Ephesians 1:7
In him we have redemption through his blood, the
forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of his grace that he
lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.
I once had to call my parents from a sheriff’s
office in Georgia at 2:00 in the morning. Trust me, that’s not a call you want
to make!
It was right after my first year in college and
I wanted to make a trip from Orlando, Florida, where my parents and brothers
had moved after I left for school, to my home town in Westchester County, New
York. For some crazy reason my parents not only let me make the trip, but also
allowed my two younger brothers to go with me.
So I was driving through the night (another
absolutely insane idea) in my Dad’s car when I was pulled over by the local
sheriff for speeding. I’m pretty sure that the sheriff could have just taken my
license and given me a ticket in the usual way, but I think he saw my age and
the fact that my brothers were in the car and decided to teach me a lesson I
would never forget. He just told me to follow him because he was “taking me
in.”
The small town sheriff’s office reminded me
exactly of the jail house in “The Andy Griffith Show.” There was a small cell
with bars and everything. I half expected to see Barney Fife there with his one
bullet. The sheriff said the only way I could leave that night was if I called
my father and let him talk to him. So, at 2:00 am I called home and told my Dad
I was in trouble.
Even though he was awakened in the middle of the
night by a phone call no parent wants to get, my Dad didn’t scream or yell.
After I told him that I was pulled over for speeding and the sheriff wanted to
talk to him, he just asked me if we were all OK. Then he told me to give the
phone to the sheriff. After a short conversation, the sheriff told me we were
free to go, but to be careful. And we continued the rest of the trip safely
and without incident.
I don’t remember clearly whether or not I had to
pay my Dad back for the fine that he took care of by credit card over the
phone, but I do remember what it felt like to receive his grace at the moment
of my need!
I had disobeyed the law; and I had, I’m sure,
disappointed my father with an immature mistake. But what he offered in return
was not judgment and anger, however justified, but rather compassion and grace.
A time for teaching, instruction and growth would surely follow, but what he
offered at the moment was what I most needed. Grace.
In the great letter to the Romans, Paul writes:
In him we have redemption through his blood, the
forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of his grace that he
lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.
I love the words Paul uses to describe the grace
of Christ. He says that we receive forgiveness for our sins “in accordance with
the riches of his grace that he lavished on us…”
The riches of grace.
Lavished on us.
The word “lavish” implies a kind of
extraordinary generosity bordering on extravagant or even ridiculous. I picture
a child hoping for an ice cream cone and getting a giant hot fudge Sundae. I
picture a tired and thirsty athlete in need of a water fountain and getting
Niagara Falls!
We fail. We sin. We hope that God won’t be too
upset with us and that he will maybe, hopefully, be able someday and somehow to
forgive us. We think that way because that’s how we often forgive. We struggle
to forgive others and we especially struggle to forgive ourselves. But God is
not like us! He opens the floodgates of his heart and pours out his grace like
a great avalanche, waterfall, tsunami – an overwhelming, extravagant and
ridiculous amount of forgiveness. He lavishes
his grace on us!
All spiritual life begins when God breaks our
hearts with his lavish and outrageous love. Do you know that love? Have you
received his grace?
If so, thank him for the wonder and power of his
grace. If not, all you need to do is ask him! But, let me warn you, his grace
is both overwhelming and devastating and will turn your life inside out and
upside down. But it is good!
Pastor Brian Coffey
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