Donna Putney

From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace (John 1:16)

Grace upon grace. This is my favorite phrase. These words together are the ultimate expression of God’s love for mankind. Grace is best described as being given what you do not deserve. God’s grace to each of us is a constant overflowing gift. As believers, we are constantly being inundated with the grace of God, on behalf of Jesus Christ. God is always giving, and God’s intention is that we never stop receiving. Even when everything taking place in our nation seems chaotic and out of control.

I find myself thinking of the metaphorical phrase of life being full of mountains and valleys. The mountains being the challenging situations and the valleys being stability.

If we were able to choose, we would likely choose to spend most of our time in the valley/basin. It seems so peaceful and quiet besides a few windy days now and then. In our valleys we find an innerpeace as well as a calm that is shown through our words and actions. We may even wear our Life is Good brand of clothing. But because of many of the outside influences, life doesn’t remain in the valley. We are forced to face challenges that are both our own doing and many beyond our control.

The year 2020 has been less than gracious. What we need to do as God’s people is remember that the things we say and do affect others. Instead of judging those who think differently from you; treat them with the mercy, compassion, and love God shows you.

So what do we do?  We remember that through the love of God, we are given a constant flow of grace upon grace. God will not stop giving us the grace we need to make the climb up the mountain. We need to find our middle ground as God’s people. This is a place where we can be ourselves. A place where there is a mutual understanding to love our neighbor regardless of our differences.

Oppression and marginalization have been a part of our world long enough. God created us all in God’s image. It is our responsiblity to move beyond the skeptism, conspiracy theories, and name calling by following God’s example to love our neighbors.

These words are on display in my office where I can read them everyday: “philosophy:  life is a classroom, we are both student and teacher. each day is a failing grade in one particular subject:  grace. grace is compassion, gratitude, surrender, faith, forgiveness, good manners, reverence, and the list goes on. it’s something money can’t buy and credentials rarely produce. being the smartest, the prettiest, the most talented, the richest, or even the poorest, can’t help. Being a humble person can and being a helpful person will guide you through your days with grace and gratitude.” 

From his fullness we have received grace upon grace. I can’t think of a better time than now to share God’s grace with others.

(Donna Putney is pastor at Hope Lutheran Church in Powell.)