where's the grace...?

I left church this week... saddened...
wondering... Where's the grace...?

A totally unexpected exhibition of gracelessness...
one often seen in and about in the world...
but when it happens within the church...
well... it stunned...
made me want to flee...

Still wrestling with the image of weeds among the wheat...
I long to pray... Weed out Your church...?
and then I remember... maybe that's not His prayer...

The church is a funny place...
not in a humorous way... but an odd way...

A group of broken people...
trying not to act broken...
some apparently clueless about their brokenness...

I started a book this week... where I read...

God does not work apart from sinful and flawed (forgiven, to be sure) men and women who are mostly without credentials.

---Eugene Peterson. Practice Resurrection

And I'm reminded... this is the medium in which God works...
the broken... the messy... the clueless...

So I pray for light... revelation of His grace...
receptive spirits... hearts... willing to accept conviction...
willing to repent...
willing to become fountains... sieves... of grace...

Father God... I'm so grateful for Your grace...

open the hearts of Your people... to receive Your grace...

share Your grace... so You may receive thanks and glory...

We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus,

will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself

together with you. All of this is for your benefit.

And as God's grace reaches more and more people,

there will be great thanksgiving and God will receive

more and more glory.

2 Corinthians 4:14-15 NLT