Immeasurable Riches of Grace

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:1-10

The snow is piled high around us this morning and the sun is shining bright. Mountains of bright snow, glittering along the surface, making us rich in beauty, rich in grace. The whole world is clean and bright this morning and most everyone has a snow day, so there are few cars on the road. The previous storm, the day after Christmas, was an occasion of reprisal and criticism for New York City and other areas which were not fast enough at getting streets plowed. Now, the lesson learned and all is forgiven, or so it seems. Today is a beautiful and glorious day, and the laughter of children on their bundled way to sledding brings a musical quality to the pristine snow. Grace abounds in this winter wonderland.

The write of the Ephesians reminds us that this grace, this abundance of mercy, love, forgiveness and renewal, is not of our doing by is a gift from God. Our most common attribute is to criticize or blame and yet the attributes of God are available too, free flowing and given daily in love. As the earth is renewed, so too are we renewed and made whole by God's loving grace which is never limited, never withdrawn from all who seek it.

Today, I ask God for an extra measure of grace and forgiveness, so that I might move beyond my baser ways and accept the generous love and forgiveness that has been showered upon me from above. May we all bask in the light of God's countenance which is never far off, but given daily, in extra measure, healing and forgiving as it runs around and through our lives.