1 John 2:2 Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for our
sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
(NIV)
There’s a beautiful part of our Communion liturgy that I
totally love. It’s when I get to pray over the bread and wine, saying, “O
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world, grant us Your Peace.”
I don’t know what the good folks in the pews experience at that sacred moment,
but I feel completely grateful to God for allowing us sinners the divine
opportunity of being absolutely forgiven. As well as offering this to all of
Christ’s believers, the grace of God is extended beyond the table, out of the
sanctuary, and into the heart of the community around us.
It humbles me to think that God’s mercy and love can be experienced
by anyone who chooses to accept this gift from God. I don’t fully understand
how God does this, but I count it as a great blessing to humanity, coming
directly from Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, Savior of the world, and Healer of
our souls.
Sometimes Christians are condemned for being judgmental,
graceless, and self-righteous people, who feel spiritually superior and are arrogantly
convinced that we are elevated above all others. We erroneously think that we
own the moral high ground and often justify our ideas and opinions as being
equal to those of God. Our pride gets in the way of our compassion; our sense
of privilege and entitlement undermines our effective and personal witness to
God’s words and ways.
God’s love is deeper than we can ever know, and His grace
is beyond what we imagine it to be. Both in our Communion liturgy and today’s
verse from 1 John, we can read, discover, and embrace a great plan of salvation
for a sinful planet. We can find a true meaning for life when we humbly
understand that Jesus has sacrificially died, not just for our sins, but for
those of the entire world. Our mission, should we choose to accept it, is to
take the Good News into our communities and let all people know that because
Jesus fully atoned for every one of our mistakes, regrets, and sins, we can be completely
restored to God’s love as His precious daughters and sons, no matter who we are
or what we’ve done.
Questions
for personal reflection
How have I individually experienced God’s grace
through Christ? How can I share this beautiful blessing with others?
Prayer: Lord
Jesus, You are the Savior of the World who heals our broken ways, forgives our
personal sins, and restores us to God’s love. We can never sufficiently thank You
for such a beautiful gift, but we can extend Your blessing by lovingly sharing
it with our families and friends, colleagues and neighbors, community and
world. In Your Holy Name, we gratefully pray. Amen.
John Stuart is the pastor
of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to ask
questions or make comments about today’s message, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.
Today’s image is one of
John’s Easter drawings called ‘Passover.’ If you would like to view a larger
version, please click this link: Passover.
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