Romans 5: 1-11
THE GRACE IN WHICH WE NOW STAND
Once upon a time a father climbed onto the roof of the house to
fix the flue on the chimney. Working diligently he became aware of a
noise on the tiles as his 5 y.o. son made his way up the roof from
the other side having climbed a pertostorum tree next to the front
verandah where the power cable connecting the house to mains would
have provided a convenient hand rail. Fear grew inside the dad, but
he controlled both his fear and the need to teach the son a firm
lesson. But after a lesson on how to walk safely on tiles, and then
a lecture about what ladders are for rather than trees and power
lines, the matter lapsed.
Our first response as parents sets the tone for how our children
respond to situations, parti- cularly traumatic situations. Even
from before they are born children are "L" platers with an inbuilt
anxiety to gain our approval - to be like us, do what we do. They
watch intently, listen carefully (mostly) and respond according to
their perception (sometimes embarrassingly)
Responding to a difficult situation with initial softness helps
children see that if Dad and Mum don't panic, maybe there's light at
the end of the tunnel. When parents panic, or are angry at
frustrating situations, children will imitate that response.
This ability to initiate softness and keep from panicking comes
from decisions we make in quiet times away from the difficulties in
life;
Ÿ
that God is a loving
creating Father working always for our good. Who has
promised to be with us and for us always. If we do not
experience this then guess who moved away - and it's not
God.
Ÿ
that God is not
distant from us - but has come to us in human form. Jesus
lived his life in love and showed us as our brother, how to
live in love with all people.
Ÿ
that the hope we
have in the promises of God are solid and safe because God
has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit
who is with us and in us forever.
If we want to shower gifts upon our children.to ensure life is
good for them, so they won't have to struggle maybe in the way we
did then we need to ensure
Ÿ
that we are standing
on the safe and secure place; that we have learnt how to
walk on the fragile tiles of life;
Ÿ
that we grasp hold
of the right power linel
Ÿ
that we appreciate
that although we desire to give good things to our children
HOW MUCH MORE has God given to us who are His children.
The extravagence of God's grace, the abundance of love and
acceptance abounds in the life of Jesus. In him there are no half
measures.
Ÿ
When asked to
provide wine, he provided the best.
Ÿ
When asked for food,
12 baskets were left over.
Ÿ
When cripples came,
they left running and leaping.
Ÿ
When outcasts turned
to him for a smile, he came to dinner with them.
Ÿ
Ÿ
For Jesus, life is not
something to worry about. It is to be enjoyed; to be lived in the
confidence that God will provide every need out of His riches in
Christ Jesus. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
There is a great sadness of life for those trapped in religion and
who have failed to stand firmly in grace - in word and deed.
In reflecting on our life we may recognise times when we
struggled to love. We may have with-held our love - to ourselves, to
our children, to one another. For some love was equated with reward
so that we will love if we receive something in return, or are loved
if we do something that is approved of. Love may have been a tool
used to control others and we
learnt that love is conditional or grew up to learn to be
suspicious of free, unconditional gifts.
The grace on which we stand is built on the unconditional love of
God who has revealed himself as Father our Creator, as Son our
Saviour and Spirit - our ongoing helper and sustainer. We are loved
by God simply because we are His children and if we are his children
then by logic, Jesus is our brother and we are joint heirs of all
that the Father is and has. The greatest gift we can bequeath to our
children is the knowledge and appreciation of the grace and the
blessing of God which we can do in 3 ways:
Ÿ
By teaching them to
appreciate the gifts God has given - to encourage their
praying of thanks each day, not just at meal-times but in
all parts of their day. At the close of the day to thank God
for the sun or the rain, the wind or the stillness, for the
love we have received today. We are stewards of all that God
has created - He has given it all to us to appreciate, to
take care of, and for it all we should be thankful.
Ÿ
By reflecting or
mirroring to them always the true nature of love. As Jesus
demonstrated by His life the abundance of God's love, so
children form their under- standing of love and of God from
what we give to them. It is a love that knows no limits.
Which forgives over and over and over and never stops
forgiving. Which accepts that which is difficult to accept.
Ÿ
As we open ourselves
to this God of abundance we help our children discover and
experience God's grace. If we really want them to find God
then we need to walk this journey with them. A journey which
is challenging, dynamic, extraordinarily rich and abundant,
where there are new things to be learned every day.
Unfortunately, for many, our experience of God has been a one off
experience maybe in our youth and not an encounter every day of our
lives. There is hope and it will not disappoint us
May the Spirit of truth/guide us into all truth, enabling us to
give glory to the Son as the Father's blessings of "how much more"
are poured on us as we receive the rbead and wine of his very self.
Amen.