And Then There was Grace
When God formed Adam from the dust of the earth and breathed life into him (Genesis 2:7), God knew man would fall. He saw the depravity of the human condition long before that sixth day of creation, yet he created us anyhow.
When God spoke to Abraham in the desert wilderness and told him to count the stars illuminating the unpolluted expanse of darkness overhead (Genesis 15:5), he knew the Israelites would wander far from him like an unfaithful bride, yet he made a promise to Abraham despite this.
For thousands of years we see God’s children fail him time and again. They drew near in one generation, only to fall away and rebuild altars to pagan gods in the next generations. There was always something to distract them from intimacy with their creator…other gods, wayward neighbors, their own flesh. It’s really no different today. Even the most wholesome activities can lead us away from God’s purposes and plans for our life if we don’t make the effort to guard against it.
Although it may surprise us where we end up when we choose to live in a way that does not fully honor God, none of it ever surprises God. He has known each of us since before he laid the foundations of the earth. He sees our heart and the secrets we hide from others, as well as the brokenness we may not even recognize in ourselves. Even if we don’t acknowledge his authority in our lives, he is no less aware of our struggles, our sins, or our lies. Just as the Israelites spent forty years camping in the desert as a result of their unfaithfulness, we may also spend countless years wallowing in our own desolation, feeling hopeless and unworthy of God’s love.
And then comes grace, in all its baffling beauty, a gift we never earned and we absolutely don’t deserve; boundless and unlimited grace offered through the supernatural impregnation of a poor, Jewish girl more than two thousand years ago. Grace entered the world as a vulnerable babe born in a barn, wrapped in common swaddling cloth. Grace came humble and willing to serve as a perfected example of faith and the miraculous atonement that brings us back into communion with God. Grace is the gift that brings our God-given purpose into fruition, and it is this wonderful gift of grace, given in the person of Christ Jesus that brings value to the Christmas season. As we celebrate and feast with those we love, may we remember that apart from God we are all wanderers in the deserts of this life, desperately in need of this life-giving grace that has been offered to all. Merry Christmas!
