Risen By Grace

More than a prayer at dinner, more than the beautiful movements of a ballerina, grace…  God’s grace… is an untouchable, invisible, all-encompassing power. As we celebrate Easter 2011, I am reminded that Jesus is risen by grace.

Grace is this. God does not act on our behalf because we deserve to be helped, but because we are in need. King David cried out to God for mercy, not because he deserved it, but because he needed it. God’s grace is given to us in ways we do not often think about. With every sunrise, every breath, every laugh, and every creative inspiring thought we are experiencing God’s grace at work in our lives.  Grace comes to us all, the good, the bad, and the really, really bad. Jesus is risen for all people, not just good people. 

If grace is extended to all people then why isn’t the world as we know it more graceful? Why does the world seem to be so filled with violence, lies, dictators, crime, and tragedy? The bigger picture of grace is a funny thing.  Jesus is risen by grace, but for grace to be risen around us it must be risen in us. Grace is not just accepting help; it is rejecting confidence in ourselves. 

Over time, the desperate humble cry of King David was replaced with the Pharisees smug sense of self-righteousness. The Pharisees believed that they somehow deserved God’s favor because they had followed their religious rules so meticulously and with such zeal. They placed their confidence for grace in their own ability to win it for themselves.  

Most of us still think like Pharisees. If I am good enough… if I get it all right… then, maybe, I can experience God’s grace in my life. We place our confidence, our hope, upon our own ability to measure up to some yet defined holy standard. But Jesus is not risen by rules. Jesus is not risen by religion.  Jesus is not risen by our efforts. The message of Easter is that “Jesus is risen by God’s grace.”

Grace acts on our behalf before we even know we need it, it accepts us just like we are, and it calls us to a new life. Grace allows us to not just cry for help, but to calmly trust that by placing our confidence in the risen Jesus for all things (even our sins) that Jesus will become our strength and our guide. 

Accepting God’s grace is rejecting confidence in our selves. We experience God’s grace by placing daily confidence in Jesus. It begins with one decision, but culminates in a lifetime of trust. Jesus is risen by grace, but that leaves us with the question we need to ask every Easter…

Have I been risen by grace?

Ben Cathey