip bowls, I prepared to play a familiar game with Uncle Ed. It is always a little like “High Noon” in the Old West between us when the check arrives. We catch each other’s eye, reach for our wallets, and pull out our credit card with the speed that would make Gary Cooper proud.
This time was different. We both had plastic in hand when the waitress approached the table, but she said something completely unexpected. Our meal was covered. Someone else in the restaurant had already paid it in full. This threw us for a bit of a loop, and we sat there grateful, but a little disoriented. I think for many of us, it’s easier to perform a gracious act than to accept one.
In our culture, we are instructed from an early age on the need to be self-sufficient. Our bills, our debts, and our problems are all our own. The Good News of Jesus Christ proclaims a completely different message. You are not your own, and you are not alone. God has already taken care of everything. The bill is paid in full (1 Corinthians 6:19-20.) This is how we answer the most important question, “What is your only comfort in life and in death?”
Our worldview begins to change when we acknowledge we cannot live this life on our own and stop pretending we have everything together. Philip Yancey calls grace, “the last best word,” and I think he is right. Like the air, it is all around us, but we are too stubborn, hurt, or scared to breath it in. The bill has already been paid, and the only question is how we will respond to God’s graciousness. I believe it is in freely receiving that we begin to fully give.
We have several wonderful opportunities coming up this month, and I encourage you to join us for the CROP Walk on October 1, the community-wide Fall Festival on October 8, and the Pet Blessing on October 15. All of these events (and others) provide an opportunity to give, receive, serve, and be served. In short, we have a chance to be the church to each other and to the world.
Blessings come in service to others, a welcome to a stranger, a shoulder to cry on, and, for our family last week, free tacos. May our hands, hearts, and lives be open to receive.
In Hope and Confidence, Pastor Dave
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