GOD’S HEALING GRACE: Recognized, Received, Reflected: Part 2

Receiving & Reflecting God’s Grace

Grace & truth, which reflect the very nature of the heart of God, came to God’s people through Jesus Christ. Grace is Christianity’s best gift to the world. Grace is the essence of the Gospel messages. It is frequently revealed in the parables of Jesus. In these Gospel stories, Grace is often unconditionally poured out on His people offering healing & wholeness, modeling the very heart of God. God & Grace are everywhere, always with us, undeserved & freely offered to us by God. It does not cancel out our responsibility for the things God has given to us to do, but it offers & opens the door for healing & wholeness, unconditionally. Grace comes into our soul as the morning sun comes into the world; first a dawning, then a light & at last the sun in full & excellent brightness. It is from God’s unconditional love that His Grace is freely given to His people. “In the darkest of nights, we can cling to the assurance that God loves us, that He always has advice for us, a path that we can tread & a solution to our problems. We will experience that which we believe. God never disappoints anyone who places his trust in Him.”

God, through His Grace is everywhere & is freely given however, sometimes we just lack the receptors to receive the Grace that is all around us as our wonderings, detours & dead ends block our receptors & we are unable to recognize & receive & consequently, unable to reflect God’s gift of Grace. Though we may not realize it, what pulls us along through the brokenness of illness, disease, suffering, hatred, vengeance, exclusion, injustice, violence & racism, is our known & unknown hunger for God’s gift of Grace. The world thirsts for Grace in ways it does not even recognize. We recognize God’s Grace in others when we ourselves are graced by God’s gifts of: unconditional love, healing, forgiveness, compassion, kindness, inclusion & of new life freely given. Grace comes to us from outside as a gift, not an achievement. It is the gift of God given through His Grace that brings healing & wholeness to the people of God.

The easiest way to recognize, receive, & reflect the healing gift of God’s Grace is by sharing stories of healing. Jesus introduced the healing gift of God’s Grace through parables that reflect the gift of God’s Grace freely given. The parables of: “The Good Samaritan” & “The Women at the Well”, are 2 stories that clearly invite us to recognize, receive & then reflect God’s Grace. Each one of these parables tell of stories where people are suffering, hurt, treated very harshly, judged due to their race, & unfairly excluded. As the parable unfolds, a person encounters the one suffering & reflecting God’s Grace of compassion & unconditional love acted on by God’s unveiled heart, heals the suffering person & in so doing, lifts their suffering & opens their life to beauty from their suffering, allowing them to heal from their pain & suffering & to live into the image of God that removes the pain & suffering of life & graciously gives them the beauty of Gods heart. The person who healed the suffering person recognized, received & then reflected God’s Grace & healing & wholeness was given.

Beauty is God’s will for His creation. God calls us to be ambassadors of His Grace as we encounter one another. That is our calling. Reflecting God’s Grace brings beauty, healing & peace to the universe. In keeping with our calling each day, trusting in God’s unveiled heart in action & in partnership with God our Creator, we are each encouraged to ask ourselves: Did I offer peace today? Did I bring a smile to someone’s face? Did I say words of healing? Did I let go of my anger & resentment? Did I forgive? Did I love? These are the real questions that those who are called to reflect God’s Grace must ask themselves. We must trust that the little bit of love that we sow now, will bear many fruits, herein this world & in the life to come. AMEN

~Posted by Rev Kathryn Bindig, MDiv. MS; Pastoral Care Minister with assistance from Rich Muscatello; Director of Business Development & Strategy