Friday, July 3rd

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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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