by Pastor Douglas Brauner
It’s Difficult to See Grace.
(If you haven’t had the opportunity to read yesterday’s devotion by Pastor Don Schatz, I would suggest you do as prep for this devotion. Here is the link to his devotion: Grace.)
The scar on this tree is obvious; it dominates our attention. As much as we’d like to see the vibrant green grass surrounding this scar and the tiny branch that grows from it, we see the wound. We fixate on this scar. It monopolizes our vision and our thoughts.
Sin has left its scar.
It’s difficult to see grace because of the predominance of sin in us and around us. Though we are the redeemed sheep of God’s flock with Jesus as our shepherd, we wander around in the mud of sin that seeks to break our bond with the Good Shepherd.
It’s difficult to see God’s grace because it is rooted in a promise.
“There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.”
Isaiah 11:1 English Standard Version
Even though grace is difficult to see, grace is real because of Jesus, the branch that grows out of the death of our sin, the world’s sin. I wonder how large this new branch will be in ten to twenty years. It is destined to grow, that’s what it does.
Grace is destined to grow even if we wrestle to see it.
Grace grows in struggling marriages when we focus on the promise that in Jesus our marriages bear fruit. Grace grows hope.
Grace grows in loneliness when we focus on the promise that in Jesus even in our aloneness his mercy bears fruit. Grace grows hope.
Grace grows in fear when we focus on the promise that in Jesus his mercy grows even in our anxiety about the future. Grace grows hope.
The righteous Branch forgives and renews us as we wrestle with our struggles, loneliness, and fears. The promise of God produces hope even as we see the wound that sin produces. Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection fulfill Isaiah’s promise.
God’s people live with a promise of grace active in a sin-filled world. And God’s people look to the fulfillment of Jesus’ final promise when sin will no longer keep us from seeing and experiencing the presence of God.
Copyright Family of Christ Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado
