Jesus calls us, his followers, to a new way of life – a way of grace. Grace is, of course, the utterly unmerited offer of mercy, goodness, and hope given to one by another. Grace is so unexpected, so counter-cultural, that it’s something you must experience to believe. Most of us can recount unique moments of grace. A police officer issued a warning when we deserved a ticket. A teacher gave us another day to turn in that late assignment. A friend gave us another chance after we hurt her.
Each of us has our own story of such a moment, but all of us have experienced grace in God’s gift of Jesus. Because we are so blessed, Luther teaches, we are enabled to live out Christ’s calling: to give grace to others. Even to those the world might see as undeserving. Even to those the world might see as enemies.
This message is excerpted from “Even our enemies” by Katie Hines-Shah in the July/August 2019 Gather magazine.
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