Category Archives: Faith and Practice

Visible signs of invisible grace

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I believe it was St. Augutine who said that the Sacraments are visible signs of invisible grace; or to put it in modern terms, they are outward signs of what God is doing inwardly.  The bread and wine we share in communion, food that nourishes our bodies, are representations of the grace of God’s communion which nourishes and strengthens our souls with the real presence of Christ.  The water used in baptism is a representation of the cleansing and renewal of our spirit by the Holy Spirit of God.  Sacraments – visible signs of God’s invisible grace.

I think God works like that a lot.  Jesus spoke in parables, giving us pictures that we can relate to (sower and seeds, the prodigal son, good samaritan, etc) to teach about the mind blowing grace of God that our understanding can never completly comprehend.

These sacraments (visible signs of invisible grace) are all around us.  Yes, there are only two sacraments that we in the reformed faith adhere to, Baptism and Communion; these are the two that were authorized by Christ.  These are the sacraments where God has promised to meet us.

But God meets us in daily life – in smaller sacraments – reminding us daily of His grace.  I see these sacraments, most notably now, in my children.  Let me tell you how…

Last week I was home on a Wednesday night with my oldest (7 yrs) and my youngest (10 months).  My oldest was sick with strep – really not feeling well at all.  The youngest was a typical 10 month old – hungry, stinky, and loud.  I was feeding the baby, strained squash and carrots – a wonderful combination – when the phone rang.  It was a call that I really needed to take – so there I was talking on the phone, feeding the baby, while the oldest was moaning that she didn’t feel good.

I don’t multi-task, my wife will tell you that, so the baby wasn’t getting fed as quickly as he wanted.  In between each bite, he would voice his protest that I wasn’t moving fast enough, shouting at the top of his lungs.  I’d get 3 seconds of silence following each bite, long enough to listen to what my caller had to say.

That’s when it hit me, my children are representations of my own relationship with God.  There are times when I am impatient with God, times when I stubbornly refuse to listen and obey, times when I just need to rest in His arms, be fed by His hands, washed in His love.  I read somewhere that God intentionally brings peopel who are hard to love into our lives, just to show us how much He loves us, and how we are to love others.  This is one of the greatest gifts my children give, they remind me that I, too, am a child of God, loved by Him, and growing in His grace.

The church may not recognize my children as sacraments, but I know that I see in them a reminder of God’s grace in my life every day.

SDG

Merry Christmas

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Christmas has always been my favorite time of year, but the reason has changed.  As with all children, when I was a child, I loved Christmas for the presents.  Church on Christmas Eve was something I tolerated, even though I liked the music and the decorations.  I’d do anything to get to the presents.  I still remember the smell of my freshly opened G.I. Joe figures, playing under the tree with all the toys on Christmas morning for an eternity. It seemed then that time stood still and all was right in the world.

In my college years and late twenties, Christmas became a time of nostalgia and a rejection of the popular commercialism.  I remembered with a great fondness the joy that I had at Christmas, but for the first time saw the ravages of commercialism on the real meaning of Christmas.  Courthouse squares were forced to remove their nativity scenes, Merry Christmas was changed to “Season’s Greetings” (whatever that means), and Christmas break from school was officially changed to Winter break.

Now that I have kids, I have another perspective on Christmas.  I no longer really care what I get, I love the giving.  I love seeing the joy and the excitement in my children, that look I had when I was a kid.  I love recreating the warmth, the tradition, everything that I experienced at Christmas as a child.

But I know there is more to Christmas.  As a Pastor, this is still my favorite time of the year, but for a different reason than mentioned above.  I love this time of year, because it’s the perfect opportunity for sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.  People are hungry for the message.  They know all too well the hunger of a people who dwell in darkness.  They long for the presence of abiding love and comfort.  They are searching, much as the shepherds and magi did, for the promised Messiah.  What better opportunity to share Christ.

Earlier this week I came across a blog entitled, “An Uncomfortable Christmas card for Unbelievers Uncomfortable at Christmas.”  This is excellent reading – check it out.

I am not ashamed, especially now, to share the message of Christ at Christmas.  I wish all who love and live in Christ a Merry Christmas.  For those who do not know Christ, I pray that you do not find rest until you find it in Him. I pray you do not know comfort until you know it in Him.  I pray that Christmas seems shallow, until you finally come to know Christ.

Merry Christmas – SDG