Across Church Street
Happy Thanksgiving!
God's manifold grace. A day to be grateful and to accept responsibility.
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. — Colossians 3:17
Two gauges of spiritual maturity to consider today. The first is gratitude. Do we recognize that everything we have is a gift from God— his grace? Can we show him our gratitude? Another gauge is responsibility— faithful stewards of the many forms of God's grace. We enjoy his gifts as we share them with others.
Whataboutism
Emphasizing proximity and trust.
The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. ⏤ Luke 18:11
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. ⏤ 1 Timothy 1:15
Will I be like the Pharisee who excuses himself? Who exchanges God's grace for his own? Or will I be like Paul, who owns his distance from the Father and trusts Jesus for reconciliation?
Offered & Given
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ⏤ John 3:16
God so loved the world that he gave. The Greek word for 'gave' can also be translated as 'offered.' These two English words are so similar and related. The difference is what happens with the gift. For a gift to be given, it has to be received. Otherwise, it's only been offered. God offers grace in many forms. Will we take hold?
- love
- Holy Spirit
- humility
- church
- poverty & mercy
- politics & society
- mission & witness
- holiness
- parable & metaphor
- identity
- eternal life
- doubt & deconstruction
- leadership
- grace
- justice
- scripture
- spiritual life
- advent & christmas
- imagination & creativity
- technology & AI
- knowing God
- human dignity
- faith & trust
- incarnation & cross
- kingdom of God
- community
- reconciliation
- spiritual formation
- epistemology
- prayer
- gratitude
- culture
- creation & nature
- discipleship
I practice the spiritual discipline of rescuing earthworms on paved surfaces. It's a reminder to me that I can pause what I'm doing, get a little dirty, and help. Also, that I've been given the responsibility to care.