"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. –Romans 5:8"
Confession time. I don't like everything about the ministry. Or at least Pastoral ministry. It took me a long time to be able to come to grips with that statement. I was OK with not liking certain tasks. I just didn't want to admit it. But the pastoral ministry is, believe it or not, a lot like your job. There are things you enjoy and parts of it that don't thrill you. It doesn't mean you aren't suited for what you do. It just means you have certain gifts and preferences.
For instance, the 4:00 AM "emergency" phone call that really isn't an emergency. Not a big fan. Or the "nonmember" wedding where you quickly discern the families involved have no real desire for a worship service. The wedding is simply something to get through in order to get to the reception. Again not a fan.
But those are small things. Most of what I do, I love to do. Not just love it, but see it as a grand privilege. Take the past Sunday for instance. It was my grand privilege to preside over three of the five baptisms we performed at Trinity. I had a chance to meet with all of the families the day before and we talked about the power and importance of this sacred act. We spoke of the beauty of God's prevenient grace, wooing us to Him long before we are aware. And we spoke of the need to understand that we as parents, and the Body of Christ, are often the main conduits of this grace.
While all the Baptisms were special, one sticks out in particular in my mind. I held a little baby who wore a baptism gown that was over 90 years old. In fact, the little one's great grandfather wore it when he was baptized. The great grandfather was even able to attend the service. The baby could not have been more well behaved. He nestled himself in my arms and looked around in wonder at the congregation.
So I held him a bit longer than usual, and again explained the mystery were were a part of. It was indeed a holy moment. The family was beaming. The congregation was beaming. And we were in an undoubtedly holy moment. The little one looked at me, and in this holy moment, reached out grabbed my nose as hard as he could and stuck his thumb up my right nostril. So much for the holy moment. The congregation now had tears of laughter in their eyes and I had tears from almost having my nose removed from my face.
But perhaps not. Perhaps the Holiness of the moment wasn't lost after all. Perhaps it simply serves to remind all of us of what grace really is. Grace is messy. Grace is unexpected. Grace seems to come out of nowhere. Grace breaks through even our most carefully laid out plans.
We have a tendency to forget that today. Oh, we are all for God's love and grace. We are all for grace as long as we can plan for it. As long as we can have some control over it. As long as it's predictable. We cry out Maranatha (Lord come quickly). But come in an expected, unobtrusive way.
But that's not grace. It never has been, really. Grace is messy. Grace is in the blood running down the beaten and mutilated body of Jesus on the Cross. Grace is Jesus allowing a woman with an unclean flow of blood to touch Him. Grace is in the missionary wiping the feet of a leper who has gangrenous sores. It's in the person giving a hug to a homeless person who hasn't bathed in a long time. Grace is in the person willing to get involved in the life of a young woman who has been shattered by human trafficking.
Grace is even in the small messy moments of the church. It's in that Communion cup when every one has has put their fingers in it during Intinction. It's in the cups and the bulletins left behind after a worship service and the folks who lovingly clean it up. It's in the faces of a youth group fresh back from some "messy" game as they track who knows what back through the narthex on the way to the bathroom. It's even in the hand of the child who suddenly grabs your nose during a baptism.
Yes, grace is more than a bit inconvenient. It's sloppy and messy. But I'm glad it is. You see there have been plenty of times I've been messy in my life. Messy with sin. Messy with pride and self-centered heart. A bit untidy with feeling sorry for myself. But I have a savior who doesn't mind getting messy. He got down in the mess of my life and pulled me out. In fact, He took my mess and gave me His cleanliness.
You might be like that. Life's a bit, well, messy right now. Don't forget you have a savior who loves to get down in the mess of our lives and give us grace. Grace is messy. And yet, at the same time, its grand.
In Christ,
Rev. Dr. Brian Jones <><
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